HASTINGS volunteer Sue King is out to encourage more people to be involved with Peninsula Health’s community advisory group.
“I was coming up to retirement and thought I needed to do some voluntary work,” she said.
“I’d done some social voluntary work through sporting clubs over the years and I thought I want something to do so I came to the Western Port Community Advisory Group meeting and found it quite interesting.”
Now, years later, Ms King is encouraging others to join the group.
“We need more members from a diverse range of backgrounds across Western Port so we can have a good representation of the whole area,” says Ms King, who has lived at Hastings for 42 years.
“If you come along you’ll meet lots of new people, have lots of education sessions, learn all about Peninsula Health and you’ll be able to then take that information out into the community.”
Consumer representatives aim to help planning and delivery, and improve services to achieve the best health outcomes.
“We get told about all the services available across the whole of Peninsula Health and we then pass that information onto our friends and other groups we’re involved in,” Ms King said.
Ms King was a registered nurse at primary schools, GP clinics and a nursing home. “Having worked in the nursing sector for so long it’s interesting to see how it’s changed and how Peninsula Health moves with the times,” she said.
The NDIS and children’s health are two topics that have recently been on the agenda at the meetings, with guest presenters informing CAG members about updates in the areas.
The Western Port CAG meets bi-monthly and looking for new members.
Details: peninsulahealth.org.au
First published in the Western Port News – 13 March 2018
