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28 May 2024 Reading time approximately
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Thank you to the clinicians, health managers, consumers and stakeholders who work with us to drive healthcare innovations across NSW.
Clinical network updates
The latest news, moves and events from our Clinical Networks
The ACCN hosted its sixth annual conference in April, in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC). More than 150 in-person and 300 online attendees joined to connect and listen to Aboriginal-led innovations focused on the theme Closing the gap: Priority reform areas and Aboriginal chronic care.
The event started with an opening address from three inspiring Aboriginal leaders, Tim Ireland, Executive Director, Reform and Innovation Branch, NSW Aboriginal Affairs; Shana Quayle, Acting Chief Executive Officer, AH&MRC;and Ashley Brown, Acting Executive Director, Centre for Aboriginal Health.
Other presentations included those from the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, local health districts, primary health networks, National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and leading Aboriginal academics working in Aboriginal chronic care. Recordings from the conference will be available soon to network members.
More about the Aboriginal Chronic Conditions Network
Four new Vocational Intervention Program (VIP) toolkits for clinicians, clients, employers and vocational rehabilitation providers are now available, to help people with a brain injury to return to work.
The VIP toolkits include educational information, videos, client stories, checklists and other tools to support effective partnerships between those coordinating vocational rehabilitation.
The resources were developed as a part of the icare-funded Vocational Intervention Program – Sustainability Project. A Community of Practice was also established to foster local and statewide partnerships between NSW Health clinicians and vocational rehabilitation providers.
More about the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Network
The network extends thanks and acknowledgement to outgoing Co-Chair Associate Professor Michael Hennessy, senior staff specialist ophthalmologist at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney Local Health District and Sydney Eye Hospital. His leadership over many years has been instrumental in influencing the direction of the network and ophthalmic services.
We welcome two new co-chairs, who join longstanding Medical Co-Chair, Associate Professor Andrew White, clinician scientist ophthalmologist and Head of Opthalmology at Westmead Hospital.
Melanie Lai brings more than 16 years’ experience as a practicing orthoptist, orthoptic advisor and Head of Orthoptics at Sydney Local Health District and Sydney Eye Hospital.
Louise Claridge brings 15 years’ experience in ophthalmology nursing, and is a clinical nurse specialist and ophthalmology case manager for Northern Sydney Local Health District.
More about the Ophthalmology Network
New rehabilitation service audit tool
The recently published Rehabilitation service delivery: audit tool for best practice was produced by the ACI’s Rehabilitation Network, Brain Injury Rehabilitation Directorate, State Spinal Cord Injury Service and Statewide Burn Service.
The audit tool provides a framework to improve the quality of care for patients by helping health services plan and review their practice. It guides the delivery of evidence-based, best practice rehabilitation.
icare NSW supported the development of the tool, which also had extensive stakeholder consultation. Two pilot studies took place at Wagga Wagga Health Service and St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney to test its viability.
Rehabilitation Nurse Leaders Coalition
The network recently brought together the Rehabilitation Nurse Leaders Coalition, a group of dedicated clinical nurse consultants, educators and nurse unit managers from services across NSW. Chaired by Sandra Lever from Graythwaite Rehabilitation Centre and Judith Dunne of Rankin Park, the coalition fosters a supportive professional environment to exchange innovative ideas, share valuable knowledge and explore emerging challenges. The group also focuses on training sessions, professional development opportunities, and providing peer support and mentoring. To learn more or join the coalition, contact Network Manager Louise Sellars.
More about the Rehabilitation Network
The network has recently published new resources to improve operating theatre efficiency and surgical outcomes.
- The Same day surgery admission model sets out clear standards for commonly performed same-day surgical procedures, based on the latest best-practice advice and literature. The model is designed to support all staff involved in the surgical care of patients and ensure quality patient care.
- The updated Operating theatre efficiency: Clinical practice guide informs health managers, clinicians and service planners about the key principles that underpin best practice for efficient governance and management in operating theatres. The guide is supported by tools and resources to help assess local systems, and identify opportunities for improvement and implement change.
More about the Surgical Care Network
The Transition Care Network (TCN) has teamed up with the ACI’s Chronic Care for Aboriginal People team to gather consumer experiences and inform future projects that improve transition care. The project aims to understand how Aboriginal young people, carers and families are currently supported when moving from children’s to adult health services, as well as gaps and potential improvements.
In-person and virtual yarning sessions will take place across NSW with Aboriginal young people aged 16 to 24 years, their carers and families. The project has been approved by the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW Ethics Committee, with all participants completing a consent form and being reimbursed for their time.
