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- Our Mission Statement
- Goonawarra Day Hospital (GDH) is committed to providing the community and surrounding areas with excellent health services and patient care in an environment where the principles of patient safety and surgical and medical care are of paramount importance.
- Our Vision GDH proudly serves the local community with well-trained, motivated, friendly, and respectful doctors, nurses and supporting staff, offering THE BEST HEALTH SERVICES that are of low cost, with a flexible schedule, in a pleasing environment.
- Strategic Vision:
- GDH goal is to provide safety and quality day surgery service for the local and wider community.
- We are committed to providing a safe environment and quality service to the community.
- We are committed to providing opportunities for the education of staff in all aspects of day surgeries
- GDH is an integral part of the local community health service and as such we hope to correlate our activities with the other health services to provide optimum care for the patient and his family.
- The patient has the right to expect our best care and attention and the aim of our service is to be patient centred.
- Each patient should be treated as an individual who has rights, and is a member of a family unit, and also of the community.
- GDH is an essential service, and that through the training and continuance of learning, we can provide a service based on sound knowledge and experience.
- We have a duty to provide for the physical, psychological and social needs of each patient.
- We should preserve and promote human dignity.
- We should return the patient to his/her family and the community, restored to his/her maximum level of health and independence.
Our Core Values & Guiding Principles Excellence
- We will pursue excellence in the delivery of health care.
- CHDS is committed to proving the community with excellent health services and patient care in a first class facility with highly qualified employees.
- Employees will be provided opportunities to excel through a commitment to continuing education.
- We will always maintain customer focus.
- Our goal is to better understand and address our customer needs in a courteous and compassionate manner. We will strive to meet or exceed customer expectations.
- We will always strive to enhance productivity
- We will face the challenges of a rapidly changing health care environment with a continuing focus on enhancing practice while not sacrificing care standards.
- We embrace change & flexibility
- Change creates great opportunity
- We will maintain an open mind towards change and use it as an opportunity to find new and more effective ways to meet the challenges confronted.
- Honesty and open communication will help to create a safe and efficient workplace.
- We will create and maintain a supportive environment which encourages open communication with patients and employees. This will create an environment which breeds strong trust and maximum efficiency.
Accreditation improves the safety and quality at GDH. It is also a way of verifying the following:
- Quality actions are being taken
- System data is being used to inform activity
- Improvements are made in safety and quality continuously
- Periods of self-assessment
- Comprehensive assessment against the new NSQHS 2nd ed Standards
- Interim or mid cycle assessment against some NSQHS 2nd ed Standards.
From time to time, we will require opinions and input from our community. If you would like to volunteer your time please complete the required section on the patient survey form. The volunteers will be treated without fear or favour. Our consumer feedback form is also available for use. Please ask any of our staff.
A periodic Quality of Care Report is available for your perusal. It has all the information about our activities at GDH to improve the safety and quality of care. These include: 1. Information on our available services2. Our quality objectives and commitment3. Facts about our service4. Facts about our diverse needs5. Your participation in care6. Regular reviews & feedbacks from you7. Risk management8. Incident monitoring – falls, pressure injury, medication safety9. Infection control10. Internal audit reports11. Training & education of our staff, etc. Clinical indicators are also collected to screen and identify areas where we can improve our practice. These include:1. Failure to arrive2. Unplanned overnight admission3. Unplanned delay in discharge4. Cancellation after arrival due to health reasons5. Unplanned return to theatre6. Medication error/Adverse drug reaction7. Hospital acquired infection8. Patient fall, etc GDH is committed to the Hand Hygiene Australia program and conducts regular hand hygiene audits to ensure compliance with requirements.
Infection Prevention and Control: It is very important that you inform our staff during booking if
- you are currently suffering from a viral illness or infectious disease requiring special needs.
- If anyone you have been in contact with, in the past month was suffering from an infectious disease.
- If you have een exposed to an infectious disease such as COVID-19, chicken pox, measles, etc.
Our facility and staff are regularly audited for compliance with the national infection prevention and control guidelines. GDH Infection Control Management Plan is in place and reviewed annually.
Please inform staff at booking if you have a current Treatment Limiting Order. You will be booked for a pre-anaesthetic consult with the anaesthetist.
