Governance
Governance, both Corporate and Clinical is very important to our business and this is reflected in a very engaged and enthusiastic Board of Management, BOM that supports our Medical Advisory Committee, MAC. Through our MAC, we identify all clinical opportunities and issues and develop strategies to determine the outcomes. These are measured and monitored and reported to our BOM, which is considered our highest form of governance. We strive to provide the best care possible by meeting and exceeding the National Standards for Quality and Safety in Health Care.
Proof of this commitment is our accreditation by Global Mark for ISO 9001: 2015 plus National Safety and Quality Healthcare Standards NSQHS.
Our visiting practitioners, nurses and technicians undergo a full credentialing process to ensure they are skilled to deliver best practice quality and safe care in a warm personalised setting.
We have networked with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to be informed, supported and organised to meet the Quality and Safety in Health Care.
The Specialist Surgicentre has engaged an external consultant for Infection Prevention and Control to ensure we meet all our responsibilities. The consultant measures our compliance to:
- Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.
- Australian Standards for reprocessing of reusable medical devices in Health Service AS4187:2014.
- Hand Hygiene of all personnel.
- Environmental Cleanliness.
- Standard Precautions and Aseptic Non-Touch Technique (ANTT).
- Storage - of Sterile items.
- Waste management.
- All results are reported to the MAC and the BOM.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care - Information for Consumers
The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards
Patient Satisfaction
At Specialist Surgicentre, we are committed to providing patients with the best possible experience during their hospital stay. Patient experience often reflects the personal side of care. To evaluate how well we meet patient needs, we invite our patients to complete a survey after discharge.
Completion of our survey is voluntary and anonymous. We conduct surveys continually throughout the year, which provides us with feedback that is more accurate than periodic surveys.
What are we doing to improve patient experience?
- Inviting feedback from all patients, listening to their views and making changes as a result,
- Ongoing staff education and provision of resources to ensure that care is person-focused and of the highest standard.
- Hospital management constantly monitoring the rating of overall treatment and care and taking action to address any areas of concern.
- Consulting with Specialist Surgicentre's Consumer Advocate to assist us in implementing strategies to enhance patient experience.
- Follow-up phone calls to patients after discharge from hospital to ensure they are recovering well and are given an opportunity to provide feedback.
Infection Prevention and Control
Specialist Surgicentre has a comprehensive infection prevention and control program in place. Our facility and staff are regularly audited for compliance with national infection prevention and control guidelines, Australian Standards for reprocessing of reusable instruments and the Australian Commission of Safety and Quality in Healthcare [ACSQHC] National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards. We work with our staff, patients and visitors to prevent the transmission of infectious agents. We achieve this through staff and patient education, promotion of hand hygiene to all, stringent surveillance, staff immunisation and implantation of evidence-based infection control interventions.
What are we doing to prevent infection?
- Auditing how often and how well staff wash their hands using soap and water or hand sanitiser.
- Using gloves and specialised sterile equipment.
- Using specialised disinfectants when cleaning facilities.
- Following national guidelines for high level disinfection and sterilisation processes
- Placing hand sanitiser dispensers in public areas throughout our hospital so that they are readily accessible to staff, patients and visitors.
- Engage with a consultant Infection Prevention specialist.
What can you do to help?
- Wash your hands carefully with soap and water or use hand sanitiser upon entering and leaving the hospital. This is the most important way in which you can prevent the spread of infection.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Clean your hands afterwards - every time!
- If you do not have a tissue available, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not into your hand.
- As a patient, report any infection you have had, especially if you are still on antibiotics.
Hand Hygiene
The "5 moments of hand hygiene" are employed at Specialist Surgicentre in accordance with Hand Hygiene Australia i.e. before touching a patient; before a procedure; after a procedure; after touching a patient and after touching a patient’s environment. It is mandatory that all Staff complete the online Hand Hygiene learning module annually. Mandatory competencies are also available for all clinical staff to complete with completion of these competencies monitored by our Quality Management Systems.
Medication Safety
The medication safety strategies employed by Specialist Surgicentre aim to prevent the occurrence of medicine-related incidents, improve the safety and quality of medication use. Our staff are trained in risk identification and incident management to support the safe use of medicines. Our facilities have implemented a number of medication safety initiatives including adoption of standardised medication charts and standardised medication labelling system.
- The Right Person
- The Right Documentation and clinical context
- The Right Drug
- The Right Dose
- The Right Date/Time
- The Right Route
- The Right to Uninterrupted Medication Administration
Errors in medication administration are captured in the hospital’s incident reporting system and investigated.
What are we doing to reduce the risk of medication errors?
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Annual medication competency training for staff involved in medication management
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Pegular audits covering all aspects of safe medication management
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Use of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Hospital Medication Chart (PBS HMC) for labelling of medications as per the National Standard for User-Applied Labelling of Injectable Medicines, Fluids and Lines
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Recording of all medication incidents and near misses in the hospital’s incident reporting system
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Formal review of each medication error to identify contributing factors and prevent it from recurring
