Quality

We provide superior health and wellbeing for all our people in our care, in facilities that promote innovation, enabling staff and specialists to be their best.

We achieve this by investing in up to date medical technology and patient management systems. Healthe Care benchmarks against best practice industry standards and undertake annual quality improvement awards showcasing quality initiatives across all our health services.

Clinical governance is supported by regular robust reviews that gather key performance data from a variety of sources to identify trends and improvement opportunities.  Benchmarking is a feature of our quality systems.

What our patients say…

“Everyone was fantastic, very accommodating and professional.”

“I really couldn’t fault it. Everyone was friendly, caring and helpful. Not much more I could ask for.”

“All staff, including the doctor, and anaesthetist, introduced themselves. They were kind, smiling, made time for a chat and very respectful. Very good interpersonal relationships. The theatre team was welcoming and put me at ease.”

“I felt totally confident in the care and attention I was receiving.”

“What was good was the transparency and honest conversation. Genuine care.”

Net Promoter Score

87

What is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric used to measure customer loyalty as it relates to company brand or to a product or service.

How is Net Promoter Score calculated?

Subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters yields the Net Promoter Score, which can range from a low of -100 (if every patient is a Detractor) to a high of 100 (if every patient is a Promoter).

Your Rights and Responsibilities

We are committed to respecting your privacy and treating you with dignity. If you feel that this has not occurred then please speak to the nurse manager or alternatively you can contact us.

All complaints received are reviewed and addressed by our Management Team. You will be informed about the outcome of your complaint. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission on:

Phone: 02 9219 7444 or toll free on 1800 043 159
Website: www.hccc.nsw.gov.au

Your Rights and Responsibilities
Quality Policy

The Board and staff of Waratah Private Hospital are committed to:

  • Delivering exceptional person-centred care to our patients.
  • Delivering a timely, safe, effective and sustainable healthcare service to our community that encompasses their cultural diversity, physical, mental and social needs as part of our normal daily processes.
  • Engaging with our patients and carers to influence the way our care and service is delivered.
  • Providing the best available service to our Doctors.
  • Integrating the hospitals Vision, Mission, Values and Guiding Principles into everything we do.
  • Maintaining the Quality Management System as a driver for change, innovation, improvements and to provide a sound basis for sustainable Quality initiatives.
  • Ensuring staff are aware of the requirements of the Quality Management System and the importance of conforming to these requirements including the quality objectives and all healthcare standards.
  • Good professional practice: patient safety and quality of care; relating to patients; communication and interpersonal skills; collaboration and teamwork; management (including self-management); scholarship; professionalism; and clinical skills.
  • Promoting staff involvement in the Quality Management System.
  • Continual improvement of the effectiveness of the Quality Management System and the quality of all services provided to achieve improved results, patient outcomes and enhance our patients’ experiences.
  • Striving for continuous learning and improvement in everything we do to improve the safety and quality of the services we provide for our consumers.

We assess our level of performance for a range of patient quality and safety indicators in relation to established national and industry standards.

Waratah Private Hospital implements infection prevention and control practices to maintain a safe environment for everyone.

Healthcare associated infections are infections that occur as a result of healthcare interventions and are caused by micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses. The risk of getting an infection depends on how healthy you are, how long you have been in hospital, and certain medications that you take (including some antibiotics).

We strongly recommend that family or friends who are unwell avoid visiting patients while they are in hospital.

 

When we are fit and healthy we can usually defend ourselves against many germs. Often our natural defenses are weakened when we are not well or after an operation.

It is important to perform hand hygiene as you enter and leave the hospital and also:

  • After going to the toilet
  • After blowing your nose
  • After smoking
  • After handling/patting animals
  • Before, during & after preparing food
  • When your hands are visibly dirty.

Waratah Private Hospital regularly assesses how often staff wash/clean their hands in accordance with Hand Hygiene Australia’s ‘5 moments’. These 5 moments of hand hygiene have been identified as the critical times when hand hygiene should be performed by staff.

Medication Safety is paramount at Waratah Private Hospital to reduce the risk of harm to our patients. Waratah Private Hospital monitors and reviews all medication incidents so that changes and improvements can be made to how we do things and prevent re-occurrence.

Medication Incident Rates January – June 2023:
Waratah Private Hospital = 0.38%

Benchmark with other private hospital
(a lower rate is better)

The risk of falling can greatly increase when admitted to hospital. While some falls cause no injuries, others can cause serious harm. Falls can also result in people fearing further falls and make it harder for people to stay independent.

Preventing falls is a priority for us, so we assess all of our patients on admission and throughout their stay to identify those patients who are at risk of falling. We then provide these patients with a range of falls prevention and harm minimisation strategies whilst in hospital.

The graph shows the number of inpatient falls (presented as a percentage of patient days) at Waratah Private Hospital for January – June 2023 compared with the average for other Australian Hospitals of similar size.

At Waratah Private Hospital, we document and investigate every fall and take action to reduce the number of falls that occur.

A pressure injury is a wound or reddened area of skin caused by prolonged pressure on the skin. To prevent a pressure injury whilst in hospital it is important to regularly change position in bed and walk or move around as much as possible.

The graph shows the incidences of inpatients who develop pressure injuries (presented as a percentage of patient days) at Waratah Private Hospital for January – June 2023 compared with the average for other Australian Hospitals of similar size. A lower rate is desirable.

Waratah Private Hospital collects and reviews statistics on patients who have an unplanned re-admission to hospital within 28 days of discharge. We review all cases as this enables us to provide our patients with the best possible care.

The graph shows the number of patients who were re-admitted to Waratah Private Hospital within 28 days of discharge in January – June 2023 compared with the average for other Australian Hospitals of similar size. A lower rate is desirable.

Waratah Private Hospital performs many surgical operations each year, and occasionally patients return to the theatre to treat problems that may unexpectedly occur after surgery e.g. bleeding. Waratah Private Hospital reviews all cases to ensure we provide our patients with the best possible care.

The diagram shows the rate of unplanned returns to operating room during the same admission (presented as a percentage of patient days) at Waratah Private Hospital for January – June 2023 compared with the average for other Australian Hospitals of similar size. A lower rate is desirable.

Waratah Private Hospital collects and reviews statistics on patients who have an unplanned  emergency acute transfer. We review all cases as this enables us to provide our patients with the best possible care.

The graph shows the number of patients who were transferred to emergency acute department in January – June 2023 compared with the previous 2 years. A lower rate is desirable.

 

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.