We recognise that the safety and quality of healthcare is important to our patients, their carers, health care providers and the general community..
We strive to deliver safe environments and systems of work to support our healthcare professionals in providing the safest possible care. We achieve this through a strong clinical governance framework.
Clinical Governance is the system by which Healthe Care, our managers and clinicians share responsibility and are held accountable for patient safety, minimising risks to consumers and for improving the quality of clinical care. We actively seek patient/consumer feedback and participation, to assist us to continually improve our services. The framework structure consists of key organisational elements to effectively improve the quality of healthcare we deliver:
Accreditation is an important part of our safety and quality improvement plans. Healthe Care hospitals are fully accredited by the Australian Council of Healthcare Standards (ACHS). The accreditation process measures our hospitals’ performance against the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS) established by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQHC). The NSQHS is the benchmark that all public and private hospitals across Australia must meet to maintain their accreditation status.
As part of the Healthe Care group, Waratah Private participates in the Australian Council of Healthcare Standards (ACHS) Clinical Indicators Program. This program encompasses a range of measures focusing on the outcomes of our patient care. The ACHS provides each hospital with a report on their individual performance, along with a comparison against each individual measure with relevant industry benchmarks.
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is an index ranging from -100 to +100 that measures the willingness of customers to recommend a company’s products or services to others. It is calculated as the difference between the percentage of Promoters and Detractors, and used as a proxy for gauging the customer’s overall satisfaction with a company’s product or service, and the customer’s loyalty to the brand.
A result above +70 is considered Excellent. Waratah Private achieved a Net Promoter Score of +79 for January to December 2025.
We recognise that the best compliment for any business is a recommendation from a family member or friend. One of the most important questions we ask our patients is “would you recommend the hospital to a relative or friend?”
At Waratah Private, 85% of patients surveyed in January to December 2025 would recommend us to a friend or relative.
At Waratah Private, we monitor six domains to provide us with information to improve our care and services to you. These are:
Waratah Private’s doctors undertake surgery in many specialty areas, which range from minor procedures to more complex surgery requiring specialised care. We monitor our patient outcomes by comparing any unplanned returns to the operating theatre to other Australian hospitals nationally. The aim is to reduce returns to the operating theatre where possible; however there are many factors which influence this, and in some cases it is necessary to have further surgery to save a life.
Unplanned returns to the operating theatre are frequently due to complications, for example to treat bleeding or other problems occurring early after the operation. Some complications following complex surgery are to be expected due to patients’ pre-existing diseases or conditions and the nature of the disease or condition being treated. Unplanned returns to the operating theatre are reported and clinical outcomes analysed. Recommendations are actioned and monitored to ensure improvements are made where possible.
The graph below shows the number of patients who had a surgical procedure or operation and required an unplanned return for further surgery during the same admission. Waratah Private’s rate is lower (better) than the industry average.
The rate of unplanned readmissions provides an indication of the effectiveness of our planning processes, for when people are discharged from hospital.
The graph below shows the number of patients that were re-admitted to Waratah Private within 28 days of discharge from hospital, with a diagnosis related to the same condition as the original admission.
Waratah Private’s rate is lower (better) than the industry average. This is achieved, for example, through the presence of dedicated Discharge Planners, Social Workers and other Allied Health staff as part of better discharge planning initiatives, plus pre-admission clinics where patients’ discharge needs are identified prior to admission.
A fall in a hospital is when a patient suddenly and unintentionally falls to the ground. This can happen in a hospital setting for a number of reasons, such as a change in medication, the after effects of an anaesthetic, or just because the surroundings are unfamiliar. Falls can injure patients and affect their recovery and independence.
The graph below shows the number of patients that sustain a fall that caused an injury as a percentage of total patient bed-days (the number of days that all patients spend in hospital). Waratah Private’s rate is lower (better) than the industry average.
The team at Waratah Private are actively working to reduce our falls rate through a collaborative approach to falls management involving consumers and the multidisciplinary team. This is supported by an established Falls Prevention and Management Program and an electronic Incident/Risk Management and Reporting System. A variety of best practice tools and prevention intervention guidelines are utilised to identify those patients/consumers at high risk of having a fall.
A pressure injury is an area of damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by constant pressure or friction that can sometimes occur when a patient is in one position and unable to easily move for a long period. Pressure injuries can be prevented. We also help to reduce the likelihood of our patients developing pressure injuries during their hospital stay, by assessing their individual risk and follow individual care plans.
As part of our clinical care, we inspect skin frequently, keep skin dry, ensure patients have access to the best nutrition and hydration, and help and encourage patients to move frequently. This is very important in maintaining quality care as pressure injuries can cause significant pain and discomfort that can slow a patient’s recovery.
The graph below shows the rate of patients that developed a pressure injury while in hospital. Waratah Private’s rate is lower (better) than the industry average.
Waratah Private achieves this through an established Pressure Injury Prevention Management Program, staff education and awareness campaign, the reporting and monitoring of every pressure injury for the purposes of identifying areas for improvement and engaging with patients to be apart of their pressure injury prevention journey.
Germs can cause an infection known as Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteraemia (SAB) which needs antibiotic treatment if it enters the blood. Some serious strains are resistant to antibiotics.
Waratah Private’s rate of infection is well below the national average for hospitals. To reduce the risk of hospital acquired infections, we use best practice infection prevention and control with a focus on hand washing as this is the most effective way to stop germs spreading or entering the blood.
We provide continual education and training to all our caregivers to ensure we keep our infection rate well below the national target.
The graph below shows the number of patients that developed a hospital acquired Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteraemia (SAB) infection. Waratah Private’s rate is lower (better) than the industry benchmark.
Waratah Private has a number of risk mitigation strategies in place to reduce the risk of transmission of Health Care Associated Infections. The most valuable prevention is for everyone to wash their hands, patients, visitors and health professionals alike.
Hand hygiene (or hand washing) is one of the best ways to stop infections so, as a priority, we educate and train all caregivers in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) “five moments” for hand hygiene. We also audit our staff and provide our results the National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI) to compare us against other hospitals.
Waratah Private ranks significantly higher than national targets for hand hygiene. Our auditors complete compliance audits on a regular basis and submit data three times a year. We also participate in the national hand hygiene strategy to continually improve our rates.
The graph below shows that Waratah Private’s Hand Hygiene compliance rates are well above (better than) the Industry benchmark.
Our staff are dedicated to providing patients with the best possible care through all stages of their experience at Waratah Private Hospital.
We welcome feedback from our patients, families and carers as their opinions and observations are important to us. Patient feedback allows us to continually improve on all aspects of the care and services that we provide.