NSLHD’s Safety and Quality Newsletter provides information on new and upcoming activities, programs and initiatives within the district that aim to improve the safety of our patients and the quality of our care.
FEBRUARY 2025
EDITION 37
IN THIS EDITION: 2025 NSLHD Quality and Improvement Awards open for entry. Patient Reported Measures Update New guidance for collecting self-reported information through surveys Teach-back to improve communication with patients and consumers Your Role in Safety and Quality Mandatory Training Celebrating Graduates of the Applied Safety and Quality Program Key Learnings from Serious Incident Reviews
Open for entry
The Northern Sydney Local Health District Quality and Improvement Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of teams across our health district who introduce change to improve patient outcomes and experience, staff experience and the overall quality of our health service. Innovate and Inspire. Enter your team initiative for a quality improvement award.
Key dates (2025)
Entries close: 14 April* Finalists announced: 2 June NSLHD Quality and Improvement Awards Ceremony: 26 June * local sign-off process and deadlines for your facility or service may vary. Visit the QI Awards website to download the entry form and submission guide. Local facility or service signoff deadlines, key contacts and other resources including tips for writing up a successful award entry are available from the new intranet SharePoint site. Check out last year’s winners and runners- up and learn about their projects Contact: NSLHD-Awards@health.nsw.gov.au
The 2025 award categories are: Environmental Sustainability
Transforming Patient Experience People and Culture Patient Safety First Keeping People Healthy
Health Innovation Health Research Excellence in the Provision of Mental Health Services Excellence in Multicultural Healthcare
Clinical Governance Standard
FEBRUARY 2025
EDITION 37
Consumer and Patient Experience
Partnering with Consumers Standard
Patient Reported Measures update
The NSW Ministry of Health recently published an Introductory Guide to Collecting Self- Reported Information through Surveys as part of work to improve system-wide understanding of self-reported information, strengthen local governance for survey collection, enhance compliance with data governance requirements, and rationalise the number of surveys conducted. The new guide and resources, including fact sheets, support NSW Health staff in collecting, using, and disclosing survey feedback about outcomes and experiences from patients, carers, the community and staff. This guidance aligns with best practices and assists health services in planning, implementing, and managing patient surveys. The NSLHD PRMs Team is reviewing the new guidance to identify potential opportunities to strengthen current processes and available resources to support staff in developing and implementing PRMs locally. New Ministry guidance for collecting self-reported information through surveys
Planned go-lives
The following services have partnered with the NSLHD PRMs Team to implement Patient Reported Measures over the next 6 months as part of the NSW Health PRMs Program: Royal Rehabilitation Home-Based Therapy Transitional Aged Care Program Burns Rachael Fisher joins the PRM team We welcome Rachael Fisher to the PRMs team. Rachael started on 3 February 2025 on secondment from Hornsby Acute Neurology service and brings her wealth of knowledge and clinical experience working as a physiotherapist in NSLHD over the past 10 years. For more information please visit the NSLHD PRMs Intranet Page or email the PRMs team (NSLHD- PRMS@health.nsw.gov.au.) Improving communication with patients and consumers Th is newsletter is planned this year to be a bimonthly publication.
Effective communication with our patients and consumers is essential for ensuring understanding, gaining consent, and enabling full participation in shared decision-making regarding their health.
Teach-back is a simple yet effective communication tool. It involves asking patients to state in their own words what they have heard, what they need to know, or what they need to do about their health. This person-centred approach helps people better self-manage their health and can lead to improved health outcomes and experiences. An easy online module explaining this method is available on My Health Learning (MHL code: 409377612). Staff are encouraged to complete the training if unfamiliar with the method.
For further information please email NSLHD-ThePatientExperience@health.nsw.gov.au
FEBRUARY 2025 Your Role in Safety and Quality Mandatory Training
EDITION 37
Your Role in Safety and Quality (MHL Course Code: 42189807) supports clinicians to recognise actions they can take to nurture a safety culture and identify actions they can take to support others to nurture a safety culture including building a psychologically safe environment.
The training is mandatory for all clinicians across NSW Health. Medical officers will complete Your Role in Safety and Quality through their Medical Officer Mandatory Training Pathway. Staff can choose to either complete a quick quiz or the short 13 minute module. If staff choose to complete the quiz but do not achieve 100%, they will also need to complete the module.
Twenty-one participants successfully secured a place in the 2025 Applied Safety and Quality Program, which commences this month. quality improvement project. These integrated elements ensure a comprehensive learning experience, equipping participants with the essential skills to make a positive impact in their local workplaces. skills, Leading change, Teamwork, Mindfulness, and Wellbeing. Participants were supported in practically applying these concepts through various workplace activities and leading a This program, delivered in partnership with the Clinical Excellence Commission, represents the highest level of learning under the Safety and Quality Essentials Pathway. It aims to build staff capability in healthcare safety and quality to an adept level. The 12-month curriculum is structured around key concepts such as Systems Thinking, Human Factors, Improvement Science, Facilitation Leading for Safety and Quality Improvement Intermediate learning pathway Two day workshop dates for 2025 Missed out on applying for the Applied Safety and Quality Program this year? You won’t have to wait until 2026 to build your capability in safety and quality. In-person workshops are offered to all staff throughout the year introducing you to essential leadership practices, knowledge, tools and skills to lead a quality improvement project in your workplace. Check My Health Learning (Code: 518150533) to view dates.
