Unit of competency Outline
Date retreived
23/07/2026 1:41 PM AWST
23/07/2026 1:41 PM AWST
Whilst all efforts are made to provide accurate and timely information from the relevant source/documentation, please be aware that the information supplied may not be the most current version. The accuracy of the detail has not been confirmed by the Department and therefore should not be relied upon without first confirming the contents.
Communicate and work effectively in health
Communicate and work effectively in health
Unit of competency
National Code
HLTHIR301C
HLTHIR301C
State Code
WD165
WD165
TGA Status
Replaced
Replaced
DTWD Status
Replaced
Replaced
State Implementation and Classification
Approved Date
06/08/2014
Field of Education
120505 - Work Practices Programmes
Original Release Date
06/08/2014
Nominal Hours
40
Description
DescriptorThis unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to work effectively in a health setting with clients, staff, visitors, suppliers and others to meet established work requirements
Notes
Elements and Performance Criteria
1. Work ethically
- 1.1 Follow ethical guidelines in decision-making in all work undertaken in the health setting with awareness of potential ethical complexity in own work role
- 1.2 Reflect understanding and compliance with the principles of duty of care and legal responsibilities in all work undertaken
- 1.3 Refer any breach or non adherence to standard procedures or adverse event to appropriate personnel
- 1.4 Maintain confidentiality of any client matter in line with organisation policy and procedure
- 1.5 Show respect for rights and responsibilities of others through considered application of work practices
- 1.6 Reflect current working knowledge and understanding of employee and employer rights and responsibilities in all work undertaken
- 1.7 Recognise, avoid and/or address any conflict of interest
2. Communicate effectively in a health setting
- 2.1 Develop, review and revise personal skills in communication as an ongoing priority to address organisation standards
- 2.2 Exercise caution in communicating personal information by oral and written means to ensure confidentiality of client and staff matters
- 2.3 Routinely apply workplace protocols and procedures in all workplace communication to support accuracy and understanding of information provided and received
- 2.4 Recognise individual and cultural differences and make any adjustments needed to facilitate the achievement of identified outcomes
- 2.5 Conduct interpersonal communication with clients and colleagues in a manner that enhances a client-centred approach to health care consistent with organisation standards
- 2.6 Take appropriate measures to resolve conflict and interpersonal differences in the workplace
3. Practise high standards of personal hygiene
- 3.1 Maintain personal hygiene with an understanding of risks associated with contamination and infection in a health setting
- 3.2 Wear personal protective equipment correctly according to organisation requirements
- 3.3 Safely dispose of infectious and/or hazardous waste material according to waste management policy and procedures
- 3.4 Report or initiate action within own area of responsibility to redress any potential workplace hazards
4. Promote a positive approach to health
- 4.1 Clarify components of own role that contribute to maintaining an effective and client-centred approach to health
- 4.2 Promote an approach in which clients are included in shared decision-making as partners in health care where appropriate
- 4.3 Contribute to a workplace culture of promoting good health by sharing health information in line with organisation policy
- 4.4 Focus on preventing ill health and minimising risk in the workplace
5. Maintain professional work standards
- 5.1 Identify relevant organisation policies and procedures relating to awards, standards and legislative requirements of own work role and clarify any uncertainties with appropriate personnel
- 5.2 Contribute to identifying and implementing improved work practices
- 5.3 Comply with relevant accreditation standards applying to work undertaken
- 5.4 Reflect understanding and focus on achieving organisation goals and objectives in all work undertaken
- 5.5 Respond positively to changes to improve work practices and procedures in accordance with organisation requirements
- 5.6 Identify and report issues requiring mandatory notification to supervisor and/or appropriate authority
6. Work effectively within the health care system
- 6.1 Demonstrate respect for workers from different sectors and levels of the industry
- 6.2 Work with awareness of the roles of various organisations in the health care system in Australia
- 6.3 Maintain awareness of current issues influencing health care, including health issues for Indigenous Australians
7. Take responsibility for personal skill development
- 7.1 Seek advice from appropriate persons on areas for skills/knowledge development
- 7.2 Identify options for accessing relevant skill development opportunities and initiate action in consultation with manager
- 7.3 Undertake designated skill/knowledge development and maintenance activities of the organisation including induction training
- 7.4 Identify and prioritise personal work goals in accordance with organisation requirements
RANGE STATEMENT
The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.
