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Fingers crossed for NSW Health Awards finalists
Fingers crossed for NSW Health Awards finalists
Hunter New England Health’s achievements in delivering high quality healthcare have been recognised with four Hunter New England Health projects have been named finalists in the 2008 NSW Health Awards.
The 10th Annual NSW Health Awards mark a decade of excellence and attracted 159 entries from across the state.
HNE Health Chief Executive Dr Nigel Lyons said he was proud of the homegrown finalists.
“This is well-deserved recognition for the teams involved and the difference these quality improvement projects are making to our communities.”
“The awards categories are aligned to the seven strategic directions of the NSW Health plan, and being named a finalist is testament to all the hard work our staff have put into each of these projects.”
“Hunter New England Health is committed to providing high quality healthcare to the people of the Hunter, New England and Lower Mid North Coast regions and I am very proud of our staff and the outstanding work they are doing to make this happen,” Dr Lyons said.
“It’s really pleasing to see how innovative and dedicated each of these groups has been. Congratulations on being named a finalist – it is truly a great honour to be named a finalist in the NSW Health Awards.”
The winners are announced in Sydney on Friday 31 October.
HNE Health Finalists in the NSW Health Awards:
Category 3 - Strengthen primary health and continuing care in the community: ‘The Greater Newcastle Cluster Wound Management Model Redesign Journey’
Project description: This project involved the introduction of six wound management clinics as well as a wound measurement system and digital photography consultation. The new measurement system provides staff any accurate percentage reduction in wound size over a four-week period. The project has resulted in enormously improved health outcomes for clients, with a non-healing wound rate falling from 44 per cent to 11 per cent.
Category 4 - Build regional and other partnerships for health: ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow - Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle in a Small Country Community’
Project description: The Tenterfield Health Service developed partnerships with local government and community organisations to plan healthy lifestyle programs. With an emphasis on obesity as a major cause of chronic diseases, the programs were designed to educate the community on available options in reducing the incidence of obesity, in an effort to prevent or delay the onset of chronic diseases. External funding to install a walking track and fitness stations within a local park was secured, while physical activity classes were established through the health service. After three months, 259 participants registered for the program had collectively lost literally a ton of weight.
Category 6 - Build a sustainable health workforce: ‘Building a sustainable psychiatry workforce though education and training’
Project description: The aim of this project was to provide high quality education programs and training experiences for junior doctors. The Hunter New England Training in Psychiatry (HNET) group was established in 2006, with a focus on providing high quality training for its medical staff by reorganising medical administration and psychiatry training functions. The project has demonstrated that medical service needs can work in harmony with training needs and that programs can be implemented to overcome the problem of attracting doctors to a career in psychiatry.
Category 7 - Be ready for new risks and opportunities: ‘Ring o’ Rosies Mass Vaccination Clinic Exercise’
Project description: Hunter New England Health conducted a mass vaccination clinic exercise called ‘Ring ‘o Rosies’ in the township of Aberdeen in the Upper Hunter region in March 2008. The mass vaccination exercise was an Australian-first and the data gathered and lessons learned not only helped enhance HNE Health’s pandemic plans, but also contributed to preparations on a national level and within other health services in NSW. Evaluation from the exercise identified opportunities for streamlining clinic operations, increasing throughput, ensuring greater involvement of external agencies and modifying roles. These findings also are informing revisions of the NSW pandemic and mass vaccination plans.
Contact: Tanya Carlyle
Phone: (02) 49392 602
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