For more information, contact the network.To host a yarning session or promote the initiative in your service, please contact Cathy Kostovski, Chronic Care for Aboriginal People, or TCN Network Manager,Rachael Havrlant.
More about the Transition Care Network
Statewide program updates
News and events from our Virtual Care and Patient Reported Measures teams.
Celebrating 100,000 PRMs collected in HOPE
The NSW PRMs Program enables patients to provide direct, timely feedback about their health-related experiences and outcomes at the point of care. This valuable feedback gives clinicians a deeper understanding of what matters to their patients, helping them make meaningful improvements at the point of care to improve health outcomes.
That's why we're celebrating collecting 100,000+ PRMs surveys; digitally enabled by the Health Outcomes and Patient Experience (HOPE) platform (delivered in partnership with eHealth NSW).
Thanks to our partners, PRMs leads and local executive sponsors who have supported the program since the launch of HOPE in February 2021. We couldn't have reached this amazing milestone without the collaboration and hard work of:
- 683 health services from local health districts, specialty health networks and primary care settings that have implemented PRMs
- 1,775 clinicians using PRMs every day to deliver personalised healthcare.
New HOPE Phase 2 features now live
New features were made live on the Health Outcome Patient Experience (HOPE) platform in March 2024, making it easier for clinicians using patient-reported measures (PRMs) to understand patient needs and deliver individualised care. More than 50 functionality and accessibility improvements have been made as part of the HOPE Phase 2 release, so that:
- PRMs can now be collected by multiple new clinical cohorts including paediatric, maternity, brain injury and menopause services
- seven new patient report outcome measures (PROMs) surveys are available to clinicians and patients
- NSW Justice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network can use the platform
- health system managers can use aggregated data to drive innovation through statewide manager access.
To facilitate widespread implementation, HOPE Phase 2 also involved integrating the platform with the NSW Health electronic Medical Record system (eMR) in eligible local health districts and specialty health networks throughout 2023. Clinicians have given positive feedback on the eMR integration so far, including this from a clinician in the Northern Sydney Local Health District, “Using HOPE in eMR has made things 10 times easier for us.”
We acknowledge and thank the clinicians and consumers who participated in user acceptance testing; a key component of any HOPE platform release.
We also extend our sincere thanks to the entire NSW PRMs Program team across eHealth NSW, the Agency for Clinical Innovation, NSW Ministry of Health, local health districts, specialty health networks, and all clinicians and consumers who contributed to the success of HOPE Phase 2.
For more information, contact your local PRM Lead or emailACI-PRM@health.nsw.gov.au.
More about Patient Reported Measures
The recently updated, digitised Virtual care in practice guide now integrates multiple resources into a user-friendly experience for healthcare providers, with streamlined navigation and improved searchability of information to support knowledge, capability and confidence.
From beginners to seasoned practitioners, this online guide is a valuable resource for all, covering areas including:
- ways of delivering virtual care
- implementing virtual care in your service
- technology and equipment
- consumer considerations
- training and education.
More about Virtual Care
The Innovation Exchange
Sharing some of the latest innovations from across NSW.
A project by South Western Sydney Local Health District, the Waste Action Reuse Portal (WARPIT) website allows staff to list items that are no longer in use, mainly furniture, for other staff to claim. Items are then displayed in a similar way to e-bay, making it easy for staff across the district to browse items available for reuse. The WARPIT software also allows staff to list equipment so that charities can review available items and claim them for use.
In the two years since the project began, the district has reused $53,000 worth of assets, diverted more than 65 tons of waste from landfill and redistributed more than $217,000 worth of medical assets to developing countries via charitable organisations.
More about the project
Walanga Gul is Darug language for “follow up”. The Walanga Gul project aims to improve follow-up care provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) after they return home from hospital.
The district’s Primary Care and Community Health team worked with the local community to review and improve the existing 48 Hour Follow Up program, including the co-design of a culturally appropriate patient reported experience measure (PREM) and update of an existing model of care.
More about the project
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in Australian women. Each month within the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD), there are on average six resections of cancerous breast tumors. This rate has been growing annually by 1.5%.
MLHD has begun using Magseed, a new seed technology that is more accurate than the use of wires and easier for the surgeon to find. Magseed is a metallic seed, no bigger than a grain of rice, that can be implanted into a lesion up to 30 days prior to surgery. Magseed implantation takes a few minutes under ultrasound or mammography guidance. The ability to place Magseed prior to theatre removes the logistical problem of requiring a radiologist to place the guide wire on the day of surgery, with the unique magnetic sensing system allowing the surgeon to find the Magseed and lesion more accurately.
More about the project
