Clinical excellence, innovation celebrated at WSLHD quality awards
From advances in patient experience to new dedicated Aboriginal health services for women, the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) annual Best of the West Quality Awards have honoured clinical excellence and innovation.
More than 100 submissions were put forward for this year’s awards from a diverse range of staff and services in WSLHD, which comprises Blacktown, Mount Druitt, Auburn, Cumberland and Westmead hospitals. Awards winners were nominated by peers and management from a selection of finalists.
WSLHD Chief Executive Graeme Loy said, “Our people are not only delivering world-class care, but thinking critically about how we can make an even bigger impact on our western Sydney community.
“We are pursuing ideas which are impacting the quality of care that our patients receive and committing resources to the accessibility of our services for our diverse population.
Award winners include:
Excellence in Aboriginal Healthcare Award
Winner: Protecting our future Aboriginal population
The team implemented a new approach to care to enhance equity of access and reduction in the burden of disease for our current population. As a result, 100% of Aboriginal families at Westmead Hospital in 2023 are offered culturally sensitive perinatal care. Quit smoking rates during pregnancy increased from 28% to 43% and the inclusion of non-Aboriginal pregnant women with an Aboriginal baby increased the intergenerational impact by 20%.
Patient Safety First Award
Winner: Detecting Dental Disease in Children from Intra-Oral Photographs
Instead of a face-to-face dental assessment, intra-oral photographs captured on smartphones are used to make clinical diagnosis. Results show a good concordance between photographic assessment and visual examination. This is the first time Paediatric Dental trialled this method.
People and Culture Award
Winner: FLASH – Fostering Leadership Across Systems in Health
This program is a seven-month, evidence-based initiative built by clinical educators for clinicians. This includes a full-day interprofessional education (IPE) workshop on change management.
Education and Training Award
Winner: Educational Dementia Immersive Experience (EDIE)
This one-hour virtual reality experiential dementia training program helps staff feel more confident when caring for patients with dementia. Training was offered to 660 clinicians across WSLHD, with 334 attending the training. The VR component allows clinicians to virtually get out of bed and navigate to the toilet while experiencing sensory disturbance, disorientation and frustration.
Keeping People Healthy Award
Winner: Catch-up School Vaccination Project 2022
This project aimed to deliver 15,000 extra vaccines to high school children across 2022, restoring vaccination rates to pre-pandemic targets. A total of 13,145 vaccines were administered, which was an increase of 71% of HPV dose, 19% dTpa and 18% MecACWY vaccine update.
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