The self-titled ‘Tiny Tiger Team’ at QEII Hospital’s Specialist Outpatients Unit (SOPD) is walking tall after claiming the team Staff Values Award in March.
Supporting up to 350 specialty outpatient appointments across a range of specialty clinics each day, the small but mighty team of 12 nurses and 10 Administration Officers has mastered the art of enhancing patient throughput without a hitch.
Clocking in ten years at the helm of the team, SOPD NUM Jenny Ashton owes the strength of the service to its cohesive and dedicated team.
“It's a whole team story. The doctors, nurses and admin couldn’t work without each other. We've all got strengths, knowledge and special skills that we bring to each of our roles,” said Jenny.
“There’s no chaos here, because we put strong processes in place to follow. While things happen all the time, we can quickly move into that space because we've got great people in all of those key roles and have established escalation pathways.”
With a team culture made of a steadfast work ethic and above-and-beyond commitment to best patient outcomes, SOPD take pride in putting their patients at the centre of their practice.
“It's always about that respect for the patients and their time. We see the person behind the referral letter. Everyone learns that that is your patient, from the piece of paper to the phone calls and all the way along the journey. We have a very strong focus on that, and it only goes wrong when we don't put the patient at the centre of our efforts.”
The team’s reputation is well established in their demonstrably exceptional capacity for thriving under pressure. Jenny says it is this enduring spirit of teamwork and patient-centred care that keeps the SOPD’s clinics running smoothly from day to day.
“It's a small team that does a tremendous amount of work. Because we are a centralised service, patient flow and the patient journey is very important to us. We see the volume that flows through an enormous range of specialties including some of our busiest clinics in orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, gynaecology and cardiology.”
An example to their peers, the SOPD's remarkable consistency in the face of unrelenting pressure is admired throughout the hospital. After ten years in the role, Jenny says it’s sharing the patient journey that remains the highlight of her day.
“There's a whole system that enables what we do. Once the patients go home, we get to see them at follow-up. Some of our people work in different areas of the hospital, and they see patients through the whole journey, from the first appointment and booking for surgery, to waking them up in the post-anaesthetic care unit and back to outpatients for their wound care.
“It’s really rewarding to make a difference and we are always looking to improve.”
Congratulations to the whole SOPD team, and thank you for your ongoing commitment to serving the QEII community.