The annual awards celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of healthcare workers and public health services. Winners will be announced at the Awards Gala Night in October.
Western Health initiatives are finalists in the following categories:
- The McMonty Personal Ventilation Hood – 'Improving healthcare through clinical research' category
- Predict, prevent, priority: safety' – an approach to OVA management' – 'Improving workforce wellbeing and safety' category
- Integrated COVID-19 Care at Home – 'Improving integration of care for patients with chronic and complex healthcare needs'
- Connected, caring and culturally safe – 'Improving Aboriginal Health' category.
The McMonty Medihood is a personal ventilation hood designed to fit over a hospital bed and upper body of COVID-19 patients. A small fan and special filter extract aerosol droplets, significantly reducing the risk of COVID transmission from patient to healthcare worker. The McMonty was designed and developed by Western Health's Anaesthetist and Intensive Care Physician Associate Professor Forbes McGain in collaboration with the University of Melbourne's Head of Mechanical Engineering Professor Jason Monty. The McMonty has now been used by health services from Hobart to Queensland and attracted international interest.
The 'Predict, prevent, priority: safety' – an approach to OVA management' is a comprehensive staff safety campaign strategy that addresses the prevention of occupational violence and aggression. The campaign affirms that it is okay to step away and prioritise your own safety, call for assistance at the earliest opportunity and that violence can often be predicted and prevented. It aims to continue to shift unsafe workplace culture, empower staff to make safe choices and prevent incidents of violence and exposure to trauma that are associated with mental health injury.
Western Health's COVID Pathways Program provides monitoring and support for COVID cases in the community who require additional care and assesses patients for their suitability to receive early COVID therapies that aim to reduce the risk of hospitalisation or emergency department attendance. Patients receive twice-daily phone calls from a registered nurse and visits to their home, when clinically required. They are also given access to Western Health nursing support 24/7 via a dedicated 1300 number, as well as a referral for their local health service. The program has administered almost 2000 early COVID therapies and monitored more than 9000 patients since its inception in September 2021.
Our ‘Connected, caring and culturally safe’ nomination concerns the
launch of a new Aboriginal Outpatient Clinic in 2021, creating a culturally
sensitive environment where patients feel safe and supported to attend their
medical appointments. The cultural responsiveness of mainstream health service
providers is critical in ensuring that Aboriginal people receive respectful,
high-quality care with greater access and choice. Feedback from patients, along
with much improved rates of patients attending booked appointment, has
demonstrated the value of developing a culturally sensitive and responsive
service that supports individual healthcare needs.
