Speech Pathology Australia - Allied Health Assistant Feature

in focus

The plan is that AHAs will have their own stream within our organisational structure." What kind of activities/tasks do your AHAs perform “The activities and tasks the AHAs perform are really quite different and will depend on the case. Sometimes it is purely practice, particularly with speech children, it’s really getting those high repetitions, and sometimes it’s more around generalisation- other times it is about communicating in a very functional environment. For example, for participants using AAC it’s actually about getting them out and about and using their device. “Sometimes for our older children it’s about taking them out and buying drinks and using their language. For example, we have some people whose goals are around using correct grammar. It’s hard working on those kind of things with a person at a table, so instead they might go to the park and talk about what they’re seeing." Can you give some advice or tips to anyone thinking about taking on an AHA? “I think for anyone looking at taking on AHAs, you need to think that they aren’t just an ‘optional extra’ they are a full team member. “In the past we employed AHAs as casuals, but as we’ve learned that wasn’t super profitable. It was a little bit hard to manage, so this time around we’ve employed them as permanent employees which is what I really love about it, it means that they’re part of the team. We have a combination of part-time and full-time AHAs. They come to all the meetings, they’re involved in our team development days, they’re just another member of our team. “I think we’re more comfortable with how it works now, I think because it has been a much more considered decision-making process. There is a lot more security and commitment to the roles. “We’ve recruited very strongly in this space, and we are rolling out lots of different programs this year with our AHAs. We’ve had 18 months of trial and error so there has been lots of learning. “It is a process to work out how it’s going to work best for your business, because ultimately that’s what it is about in the end. “Initially the team were a little reluctant because it did seem like (taking on AHAs) it was going to be more work for them, so you need to talk about and have discussions with your team about how they feel it would work. How they think it would work well for them and the practice. “You need to get your team on board. You need to allocate enough time for the planning and be realistic about the time that it does take to integrate an AHA. “You need to back that up with templates which make the process efficient. You’ve got to look at efficiency and your costings – for your participants, families, the community

that you’re working with, but also for your clinicians. “I also would highly recommend employing people directly. I think it’s just much easier from a private-practice point of view in regard to insurance, we don’t work with anybody externally. “Keep communication flowing and I would also say that you need to follow your recruitment process in the same way as you would recruit a therapist. Understand what your practice needs and then recruit for that. “Also understand the capacity that you have to supervise. The AHAs are going to be part of your team. They’re going to be representing your company, so you want the right people in the right roles, and you want them to stay and to also have a good experience." What have been the benefits of having AHAs in your practice? “I think for the clients it’s again around having access to different service deliveries so we can really deliver the service that really suits the client and is really meaningful and outcome based for the client. “For families that struggled to really make the goals work at home, it’s really provided them with a lot of support also. “It has broadened our team, brought in new ideas and different ways of thinking about things. It is also another big motivator for us and helped us to control the waitlist. “I guess the wait list is something that we are always trying to find ways where we can support people in timely ways. Clients working with an AHA and working with us, has meant that we can increase the supports that we can give and provide. “We’re also involving AHAs in some of our group programs that we run as well. So instead of having two clinicians in those programs, we sometimes have a clinician and AHA. So, we can run two group programs at the same time rather than just one, both really giving opportunities to expand the business."

Peninsula Speech Plus AHA Belinda, out and about with clients.

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Speak Out | June 2021