Nurse Ambassador Evile and the 9A South team

A new Nurse Ambassador Program is being trialed in 9A South, with the first general ward ambassadors proving to be highly successful.

The program has previously been trialed at three surgical wards at RBWH, however this is the first time the role has been utilised in a general ward setting.

Acting Nurse Unit Manager of 9A South Kym Baxter said the Ambassador role had improved the culture and safety on her ward.

“At the start of the shift, the Ambassador has a chat with the Team Leader and identifies any patients that may be of concern, whether that’s a patient who’s been shown to be aggressive or who is delirious and needs redirection,” Kym said.

“We recently had a patient with post-operative delirium during an extremely busy shift,” she said.

“Rather than taking a nurse off the floor to focus on this patient, the Ambassador was able to sit there for an hour, have a chat and re-orientate them.

“It made that patient feel more safe and secure and they weren’t as agitated or aggressive as they’d previously been.”

Currently, an Ambassador is rostered across the three surgical wards every afternoon and night shift during the week and on all three shifts on weekends.