Celebrating Graduates of the Applied Safety and Quality Program The recent graduation ceremony and showcase for the second cohort of the Applied Safety and Quality Program, held on 12 February 2025 at the Kolling Auditorium, Royal North Shore Hospital, marked a significant milestone for staff from across the district dedicated to improving the safety and quality of care in their workplaces. The event also recognised the invaluable contributions of the Safety and Quality Essentials Pathway teaching faculty. This dedicated group, including program coordinators, facilitators, coaches, and guest speakers from across the district, as well as members of the Clinical Excellence Commission, has played a pivotal role in supporting and guiding the graduates.
2024 Applied Safety and Quality Program graduates: Back row L-R: Claire O’Keefe, Alexandra Cook, Karina Reay, Grace Leith, Carolyn Ellis, John Won, Leanne Lee, Regan Runnalls). Front row L-R: Jarinya Soieprasounk, Erin Spillane, Jiajia Xiang, Dayan Apram, Jason Au. Not in attendance: Kate Welsh, Rachel Wang, Timothy Ross, Karen Klarnett.
Contact: NSLHD-SQEP@health.nsw.gov.au
Clinical Governance Standard
FEBRUARY 2025 Key Learnings from Serious Incident Reviews
EDITION 37
Clinical Governance Standard
The Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) regularly publishes insightful learnings from reviews of serious incidents across NSW. You can explore these valuable resources on the CEC website -Serious Incident Review page. Highlights from Recent Publications 1. Alarm Fatigue in Cardiac Monitoring - Patient Safety Watch (December 2024). The latest issue of Patient Safety Watch focuses on the critical issue of alarm fatigue. A review using Human Factors thematic analysis of several recent Serious Adverse Event Reviews (SAERs) uncovered some lessons for learning relating to alarm fatigue. Key cases highlight: The overwhelming number of Alarm Systems can lead to a high prevalence of audible alarms in the clinical setting resulting in alarm fatigue. Excessive alarms can desensitise staff, leading to missed critical alerts. Examples where alarm fatigue contributed to delayed responses and adverse patient outcomes. Several strategies to streamline alarm systems and improve response times are proposed. 2. Learnings Summary - Mental Health, Alcohol, and Other Drugs - July to September 2024 This document provides a summary of learnings arising from the Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drug Serious Incident Review (SIR) Sub-Committee meetings held July - September 2024. Key learnings include: Speaking Up for Safety: Empowering all healthcare staff to advocate for patient safety. Leave Planning: Importance of proper documentation and risk assessments for unescorted leave. Discharge and Transfer of Care: Ensuring warm handovers and clear communication during care transitions. Y our paragraph text Communication: Continuous vigilance and clear communication to manage suicide risks. Care Planning: Comprehensive safety plans and reassessment of patients, especially those with opioid dependency.
For more detailed insights and to stay updated on best practices, visit the Clinical Excellence Commission’s Serious Incident Review page.
News from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare
The National Medicines Symposium (NMS24) in November 2024 brought together leading experts, clinicians and policymakers to explore key challenges and opportunities in medication safety and quality. If you missed this insightful event, recordings are now available on essential topics such as: Practical deprescribing strategies Patient-centred prescribing practices Harnessing digital health for safer medicine use Hear from renowned speakers, including Professor Jennifer Martin, Dr Lisa Kouladjian O’Donnell, Professor Sarah Hilmer AM and Professor Melissa Baysari, as they share insights to enhance medication management across healthcare systems. Catch up on NMS24: Watch the recordings
Summit on clinical governance in digital health The C3.0 Connect. Care. Confidence.2025 Summit took place on 18 February 2025, shaping the future of clinical governance in digital health. Co-hosted by the Australian Digital Health Agency and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, this interactive summit brought together leading experts, clinicians, service providers and consumers. Videos of the event are available on the digitalhealth.gov.au website. Sessions included Gen AI’s impact on patient safety, building a digitally enabled workforce, person-centred care through safe technology, and consumer co-design approaches.
FEBRUARY 2025
EDITION 37
NSLHD CLINICAL AUDIT SCHEDULE
Clinical Governance Standard The NSLHD Clinical Audit Schedule has been developed for all sites and services within NSLHD to support the monitoring and evaluation of clinical care processes and to provide support for clinical quality improvement activities across NSLHD. Download the complete 2025 - 2026 NSLHD Clinical Audit Schedule from the Clinical Audit Schedule Intranet page Clinical audits required to be completed this month are listed below.
February QARS Audits ( direct links available from Clinical Audit Intranet page)
NSLHD_01_Clinical Documentation Audit_VCS Version 2 NSLHD_01_Clinical Documentation Audit -HIS
Standard 1
NSLHD_03_Peripheral Intravenous Cannula (PIVC) Insertion and Management - V2
Standard 3
NSLHD_4_Accountable Drug (S4D S8) Register -V3 2024 Vaccine Management and Storage Audit NSLHD_6_ ID Band Specifications Adult/Paediatric Inpatients NSLHD_6_ID Band Specifications for Newborns V2
Standard 4
Standard 6
NLSHD_08_MONTHLY_Resuscitation trolley/backpack & Resuscitaire equipment audit
Standard 8
POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES Refer to the NSLHD weekly bulletin to access the most up-to-date list of PPGs
For any queries relating to policy, procedure and guideline development contact NSLHD-Policies@health.nsw.gov.au
Medication Safety Updates including medication shortages are available on the CEC website.
SAFETY ALERTS New, updated and recently published
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online