CAH Annual Report 2006 - South West Alliance of Rural Health

Colac Area Health Annual Report 2006Nursing DivisionIt has been a yearof anticipation andopportunity as ColacArea Health successfullycompleted Aged CareAccreditation andthe completion ofthe CorangamarahResidential Aged Carefacility moved closer tofruition. Simon Walter(above) commenced inthe role of Director ofNursing in early 2006.The past twelve months within the NursingDivision have seen many changes with newstaff joining Colac Area Health (CAH) andother staff moving on to different challenges.Colac Area Health successfully completedAged Care Accreditation, and Accreditationwith the Australian Council on HealthcareStandards is due in September 2006.Accreditation provides the organisation withan opportunity to identify strengths andweaknesses in various aspects of all operationsand mission to provide quality care to thecommunity. As such, we view these times asopportunities.Farewell Ann HagueColac Area Health farewelled Ann Haguein January 2006. During the past two yearsAnn contributed a great deal to the nursingdivision both personally and professionallywith her insights and leadership. Colac AreaHealth applauds her contribution to theNursing Division and the Colac community.Residential Aged CareUnder the leadership of the Nurse UnitManagers, CAH achieved Aged CareAccreditation in all four standards and 44outcomes. Aged Care Accreditation is astatutory requirement with strict guidelinesto ensure optimum resident care. Specialmention was given to our ActivitiesCoordinators and Infection Control. It ispleasing to note that the survey report washighly complimentary of the care providedto residents. All Residential Aged Care(RAC) staff and non-nursing staff should becommended for their valuable contribution tothis process and to the lives of the residentsfor whom CAH is home.It has also been a year of anticipation as thecompletion of the Corangamarah ResidentialAged Care facility comes to fruition. Staffhave had the opportunity to visit the sitethroughout its development, including inputinto aspects of design and functionality aswell as specialist equipment. An enormousamount of work has gone into planningthe move of residents, staff and equipmentinto Corangamarah. Staff and residents arelooking forward to moving to this state-of-theartfacility.Corangamarah will cater for residentsrequiring dementia-specific care and, as such,a large proportion of staff have undertakeneducation specific to these residents’ needs.Operating SuiteThe Operating Suite has continued to expandservices and provides a large range of surgicalservices to the local community as well as toclients from around the region extending asfar as Melbourne. Staff continue to provideexpert, compassionate care for patientsvarious surgical specialities as well as managethe day-to-day complexities of a busy clinicalenvironment. The Visiting Medical Staff(VMS) provide anaesthetic services and theorganisation has also engaged a specialistanaesthetist and specialist surgeons, offeringsurgery in many diverse areas, includingophthalmology, gynaecology, urology andorthopaedics. This is a wonderful asset forthe community. Operating services continueto expand, particularly in the area of daysurgery. Renovations were carried out in thisarea to create a step-down unit to increasepatient throughput as well as provide a morecomfortable post-operative environment.Members of the Nursing and VMS attendedan intensive two-day workshop conducted atthe Monash Anaesthetic Simulator Centre.This centre provides a virtual theatreenvironment with a state-of-the-art humanmannequin that breaths, talks, has heartand lung sounds, pupils that react to light,pulses and also reacts physiologically to drugsadministered. Four Nursing staff and fourVMS attended the program which is designedto ensure a team focus and cooperation indealing with theatre emergencies.The Haemodialysis staff also continue theirvital work and contribute to the lives of theirclients through the provision of a service thatclients would otherwise have had to travelconsiderable distance to receive up to threetimes per week. Another staff member hasundertaken additional education throughBarwon Health to join this specialist service.Replacement of vital equipment, including anew operating table and microscope, fundedby the State Government as part of a targetedequipment grant, has commenced.Acute Care UnitThe Acute Care Unit continues to providecare to post-operative, medical, palliativecare and midwifery patients. The Unitalso provides some day services, such aschemotherapy and specialist infusions.The Nurse Unit Manager and staff havebeen involved in further refining models formidwifery provision and examining innovativeways to cater for patients with varyingconditions and varying care needs all in theone Unit.Thirty staff have completed AdvancedCardiac Life Support (ACLS) education withmany of the midwives also participating in theAdvanced Life Support in Obstetrics course.These courses were funded as part of theorganisation’s investment in the professionaland personal development of staff which hasnatural flow-on to improved patient care.New information management systemshave been introduced into midwiferywith an electronic client record aboutto be introduced. This record improvesdocumentation, increases midwife/patientcontact time and can be transferred to otherinstitutions when required. Review of theSleep Settling Program was undertaken withthis service now being available in the patient’shome. This has seen an increased uptake dueto improved service.The Clinical Pathway Working Party(CPWP) headed by the PreadmissionDischarge Planning Coordinators (PADPC)and Health Information Manager (HIM) havecompleted the introduction of day surgerypathways and continue to develop pathwaysin the areas of orthopaedics, respiratoryand cardiology. There has been an increasein urology services and therefore we havereviewed the documentation and workprocesses associated with this service.Following distribution of Victorian QualityCouncil Clinical Handover (VQCCH)guidelines, CAH has audited the effectivenessof handover and the findings will be integralin improving this vital nursing function.The Aged CareAccreditation washighly complimentaryof the care provided toresidents by ResidentialAged Care staff andnon-nursing staff.Accreditation providesopportunities toidentify strengths andweaknesses in variousaspects of all operations.26 Colac Area Health Annual Report 200627