Hope Alexander MPH

Posts Tagged ‘dentist’

Hope has expressed an interest in participating on the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing – International Dental Graduates Assessment Process Review Committee.

“This committee will act as a national expert reference group on assessment processes for International Dental Graduates.  It will provide expert advice to the Health Workforce Principal Committee on the issues and barriers associated with International Dental Graduates achieving full registration in Australia; the effectiveness and efficiency of current assessment processes, including implementation of the Public Sector Dental Workforce Scheme; and requirements for establishing a competent authority model for mutual recognition of dental qualifications gained overseas.

This work relates to the Consumers’ Health Forum of Australia interest in the health workforce.

The consumer representative may like to consider the following objectives:

• Provide a consumer perspective on issues relating to the assessment of International Dental Graduates.

• Advocate for consumer input and participation in the implementation of any model for recognition of dental qualifications gained overseas.

• Consult with, and keep CHF members informed of this work and the consumer issues.”

I have been the consumer representative on the Oral Health Centre WA (University of Western Australia School of Medicine and Dentistry) where dentistry students and oral hygienists are trained, for some years now.

I initiated the process of getting a mouth care information sheet for patients undergoing cancer treatment in WA and with the two Oral Medicine specialists who worked on it with me, was granted the Health Consumers’ Council WA Award of Excellence in 2006.

I regularly act as a patient for the Oral Medicine students in the examinations.

I have been a user of dental services from the age of 4 years (in New Zealand, where all children received free dental care until the age of 16), both as a public, then private, and now again, public patient.

I have been lobbying for reform in the oral health field for some years now.

At the Health Consumers’ Council (Western Australia) annual Christmas morning tea on 6 December 2006, Hope Alexander, former HCC Board member and member of the Health Issues Group was presented with an Award of Excellence.

The Award, presented by the chairperson of the Health Consumers’ Council, “recognised the outstanding work done by Hope Alexander, Dr Gareth Davies and Dr Nick Boyd, (both from the Oral Health Centre, Perth, Western Australia), on the issue of Oral Health for people with cancer, enduring chemotherapy”.

This achievement well demonstrates Hope’s philosophy of “patient-centred care”. It is powerful evidence that it is possible to develop “more equal partnerships between the health consumer and the health provider”. This is the focus of Hope’s Masters research.

The Mouth Care Fact Sheet was published on the Cancer Council WA web site in October 2005. Until now, there were no relevant information sheets for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. Hope researched and found a suitable information sheet produced by the Newcastle Hospitals in the UK and had the information reviewed by two senior oral health specialists in Perth to ensure it was accurate and relevant to Western Australia.

This initiative was granted an award of excellence by the Health Consumers’ Council WA in December 2006. Below are Dr Gareth Davies, Hope Alexander and Dr Nick Boyd receiving the award.

The “Mouth care during chemotherapy and radiation treatments” booklet can be viewed and downloaded online from the Cancer Council WA at this link http://www.cancerwa.asn.au/resources/2009-05-14-mouth-care-during-chemotherapy-and-radiation-treatments.pdf

Event: 6 December 2006 - Award of Excellence - Photo Courtesy of Medical Forum WA Magazine