Open Disclosure: What is open disclosure?Open disclosure is the process of open communication with a patient, and or their family/support person, following an adverse or unexpected event that may or may not result in harm to the patient.
The open disclosure processThe Open Disclosure Process will commence after the detection of a clinical incident. Members of the clinical team must ensure that steps are taken to immediately prevent or reduce the occurrence of further suffering and harm to the patient. After any such steps have been initiated, the following measures should be implemented.
Investigation of a clinical incidentA clinical incident may signal a serious breakdown in health care systems and require thorough investigation and response. Any clinical incidents identified by GDH must be appropriately investigated to determine what happened and, where possible, to reduce the risk of a similar clinical incident happening again.
Members of the clinical team are required to participate in any investigation that may arise from a clinical incident.
Undertaking the investigation process under legal privilegeIf an investigation into a clinical incident is carried out at the request of GDH’s legal advisers, the communications generated during the investigation, including the investigation report, may be subject to legal professional privilege. If a document or record is subject to legal professional privilege, that document or record is protected from disclosure unless legal professional privilege is waived. At any time if you have any questions or concerns in relation to our Safety and Quality you may also contact the Director of Nursing. We are here to assist you so please do not hesitate to ask for assistance at any time. Quality Policy, our Commitment to Quality The following statement represents our Quality Policy. Goonawarra Day Hospital members of staff and Management are committed to:Planned outcomes:
- Providing the best available care to our patients,
- Providing the best available service to our doctors,
- Provide a competitive, affordable and safe health care service to our community.
We are committed to continuously complying with our Management System which is based on ISO 9001:2014, the International Standard for Quality Management and the National Safety & Quality Health Services Standards (2nd ed). We are also committed to continuously improving, through reviewing our practice in response to established world’s best practice, internal systems review and education. We have processes for planning: these are transparent, and affect all team members. The outcome of the planning process is a set of objectives which will be reviewed and updated at least yearly.
Finally it is important that all team members:
- Are aware of the requirements of our management systems,
- Identify, report, record all problems, incidents, complaints, or areas of improvements,
- Comply with the intent and the content of our management system.
Please contact the CEO or DON if you have any questions or comments on this policy or its implementation. Patient Rights and ResponsibilitiesPatient Rights:
- To receive quality health care from appropriately qualified and experienced staff and to receive continuity of care when attending GDH
- To receive health care that does not discriminate, particularly on the basis of race, religion, gender, health insurance status, mental status, socioeconomic background or age.
- To expect consideration of any special dietary needs
- To obtain complete and current information on your care and treatment in a language that you understand.
- To receive information about choices and options for your care and treatment including advantages, disadvantages, risks, benefits and alternatives to these treatments.
- To be given adequate opportunity to have any information clarified or any questions answered
- To be treated with courtesy and respect and have your privacy and cultural background respected by staff as well as having access to an interpreter if required.
- To expect that a safe and secure environment is maintained whilst receiving the services, including physical and emotional support.
- To be secure in the knowledge that information concerning your condition and care is treated as confidential and only used by staff who are involved in your care, unless you direct us otherwise.
- To have your health care discussed where others could not overhear it.
- To be given the opportunity to participate in decisions affecting your health care, where relevant.
- To know the identity and professional status of all attending GDH and to refuse the presence of other people during the delivery of the treatment.
- To expect staff to routinely introduce themselves to you.
- To seek a second opinion on your condition or treatment / care plan.
- Where applicable, to know in advance the charges for the services provided to you.
- To give your informed consent before the services are provided; to refuse the care or treatment options provided to you by the staff, after being fully informed of the consequences of that decision.
- To discuss any concerns, questions, provide feedback or make complaints about issues related to the services provided to you, the processes involved with the service provision and any treatment undergone at GDH
- To continue to receive appropriate alternative care if any decision to refuse treatment is made.
- To expect that expert/professional decisions to be made on your behalf and in your best interest after discussion with next of kin, partner, carer, guardian or medical agent, should you be unable to speak.
- To participate and cooperate with an agreed treatment and care program or inform staff of your intention not to comply.
- To be considerate of staff and other patients, treating them with courtesy and respect.
