In a remarkable team effort, staff across QEII joined forces to deliver a successful Waiting for What (W4W) patient survey this November.
Held over three big days as part of the SAFEST Journey Home Project, the W4W survey marks a partnership between the Department of Health (DoH) Healthcare Improvement Unit (HIU) and Metro South Health (MSH) that is designed to help facilities identify factors causing delays in hospital discharge.
QEII was the second MSH facility to deliver the audit behind Redland Hospital, with HIU feedback underscoring the united team effort and the quality of data collected across the wards.
“All medical wards and the Emergency Department participated in a survey looking to identify exactly what the patient was waiting for that could be impacting or delaying their discharge. The feedback from HIU pointed at a very smooth survey period, plenty of rich data gathered, and a welcoming and friendly environment created by staff,” said QEII Patient Flow ADON Mel McCusker.
Praised for their welcoming, friendly approach and excellent coordination of patients, Nursing Team Leaders (TLs) and Nurse Unit Managers (NUMs) led the charge, supporting a remarkable 458 patient surveys between medical wards and the Emergency Department (ED).
Ward 4B NUM Kelly Rose and her team (pictured) have cultivated a dynamic and collaborative environment where the team thrives on delivering care to complex patient cohorts.
With expertise in managing acute stroke cases, geriatrics, and general medical patients, the team excels at supporting patients with challenging behaviours and multifaceted needs.
Central to their success is their ability to communicate effectively and work cohesively, ensuring the highest standard of care for their patients.
“Everyone here communicates really well and we all work towards the same purpose, which makes it really easy,” explained Kelly.
With their sights set on advancing care for complex cohorts, Kelly and the team embraced the opportunity to identify avenues to improve patient flow at Ward 4B.
“Delays to discharge are significantly influenced by external factors, such as a shortage of community care packages, limited respite options, and extensive nursing home waitlists,” Kelly explained.
While they wait for the formal W4W survey results to be released in early 2025, staff look forward to implementing codesigned initiatives based on recommendations provided in the survey report.
“I am looking forward to the results of the report to enable us to commence some quality improvement activities to reduce the delays to discharge for the QEII medical and Emergency Department patients,” said Mel.
Congratulations to all who pitched in to deliver a successful survey and enhance patient care pathways at QEII.