A co-designed response to long waiting lists in a child development service
Tracks
4
Collaboration
Continuous quality improvement
Early intervention
Innovative practice
Multidisciplinary practice
Paediatric/Infant
Prevention
Promotion
Research
Service delivery
| Saturday, June 14, 2025 |
| 12:10 PM - 12:20 PM |
Overview
Dr Katelyn Melvin and Helen Smith
Details
⏫ Research insights
⏲️ 12.10pm - 12.30pm
⌛ 20-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case
⏲️ 12.10pm - 12.30pm
⌛ 20-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case
Presenter
Dr Katelyn Melvin
The University Of Queensland
A co-designed response to long waiting lists in a child development service
12:10 PM - 12:30 PMPresentation summary
Objective
Long wait times for paediatric speech pathology services are a widespread issue in Australia. These delays are a significant concern given the importance of early intervention and caregiver capacity-building in child development. Additionally, there is growing recognition of how social determinants of health create inequities in service access and developmental outcomes. This presentation describes a study which responded to the challenge of long wait times in a public child development service in a major Australian city, supporting children aged 0-18 years with developmental concerns.
Method
A convergent mixed methods design was used to 1) understand the waiting experience from both families' and staff perspectives, and 2) co-design strategies with stakeholders to better support families during their wait. Phase 1 involved surveys of families on the waiting list to assess changes in their experiences and needs. Staff also contributed their insights on improving the waiting experience. In Phase 2, surveys and focus groups were used to prioritize actions for supporting families, which were then assessed for feasibility by the service.
Results
In Phase 1, 542 survey responses were received from families and 43 responses from multidisciplinary clinicians. Both groups provided insights into what families do while they are waiting for an appointment (e.g., access other health professionals, investigate funding options), and identified factors that made it easy or challenging for families to take these steps. Seven key ideas were identified from survey data to better support families during their wait. Preliminary analyses for Phase 2 revealed that families prioritized clear and tailored information provision following their initial phone call with the service.
Conclusions
Combining the lived experience of families with the expertise of multidisciplinary clinicians led to the development feasible and sustainable solutions which are anticipated to better meet the diverse needs of families while they are waiting for services.
Long wait times for paediatric speech pathology services are a widespread issue in Australia. These delays are a significant concern given the importance of early intervention and caregiver capacity-building in child development. Additionally, there is growing recognition of how social determinants of health create inequities in service access and developmental outcomes. This presentation describes a study which responded to the challenge of long wait times in a public child development service in a major Australian city, supporting children aged 0-18 years with developmental concerns.
Method
A convergent mixed methods design was used to 1) understand the waiting experience from both families' and staff perspectives, and 2) co-design strategies with stakeholders to better support families during their wait. Phase 1 involved surveys of families on the waiting list to assess changes in their experiences and needs. Staff also contributed their insights on improving the waiting experience. In Phase 2, surveys and focus groups were used to prioritize actions for supporting families, which were then assessed for feasibility by the service.
Results
In Phase 1, 542 survey responses were received from families and 43 responses from multidisciplinary clinicians. Both groups provided insights into what families do while they are waiting for an appointment (e.g., access other health professionals, investigate funding options), and identified factors that made it easy or challenging for families to take these steps. Seven key ideas were identified from survey data to better support families during their wait. Preliminary analyses for Phase 2 revealed that families prioritized clear and tailored information provision following their initial phone call with the service.
Conclusions
Combining the lived experience of families with the expertise of multidisciplinary clinicians led to the development feasible and sustainable solutions which are anticipated to better meet the diverse needs of families while they are waiting for services.
Refrences
Bate, P., & Robert, G. (2006). Experience-based design: From redesigning the system around the patient to co-designing services with the patient. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 15(5), 307-310. https://doi.org/10.1136/qshc.2005.016527
Commonwealth of Australia. (2014). Senate community affairs references committee: Prevalence of different types of speech, language and communication disorders and speech pathology services in Australia. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia.
Di Sante, M., & Potvin, L. (2022). We need to talk about social inequalities in language development. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(4), 1894-1897. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00326
McGill, N., Crowe, K., & McLeod, S. (2020). “Many wasted months”: Stakeholders' perspectives about waiting for speech-language pathology services. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22(3), 313-326. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2020.1747541
McGill, N., & McLeod, S. (2020). Waiting list management in speech-language pathology: Translating research to practice. Speech, Language and Hearing, 23(1), 2-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2020.1716471
Murphy, K., & Harrison, E. (2022). The weight of waiting: The impact of delayed early intervention on parental self-efficacy. British Journal of Special Education, 49(1), 84-101. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12381
Commonwealth of Australia. (2014). Senate community affairs references committee: Prevalence of different types of speech, language and communication disorders and speech pathology services in Australia. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia.
Di Sante, M., & Potvin, L. (2022). We need to talk about social inequalities in language development. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(4), 1894-1897. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00326
McGill, N., Crowe, K., & McLeod, S. (2020). “Many wasted months”: Stakeholders' perspectives about waiting for speech-language pathology services. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22(3), 313-326. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2020.1747541
McGill, N., & McLeod, S. (2020). Waiting list management in speech-language pathology: Translating research to practice. Speech, Language and Hearing, 23(1), 2-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2020.1716471
Murphy, K., & Harrison, E. (2022). The weight of waiting: The impact of delayed early intervention on parental self-efficacy. British Journal of Special Education, 49(1), 84-101. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12381
**********
Dr Katelyn Melvin is a speech-language pathologist and researcher who is passionate about working together with families and communities to see long-term changes in outcomes for children. Her mixed-methods research focusses on engagement with families in early intervention, effective information provision by professionals, and working collaboratively with consumers to understand and improve health service environments. Katelyn works clinically with a not-for-profit organisation delivering the Early Childhood Approach for children aged 0-6 years under the Australian Government's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and is involved in research and teaching at The University of Queensland.
Ms Kym Dunstan
Children's Health Queensland Hospital & Health Service
A co-designed response to long waiting lists in a child development service
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM**********
Kym Dunstan is a paediatric speech pathologist with over 25 years’ experience in Australia, New Zealand and the UK supporting children with their communication and literacy development. Kym has worked in the Early Childhood, Education and Health sectors, community organisations and private practice.
Kym’s current role in the Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing team (Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service) takes a public health approach and involves bringing together what is known about the Social Determinants of Health and the importance of the early years to develop strategies and responses that improve communication outcomes for all children.
Ms Helen Smith
Children's Health Queensland
A co-designed response to long waiting lists in a child development service
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM**********
Helen is a paediatric speech pathologist with experience working in both health and educational settings within Queensland. Her work has focused on speech pathology promotion and prevention interventions in partnership with stakeholders in the early years sector. Her current role is in the Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing team within Children’s Health Queensland. This role involves applying a speech pathology perspective to develop strategies and responses to improve communication outcomes for all children but particularly our most vulnerable.
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
Disclaimer: © (2024) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved.
Important Notice, please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited ("the Association"). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this presentation. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this presentation including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this presentation.
.
