Allied Health Assistants and Delegation
Allied health assistants are valued members of the multidisciplinary team and work under the supervision and delegation of allied health professionals. They contribute to service delivery through supporting the provision of allied health care delivered to either individuals or through group sessions.
The Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance has been identified as the qualification best aligned to allied health assistant roles within Queensland Health. This qualification underpins local training to ensure assistants are able to meet individual service needs.
The Office of the Chief Allied Health Officer (OCAHO) has developed, or commissioned development of, a number of resources to guide and support the implementation of safe and effective delegation practice in Queensland Health teams.
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The Allied Health Assistant Framework is designed for Hospital and Health Services to support the integration of allied health assistant roles into service delivery practices. The Self-audit Tool can assist teams to review existing delegation practices, roles and responsibilities.
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The Delegation Framework guides the implementation of delegation practice in Queensland Health allied health services. It should be read in conjunction with the Allied Health Assistant Framework. The task review form supports an allied health professional or team to evaluate a task for implementation through delegation.
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These guidelines facilitate the training of appropriate documentation standards by allied health assistants in Queensland Health.
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The Allied Health Assistant Orientation Workbook aims to support new allied health assistants and their managers, and complement local induction and workplace orientation.
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Queensland Health has developed a number of Clinical Task Instructions (CTIs) which may be used for training and competency assessment and also for monitoring and governance of the delegated or skill-shared task.
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OCAHO has developed a series of Contextualised Learning Modules designed to assist the rapid on-boarding of new allied health assistants in a number of clinical practice areas. These resources may be used by allied health assistants seeking recognition of prior learning toward the Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance from a Registered Training Organisation. They are also a useful tool to support continuing professional development for existing allied health assistants.
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The OCAHO and Griffith University have partnered to develop the Foundations of Delegation Training Package. The program has been designed to enhance the effectiveness of delegation practices between allied health professionals and allied health assistants working together in clinical teams and should be used in conjunction with/and support the local delegation framework (PDF 3222 kB).
Through this program, allied health professionals and allied health assistants will gain a better understanding of models of care incorporating assistants, and of their own roles, responsibilities and relationships within these models.
The program seeks to provide a solid basis for effective teamwork focused on ensuring quality care and patient safety.