NSW Health WSLHD Safety & Quality Account 2020-21

Our Hospitals

BLACKTOWN AND MOUNT DRUITT Paediatric safety huddle, Paediatric Services, Blacktown Hospital Failure to recognise and treat clinical deterioration remains a source of serious preventable harm for children in hospitals. Huddles can be a valuable tool in improving situational awareness, however it is important clinicians are speaking the same language when raising concerns over potential patient deterioration. The Paediatric Safety Huddles at Mount Druitt and Blacktown Hospitals are a brief, multidisciplinary huddle at the start of every shift focused on exchange of information about potential or existing safety risks which may affect patients, staff and any person accessing the healthcare environment. They follow a three point agenda, and include up to date clinical notifications or safety notices. This information is repeated throughout the safety huddles for 2 weeks to ensure maximum staff exposure. As of 31st March, 2022 there have been 346 safety huddles held at Mount Druitt Hospital Children’s Ward. By documenting electronically, the team is able to trend daily feedback on what they are doing well and how they can improve. Evaluation in May 2022 identified that staff reported that the huddle had helped to plan care for patients and escalate risks and identified areas for improvement including additional team members at the safety huddle and improved feedback mechanisms. Get healthy in Pregnancy - Midwives Making Health Matter: In WSLHD, 42.4% of women are overweight or obese during pregnancy which increases the risk of complications (HealthStats NSW, 2019). Get Healthy in Pregnancy is a free telephone coaching service that supports women in NSW to manage their weight and choose a healthier lifestyle during pregnancy. The ‘Midwives Making Health Matter’ project aims to support women to have healthier pregnancies and increase the number of referrals to the Get Health in Pregnancy program. A collaboration between Women’s and Children’s Health services, and WSLHD Health Promotion, a co- designed system was developed to support the referral process, build capacity and empower midwives. As of February 2022, Blacktown Hospital had referred 669 women to Get Health in Pregnancy, exceeding both the FY target of 588 referrals. For those referred, there has been a 57% increase in weekly walking, and a 26% decrease in takeaway purchases. Midwives Making Health Matter, Maternity Services, Blacktown Hospital

Telehealth, Auburn Hospital COVID-19 meant that there were many additional barriers to accessing healthcare services, particularly for people who were in isolation, those who did not have access to safe transport or were at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 if they came to hospital for outpatient appointment. Rapid implementation of designated telehealth hub sites, using a multi-disciplinary team approach, has meant patients have been able to access appointments they previously may not have attended. Telehealth was also used for patients in hospital who are unable to have visitors, which helped them connect with family and improve the mental wellbeing of the patient. Skipping the Skip. Auburn Hospital The aim of this project was to reduce waste at Auburn Hospital and inspire other hospitals to do the same. Waste is a by-product of health provision but it not only damages the environment, it contributes to ill health and its related costs. A group of hospital cleaners who are one step back from the bedside but at the coalface of waste disposal, saw the waste one hospital was creating and instead of thinking the problem was too big, they set out to make a difference. ‘Environment champions’ overseen by the cleaners ensure nothing that can be recycled is thrown way. Items are catalogued and descriptions sent to Non- Government Organisations (NGOs) who could use them with items collected by appointment. The following achievements demonstrate how everything that can be recycled, upcycled or repurposed is: 98% of bottles & cans recycled via Return and Earn saves the hospital $20/week in waste management costs, donates $100/month to Save the Children. Using the mantra ‘20 bottles or cans will vaccinate a child for life’. 95% bowls, kidney dishes, galley pots recycled to various animal and community charities or reused with in the hospital, saves the hospital $360/week in waste management costs. 98% of unwanted equipment and furniture removed from skip and donated to various causes e.g. Humidicrib to Featherdale Wildlife Park and to Sydney Zoo, Trolleys to hospitals in the developing world, chairs to local churches, saves the hospital about $970/month.

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