Melbourne Private Hospital wins National Award for Oncology Service

22 October 2007

South Eastern Private Hospital in Melbourne has won the Australian Private Hospitals Association Ambulatory Care Award for its Day Oncology Service.

The award, which recognises private hospitals that have excelled in the provision of clinical treatment and demonstrated excellence in patient care in an ambulatory care setting, was presented at the APHA National Congress in Melbourne.

The Day Oncology Service at South Eastern Private Hospital has implemented a range of quality improvements to clinical care and service delivery to become a truly patient focused service.

The approach involves ongoing communication with all members of the team, patients, Visiting Medical Officers and staff from other departments, consideration of feedback and use of quality improvement tools.

The many improvements achieved include;

• Introduction of flexible hours for patients to better meet their needs
• Unlimited access to the service for all patients 24 hours a day
• Provision of direct service delivery without the need to attend an emergency department for admission when acutely unwell
• Refined processes to reduce waiting times for pathology results
• Reduced wastage of expensive medications
• An education program for ward nurses interested in oncology to improve skill levels and maintain adequate staffing

The improvements in quality and customer service have led to extremely high patient satisfaction ratings in addition to high levels of staff and VMO satisfaction that, combined with improved financial outcomes, ensure these improvements can be sustained into the future.

Executive Director of the Australian Private Hospitals Association, Michael Roff, said by winning the award, the hospital had demonstrated a clear focus on ensuring patient needs were paramount in implementing significant improvements to this difficult clinical service.

For further information, contact:
Fiona Wilson 0416 171 266