NSW Health WSLHD Safety & Quality Account 2020-21

A workplace culture that drives safety and quality

Keeping People Healthy - Conquering the COVID Chaos, A communication lifeline WSLHD’s Population Health team worked collaboratively to design and deliver a new communication model with the capacity to respond quickly to ongoing and emerging public health information needs. The new model included the establishment of a local rapid response network consisting of 1,660 contacts and a new community website for local wellbeing resources, accessed by 9,783 users. Community members were able to access tailored resources including testing information for Aboriginal communities, a children’s testing story book and fact sheets for older adults.

Innovation and Research - All aboard the physiotherapy telehealth service

During 2020, physiotherapy telehealth services were rapidly implemented due to the escalation of COVID-19. During this time, a program was designed to capture the experience of physiotherapists and patients using the telehealth outpatients service in a tertiary facility. Between June and October 2020, 123 patients and 18 physiotherapists used the telehealth service and received a 93% satisfaction rating. Physiotherapists reported an overall positive experience with the telehealth service, noting it was particularly useful for continuity of care for patients and ability to stay connected with during the pandemic. This service will remain as part of business as usual moving forward.

Best of West event 2021. Left to right: Kin-ja Kim (Health care interpreter), Angela Bishop (TV presenter/guest speaker), Yulita Luck (Health care interpreter)

People and Culture - Virtual Connect - Oral Health Clinic Interpreting Oral Health, Health Care Interpreter Services and Biomedical Engineering collaborated to re-design

Education and training - Network 5 – Emergency Medicine Journal Club Network Five – Emergency Medicine Journal Club is a podcast launched by four registrars and one staff specialist from the Westmead Emergency Department. The podcast is the first of its kind in Australia, inviting different specialists as monthly guests to discuss the latest research within their fields and discuss matters across a range of topics including challenges faced by women in medicine. The podcast provides emergency trainees access to regular, interactive medical education and its user-friendly format helps staff to engage with research and relevant clinical discussion. To read more, please visit: The Pulse: Network Five - Emergency Journal Club Best of West event 2021. Left to right: Dr Kit Rowe (Medical Officer), Dr Samoda Mudalige (Medical Officer), Dr Pramod Chandru (Medical Officer)

healthcare delivery during the pandemic. In 2021, dental patients were able to utilise innovative tablet stands and mobile devices to access oral health interpreter services using the MyVirtualCare platform. This project leveraged virtual care technology to enable 2,157 video sessions and a further 3,812 phone call sessions for both ad hoc and booked patients requiring acute Oral Health care. The interpreting sessions were offered in 47 languages for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) consumers and allowed for the safe delivery of care for staff and consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project has successfully been integrated into Oral Health’s business as usual care and will continue to support the local community into the next financial year.

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