2 days ago
Ambulance Victoria launches neuro-inclusion toolkit to help paramedics and patients
As a child, Chris Cleghorn was slow at reading.
He remembers it being a hidden thing that he did not talk about, but it was always there.
Now aged 45 and working as a paramedic, Mr Cleghorn has the words to describe the difficulty he faced: dyslexia.
Reading comes with the territory as a paramedic, but thanks to some adjustments at work, he has been able to manage his dyslexia and establish a thriving career.
For example, he transferred lists of medications to an audio format that he could listen to on the commute, a format that suits his brain far better than reading and re-reading text.
"I was a very good example of how these adjustments could work for someone, and how that person could thrive with those helps along the way," he said.
Ambulance Victoria has launched its first neuro-inclusion toolkit, which sets out what sort of adjustments can help in the workplace.
The aim is to better support neurodivergent patients and staff like Mr Cleghorn.
He said adjustments that could be helpful for neurodivergent staff included allowing decompression time for paramedics in quiet places, or space to do their paperwork in a distraction-free environment after a job.
When it comes to making neurodivergent patients comfortable, he said the toolkit suggested questions paramedics could ask, such as "Would you like the lights dimmed?" or "Would you like the noisy devices turned off?"
"Now that there's more of a spotlight on neurodiversity and disability, we do see that we don't do a fantastic job all the time in those areas," he said.
"Being able to ask questions and make those adjustments to allow people to feel comfortable … enough to be able to answer our questions and allow us to assess them is such a key point."
About 11 per cent of Ambulance Victoria's employees identify as neurodivergent, but it is believed this could be higher due to under-reporting.
Ambulance Victoria Gippsland Two region area manager Warwick Bone said he hoped the toolkit would provide clear support for managers, employees and patients.
"We know around 15 to 20 per cent of people have some sort of neurodivergence, which can include things like autism, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, dyslexia and other neurological differences," he said.
The toolkit includes a community-facing information sheet on the potential sensory impacts inside an ambulance.
"If they're in the back of an ambulance and machines are beeping and buzzing, then we can turn those down if they have sensory overload," Mr Bone said.
"We reinforce that if you do feel overcome with the sensory experience … talk to the paramedic that's with you and explain that you are neurodiverse and we can definitely support [you]."
Amaze chief executive David Tonge said his organisation co-designed the toolkit for Ambulance Victoria after a survey of patients.
"What we heard from the community was they'd had varied experiences in their encounters … but there's often a lot of sensory overload," he said.
"Pulling together the expertise of Ambulance Victoria and the paramedics with lived experience … is the strength of this project."
Mr Cleghorn said when it came to adjusting for disability needs, lived experience was crucial for getting things right.
"I can't think of anything where not getting lived experience hasn't improved the outcome or created a more robust system," he said.
"It's the gold standard."
