Quality of Care Report - Ballarat Health Services

Welcome to the Ballarat HealthServices 2007-2008 Quality ofCare ReportThis report is for you, the consumer, patient/client/residentand carer to read about what Ballarat Health Services hasbeen doing over the past twelve months, 1 July 2007-30June 2008.This report is one of the ways we inform you how we meetyour health care needs at Ballarat Health Services, and aboutthe way we keep improving the quality of the care weprovide. The report does not cover every detail of all aspectsof our service, but rather focuses on areas deemed importantby the community and our staff. Mental illness; two simplewords but what they represent is a very complex and diverseillness that affects one in five Australians to varying degreesfrom short-term episodes of depression right through to themore severe psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia andbipolar mood disorder. One of the major focus of this yearsreport is to help the community better understand mentalillness from the perspective of the client, their family andclinicians. Throughout this report, you will see how BallaratHealth Services is increasingly involving the community,consumers and staff to inform and improve our services.Our thanks are extended to the Ballarat Health ServicesCommunity Advisory Committee (CAC), former patients,carers, community and staff for their comments andcontributions to this year’s report. The Community AdvisoryCommittee is made up of six community members and twomembers of the Board. The committee assists Ballarat HealthServices to integrate consumer and community viewsappropriately at all levels of the service.We look forward to hearing your opinion on this year’sQuality of Care Report and the services Ballarat HealthServices provides. You are invited to complete and return thefeedback form at the back of this report. Your views are vitalin helping us plan future services and where we need toimprove.CONTENTSVision Mission and Valuesof Ballarat Health Services 1Contents and Welcome 2Planning and Developing our Report 4Serving our Community 5Community Advisory Committee 7Promoting the Benefitsof a Multicultural Service 9Your Experience 11What happens if you have a complaint 13Staff in the Community 14Psychiatric Services 15Accessible and Responsible Care 20What if you or your loved ones needto move into Residential Care 28Governance and Risk Management– Putting Patient Safety First 29What’s New 38Our Staff and Volunteers 39Ballarat Health Services adoptsimportant environmental statement 40Training staff to be preparedfor emergencies 41We Value Your Opinion 42Ms. Lynne McLennanPresidentBoard of ManagementMr. Andrew R. RoweChief Executive OfficerQuality of Care Report 2007-08 2