Bridging the communication gap between people with a disability and their healthcare providers is a priority for West Moreton Health, no more so than in Disability Action Week.

Disability Action Week, which starts on Sunday (13 September), acknowledges the varied contributions people living with a disability make to our state.

One in five Queenslanders has a disability and, for people who have difficulty communicating their needs, West Moreton Health has developed the Julian’s Key Health Passport.

The passport aims to improve safety and person-centred care for people with a disability. It provides health staff with information such as a person’s likes and dislikes, how they communicate, their preferred sitting position, and how to know if they are in pain.

The information is a living document that remains in the control of its owner and not the health provider.

Disability advocate and West Moreton Health Community Reference Group member Peter Tully said he had been involved with Julian’s Key since its inception.

“My involvement started with myself doing some engagement with Queenslanders with a Disability Network (QDN) members,” Mr Tully said. “I continue to take an active interest in ensuring the passport achieves its full potential.”

Mr Tully said Disability Action Week was an ideal time to raise awareness of the passport and its benefits for anyone who might have difficulty communicating in a health and hospital setting.

West Moreton Health Disability Nurse Navigator Lindee Chiverton agreed the passport was a fantastic resource.

“Our nurse navigators work closely with consumers to assist with health planning and this passport ticks all the boxes,” she said. “We receive a lot of positive feedback from consumers and health professionals.”

Julian’s Key was developed by West Moreton Hospital Health Service in memory of Julian Klass. Julian was a young man with intellectual and physical disability. He developed aspiration pneumonia at Ipswich Hospital and died in 2011.

After Julian’s death, West Moreton Health developed Julian’s Key to ensure that people who could not communicate in conventional ways still had a voice about their treatment in a healthcare setting.

Julian’s Key can be downloaded as an app from the Apple store or Google Play or as a document from the Queensland Health website.