In its first year, the Division of Heart, Lung and Critical Care has exemplified excellence, innovation, and unwavering dedication to patient care while finding their groove as the newest division to form at Princess Alexandra Hospital in over a decade.
The core business of the division in the past year has resulted in over 70,000 Emergency Department presentations, almost 200,000 patient exams in Radiology, 20,000 inpatient stays, over 1000 theatre cases, 4000 procedures, 85,000 outpatient services, and almost 8,000 accrued bed days in Intensive Care.
Divisional Director, Sarah Rollins said the compassionate team of thought-leaders and innovators embraced the challenges of forming a new division to ensure the ongoing delivery of high-quality care and kick even more goals by harnessing opportunities in Metro South Health’s tertiary hospital.
“This was a significant change for PAH after many years with the same divisional structure and while we worked through inevitable challenges, the past year has been filled with remarkable achievements for each department.”
“While this is not an exhaustive list, I really want to highlight a sample of the great outcomes that showcase the collaboration across the division that has made it possible.”
- Emergency Department demonstrated their innovation and agility modifying and expanding their off load Initiative (OLI) with only a few days’ notice. The great outcomes were recognised by both the DG and Health Minister.
- Australia’s first Toxicology Nurse Practitioner was initiated with great success, and clinical experts in the specialty are leading work across the state.
- Cardiology implemented the POGO model with Logan Hospital and other HHS hospitals to improve access to the Cardiac Catheter Lab.
- Coronary Care Unit installed doors in two bays to improve flow for patients requiring a single room within the unit.
- New process with MAPU to take patients post-pacemaker to avoid unnecessary delays and reduce clinical risk after pacemaker insertion.
- Ward 3C have demonstrated leadership for early discharge models resulting in a one-day (approx) reduction in length of stay compared to equivalent services.
- Radiology have expanded their main CT hours, reducing pressure on the Emergency Department CT and also expanded their weekend service.
- The Integrated Theranostics Centre were acknowledged for their achievements, winning the Metro South Health Ambitious Innovation Award.
- Additional nursing in Cardiac Catheter Lab and Radiology is supporting conscious sedation and a nurse practitioner candidate converted to NP within Better Cardiac Care.
- Respiratory and Sleep medicine welcomed Metro South Clinical Tuberculosis Service now renamed the department Respiratory, Sleep and Mycobacterial Medicine.
- Sleep ran a successful temporary initiative to reduce outpatient long waits including negotiations for other key health services to manage their own patients for sleep medicine using PAH-led models for clinically complex patients.
- There has been a significant reduction in outliers with a strategic focus to provide care to patients in their home wards, improving patient care.
- CAREPACT continue implementing successful initiatives, the latest being a Residential Aged Care nurse exchange shadowing in ED to better understand what their residents experience when coming into hospital.
- The After Hours Care Unit joined the division part way through the year and continue to drive improvements to care after hours and MET call response.
- Establishment of the Heart and Lung Research Centre to improve outcomes for patients with heart and lung related health problems and Cardiology first in human trials.
Executive Director of PAH Dr Jeremy Wellwood also acknowledged the collective achievements of the youngest division at PA on its milestone first anniversary.
“The rationale of developing a new division was founded in the need to reduce the large size of some of the existing divisions and integrate units like Radiology and ED from their professional stream into the operational management of the hospital,” he said.
“It’s clear that you have found ways to synergise and bank on those connections to achieve some great outcomes. There are things like research and the academic focus that PA is really well known for that are a great foundation to build on using the momentum of this new division.”