RED-y for change at Blacktown Hospital

An initiative to create a better experience of hospital from “go to go home” is now underway at Blacktown Hospital.

Called Project RED, the major redesign project involves the whole hospital and focuses on every point in the patient journey, from when people first arrive in emergency or for planned surgery.

“Project RED is a unique local initiative to provide a better patient experience wherever they are in their progression through the hospital,” said hospital general manager Sue-Anne Redmond.

“People will start to see the difference from when they first arrive in emergency because we have a new inflow coordinator to support triage, streaming of patients into the right place for care, and an outflow coordinator to get patients who need to be admitted into a bed more quickly.

“The changes are designed to provide more effective support and ensure patient flow really is a streamlined, orderly progression, not a stop-start experience that’s frustrating for patients and staff.”

Sue-Anne said even simple measures like dedicated portering and bed cleaning teams have made a huge difference already.

“One of the simple but effective strategies has been a dedicated team for bed cleaning, which provides a faster turnaround time so patients can be moved from emergency into the wards more quickly and waiting time is reduced.”

Sue-Anne said there are more than 30 hospital wards and departments involved in the major change program, which will have long-term benefits too.

“In the short term, we improve patient flow and reduce waiting times for patients, and that means a better experience for patients and staff, but if we can get it right now, it gives us two years to fine-tune the model of care before we move into the new acute services building,” Sue-Anne said.

“Our clinicians have designed the new emergency department and wards to support that model of care.

“We want everyone to benefit by adopting that change sooner rather than later,” Sue-Anne said.

Initiatives include:

• Dedicated inflow coordinator to support triage of patients arriving at emergency
• Dedicated outflow coordinator in emergency so patients who are being admitted get into a bed faster
• Expansion of the emergency department capacity for short stay and surgical assessment unit so patients are admitted faster
• New morning huddle for emergency staff to improve communication
• Dedicated bed cleaning teams to improve bed turnover
• Dedicated portering teams for Imaging improving transfers for diagnostics
• Dedicated portering for patients between wards and to discharge
• 1 by 9 initiative to encourage staff to discharge at least one patient from every ward by 9am

Project RED (whole of hospital redesign project) will be rolling out at Mount Druitt Hospital soon.

Staff can contact their manager for more information, or email the Whole of Hospital team at WSLHD-WoH@health.nsw.gov.au