About the SPEAK Project

The SPEAK Project is trying to make it better for people with disability when they come to the hospital. Research shows that the experience of people with disability in hospitals is not as good as the experience of people without disabilities.

The SPEAK Project research is being done by Alfred Health with funding given by the Department of Social Services. This is called an ILC program grant. ILC stands for Information, Linkages, and Capacity Building.

What is the Aim of the SPEAK Project?

The SPEAK Project aims to overcome sensory and communication barriers when getting healthcare at our hospitals. These barriers are often experienced by autistic people, people with intellectual disability, and communication disability. The SPEAK Project focuses on this group and the carers, family members, friends, and staff who support them along their healthcare journey.

Why is the SPEAK Project important?

Every person who comes to the hospital should be able to:

  • Communicate in a way that works for them
  • Be understood by healthcare staff
  • Feel safe when they are in hospital
  • Be a part making their own decisions about their healthcare

Who is involved in the SPEAK Project?

The SPEAK Project is being run by Alfred Health and South West Healthcare. The SPEAK Project is also co-designing with people who have first-hand knowledge of disability and accessing healthcare. These people are either:

  • An autistic person or neuro-diverse
  • A person with an intellectual disability
  • A person with communication needs
  • A family member, friend, or carer supporting a person with a disability
  • A person who works in healthcare
  • A researcher who works in healthcare and disability

SPEAK Project Objectives

Picture of the front of the Emergency department at The Alfred at night. The photo is shot from the opposite side of commercial road and there is an ambulance in the foreground.

Rapid-response secondary consultation model

Design and test a service that helps autistic people, people with intellectual disability, and people with communication disability while they are in the hospital, as well as their healthcare staff and support people.

  • Rapid-response means that it will be quicker to access than other services
  • Secondary consult means that it will provide extra help to staff, people with disability, and their support people
Picture of staff training. Diverse group of people are sitting in a class environment with a hand raised.

Staff Training

Develop training for staff to support them in meeting the needs of people with different sensory, intellectual and communication needs. Some of the areas that might be helpful are:

  • Understanding individual needs and differences
  • Changes to staff attitudes
  • Knowledge of different communication support needs
  • Learn about the barriers people with disability face
  • Better conversations by including support people (e.g. family or carers)
  • More inclusive care for people with disability
Diagram labeled pain scale. Horizontal bar showing a gradient moving from green (left) to red (right). Under the bar are a series of emoji faces with different expressions that correspond with a number of captions ranging from no pain to worst pain ever.

Resources for better communication and accessible information

Develop and use existing resources to help staff to be good communication partners. By improving resources and helping staff use them, people with disability are more likely to:

  • Have their needs met
  • Actively make choices about their healthcare
  • Understand information related to their healthcare
  • Feel respected and listened to

Accessible resources might include:

  • Fact sheets in Easy Read
  • Social stories
  • Videos
Picture of two hands on a blue background one thumbs up and thumbs down.

Better ways to give feedback

Improve ways for people with disability to give feedback, and for the hospital to respond to feedback to improve healthcare service. Ways to improve feedback might include:

  • Ways to collect and follow up on feedback
  • Accessible feedback tools
  • Increase access to disability-related feedback
  • Patient stories that can be shared using words, pictures, or videos
Picture of electronic medical record.

Data systems

Develop data systems to improve how people with disability are supported throughout their healthcare journey. Improvements to data systems might include:

  • Better processes to plan and support people with disability
  • Better ways to find and respond to people with disability support needs
  • Disability alerts and complex care plans
  • Hospital passports
Find out how we are making progress

SPEAK Project Evaluation

The SPEAK Project is a research project with rules it must follow:

  • All research is looked at by people who are members of a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC).
  • This research has been approved by the HREC of Alfred Health.
  • This project will obey the rules in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007). It protects people who say yes to the research project.

If you are not happy about this project please tell the Complaints Officer

Telephone: (03) 9076 3619

Email: research@alfred.org.au

Tell them the project number: 81347

Have a question about this research? 

Email Dr Karen Roberts: k.roberts@alfred.org.au