Highly Commended Finalists
Category: Access
Macquarie Area Health Service
“Patient Flow & Safety”
Contact: Rita Wright
Phone: 6885 8640
The Patient Flow and Safety Collaborative is an initiative
funded jointly by the Institute for Clinical Excellence (ICE)
and NSW Health. Dubbo Base Hospital (DBH) was one of 36 teams
from around NSW selected to participate in the Collaborative
to improve patient safety and access to care.
DBH focussed their efforts on analysing existing processes
within the Medical, Surgical and Emergency Departments that
impacted on the flow of patients through the hospital. Using
collaborative methodology three key areas for improvement
were identified. They were:
- Reducing blockages and delays in the discharge process
- Reducing Time to Operating Theatre
- Reducing inappropriate ordering of pathology tests
Over a twelve month period, key interventions have been
trialled and implemented. These include the introduction
of Expected Date of Discharge to reduce the delays in discharge;
the introduction of a “check-in chick” and additional
wardsman to improve the flow through the operating theatres;
and the development of a tiered pathology form and priority
stickers for Emergency Department bloods which have reduced
the number of pathology tests being ordered and time for
the availability of results.
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Category: Competence
Northern Sydney Area Health Service
“Guaranteed Safe Quality Food”
Contact: Fifi Spechler
Phone: 9926 5985
This program has been undertaken primarily
over the last 12 months to implement, monitor, verify and
accredit the Food Safety, Food Quality and Quality Management
Systems of NSH AFS against a National and International benchmarks
and standards.
A working party was formed to establish what
systems were required, and a review was conducted. Microbial
standards were researched on the acceptable microbial limits
for immunocompromised meal recipients.
Systems were established and implemented including
those for the establishment of a verifiable microbiological
testing program, monitoring of all critical control points
in the process, development of systems for equipment testing
and calibration and implementation of a brochure for nursing
and other staff handling food.
In the follow up audit Northern Sydney Health Area Food
Service (NSH AFS) passed at all seven sites and became the
first in Australia to be certified for ISO and HACCP.
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