Mark Butterworth, Chief Allied Health Practitioner

It has been my pleasure to meet with many of you at the local launches of the Metro North Disability Services Action Plan (DSAP). My thanks to all who attended, organised and or hosted the wonderful events to celebrate the DSAP launch.

I was delighted to have been a part of your local events, and in particular loved the lived experience stories and tangible commitment from all staff to make life better for those with disability.

One of the highlights of the week was the entertainment at Caboolture’s launch, where we were introduced to the phenomenal band Clear Vision. All members of the band are blind, and they treated us to some fantastic tunes!  I am hoping to have them perform a few songs at our award ceremonies later in the year.

As we developed the plan through 2023 with a co-design process, consumers shared experiences and common themes and issues all of which helped us shape our action plan.

As an example, we discovered that many of our facilities don’t currently have the capability to provide an accessible adult changing facility to meet the toileting needs of people with complex physical health needs. It was pleasing to see the new satellite hospitals and Caboolture’s new build have provided suitable spaces. Please see below the amazingly equipped facility at Caboolture.

If you would like to help improve health outcomes for people with disabilities or have ideas about how we can grow our workforce, please contact me or the Shannon Dawson the Metro North Disability Action Plan lead through our website.

Mark.