18 November 2009

NSW Government releases report on health reforms

The NSW Government today released the first six month report of the independent panel set up to report on the implementation of the Caring Together reforms.

The report also includes an audit on the progress of the reforms.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Health Carmel Tebbutt said the report describes the initial achievements and outlines the challenges ahead in achieving sustainable reform in the NSW system.

"Next week it is one year since Garling handed down his report, the most comprehensive review of the public health system we have seen in NSW," Ms Tebbutt said."

“As described by John Walsh, the Government has moved swiftly to act and today six months on from the release of our Caring Together Health Action Plan for NSW, we are pleased to reach this milestone and release of the independent report,” Ms Tebbutt said.

“The Health Action Plan shows this Government is committed to achieving real change throughout the health system.

“As part of this commitment we established as requested by Mr Peter Garling a transparent and rigorous monitoring regime to ensure the process stays on track,” said Ms Tebbutt.

“These are wide reaching reforms that will lead to long term sustainable change, so it is important that we work to get the implementation right.”

The Independent Panel reports;

• The simpler recommendations have largely been implemented leaving the more challenging and longer term recommendations with still more work to be done.

John Walsh, Chair of the Independent Panel that authored the report, said that for the most part Health Services had been quick to recognise the importance of ‘Caring Together’.

“Local implementation teams have been active and enthusiastic – change is happening,” Mr Walsh said.

“Many of the Stage One Actions outlined in ‘Caring Together’ have been significantly achieved – especially those which are most immediately visible to patients and so will have an immediate impact.”

Achievements include:

• 216 Clinical Support Officers appointed so doctors and nurses can focus on direct patient care
• Six new medical assessment units and expansion of six existing units
• An additional 45 pre-vocational rural medical positions and 22 specialty training vocational positions
• Appointing nurse in charge unit managers to provide leadership on a ward
• Appointment of 23 Executive Medical Directors
• Improved infection control
• Improved basic hygiene
• Improved communication with patients through identification badges for all frontline staff
• 30 additional Clinical Initiative nurses (a total of 104) to improve patient care in Emergency Departments
• Improved clinical handover guidelines

“Clinical handover guidelines are a particularly important part of our reforms as it is directly relates to patient care,” said Ms Tebbutt.

“Each time clinical information is handed over there is an associated risk for the patient. With subsequent handovers, the magnitude of risk and potential adverse outcomes multiplies.”

“We have improved the system to try and lessen those risks,” said Ms Tebbutt.

The report also states that there is still much to still to do:

• Improved clinician engagement in the system – this needs more effort from clinicians as well as managers
• Still in early stages of a state-wide review of hospitals

“Part of what these reforms aim to do is create cultural change in the health system, which we know can’t be achieved in six-months – it is a long term project,” said Mr Walsh.

“However, hopefully we will soon start to see the impacts of the early reforms that are now in place.”

Ms Tebbutt said the report signified an important first step in the reform process.

Ms Tebbutt said that good progress has also been made with regard to the development of the “Four Pillars”: the Agency for Clinical Innovation; the Bureau of Health Information; the Clinical Education and Training Institute and the existing Clinical Excellence Commission.

NSW Health will address the recommendations and findings in the development of the sustainability plan, to be released before the end of the year.

“I would like to thank all of the doctors, nurses, allied health workers and managers who have been working on these reforms while recognising we still have a long way to go.”

A full copy of the report will be available at www.healthactionplan.nsw.gov.au from 12 midday.