Quality of Care Report - Ballarat Health Services

Our Staff andVolunteersHow can you be sure that our staffare suitably qualified andexperienced to care for you?Ballarat Health Services complies withguidelines established by theDepartment of Human Services. Weensure that all our staff areappropriately qualified, have up-todateskills and the necessary experienceto provide the best quality care. Wehave reviewed and updated ourchecking systems over the last twoyears including police checks for allstaff.All new applicants had theirregistration, qualifications, referencesand skills checked and documentedprior to employment. Clinical staffmust provide evidence each year thatthey are registered to practice by theirrelevant, recognised, registrationboards. In addition, each member ofstaff is involved in a performanceappraisal. This involves a yearly review,of individual performance against predeterminedperformance indicatorswith the relevant manager.How do we ensure our medicalstaff deliver safe, quality care?A subcommittee of the Board ofManagement has the responsibility tooversee the credentialing, privilegingand appointment of the medical staffwithin Ballarat Health Services.Credentialing procedures are used toverify the qualifications of all medicalstaff practicing at Ballarat HealthServices. This means the health serviceemploys a formal process, based onnational standards, to verify thequalifications, experience, professionalstanding and other relevant attributesof our medical practitioners to ensurethey are competent and suitable toprovide safe quality health care. Formedical staff once their qualificationsand registration has been verified, thescope of the clinical practice that theyare to be granted to perform iscarefully defined based on theircredentials, competence, performanceand professional suitability and isknown as privileging.Volunteers Supporting BallaratHealth ServicesBHS auxiliaries, support groups andvolunteers have again givenunprecedented service to ourorganisation. BHS has approximately350 volunteers they range from 18 to80 years and come from all walks oflife. Our volunteers work in variedareas throughout the organisation andhelp to maintain a high standard ofservice to our patients, clients and thecommunity. Volunteers do notparticipate in the clinical care of apatient. Rather, they assist insupervision by sitting with patients andreducing anxiety through distractionand diversion, opening food packages,encouraging self feeding and providingsocial interaction.BHS is looking forward to leading theway in training for volunteers withinthe health sector, by offering acertificated course which will enhancethe skills volunteers already have andgive them an opportunity to gain newskills to enable them to claim priorlearning if they choose to seekemployment or move into another areawithin the Health Service.Dr Johan Le RouxDr Johan Le Roux and his familymoved from Cape Town in SouthAfrica to Ballarat to work as anorthopedic surgeon. Before Johancame to Ballarat he worked at theTygerberg Academic Hospital from2002 in a public capacity andsince 2007 in a part time privatecapacity; Johan pictured with hispatient Wade Duffy, also did histraining there. Johan’s wife isMartjie and she is a qualifiedphysiotherapist who had beenrunning her own practice for thelast 8 years in Cape Town.Another volunteer initiative is to involvevolunteers in some of the committeeswithin the health service. In 2009 wewill have our first volunteerOccupational Health and Safetyrepresentative who will attend ourservices committee to report on anysafety issues that relate to volunteers.We also plan to have a volunteerrepresentative on our Cultural DiversityCommittee with a view to implement amentoring program for our culturallyand linguistically diverse volunteersBHS Foundation committed tosupporting roleThe Ballarat Health Services Foundationis proud to support vital medicalequipment acquisition and facilitydevelopment. It is able to do this onlywith the generous support that hasbeen given by its members and by thecommunity.The recent purchase of patienttreatment chairs for the Oncology Unithas been a great benefit for patientsafety and comfort and we thank youthe community for your generoussupport. August 2008 also marks thecompletion of the BHS Foundation’s$100,000 commitment to the sixthoperating theatre appeal which wasgenerated from interest received fromthe Foundation’s investments.39Ballarat Health Services Quality of Care Report 2007-08