2023 SMHS Excellence Awards winners

Excellence in clinical care

Virtual emergency medicine service – South Metropolitan Health Service

Led by the FSH ED with the South Metropolitan Health Service Innovation team and St John Ambulance, this service delivers patients the right care at the right time in the right place.

It enables ED staff to initiate remote consultation for eligible patients to triage and fast track them to the appropriate emergency care pathway.

This includes diverting patients to the most appropriate hospital service on arrival, engaging support from community services, or discharging patients following clinical consultation without the need for them to come to hospital.

The service has revolutionised patient care by streamlining and improving access, improving the patient experience and helping manage ambulance demand.

Excellence in improving the patient experience

MyColonoscopy app – Rockingham Peel Group

This app improves the experience of colonoscopy patients at RGH by delivering timely information and instructions to enable their procedure to be performed as scheduled.

Developed in-house, the easy-to-use app enables patients to register their procedure date and receive timely notifications, reminders and information to support them as they prepare for their procedure.

Patients were previously provided bulk printed information to understand and follow in the lead up to their procedure.

Following a successful trial and improved patient care outcomes, encouraging colonoscopy patients at the hospital to use the app is now standard practice. The app has reduced procedure cancellations and treatment delays.

Excellence in developing and engaging our staff and teams

Medical imaging picture archiving communication system (PACS) team – Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group

Demonstrating extraordinary resilience in the face of technical challenges, this team enabled Fiona Stanley Hospital to become the first WA Health tertiary site to implement a new medical imaging platform.

To enable this the team managed tasks including software upgrades, staff education and training, and testing more than 100 imaging devices to ensure a smooth transition.

They also supported preparations for the wider WA Health rollout, sharing learnings with other sites.

The platform went live in April 2023 with minimal disruption – a momentous achievement given the magnitude of this hospital-wide change.

Excellence in strengthening partnerships

Renal vascular outreach team – Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group

This multidisciplinary team provides support and clinical care to more than 500 advanced kidney disease and haemodialysis patients, many of whom live regionally.

Through a partnership with WA Country Health Service, the team perform ward rounds, clinics, dialysis reviews, ad hoc referrals and surgery in regional hospitals. Each regional visit includes at least 15 patient reviews and up to five surgeries

This model reduces the need for patients and carers to travel long distances and stay in Perth, while improving local service delivery, decreasing demand on tertiary hospitals and contributing to significant cost savings to the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme.

Excellence in innovation

Emergency department musculoskeletal diversion pathway – Rockingham Peel Group

This Rockingham General Hospital (RGH) pathway is a first-of-its-kind model of care in Western Australia. It diverts emergency department (ED) patients with simple muscle, bone and joint injuries to receive care from advanced scope physiotherapists in an outpatient clinic.

The pathway provides tailored patient care thanks to highly motivated and innovative staff, a customised digital platform, and the ease of transferring from radiology and the ED to the clinic.

To date more than 3,000 patients have been seen across more than 3,600 appointments.

Outcomes include a 98 per cent patient satisfaction rating, considerable reclaimed ED hours and efficiency savings, and reduced wastage.

Volunteer of the Year

Cam Briscoe – Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group

Former State Rehabilitation Service patient Cam Briscoe generously shares his lived experience to benefit patients and staff on the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) ward at Fiona Stanley Hospital.

Cam established an art therapy initiative to provide patients with meaningful diversional therapy. This is particularly valuable on weekends when patients without family in the metropolitan area can experience reduced social engagement. Patient art on display across the ward also contributes to a welcoming environment for all.

He also recruited former ABI patients to deliver additional activities to support patient wellbeing, an approach which empowers patients and forms part of their recovery journey.

Researcher of the Year

Dr Andrew Redfern, Consultant Physician, Oncology – Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group

Over the last 25 years, Andrew has made an outstanding contribution to research and education for SMHS and for patients around the world.

Focusing on breast and urological cancers, Andrew has been widely active in clinical trials, including playing a key role in the development of many drugs which are now standard care in cancer treatment.

Andrew runs a range of translational cancer research initiatives aimed at improving current outcomes for oncology patients and continues to work to improve outcomes for Aboriginal cancer patients through the development of a State Indigenous Cancer Service.

He also co-ordinates and delivers oncology teaching for medical students across WA through strong links with The University of Western Australia.

Southern Star Award

Emergency department musculoskeletal diversion pathway – Rockingham Peel Group

This Rockingham General Hospital (RGH) pathway is a first-of-its-kind model of care in Western Australia. It diverts emergency department (ED) patients with simple muscle, bone and joint injuries to receive care from advanced scope physiotherapists in an outpatient clinic.

The pathway provides tailored patient care thanks to highly motivated and innovative staff, a customised digital platform, and the ease of transferring from radiology and the ED to the clinic.

To date seen more than 3,000 patients have been seen across more than 3,600 appointments.

Outcomes include a 98 per cent patient satisfaction rating, considerable reclaimed ED hours and efficiency savings, and reduced wastage.

Chief Executive's Commitment to Excellence Award

Sharon Lawrence, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Advanced Lung Disease Unit – Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group

Sharon’s expertise, leadership and commitment to providing lung transplant recipients with quality care is intrinsic to the clinic’s success and world-class patient outcomes.

Sharon works tirelessly with passion and enthusiasm for the lung transplant community and does so with a smile. An exemplary team player, her compassion, attention to detail and dedication improve the experiences of patients and colleagues alike.

Sharon demonstrates unwavering integrity and her dedication to staying up to date with the latest research has translated into improved treatment options and more effective care for patients.

Sharon’s leadership has increased skill levels among the team, further elevating the overall quality of care provided.

South Metropolitan Health Service Board Award

Richard Crane, Manager, Health Promotion and Community Development – South Metropolitan Health Service

Richard’s 30-year public health career has greatly contributed to improving the health and wellbeing of Western Australians

Joining South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) in 2005, he currently leads the Health Promotion and Community Development team, strengthening partnerships with external stakeholders to improve health outcomes. During COVID-19, Richard led the non-clinical staff response to keep staff and patients safe.

An inaugural SMHS Aboriginal Health Champion, Richard is highly respected by the Aboriginal community and supported the development and functioning of District Aboriginal Health Advisory Groups.

He recently joined the SMHS Coach Consultancy which aims to empower staff to stay confident and maintain a work-life balance.