Safety & Quality Account 2020-2021 2019 - 2020 REPORT | 2020 - 21 FUTURE PRIORITIES
The Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Safety and Quality Account
(Account) provides a review of key activities across the local health district in response
to the needs of our local community regarding provision of care and service delivery.
The Account is divided into various sections highlighting previous, current and future
activities.
OUR VISION
Western Sydney Local Health District’s (WSLHD) vision is to be a trusted partner with our community, delivering modern, cutting edge health care to make Western Sydney the healthiest place to live in NSW.
OUR MISSION
Equitable access to safe, high quality care underpinned by NSW Health CORE Values: Collaboration, Openness, Respect and Empowerment.
WSLHD Chief Executive Graeme Loy
SAFETY AND QUALITY IN WSLHD WSLHD is committed to providing high quality, patient centered care. WSLHD works to reduce the risk of patient harm and improve the patient and carer experience. Falls are a leading cause of harm in hospital and WSLHD is committed to ensuring each fall event is reviewed to identify improvement opportunities. Infections are a common complication for patients in hospital and to reduce the risk, WSLHD monitors adherence to the 5 moments of hand hygiene. We also encourage patients to ask their care team if they have washed their hands or used hand rub before attending to their care. Medication, surgery or being confirmed to bed can increase the risk of developing a blood clot in the legs or lungs. Our staff assess patients’ risk of developing a blood clot and we encourage patients to ask their nurse or doctor about this as well. Pressure injuries or bedsores can occur when you spend long periods of time sitting or lying in the same position. Our staff assess patients’ risk of developing pressure injuries during admission and throughout patients’ stay.
QUALITY AWARDS PROGRAM 2019
Each year, WSLHD hosts the Quality Awards to celebrate the creative and innovative ideas of staff who are committed to making a difference to patient care and health outcomes.
HEALTHY PEOPLE
Emergency Departments are the first point of contact for many young people and their families seeking mental health expertise in times of crisis. WSLHD collaborated with Western Sydney Primary Health Network (PHN), introducing a Child and Youth Mental Health Navigation pilot to improve the experience for young people presenting to Westmead Emergency Department.
EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE
A team led by Dr Varey and Associate Professor Serigne Lo from the Melanoma Institute Australia developed an online calculator to predict the risk that a patient’s primary melanoma (Skin Cancer) has spread to nearby lymph nodes. The tool calculates risk based on a range of factors entered by the treating doctor and has the potential to better identify melanoma patients who are most likely to benefit from a sentinel node biopsy, as well as those least likely to benefit.
PHOTOS: Prof Clara Chow (left). Prof Jacob George (right).
PATIENT EXPERIENCE MATTERS
WSLHD works with NSW Health partners, including the Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) to improve the recording of the Ministry of Health’s Patient Reported Measures (PRM) Program. Patient Reported Experience Matters (PREMs) Data is being collected from a range of various services across the district. WSLHD uses patient and carer experience data to evaluate and improve health care services.
INTEGRATED RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND CLINICAL CARE
Grants have been awarded to researchers within WSLHD in the 2020 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grants scheme, covering a diverse range of health projects including kidney transplantation, liver disease, heart health and tuberculosis. Some recipients:
Prof Clara Chow. Exploring low-cost, innovative health service provision and clinical management of heart disease, the leading cause of illness and death worldwide. Prof Jacob George. Using mathematical modelling and genetics to improving treatment of fatty liver disease, which affects one in three Australians.
SPENDING WISELY
WSLHD uses data to maximize use of resources and reduce waste to achieve the best outcomes for patients. Blacktown Hospital’s Acute Services building opened in 2020, as part of the $700 million Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals expansion project. Providing the community with access to new services for emergency, birthing, newborn care, women’s health and intensive care.
INFORMATION UNDERPINS EVERYTHING WE DO
WSLHD is committed to using technology to improve patient safety and quality of care provided. For instance, WSLHD worked with eHealth and ACI to design a virtual waiting room for Interpreters. WSLHD Interpreter service successfully provided 95% of sessions remotely via phone to ensure the continuity of this essential service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
PHOTOS: WSLHD Interpreter Blacktown Hospital registered nurses Mary Daroy, Anuradha Shrestha, Daniel Walsh, Maria Fernandez, Caroline Freitas, Harry Lindon and Renee Keating (top right). Services health care interpreter Yulita Luck (bottom right)
CULTURAL PRIORITIES
OVERARCHING PRIORITIES
Wellbeing, Bullying & WHS
Improve staff wellbeing and
empowerment, strengthen
processes, training and support
to effectively deal with bullying,
harassment and discrimination
to keep our workplace safe.
Job Satisfaction
Focus on listening to our staff as
well as improving skills,
satisfaction and empowerment
through fostering mentoring,
training, talent growth and
building capability to enhance
purpose, mastery and autonomy.
Keeping People Informed &
Celebrating Success
Improve all aspects of
communication and
collaboration as well as
recognising, acknowledging and
celebrating the success of our
staff.
PHOTO:
Organisational development
consultant and Workplace Wellness
team co-leader Shari Hendricks
OUR FUT URE PRIORITIES - some examples of what will be focused on in 2020 - 21
Leadership
WSLHD is committed to providing our clinicians with opportunities to grow professionally and
supporting them along their leadership journeys. Programs such as Health Pathways will provide
formal training and guidelines for community clinicians treating chronic conditions.
Culture The Culture Steering Committee and key stakeholders will focus on; developing a shared vision of
culture for WSLHD; Launching our Leadership Development Program; prioritising the actions to
build and enhance culture in WSLHD.
Research WSLHD will continue to grow a culture of research and support research initiatives such as;
Blacktown End-Of-Life Communication Project; Mental Health Literacy Initiative; Health Literacy
capacity training for Allied Health Staff.
Health Minimisation
A key focus of Mental Health is Zero Suicides in Care and Assertive Suicide Prevention. Child and
Family Health will provide health literacy training for new parents who are disadvantaged and from
culturally-diverse backgrounds.
Vulnerable
People
Providing assistance to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities during the COVID-19
pandemic. Through the Safer Baby Program, reduce the number of stillbirths, serious adverse
outcomes in newborns and improve maternal health outcomes.
Patient
Experience Matters
Improving consumer information in a meaningful manner. WSLHD will partner with consumer
representatives to interview clinical and non-clinical service leaders to develop the information for
patients and carers.
SPECIFIC PRIORITIES
Strategic Planning
Improve strategic, tactical and operational planning at all levels of the organisation.
Staffing Numbers, Workload & Overtime
Improve focus on staffing levels, workload priorities, skill mix and supports available to prevent burnout and frustration.
Recruitment Confidence
Improve recruitment practice and processes, supports and training, attraction and retention, decision making and review the current Recruitment Supportive Model.
High Performance
Focus on training, improving skills, performance, talent strategies and understanding motivators to performance
Diversity & Inclusion
Enhance the cultural competency framework and related diversity programs across the district.
MY EXPERIENCE MATTERS
The My Experience Matters (MEM) surveys facilitate early identification and escalation of issues and inform project or service improvements.
To date, My Experience Matters (MEM) has
collected over
11,500 local survey responses since 2017.
Our benchmark
for patient
experience is
85% and we are currently
above this benchmark.
MEM surveys are translated into the most 16 commonly spoken languages, including languages of our most vulnerable newly arrived populations.
As health adapts and develops new telehealth models of care delivery as a result of COVID-19, MEM surveys will be developed in collaboration with teams to monitor and respond to patient experience.
COMPLIMENTS
