Innovation leads Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals awards

Nurses are happier and have more time for patients thanks to a team effort at Blacktown Hospital that has won applause across the district.

The ‘Supply, Storage and Administration of Medications’ project introduced a basket storage system into the medication room, replacing bedside drawers for each patient and saving nurses nearly an hour on their rounds.

The project took top prize in the inaugural Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals Quality Awards on September 25, and then went on to claim the Chief Executive Award at the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Quality Awards on September 27.

Blacktown Hospital pharmacy director Amy Murray said she was very impressed with the outcome of the joint effort between the pharmacy department, inpatient units and the WSLHD nursing and midwifery executive team.

“Our results demonstrate that strong front line engagement combined with innovative system solutions to refine work flows and reinvigorate work environments can improve efficiency in clinical environments with subsequent gains in safety culture,” Amy said.

Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals general manager Ned Katrib said the awards reflect the staff’s commitment to the delivery of safe and quality care.

“It is encouraging to see the Blacktown and Mount Druitt teams strive to improve efficiency and share their innovations through their award submissions,” Ned said.

“I would like to recognise and thank all our staff for their contributions in continuing to deliver quality health care to our community.”

The other winners in the inaugural Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals Quality Awards were:

Delivering Integrated Care category: ‘Providing Antenatal Care in an Outreach Setting at Riverstone Neighbourhood Centre’. More than 615 women have attended the clinic so far, which allows them to receive care closer to home and link with other community services. This project also won the WSLHD Quality Award for Delivering Integrated Care.

Keeping People Healthy category: ‘Physiotherapy Weighs In’. The Blacktown Hospital physiotherapy team surveyed overweight clients and referred nearly half of them to the WSLHD Get Healthy information and coaching service.

Innovation and Research category: ‘ODDS:  Ensuring Right Stock, Right Amount, Right Place’. This project determined the root causes of overstocking and waste issues, which led to an innovative redesign of stock procurement and saved nearly $40,000 in four months.

Patient Safety First category: ‘Blood management in the peri-operative period’. BMDH department of anaesthetics, pharmacy and laboratory established an active screening program to supplement iron-deficient patients six weeks prior to elective joint surgery, helping to avoid serious complications during an operation.