The private healthcare system in Queensland is excelling, judging by the success of local hospitals at a function recognising safety and quality in healthcare held last night in Brisbane.
Five Queensland private hospitals - Greenslopes Private, Allamanda Private, Friendly Society Private, John Flynn Private and Rockhampton's Mater Misericordiae Hospital - were rewarded for their innovation and commitment to quality and safety with a Medibank Private Safety and Clinical Improvement grant at the gala event.
More than one million dollars has been granted by Medibank Private to hospitals around Australia this year, with Queensland hospitals receiving a total of almost $155,000 to fund quality and safety projects. In the last two years Medibank Private has provided $1.9 million in funding for 74 quality and safety projects across 65 hospitals.
The grants are designed to help hospitals fund targeted projects identified by hospitals as making a tangible difference to patient safety and clinical quality, such as Allamanda Private hospital in Southport. Allamanda received a grant of $27,740 for it's proposal to develop and implement best practice guidelines for post-operative cardiac surgery patients, improving health outcomes and patient experience.
Allamanda Private Hospital Chief Executive Officer Rodney Green said the benefits of project will be felt by all hospital users.
"We know that many who suffer from heart attacks or who have surgical interventions experience difficulties during recovery, which can lead to readmission and significant suffering for patient and families. With this project we aim to reduce these setbacks through developing a best-practice approach to postoperative care, rehabilitation, education and counselling, and secondary prevention programs.
"Allamanda is a centre of excellence for cardiac surgery and we have a responsibility to the community to not only provide the highest level of care to our patients, but also to constantly review and improve our knowledge.
"Allamanda Private has always had a proud focus on innovation and best-practice, and we are very pleased to be supported with extra funding from Medibank Private to further pursue this important project. " Mr Green said.
Medibank Private's Queensland General Manager Brian Loo praised the local projects as being of a particularly high standard.
"Quality and safety is emerging as the number one issue in Australian health care, especially here in Queensland, so it's inspiring that local private hospitals are now being recognised for their effort and innovation.
"Australia has some of the best quality hospital care in the world, but there is always room for improvement, and improvement and innovation should be supported. Medibank Private is proud to be working with hospitals to improve health outcomes, not just for our members, but for everyone." Mr Loo said.
Importantly, the lessons learned from the various quality and safety projects funded over the last two years will be shared throughout the health sector, extending the value of individual projects far beyond the hospitals in which they are run.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
James Connors - T. (03) 8622 5163 or 0433 992 677
E: james_connors@medibank.com.au