Requirements of own work role may include:
Level of responsibility
Organisation guidelines
Individual awards and benchmarks
Legislation relevant to work area
Accreditation standards
Organisation policy on confidentiality may relate to:
Storage of records
Destruction of records
Access to records
Release of information
Verbal and written communication
Organisation procedures, policies, awards, standards and legislation may include:
Australian Council on Healthcare Standards
Home and Community Care standards
NATA accreditation
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for infection control in health care settings
Federal and state legislation
Quality management policy and practice
Current Australian standards
Aged care accreditation standards
Accreditation and service provision standards of other relevant industry organisations
Relevant health regulations and guidelines, policies and procedures, including child protection
A client-centred approach to health includes:
Putting clients and carers at the centre of service delivery
When the client is a child or young person, service delivery strategies may need to be modified to ensure child safety and provide a child friendly, supportive environment
Including clients in decision-making relating to their health care
Involving clients in discussions about service delivery options and issues
Obtaining client consent to examine, treat or work with them
Effective customer service
Listening to and addressing client complaints within scope of own work role
Improved work practices may relate, for example to:
Enhancing outcomes for clients
Enhancing sustainability of work, such as efficient and effective work practices in relation to:
use of power
use of resources, including for administration purposes
waste management and recycling practices
Enhancing safety of staff and clients
Employee rights and responsibilities may relate to:
Duty of care responsibilities
Leave entitlements
Attendance requirements
Obeying lawful orders
Confidentiality and privacy of organisation, client and colleague information
Adherence to WHS
Protection from discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace
The right to union representation
Personal hygiene may include:
Washing hands according to specified standards
Maintaining personal cleanliness in the workplace
Refraining from eating, smoking and other designated activities in specific work areas
Taking standard and additional precautions against risk of infection and contamination
Wearing clean clothes and uniforms where specified
Personal protective equipment (PPE) may include:
Gowns
Sterile and non sterile gloves including heavy duty
Eyewear
Plastic aprons
Overalls
Enclosed footwear
Masks
Issues requiring mandatory notification may include:
Protection of children and others identified to be at risk
Issues defined by jurisdictional legislation and/or regulatory requirements
Issues specifically identified under organisation policies
Identifying and implementing improved work practices may include:
Reporting and implementing suggested improvements
Seeking and addressing customer feedback
Monitoring tasks
Responding to surveys and questionnaires
Assessing/observing/measuring environmental factors
Checking equipment
Developing and implementing child safe, child friendly resources, environment and work tools to support staff and volunteers working with people under 18 years of age
Employer rights and responsibilities may relate to:
Legislative requirements for employee dismissal i.e. Workplace Relations Act
Legislative requirements to provide a safe work environment free from discrimination and sexual harassment (see State and Commonwealth anti-discrimination legislation)
Enterprise workplace agreements
Relevant State and Territory employment legislation i.e. wage rates, employment conditions
Designated knowledge/skill development may relate to:
Hazard control
WHS
Manual handling
First Aid
Cultural awareness
Child Protection
Infection control
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation emergency response and notification protocols
Fire emergency response procedures for notification and containment of fire, use of fire fighting equipment and fire safety procedures
Security procedures
Quality improvement policy and practice
Discrimination, harassment and bullying in the workplace
Formal and informal resolution of grievances
Waste management
Customer service, including the provision of a child friendly environment that values, respects and welcomes children and young people
Communication, conflict resolution
The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.
