You are a drug and alcohol counsellor designing a support program for people living with hepatitis C. At an inter-agency meeting you have expressed a concern for the lack of support services for people living with hepatitis C in the area and you have proposed a joint response to this problem interlinking various current services. However, other agency workers claim that they have other work priorities, time and budget constraints. Gail, a staff member senior to you, states that its an issue in the area and begins talking about a new worker who ‘probably’ has hep C, as he is the partner of someone who lives on her street and is ‘known’ to use drugs. Gail is well liked, popular and often gossips at work – it’s a normal part of her character and interactions with others. What do you do?
Issues for discussion
- You could suggest working the support programs into existing programs within the agencies therefore limited time and budget constraints upon the agencies.
- Sustainability of support services can be increased by use of volunteers, existing community resources and local publicity sites.
- Identify key agencies and relevant local support bodies.
- Gossip can be used abusively, and confidentiality needs to be maintained across agencies whether the person is a worker, client or member of the general public. Such behaviour could breach the agency’s internal bullying and harassment policies.
- Will Gail’s comments hinder your ability to implement support services for people with hepatitis C?
- Lack of privacy and organisational gossip may impact upon involvement of affected communities.
Client issues
- If other agencies cannot provide support, how can you facilitate support services for clients within your service?
- How can you protect the confidentiality of the worker that Gail has exposed and minimise further damage?
- Should you address the issue with the worker, with present agency staff or just with Gail?
Organisational issues
- Are there confidentiality agreements amongst local services in which the workers privacy will be protected?
- Can you implement a policy or a set of organisational guidelines surrounding codes of conduct for staff?
- Is there flexibility and commitment to sustain support in the local area?
- Can you create a networking system, which integrates new support services and programs with existing service delivery in the area?
- Can you get help from Privacy Commissioner and/or union to sort out privacy and policy issues within the organisation?