Recognising that patients are partners in their health care, this award aims to acknowledge projects/programs which promote collaboration between the patient and the health care team to improve health.
Entries should be able to demonstrate innovation in:
Transcript - Winner - The Quiet Pathway
Transcript - Enhanced care anywhere
Virtually enhanced Community Care (VeCC) improves care for chronic disease patients through comprehensive remote monitoring of patients symptoms and wellbeing. Aim: Utilising an easy to use virtual modality, VeCC aims to improve patient experience with patient-centred care, planning, support and individualised health coaching to improve selfmanagement skills, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and length of stay.
Patients admitted to VeCC have their symptoms and clinical observations remotely monitored alongside virtual consultations via an ISLHD provided Phillips tablet and equipment.
Since commencement in November 2020, more than 120 patients have been admitted to VeCC with improved patient outcomes and reduction in length of stay noted.
The implementation of VeCC for chronic disease patients aligns with NSW Health Strategic Priorities 3 (enabling eHealth) and 4 (designing and building future focused infrastructure) as well as National Safety and Quality Health Standards (NSQHS) 5 and 8, and Strategy 3: Integrate systems for truly connected care. VeCC provides a mechanism for ISLHD to deliver NSW Health Integrated Care Strategy Planned Care for Better Health (PCBH).
VeCC strengthens care provided for ISLHD patients with chronic disease, reducing risk of hospitalisation, improve patient experience and outcomes, keeping them healthier over the long-term.
Transcript - The Quiet Pathway
The ‘Quiet Pathway’- for Special Kids is a successful peri-operative program for children with anxiety, autism, and other behavioural and intellectual disabilities. This individualised stewardship program makes the peri-operative journey safe and stress-free for these special kids.
It involves early identification, avoidance of pre-admission visits and pre-hospital anxiety management. It facilitates direct admission to an anaesthesia bay and includes a monthly dedicated ‘clustered care’ list that allows multiple procedures under the one anaesthetic- reducing the need for repeated admissions.
The program has radically changed perioperative care for this vulnerable group of children through innovative use of the building, clustered care, and pre-hospital anxiety-management. In this way, the experience of carers and patients has been streamlined and transformed.
Working in partnership with carers and multiple medical and surgical teams has been central to success. The program regularly involves collaboration with general and community paediatricians, local pharmacy services and community disability service providers.
Treatment goals are shared, and plans are tailored to suit the individual circumstances of each child. Openness to the experiences and insights of the carer is fundamental to the assessment.
Well-coordinated ‘clustered care’ (often utilising direct admission to an anaesthesia bay) allows these children to access screening and preventative medical interventions in a timely and effective way.
Transcript - Virtual Paediatric Feeding Pilot
Paediatric feeding challenges are common; however, specialist clinics are scarce in rural settings. Therefore, in response to service and workforce gaps, an existing interdisciplinary Feeding Clinic was expanded into a virtual 'hub and spoke' model, providing services to seven community health sites and upskilling local clinicians.
Following an eight-month period, the research pilot evaluated the accessibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the service.
A total of 33 clients from outside of Orange were included consisting of 174 appointments.
Results included statistically significant improvements in children's growth, number of accepted foods and overall feeding behaviours.
Additionally, 24,536 patient kilometres were saved in travel.
The pilot demonstrated a model able to enhance access to and deliver patient care through partnerships with consumers. In doing so, the pilot provided care that patients needed and valued. Further, key themes from semi-structured virtual interviews with clinicians indicated:
The pilot links to the strategic directions of the NSW Health State Plan, the Strategic Plan for Children, Young People and Families, the NSW Rural Health Plan Towards 2021 and the NSW Paediatric Capability Framework.
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