Redcliffe Hospital welcomes short-notice accreditation and we’ll have ACHS assessors with us from 8am next Tuesday.

Accreditation is not something we should feel anxious about.

We welcome accreditation because it’s a positive opportunity to showcase how we provide safe and quality care, every day.

We’ll be holding a Special Staff Forum next Monday at 3pm if you have any last-minute questions. The invitation for that session should be in your Outlook calendar. Until then, if you have any concerns or are feeling unsure about anything to do with accreditation, please talk to your line manager or NUM.

Reconciliation Action Plan Launch

Our commitment to Health Equity at Redcliffe Hospital has never been stronger, with the launch of our Reconciliation Action Plan just around the corner.

Earlier this year, Reconciliation Australia formally endorsed our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which is the product of many months of hard work by our RAP Working Group.

Everyone is invited to join us for that major milestone here at the hospital on Thursday, 2 November. It will be a big event shared with local community members and leaders from across Metro North. We’ll make sure it’s in everyone’s Outlook calendars, and we’ll be broadcasting on Teams for those unable to make it along.

Occupational Violence Prevention forum

Something we heard loud and clear in the Have Your Say Staff Survey is the need for a better approach to occupational violence prevention.

Metro North is convening an Occupational Violence Prevention Forum on Thursday, 9 November.

All hospital staff are invited to nominate to attend the forum, especially those with new ideas or experiences that they’d like to share.

Medication Safety Workshop

This week, we saw a return to our Medication Safety workshops, with 18 nurses attending. These workshops were a regular fixture at Redcliffe until COVID, and it’s great to see them resume.

The workshops have a strong focus on medication risk awareness and medication safety-related concepts throughout the patient journey, combining theory, lessons learnt from incidents, and hands-on practical tasks. Thanks to the Pharmacy team, led by Ann Whitaker and those involved in arranging the workshops.

Dates for the workshops in 2024 will be available soon.

Redcliffe Hosptial Expansion update

The second round of user groups has now taken place. Those meetings were well-attended, and we’re grateful to our consumers for their continued involvement and contributions.

As we continue preparing for the Expansion, at our Staff Forum this week, I was pleased to announce that Matt Wharton has been appointed Nursing Director for the Redcliffe Hospital Expansion. Matt’s new role will be critical in helping us evolve our care models to adapt to the new facilities the Expansion will bring.

Goodbye and best wishes to Pam

We’re saying goodbye and good luck to our Food Services Coordinator, Pam Ladd.

For the past 15 years, no one has taken more pride in providing quality meals to our patients than Pam.

Pam joined the team in the kitchen back in 2008 and became coordinator for food services in 2016. Since then, she’s overseen upgrades and renovations and led the kitchen team safety through our COVID response.

No one deserves a break more than Pam, but we’re still sad to see her go. Please join me in thanking Pam for her dedication to safe and quality patient care.

A full recruitment process for Pam’s role will be underway soon.

Patient Identification

A reminder to all staff about the importance of following the Metro North Patient Identification and Matching Procedure with every patient.

The procedure sets out the requirement for all staff to use a minimum of three approved patient identifiers:

• each time a patient is admitted or registered
• whenever care, therapy or services are provided
• whenever medications are dispensed or administered
• when the patient is transferred to another care area, and
• when discharge documentation is generated.

Those identifiers that we can use include:

• The patient’s family name (UPPER CASE) and given names (lower case)
• The patient’s date of birth (dd/mm/yyyy)
• The patient’s Hospital Record Number (URN).

Where one of these three identifiers cannot be used, an alternative, such as a Medicare number or full home address, may be sourced. Our patients are always the primary source for this information. When identifying patients, make sure you’re asking the patient to tell you the answer – not simply reading the information out for them to confirm.

Communicating for safety means we’re always following this procedure.

ESM update

Thank you for everyone’s commitment in moving from HBCIS APP to ieMR Enterprise Scheduling Management (ESM). Today marks another milestone as we move from go-live support into HyperCare.

If you require any ESM assistance during the HyperCare period, please get in touch with a Super User. The Redcliffe ESM Site Support Specialists can be contacted via email red-health-informatics@health.qld.gov.au.

Cyber safety is patient safety

During Cyber Security Awareness Month we’re all being reminded that cyber safety is patient safety.

• ​Practise safe use of generative AI: Visit QHEPS or watch this video to find out how to stay safe when using AI at work and at home.
• Think before you click: Beware of phishing scams and use the phishing checklist.
• Secure your devices: Update your devices and apps regularly. Never access sensitive information on your devices when using public WiFi.
• Be password smart: Use passphrases (e.g. Monk3yh@tph0nesky!), update your passwords regularly and don’t reuse them between work and home accounts.
• Do a social media check: Check the privacy settings of your social media platforms and don’t forget to check the policy regarding government agencies use of Tiktok.

We all have a responsibility to keep patient information confidential.

Lastly this week, if you can, please come along to next Wednesday’s community forum at Mon Komo with the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Institute. Among those talking about exciting developments in breast cancer treatment will be Redcliffe Hospital Surgeon Dr Kasra Raufian.

Find out more about the forum.

Louise.