The 2020-2021 Quality and Safety Highlights provides a snapshot to the community on Eastern Health’s quality and safety outcomes.
Our Services
Below is a summary of Financial Year 2020-2021. This summary can also be accessed via our 2020-2021 Annual Report.
Patient Experience
Eastern Health seeks to hear the voice of the patient, families and carers in a number of different ways. Patients, families or carers can:
- Talk to any staff member or the manager from the area where the experience occurred
- Call, email or write to the Centre for Patient Experience
- Use feedback forms in feedback brochures found in patient areas
- Use the online feedback form on the Eastern Health website
- Publish your experience without giving your name on the online public platform Care Opinion
- Complete the Eastern Health Patient Experience Survey available on discharge.
There were 6,348 items of feedback received by Eastern Health in 2020/2021. The ways we received feedback in the past year are shown below.
The Victorian Healthcare Experience Survey (VHES) is one of the ways patients can provide feedback on their experiences while a patient at Eastern Health. The VHES collects information from a range of healthcare users of Victorian public health services. The survey is conducted on behalf of the Department of Health & Human Services by Ipsos, an independent contractor and requests feedback from patients after discharge from the Health Service. In 2020/21 Eastern Health received quarterly reports for the VHES Patient Experience during the COVID 19 Pandemic Survey. The table below provides Eastern Health responses to the question “Overall, how would you rate the care you received?” for 2020/21.
Eastern Health uses feedback from patients to identify opportunities to improve our services and the experience of patients, carers and families. Below are some examples of taking action based on feedback provided by consumers.
| You Said | We Did |
|---|---|
| An Eastern Health doctor contacted Release of Information to see if a discharge summary could be provided in a format a blind patient who lives alone could read themselves. | The Electronic Medical Record team was able to provide the patient their discharge summary in a PDF format that could be used in conjunction with the patient’s accessibility enabled PDF reader. This allowed the patient to read their own discharge summary independently and has made us aware of technical mechanisms we can use to assist blind patients in this way in future.
Information Integrity and Analytics – Release of Information |
| During Covid-19 many of our patients and their families highlighted the difficulties they were experiencing in being separated and not being able to communicate. | The Intensive Care Unit Patient Experience Group (IPEG) designed an email to be sent to every NOK (Next of Kin) on a patient’s admission to ICU. The email acknowledged the visiting restrictions and offered support to families including an option to video call patients and to send video and audio clips for patients that were unconscious. Feedback from patients and families about this service has been very positive, highlighting a way support can be offered in such a difficult time.
Intensive Care Unit Box Hill Hospital |
| I want to know the date of my clinic appointment on the day of discharge | We changed our model of care to ensure the ward teams were able to give you a clinic appointment on the day of discharge.
Surgery Program |
| There is no option to choose “Wife” in the drop down box for the “next of kin” of pregnant people. | “Wife” – has now been added to the Maternity Online Booking Form. |
Partnering with Consumers
At Eastern Health, we have systems and processes using best practices to engage consumers in governance, develop and user test patient information, and engage consumers in planning and decision making in their own care. Partnering with consumers is about collaboration and engagement among patients, families, carers and health professionals. We want to make sure long term practices that continue past the initial enthusiasm.
At Eastern Health 92 community members are part of the consumer register. There are many diverse opportunities for consumers to contribute across Eastern Health as members of committees, projects and working groups. More than 90% of Committees within the Eastern Health Committee Structure include at least one consumer representative.
Amplifying consumer voices
The Community Advisory Committee includes 11 consumer representatives.
Committees
- Better at Home,
- Transforming Specialty Medicine Service Delivery
- Covid Vaccination
- Human Research Ethics
- Opioid Analgesic
Projects
- MEDIC (More Efficient Documentation for Improved Care)
- Partnering w/Patients
- Wantirna Development
- Maroondah Adult Zone Capital Planning
- Enhanced Recovery after surgery
Working Groups
- Hospital-Acquired Complications
- Partners in Teaching
- Occupational Violence & Aggression
Partnerships
- North East – Better at Home
In 2021 the Consumer Information Committee provided feedback on 105 written and audiovisual materials. A total of 265 pages of information.
Highlights in 2021 - Co-design
Co-design is a way of bringing consumers, families and health workers together to improve health services. Giving people an equal voice as active partners in healthcare improvement leads to better outcomes for all. In 2021 co-design highlights included:
- Enhancing active patient participation in nursing handover: A mixed methods study: Research undertaken by staff and consumers.
- Improving hospital discharge using patient-carer-staff co-design Study ward – 2 East at Angliss Hospital
- Use of a Digital App to enhance patient-centred nursing handover Co-design Evaluating efficacy of Digital App Highlight: Research co-design and publication of paper.
Together Knox” highlights what makes the people of the City of Knox a strong and cohesive community. Eastern Health Nurse Natalie features in a video to promote diversity and inclusion during the “Together Knox” campaign. Natalie expressed how Eastern Health has embedded diversity and inclusion within its services.
In May Eastern Health celebrated IDAHOBIT Day (International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia). At Eastern Health, we are taking active steps to support better health outcomes for LGBTIQ+ people and we each have an important role in encouraging a supportive and respectful health service and workplace. This short video highlights some of the steps we are taking.
Quality and Safety Outcomes
The Serious Incident Review Committee (SIRC) meets twice a month to review the findings made by review panels related to serious incidents. The SIRC was established in response to an evaluation of the incident management system. SIRC provides an opportunity for the members of the incident review panel to present to the committee their findings and recommendations thereby ensuring any feedback is provided directly to the panel for consideration. In 2020, 2 Eastern Health consumers participated in the incident training provided by Safer Care Victoria. Eastern Health has had the privilege of a trained consumer representative supporting the review of incident findings and recommendations. In 2020-21, the committee met fortnightly and reviewed 306 incident reviews. Following the initial planning to manage the public health directives, virtual meetings were organized whereby the consumer participation could be managed without interruptions. . The consumer perspective on findings, recommendations and actions to address the key clinical risks following adverse events is valued and respected by staff and consumers alike.
- Our pathology team processed over 120,868 COVID-19 tests
- The COVID-19 Screening clinic was attended by over 86,792 people
- Over 30,000 COVID-19 Vaccinations were given
- 4719 staff were Fit Tested
- Box Hill Hospital named as one of the preferred General High Acuity hospitals for COVID-19 positive adult inpatients.