03 November 2008

Excellence in South West Sydney health care recognised at State awards

NSW Minister for Health, John Della Bosca, today congratulated Campbelltown Hospital and the Sydney South West Area Health Service for their winning entries in the 10th Annual NSW Health Awards held last Friday evening (31 October).

“The NSW Health Awards provide an opportunity to thank all health staff for making an outstanding contribution to the wellbeing of the community,” the Minister said.

“In particular, I congratulate Campbelltown Hospital for their two projects on improving the care of patients who experience a deterioration in their condition, and in making changes to the way clinical information is shared between health professionals in the Emergency Department.

“The Reducing Risk by Moving Clinical Handover to the Bedside project won the Be Ready for New Risks and Opportunities category.

“The project involved senior nurses, in collaboration with medical staff, holding clinical handover meetings on the patient’s care at the bedside to involve the patient.

“This led to a reduction in clinical incidents and increased the accuracy in identifying the patient’s condition.

“Another entry from the Hospital, The Deteriorating Patient - Improving Identification and Management project won the Director General’s Encouragement Award. This project has improved recognition of deterioration in patients and has led to more assessment and appropriate intervention to improve care.

“The NSW Health Awards highlight the talent and passion of health care workers who have developed initiatives to improve the quality of care delivered to patients, the health of the population and performance of the health system in NSW,” Mr Della Bosca said.

“Not only do the Awards recognise hardworking health professionals, including doctors and nurses, they also facilitate the sharing of information and knowledge across the entire health system.

“I was impressed by the high level of innovation, skill and excellence demonstrated at the NSW Health Awards, which attracted a record level of interest with over 350 local projects reviewed,” the Minister added.

For more details on the winners and finalists of the 2008 NSW Health Awards go to www.awards-expo.health.nsw.gov.au.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au