A palliative care service offering patients support to die at home, a driving service that gets patients to and from their dialysis appointments and a mental health support program are all finalists in the APHA Awards For Excellence.
The Awards, to be presented at this year’s APHA 39th National Congress (APHA Congress) gala dinner, celebrate private hospital’s achievements in three categories: Clinical excellence, comprehensive care and consumer partnerships.
Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) CEO Michael Roff said the awards were developed to recognise the high quality of care Australians receive from private hospitals.
“The diversity in the entries for each category highlights the scope of care private hospitals provide. These are all innovative programs designed to improve patient’s experience and improve care or access to care,” he said.
Mr Roff said one of the great things to come out of these programs are the additional unintended benefits for patients.
“The Epworth Eastern’s program of volunteers driving renal dialysis patients to their appointments and home again has not only made it easier for patients to get care, but also created new friendships and broken the social isolation that often comes from having a serious illness and challenges in accessing transport.
“Another is South Australia’s St Andrew’s Hospital’s critical bleeding working group, a program set up to improve timely administration of blood for patients requiring massive transfusions. Not only has this led to reduced wastage of blood products but the group also developed a purpose-built Massive Transfusion Shipper now used by the South Australian Ambulance Service.
“These programs illustrate the patient-focus of our private hospitals, and it is important to celebrate those successes,” he said.
Attendees at the APHA Congress will have a role to play in determining the winners. Finalists will present their work during a session at the APHA Congress and delegates will vote for the best entries. The delegate vote accounts for five percent of the final score.
Winners will be announced on Monday 16 March 2020 in Adelaide.
Awards finalists
Clinical excellence -– quality of care and patient outcomes
Sydney Adventist Hospital: San community palliative care service
Ramsay Health Care: Ramsay national mental health programs
St Andrews Hospital: Critical bleeding working group
Comprehensive care
Epworth Eastern: Renal dialysis patient transport vehicle program
Friendly Society Private Hospital: Culture of accountability
Consumer partnerships
Bethesda Health Care: Consumer partnership committee
Westmead Private Hospital: Luxury maternity unit
