A number of initiatives have been implemented in the John Hunter Hospital
Emergency Department (ED) since 2015 to improve patient wait times and to
assist in admitting patients from the ED more quickly. These include:
-
Changes made to key roles in the ED. A new Nurse Manager and Emergency
Department Director have been appointed. Additionally, a Transitional Nurse
Practitioner has also been employed to triage and treat clinically appropriate
patients who are triaged as category four and five.
-
Staff Specialist rosters have been changed so there is more coverage in the
ED during the busiest hours.
-
Additional physiotherapy support staff are available in the ED. Patients can
be referred directly to a physiotherapist where clinically appropriate.
-
Bedside registration is making the admissions process simpler and faster for
patients.
-
The Whole of Hospital Program, which was introduced to streamline processes
and communication throughout the hospital, was transitioned to the Whole of
Health Program in 2015. The Whole of Health plan involves working with
community groups and other facilities to create greater access to beds in the
hospital.
-
A team-based model of care has been introduced where doctors and nurses work
in teams under one leader to provide more coordinated and streamlined patient
care.
-
The SATAP (Safe Appropriate Timely Admission Process) also streamlines the
admission of medical patients from the ED to a hospital bed.
-
The Whole of Health plan involves working with community groups and other
facilities to create greater access to beds in the hospital.
Critical care capacity has been expanded at John Hunter Hospital with an
additional six intensive care unit beds.
