Tami Photinos, Executive Director
Here is the first of four Accreditation updates to be distributed weekly over the next month before July 1, the date from which short notice assessment can occur at anytime.
Today’s update will cover Standard 5 (Comprehensive Care) and Standard 6 (Communicating for Safety).
Standard 5: Comprehensive Care
Intention of the standard
- To ensure that patients receive comprehensive care – that is, coordinated delivery of the total health care required or requested by a patient. This care is aligned with the patient’s expressed goals of care and healthcare needs, considers the effect of the patient’s health issues on their life and wellbeing, and is clinically appropriate.
- To ensure that risks of harm for patients during health care are prevented and managed. Clinicians identify patients at risk of specific harm during health care by applying the screening and assessment processes required in this standard.
TPCH priorities
- Active involvement of patients in their own care by discussing and documenting goals of care and including patients during bedside handover
- Completion of risk assessments and management plans/actions
- Preventing falls and harm from falls
- Preventing pressure injuries
What can you do?
- Utilise the patient bedside communication boards
- Ensure risk assessments are complete and goals of care are documented
- Understand the TPCH procedures that support comprehensive care – Delirium, Restraint, Bed Rails, Pressure Injury, Falls and Nutrition.
- Watch this video – Preparation for SNAAP: Standard 5
Standard 6: Communicating for Safety
Intention of the standard
- To ensure timely, purpose-driven and effective communication and documentation that support continuous, coordinated and safe care for patients.
- To describe the systems and processes to support effective communication at all transitions of care: when critical information emerges or changes; to ensure correct patient identification and procedure matching; and to ensure essential information is documented in the patient’s healthcare record.
TPCH priorities
- Improving structure and content of clinical handover
- Conducting clinical handover observational audits across all disciplines
What can you do?
- Use a structured handover tool like ISBAR – Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation
- When including patients in bedside clinical handover always check the three patient identifiers – name, DOB, UR number
- Speak to your line manager and get involved in a clinical handover audit
- Watch this video – Preparation for SNAAP: Standard 6
For more information
Please contact Zachary Sheldrick, Manager Safety and Quality, via phone 3139 4191 or email: Zachary.Sheldrick@health.qld.gov.au.
Tami.