The Cobar Health Service team at Cobar Hospital is up for a Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) Health and Innovation award.
The Cobar team has implemented a program at the hospital to partner with their patients to ensure safer discharges.
The project has been short-listed for the District’s Living Quality and Safety Health and Innovation Awards.
The aim of the Cobar project is to improve the patient’s journey through systematic discharge planning.
A discharge checklist, discharge medication template and 24 hour follow up questionnaire was developed.
The results have seen 100 per cent of inpatients have an Expected Date of Discharge entered within 12 hours of admission; 100 per cent of inpatients receiving a 24 hour follow up phone call post discharge; and 100 per cent of inpatients receiving a completed discharge medication list on their discharge summary, approved by their GP.
As such, there is a systematic approach to discharge planning which puts patients at the centre of their own care.
This month the WNSWLHD is celebrating innovation, quality and patient safety in health.
Chief Executive, Scott McLachlan recently launched Innovation Month, noting the highest ever number of applications for the Health and Innovation Awards.
“The month of May is our opportunity to celebrate excellence across our organisation.
“It’s a chance to recognise, reward and share the high quality work that is making a real difference to patients and communities,” Mr McLachlan said.
“This year, we’ve had 70 submissions to the Health and Innovation Awards. This is a fantastic achievement,” Mr McLachlan said.
Projects included a range of topics from patient safety huddles, outreach maternity care, distraction therapy for patients with cognitive impairment, to new information technology systems.
The award finalists will present their projects at a symposium, allowing projects to be showcased to staff and managers from across the district.
Mr McLachlan said the focus on quality, safety and innovation throughout May aims to reaffirm the health district’s commitment to improving the health of communities throughout rural and remote NSW, and delivering world-class rural health care.
“Innovation Month and the symposium allow us to openly share ideas about ways we can improve the health and wellbeing of people in our region,” Mr McLachlan said.
“The number of projects that will be shared with all staff across the month is a reflection on the initiative, expertise and dedication our staff have in the work they do.”
Innovation Month will run through May, with a symposium and gala awards dinner taking place in Dubbo later this month.
