Excellence in improving the patient experience

This award recognises the achievement of a team in providing a great patient experience when delivering safe, high-quality services.

Meet our 2026 finalists

CoNeCT Mental Health Expansion – South Metropolitan Health Service

This service supports people with complex needs who are often living with a combination of mental distress, physical health challenges and social issues such as unstable housing, disability or addiction. These intersecting challenges can lead to repeated emergency visits and fragmented care.

CoNeCT brings services together around the individual, focusing on proactive outreach, strong relationships and care tailored to what matters most to each person. Lived experience and Aboriginal perspectives are embedded to build trust, cultural safety and meaningful engagement. Clear communication and shared planning reduce the need for people to retell their story and helps families feel included and supported.

This approach has delivered significant improvements, with emergency visits reduced by more than 80 per cent and hospital admissions reduced by around 60 per cent, creating greater stability, dignity and continuity for patients and their families.

Deborah Devlin – Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group

Deborah has made a lasting impact on the patient and family experience, reshaping how people are supported to plan for future care through the Advance Care Planning Nurse‑led Clinic.

Recognising many patients were missing the opportunity to have these important conversations, Deborah redesigned the referral process to make it simpler and more welcoming for both patients and clinicians. Her patient‑centred approach focuses on listening first, creating a calm and supportive space where people feel comfortable sharing what matters most to them.

By giving patients and families time to reflect, ask questions and feel heard, Deborah has strengthened confidence, reduced uncertainty and helped ensure future care decisions align with personal values. Her work has created a more connected, respectful and meaningful experience for patients and their loved ones.

LipReader initiative – Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group

This initiative has transformed the patient experience by restoring communication for intensive care unit patients who are awake but unable to speak. Using an AI‑powered lip‑reading phone app, the team enabled patients to clearly express needs, concerns and questions at a time when anxiety and loss of control are common.

The technology was shaped alongside people with lived experience, ensuring a focus on dignity, ease of use and what matters most to patients and families. Feedback from consumer testing showed reduced frustration, clearer understanding and greater confidence for everyone involved.

By removing guesswork and supporting more responsive care, the initiative has improved trust, reduced distress and strengthened patient‑centred communication.

See other 2026 Excellence Award finalists.

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