Speak Out April 2017 low res FINAL

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28 Speak Out June 2017
Ethics news
A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION of contacts with National Office
to talk about ethical concerns relate to the demonstration of
appropriate communication with clients and colleagues. This
includes calls and emails from SPA members and members of the
public.
Below are some hypothetical examples drawn from a range of
conversations. These three scenarios highlight how important
clear and timely communication is in every aspect of our practice.
Being proactive in discussing any aspect of our work with clients
or our employer/employees is key to avoiding communication
breakdown.
Query
“I’ve taken my 4-year-old son to a speech pathologist for an
assessment. I paid the bill on the day and now I’ve got another bill
in the mail, which says I have to pay before she will give me the
report. I need that report tomorrow for the appointment with the
Paediatrician, what should I do?”
Discussion
It was revealed that the mother was not given a list of fees prior
to the initial appointment. She was handed a couple of pieces
of paper at the end of the assessment session, but she hadn’t
read them and couldn’t find them now, so she was not sure
if a fee schedule was included. The speech pathologist didn’t
discuss the breakdown of costs with the mother, to ensure that
she understood the assessment report would need to be paid for
separately.
Ethical issue
Had the mother given informed financial consent? The speech
pathologist has an obligation to provide sufficient information
about the fees that will be charged, and to make sure the client
understands that information. This should mean more than simply
providing a handout at the end of a session without discussion or
the opportunity for the client to ask questions.
Advice for the mother: Some speech pathologists bundle the
total cost of assessment and report together into one cost, and
some separate the costs. The mother was reassured that she
could call the speech pathologist to talk about this situation,
to ask for an explanation of the fee schedule, and to discuss
her wish to have the assessment report for the paediatrician’s
appointment.
Query
“I graduated 6 months ago and worked in a private practice but
I’ve now resigned because I got a job closer to home. I finished
up 2 weeks ago but I haven’t got my final pay yet. Can she hold
back the money? Can you call the speech pathologist to ask her
when I will get paid?”
Discussion
Discussion identified that the speech pathologist had not
contacted her previous employer since leaving to ask about the
money herself. This was because she hadn’t yet finished all of the
paperwork that was required, including file notes, assessment
reports and handover notes. The employer gave her a list of files
to complete and she agreed to do that, but didn’t get a chance
before she left as she had a full list of appointments booked right
up until her last day and she was busy in her new job. The caller
doesn’t want to contact the employer about the money as she
hadn’t completed the work yet.
Ethical issues
The speech pathologist has an obligation to her previous
employer to provide completed paperwork within a reasonable
time frame, which should have been before she finished at
the practice. If she was finding it difficult to complete the work
because she was too busy before she left, it would have been
reasonable to approach her employer to discuss a realistic
workload in her last few weeks, to provide enough time to finish
the paperwork.
Further discussion also highlighted that she was not staying up to
date with client files prior to her resignation period. This was not
discussed with her employer as she was worried about giving the
impression that she wasn’t up to the job.
The employer has an obligation to provide the final payment within
an appropriate time frame.
Advice for the speech pathologist: draw up a schedule for
herself to ensure the paperwork is completed within the next few
days, then stick to that schedule. Call her previous employer to
When communication
breaks down
CLEAR AND TIMELY COMMUNICATION IS VITAL TO EVERY ASPECT OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY
PRACTICE.