Requirements of own work role may include:
Level of responsibility
Organisation guidelines
Individual awards and benchmarks
Legislation relevant to work area
Accreditation standards
Organisation policy on confidentiality may relate to:
Storage of records
Destruction of records
Access to records
Release of information
Verbal and written communication
Organisation procedures, policies, awards, standards and legislation may include:
Australian Council on Healthcare Standards
Home and Community Care standards
NATA accreditation
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for infection control in health care settings
Federal and state legislation
Quality management policy and practice
Current Australian standards
Aged care accreditation standards
Accreditation and service provision standards of other relevant industry organisations
Relevant health regulations and guidelines, policies and procedures, including child protection
A client-centred approach to health includes:
Putting clients and carers at the centre of service delivery
When the client is a child or young person, service delivery strategies may need to be modified to ensure child safety and provide a child friendly, supportive environment
Including clients in decision-making relating to their health care
Involving clients in discussions about service delivery options and issues
Obtaining client consent to examine, treat or work with them
Effective customer service
Listening to and addressing client complaints within scope of own work role
Improved work practices may relate, for example to:
Enhancing outcomes for clients
Enhancing sustainability of work, such as efficient and effective work practices in relation to:
use of power
use of resources, including for administration purposes
waste management and recycling practices
Enhancing safety of staff and clients
Employee rights and responsibilities may relate to:
Duty of care responsibilities
Leave entitlements
Attendance requirements
Obeying lawful orders
Confidentiality and privacy of organisation, client and colleague information
Adherence to WHS
Protection from discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace
The right to union representation
Personal hygiene may include:
Washing hands according to specified standards
Maintaining personal cleanliness in the workplace
Refraining from eating, smoking and other designated activities in specific work areas
Taking standard and additional precautions against risk of infection and contamination
Wearing clean clothes and uniforms where specified
Personal protective equipment (PPE) may include:
Gowns
Sterile and non sterile gloves including heavy duty
Eyewear
Plastic aprons
Overalls
Enclosed footwear
Masks
Issues requiring mandatory notification may include:
Protection of children and others identified to be at risk
Issues defined by jurisdictional legislation and/or regulatory requirements
Issues specifically identified under organisation policies
Identifying and implementing improved work practices may include:
Reporting and implementing suggested improvements
Seeking and addressing customer feedback
Monitoring tasks
Responding to surveys and questionnaires
Assessing/observing/measuring environmental factors
Checking equipment
Developing and implementing child safe, child friendly resources, environment and work tools to support staff and volunteers working with people under 18 years of age
Employer rights and responsibilities may relate to:
Legislative requirements for employee dismissal i.e. Workplace Relations Act
Legislative requirements to provide a safe work environment free from discrimination and sexual harassment (see State and Commonwealth anti-discrimination legislation)
Enterprise workplace agreements
Relevant State and Territory employment legislation i.e. wage rates, employment conditions
Designated knowledge/skill development may relate to:
Hazard control
WHS
Manual handling
First Aid
Cultural awareness
Child Protection
Infection control
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation emergency response and notification protocols
Fire emergency response procedures for notification and containment of fire, use of fire fighting equipment and fire safety procedures
Security procedures
Quality improvement policy and practice
Discrimination, harassment and bullying in the workplace
Formal and informal resolution of grievances
Waste management
Customer service, including the provision of a child friendly environment that values, respects and welcomes children and young people
Communication, conflict resolution
EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this competency unit:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over a range of workplace situations
Context of and specific resources for assessment:
Assessment should relate to an identified work role and associated workplace conditions
Resources essential for assessment include any documents specific to the work context such as:
instructions for the use of equipment
specific instructions for staff
emergency response procedures
fire safety policies and procedures
security procedures
relevant accreditation standards
waste management policies and procedures
Access and equity considerations:
All workers in the health industry should be aware of access and equity issues in relation to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this competency unit:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over a range of workplace situations
Context of and specific resources for assessment:
Assessment should relate to an identified work role and associated workplace conditions
Resources essential for assessment include any documents specific to the work context such as:
instructions for the use of equipment
specific instructions for staff
emergency response procedures
fire safety policies and procedures
security procedures
relevant accreditation standards
waste management policies and procedures
Access and equity considerations:
All workers in the health industry should be aware of access and equity issues in relation to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities
Replaces
| State Code | National Code | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| D8280 | HLTHIR301B | Communicate and work effectively in health | Unit of competency |
Replaced By
| State Code | National Code | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVC29 | CHCCOM005 | Communicate and work in health or community services | Unit of competency |