Premier names SWH Victoria’s best regional health service

Health Minister Daniel Andrews was delighted with Premier Brumby's choice.

(from left) SWH Director of Primary and Community Services Craig Fraser, Board Chairman Sharon Muldoon, Premier John Brumby, Director of Nursing Sue Morrison, CEO John Krygger and Director of Finance and Business Services Andrew Trigg.

Health Secretary Fran Thorn (left) and SWH’s Consumer Health Information Project Officer Janet Sherritt join Sue and John to collect SWH’s second award for the night, the 2010 Quality of Care Reporting Award.

General

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

At a gala awards ceremony in Melbourne this week Premier John Brumby named South West Healthcare the 2010 Victorian Regional Health Service of the Year. There is no higher accolade for state recognition of work well done.

‘Each year these awards provide an important opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the dedicated health professionals and organisations who every single day are working to provide the best possible health care to the Victorian community,’ Premier Brumby told the 400 guests who attended the 2010 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards.

A record 310 entries were received for 18 award categories. The spotlight was on excellence and innovation. South West Healthcare excelled on both fronts during 2009-10. And, extra impressively, all during a period of workplace challenges courtesy of large scale redevelopment projects at both the organisation’s Warrnambool and Camperdown hospitals.

Accepting the award on SWH’s behalf, Board Chairman Sharon Muldoon delivered a moving speech highlighting the dedication and commitment of the 1,159 staff that make up South West Healthcare.

SWH Chief Executive Officer John Krygger reiterated Sharon’s sentiments, saying ‘all staff are to be congratulated for their significant contribution to what has been an outstanding year’.

And it certainly has been. From quality service provision and accreditation outcomes to patient and staff satisfaction and financial performance, remarkable results have been recorded during 2009-10, including:

a $638,000 operating surplus (a $1.3 million improvement on 2008-09)
a record 19,500 inpatients (a 3.3 per cent increase on 2008-09)
our highest ever Australian Council on Healthcare Standards’ accreditation results including our first Outstanding Achievement rating
future-proofing the region from the nation’s doctor drought via the arrival of our first class of Deakin University School of Medicine students
a 14 per cent improvement (reduction) in inpatient’s average-length-of-stay
a 50 per cent increase in availability of Primary Care services in just two years
a 33 per cent improvement (reduction) in our public dental waiting list – from three times the state average to less then the state average in just two years
a 16 per cent improvement (reduction) in our elective surgery waiting list

We were also:

rated as having one of Australia’s two best Palliative Care services (the other is Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney)
the first Victorian health service and the first Australian mental health inpatient unit to implement the NHS Productive Ward ‘Releasing Time to Care’ model – instrumental in improving efficiencies and allowing more direct clinical contact time with patients
one of three regional health services to introduce the Better Skills Best Care service wide redesign project

And the list of achievements does not end there. We invite you to our 2010 Annual General Meeting in Warrnambool on November 18 to hear more.

Meantime, many might be wondering why our envied winning, last year, for the fifth time in a row, of Victoria’s best Quality of Care Report has not yet been mentioned. That’s because we wanted to give this achievement the extra special recognition it deserves. Because, at the very same awards night this week, SWH again won – for an unheard-of sixth consecutive year, the Victorian Quality of Care Reporting Award.

Highlighting the many quality programs and initiatives currently in place across all SWH campuses, CEO John Krygger describes the win as a ‘magnificent achievement’.

Other award winners on the night included: Metropolitan Health Service of the Year – Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Rural Health Service of the Year – Robinvale District Health Services and Primary Health Service of the Year – Inner South Community Health Service.