John Hunter Hospital Emergency Department wins Premier's Award

A project to improve access to care in the emergency department at John Hunter Hospital was one of five Hunter New England Health projects to win a 2007 Premier’s Public Sector Award.

Director of Emergency Medicine Dr Carolyn Hullick said the project involved creating a fast-track area called ‘Emergency Express’ within the emergency department, and allocating staff to work in teams.

“By treating people with less serious problems in the fast-track area, we’ve reduced the amount of time patients spend in our emergency department, which increases the number of people we can treat,” Dr Hullick said.

“It’s been a very successful project because as well as improving the experience of patients, the focus on teamwork has also improved staff satisfaction.”

Dr Hullick said her staff are open to change and are always looking at ways to refine emergency department processes.

“We’re fortunate to have strong management support and a flexible and adaptable workforce who are continuously looking for opportunities to improve the service we deliver to patients,” Dr Hullick said.

“I’m very proud of our success - John Hunter Hospital Emergency Department continuously performs above NSW Health benchmarks, despite increasing numbers of people presenting for treatment.”

While the new process is helping meet increased demand, it’s important to understand that emergency departments are for people requiring immediate medical assistance for urgent unexpected conditions.

“We would never turn anyone away, but our priority is to treat the sickest people first,” Dr Hullick said.

With many general practitioners closed over the Christmas/New Year period, people should also consider using the GP Access After Hours service.  This free service can be contacted on 1300 130 147 and has clinics located at Belmont Hospital, John Hunter Hospital, The Maitland Hospital, Newcastle Community Health Centre and Toronto Polyclinic. 

The Premier’s Public Sector Awards formally recognise and reward achievements of excellence across NSW public sector agencies.

Contact: Gemma Smith

Phone: 4921 4501