Dear colleagues, 

As of Wednesday 8 September, our colleagues within Clinical Skills Development Service have facilitated more than 15,713 fit tests for frontline workers, including Metro North staff, Queensland Police Service, and other essential services.

Thank you to all those staff who have been involved with fit testing across Metro North facilities, as well as our great Metro North Health staff for taking responsibility and getting fit tested to help keep ourselves, your colleagues and patients safe.

If any areas require a specific fit testing session locally, please contact MNHHSFitTestingProgram@health.qld.gov.au email account.

World Patient Safety Day was established in 2019 to enhance global understanding of patient safety, increase public engagement in the safety of health care and promote global actions to enhance patient safety and reduce patient harm.

In the week leading up to the 2021 global event, Clinical Excellence Queensland is showcasing some of the great work Queensland Health is doing to support and enhance maternal and newborn health, in-line with this year’s theme “Safe maternal and newborn care”.

These online sessions will be held between Tuesday 14 September to Friday 17 September. To learn more about these events please contact Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service, Queensland Health on (07) 3328 9430 or email PSQIS_Comms@health.qld.gov.au  or visit QHEPS https://qheps.health.qld.gov.au/psu

The National Safety and Quality in Health Service (NSQHS) Standard 6 Communicating for Safety was presented to the Metro North Health Executive Safety Quality and Committee meeting along with the Metro North Health Board Safety and Quality Committee meetings during the month of August. The purpose of the Communicating for Safety Standard is to ensure timely purpose driven, and effective communication and documentation occurs to support continuous, coordinated, and safe care for patients (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), 2017. Specifically, the Communicating for Safety Standard seeks to ensure that systems and processes are in place for high-risk situations such as: transitions of care (clinical handover), patient identification and procedure matching, and at the emergence or change of critical information.

Major highlights for the Communicating for Safety Standard across Metro North include:

• The implementation of a 4-point identification check in meal delivery by STARS Dietetics and Food Services team exceeding the patient identification requirements of the Communicating for Safety Standard.
• The Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) opening as the first facility within Metro North utilising the state-wide Integrated Electronic Medical Record (ieMR) system, supported by Digital Metro North. Some examples that the ieMR system enables are:
  • Meeting correct procedure matching and patient identification obligations for pathology and radiology imaging requests and when performing an electrocardiograph.
  • Safe, effective communication for RBWH and STARS teams by accessing a single source of patient documentation when caring for clients across directorates with complex haemodialysis or rehabilitative care needs.
  • Efficient, effective, and documented clinical handover processes, within the Patient Summary page and the Care Compass function.
  • Clear and accessible communication of critical information within the ‘Summary’ view pages.

Thank you to all facility and directorate Safety and Quality teams across Metro North Health for providing valuable information into this report and continuing to make positive changes and enhance Communicating for Safety process and tools, despite the restrictions and limitations placed on Metro North Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has been working on the development of a graduate certificate in safety and quality with the opportunity to extend to a masters. This course is currently available fee free.

The Commission has been advised by the University of Tasmania that they are nearing the final offering of the course where students are able to study 100% fee free. The offering commences early November and is a 7-week compacted semester. The university will be running two information sessions for students who are interested so they can answer any questions around study requirements, fees etc. These dates are as follows:

September 23 2021
1200 – 1300 (EST)
Via zoom

September 23 2021
1800 – 1900 (EST)
Via zoom

Thank you to those who have registered to attend the Safety and Quality Forum to be hosted by Metro North Clinical Governance, Safety, Quality and Risk Team we look forward to welcoming you. This event is aimed at increasing awareness and highlighting excellence in Safety and Quality. The event will be held on Friday 22 October at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre with the opening keynote from human rights activist and former Socceroo Craig Foster AM.

I am delighted to open nominations for a Safety and Quality award which will be presented during the event. The Safety and Quality award will be judged from one of the following four pillars aligned to the Metro North Health Safety and Quality Strategy 2019-2023:

• Improve outcomes of care
• Prevent harm and increase reliability of care
• Communicate better
• Strengthen our patient safety and quality improvement culture.

Please keep an eye out for further details to submit your nomination.

Register for the Safety and Quality Forum.

Thank you to all employees across Metro North Health for stepping up for Safety and Quality to ensure our patients and community are safe whilst in the care of Metro North Health. Thank you also for your kindness and compassion in supporting your colleagues, each other, and the wider Metro North Health community.

Kind regards, 

Michele