Introducing the Victorian Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework

Why was the framework developed? (leads into talking head 1)

The Victorian Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework was developed to provide a shared vision for clinical supervision for allied health in Victoria.

The framework provides guidance for allied health workers, managers, and organisations to promote consistent and effective practice of clinical supervision.

Ultimately the goals of the framework are to optimise patient care and outcomes and to support allied health worker well-being.

The framework has been specifically developed for the clinical supervision of practicing allied health professionals and assistants, rather than the clinical supervision of students.

Possible images to accompany narration: framework cover; staff reviewing framework; staff participating in clinical supervision; general location shots of the hospital

1.  Director of Allied Health (Sally Harris): need for the framework

As a Director of Allied Health knowing that our allied health teams are participating in effective clinical supervision gives me confidence that our clinicians have the skills and support that they need to provide high quality evidence-based care. 

I’ve also seen how clinical supervision can support the professional well-being of allied health clinicians and helps to build a positive workplace culture. 

The Victorian Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework outlines the principles that underpin high quality clinical supervision and what our clinicians, teams and organisations can do to support this.

2. Allied Heath Team Leader (Robyn Soulsby): supporting a consistent approach to clinical supervision across allied health disciplines

In my role as an Allied Health Team Leader I work with a number of teams made up of clinicians from different allied health professions.

While all of our clinicians practice clinical supervision, in the past they might have done it a bit differently to each other.

The Victorian Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework promotes a consistent approach to clinical supervision across allied health professions.

The framework has also helped our teams to understand what we are doing well with practicing clinical supervision and what our areas for improvement are. 

This has helped us to plan for and support best practice clinical supervision across all our allied health teams.

What is in the framework? (leads into talking heads 2-4)

The framework consists of 3 main components:

• The first is an introduction which defines and describes clinical supervision for allied health and outlines key elements for clinical supervision
• The second part of the framework outlines principles that underpin effective clinical supervision practice.  These principles are described at worker, organisational and system levels.  Additionally, outcomes of success are outlined to describe successful implementation of the framework
• The final component of the framework are tools and resources to support the implementation of the framework. 

Possible images to accompany narration: relevant sections of the framework; staff reviewing framework document; staff participating in clinical supervision

3. Clinical Supervisor (Melanie McIntyre): a clearer understanding of clinical supervision

As a clinical supervisor one of the things that I really like about the Victorian Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework is that it clearly defines what clinical supervision is for allied health.

The definition includes providing teaching and learning opportunities with clinicians at the point of care to support the development of clinical skills, but it is not just that. 

It also includes reflective practice which helps clinicians to develop clinical reasoning skills and identify personal strengths and areas for improvement.

The framework talks about how clinical supervision can be used to facilitate the professional development of allied health clinicians, which supports growth throughout their careers.

I found it helpful that the framework also describes how clinical supervision is different from operational management and from student supervision.

Having a clearer definition of what clinical supervision is helps me and my supervisees to understand how clinical supervision can support their learning and professional wellbeing.

4. Supervisee (Rianna Shen): ensuring that clinical supervision is meeting allied health worker needs

One of the ways that I think that the Victorian Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework helps me as an allied health clinician is to highlight why we do clinical supervision.

The framework is centered around high quality patient care – which I think reinforces the importance of clinical supervision in making sure that our clinicians have the right knowledge and skills to provide evidence based care.

The other aspect of the framework that is so important is that clinical supervision is there to help support our professional wellbeing.

Working in health can sometimes be really demanding so I think that it’s important to use clinical supervision to reflect on challenges and to help to deal with work-related stress.

How can the framework be used? (leads into talking head 5)

The framework has been designed to help inform approaches to clinical supervision training and evaluation. An Organisational Self-assessment and Performance Indicator tool aligned to the framework has been developed to assist organisations to review their performance against the framework and to identify areas for further development.

Possible images to accompany narration: relevant sections of the framework; a team meeting to conduct the self-assessment

5. Researcher (Carol McKinstry): supporting continuous improvement of clinical supervision

We know that the effectiveness of clinical supervision can vary across different allied health professions and settings which can impact on its benefits for allied health clinicians and their patients.

For that reason, it is really important that we continually evaluate clinical supervision and make sure that it is of a high quality.

Using the Victorian Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework provides the tools and resources for allied health clinicians and managers to implement and maintain high quality clinical supervision.

Conclusion

How to access the framework (text on screen)

To access the Victorian Allied Health Clinical Supervision Framework go to https://www.health.vic.gov.au/allied-health-workforce/victorian-allied-…