ACHS’s 25th Annual Quality Improvement Award Winners Announced

Hunter New England Local Health District in NSW, and two Queensland health services: Wandi Nerida and Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, were the final winners in the annual ACHS 25th Annual Quality Improvement (QI) Awards.

Each submission demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting and developing innovation in different areas of healthcare that impacts on patient safety.

The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) CEO Dr Karen Luxford presented the Awards in three categories – Clinical Excellence and Patient Safety, Non-Clinical Service Delivery and Healthcare Measurement.

There were two joint winners for the Clinical Excellence and Patient Safety Award. Hunter New England Local Health District won with their submission: ‘Supportive Care: what matters most?’. The project examined how a transdisciplinary supportive approach to care, embedded within standard care, and guided by patient and carer needs, could optimise health service performance and health outcomes for patients and carers living with advanced liver disease, as compared to standard care alone.

Wandi Nerida also won with their submission: ‘Wandi Nerida: A new residential model of care to treat eating disorders in Australia’. This project aimed to establish and operate an innovative residential model of care for Australian’s affected by an eating disorder, which can be shared with all other states and territories. For participants and families affected by an eating disorder, Wandi Nerida aimed to help make recovery a reality.

Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service won the Non-Clinical Service Delivery Award for their submission, ‘Embedding a culture of transformation at Gold Coast Health’, which aimed to embed a sustainable, continuous improvement culture within the health service.

The Healthcare Measurement Award was won by Hunter New England Local Health District who addressed significant gaps in medication management practices in three remote mental health units in their ‘Virtual Clinical Pharmacy Service Project – Mental Health’. The aim of this project was to embed pharmacists within mental health multidisciplinary teams via a virtual care model, to optimise prescribing and monitoring of medications and minimise errors and adverse effects through prevention and early intervention.

Dr Luxford said “This year ACHS celebrates the 25th year of the annual ACHS quality improvement awards. We received a large number of applications from healthcare organisations throughout Australia. The awards recognise healthcare organisations for their outstanding quality improvement activities, initiatives and strategies.”

“ACHS is proud to host these Awards that celebrates innovation and demonstrates improved safety and quality of care to patients. Every submission seeks to improve on existing practices and address emerging issues,” Dr Luxford said.

The 25th QI Awards 2022, were announced at the ACHS Annual Awards Ceremony 2022 held on the evening of Thursday 24 November. For further information about the award winners and their submissions please view the latest Quality Initiatives Publication.

Contact Marketing Manager Gemma Puplett on (02) 9281 9955 for more information.