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Title / Communicate with consumers and others, and access communication supports in a health, disability, or community setting
Level / 3 / Credits / 6
Purpose / People credited with this unit standard are able to: describe own organisation’s communication policies and procedures; communicate with consumers to support their wellness; assist consumers to access communication supports; and communicate with members of own and/or another organisation to support consumers’ wellness, in a health, disability, or community setting.
Classification / Health, Disability, and Aged Support > Whānau Ora and Community Support
Available grade / Achieved
Explanatory notes
1Legislation and codes relevant to this unit standard include:
Health and Disability Commissioner (Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights) Regulations 1996;
Privacy Act 1993;
Human Rights Act 1993.
2New Zealand Standards relevant to this unit standard include:
NZS 8134.0:2008 Health and disability services Standards – Health and disability services (general) Standard;
NZS 8134.1:2008 Health and disability services Standards – Health and disability services (core) Standards;
NZS 8158:2003 Home and Community Support Sector Standard;available at
3In the context of this unit standard, support should aim to maintain, improve, or restore a consumer’s independence and/or interdependence; utilise the consumer’s existing strengths; and – where possible – utilise the resources of the local community.
4This unit standard cannot be assessed against in a simulated environment. For assessment, candidates must demonstrate competence in the workplace through paid or unpaid employment, or in placements in a service provider workplace negotiated by an education provider.
5Definitions
Access to communication supports includes access to physical, visual, and auditory resources needed to ensure that communication is responsive to the consumer’s needs, values, and beliefs. Resources may include interpreter services, disability support groups, signers, and material written in Braille.
Consumer refers to a person accessing services in a health or disability setting in either a residential care facility or in a private home – the person’s own or a friend’s, group’s, or family member’s. Consumers may also be known as patients, clients, or tūroro, in particular contexts and settings.
Culture refers to the totality of socially transmitted beliefs, values, customs, behaviour patterns and/or practices, together with all other products of human work and thought that are common to – or characteristic of – a particular group or community. The concept of culture may reflect factors and indicators such as: age, ethnicity, disability, gender, occupation, organisational background, immigrant or refugee status, institutional care, religion or spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
Natural supports refers to any assistance, relationships, or interactions provided to a consumer by family/whānau, friends, peers, co-workers, or community volunteers. In a specifically Māori context, natural supports may include but are not limited to: kaumātua, kuia, tohunga, whānau, iwi, and hapū.
Organisation’s policies and procedures are the policies and procedures of the employing organisation of the candidate and include ethical codes, standards, and other organisational requirements.
Service plan is a generic term that covers the individual or group plans (which may also be referred to by other names) that are developed by service providers for people receiving support (and may include their family/whānau as appropriate).
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Describe own organisation’s communication policies and procedures in a health, disability, or community setting.
Evidence requirements
1.1Own organisation’s communication policies and procedures are described in terms of protocols for ethical disclosure of consumers’ and staff members’ personal information.
1.2Own organisation’s communication policies and procedures are described in terms of boundaries of own role.
Outcome 2
Communicate with consumers to support their wellness in a health, disability, or community setting.
Rangeevidence is required for two examples of communication.
Evidence requirements
2.1Communication with consumers is initiated and maintained in accordance with consumers’ service plans, needs, and preferences.
Rangecommunication may include but is not limited to – introducing self to a consumer, addressing a consumer by preferred name in a respectful manner, selecting an environment conducive to effective communication, use of respectful body language and positioning, supportive use of questioning, responding to a consumer’s questions, use of plain language, use of non-verbal responses, providing and/or recording oral and written information.
2.2Communication that supports consumers’ wellness is reported and documented in accordance with consumers’ service plans and/or the organisation’s policies and procedures.
Rangedocumentation includes but is not limited to – maintenance of case notes, other relevant records.
Outcome 3
Assist consumers to access communication supports in a health, disability, or community setting.
Evidence requirements
3.1Access to communication supports in the local area is identified to include contact details, location, costs, access guidelines.
Range must include – access to interpreter services, access to visual support, access to auditory support, access to disability support group.
3.2Access to communication supports is organised in accordance with consumers’ needs and service plans, and/or the organisation’s policies and procedures.
Rangeevidence is required for two consumers with different health or functional status;
may include but is not limited to – access to interpreter services access to visual support, access to auditory support, access to a disability support group.
3.3Access to communication supports for consumers is provided in a manner that respects and acknowledges their culture, values, and beliefs in accordance with their service plans and/or the organisation’s policies and procedures.
Rangeincludes but is not limited to – access to natural supports.
Outcome 4
Communicate with members of own and/or another organisation to support consumers’ wellness in a health, disability, or community setting.
Evidence requirements
4.1Information communicated about consumers to a manager or team member of own and/or another organisation is in accordance with the privacy, confidentiality, and reporting requirements of the organisation’s policies and procedures.
Rangeevidence is required for two examples of communication within own and/or another organisation.
4.2Instructions issued by a delegated health professional(s) to support consumers’ wellness are checked for comprehension, interpretation, and clarity of intent.
Rangeevidence is required for two separate sets of instructions for two different consumers.
Replacement information / This unit standard was replaced by unit standard 28557.This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for AssessmentRegistration / 1 / 9 December 2010 / 31 December 2018
Revision / 2 / 18 April 2013 / 31 December 2018
Review / 3 / 16 April 2015 / 31 December 2018
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0024
This CMR can be accessed at
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Community Support Services ITO LimitedSSB Code 101814 / New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018 / / New Zealand Qualifications Aut