- To provide the relevant information about your health, to assist the staff involved in your care, including the possibility of infectious diseases.
- To inform staff if you are covered by any special benefits/ schemes.
- To contribute to a safe and comfortable environment in relation to noise, alcohol, smoking and illicit drugs.
- Consider your ability to meet your financial obligations to pay any accounts and fees for which you are responsible.
- To advise GDH if you are unable to keep an appointment within at least 24 hours notice.
The Australian Privacy Principles can be obtained through the website of the office of the Australian Information Commissioner (https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy-law/privacy-act/australian-privacy-principles). Multilingual Department of Human Services privacy policy brochures can be downloaded from: http://www.healthtranslations.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcht.nsf/PresentDetail?Open&s=Consumer_privacy_information_brochure
What happens to patient information?A medical record is made which includes your name, address, contact details, health information and the treatment you will be given when you become a patient of GDH. New information is added to the medical record with each subsequent contact or visit with us. We are required to keep medical records for 7 years after last attendance for adults, and for children until they reach the age of 25 years. The record is then destroyed using secure means.
We collect and keep this information to ensure that each health care professional involved in your care has all the facts. Your previous health information and care can help us to quickly identify which treatments are likely to be safe and effective for you. This information may also be used for the planning and evaluation of our care and services. In this situation, your personal details are removed so that you cannot be identified.
Your Information is stored securely within the hospital. Computer stored information allows all health care professionals involved with your care to access information more easily and quickly when needed. If you used other services within the hospital, some information held on our computer systems will be available to health care professionals in that service. This is to ensure that you receive high quality care and avoid the inconvenience of duplication. GDH maintains strict policies with respect to access to your personal information. All staff employed by GDH is bound by a strict code of confidentiality.
Who else has access to patient information?There are a number of services outside GDH that might be involved in your care once you leave here. These services may include:• Your general practitioner (GP)• Community nursing services • Hostels, nursing homes, rehabilitation services, etc
Information about you needs to be given to community agencies so that services can be organized. Information including diagnosis, treatment and medication may be sent to your referring doctor or GP to facilitate ongoing care. Sometimes your referring doctor or GP will contact us for additional information about your treatment. In this situation, we routinely release information to the doctor whom you have specified or who is/will be caring for you. In an emergency situation we will release information about you to other hospitals or doctors to facilitate your care.
In some circumstances GDH is obliged by law to release personal information about you. This include Private Health Fund Claim, Administrative requirements for billing and debt collection, and other matters as required by law.
Information Collected by Goonawarra Day HospitalGDH holds the following information with respect to its patients.
- Name.
- Personal address / Postal address.
- Next of Kin
- Telephone number / Fax number
- Date of birth.
- E-mail address.
- Medical History
How does GDH use information?Manner of collectionInformation is collected from patients through the provision of that information on their behalf by their treating practitioner or directly from the patient.
Storage and data protectionPersonal information about patients is contained in hard copy documents stored and protected within the office on the day of admission. Information concerning patients is then stored electronically on our computer system which is maintained in a secure environment.
Hard copy and electronic records are only accessible to personnel of the centre who require access to such personal information for the purpose of carrying out their duties. All personnel have signed Privacy and Confidentiality Agreements binding them to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Access to recordsPatients of the centre may request access to personal information by writing to the Office Supervisor. Persons entitled to access do not have to provide a reason for requesting access. The patient will be notified when their record will be available for personal viewing at the centre.
Applications should be made in writing. Verification will be made prior to response.Office SupervisorGoonawarra Day Hospital 1-11 Dornoch Drive Sunbury, VIC 3429Ph: 8746 9780
If a person believes that information held by GDH is incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate they may request amendment of that personal information. GDH will consider if the information requires amendment. If we do not agree that there is any ground for amendment it will, if the person seeking the amendment requires, place with that person’s personal information, a statement from that person as to why the information is not accurate or up to date.
If patients wish to obtain access to or wish to notify any changes to their details kept at GDH, they should contact the Office Supervisor for a copy of the protocol and the forms for carrying out these functions.
Patient ComplaintsThe staff at GDH recognises the customer’s right to make a complaint. We welcome the opportunity to improve standards by actively identifying areas of concern in current performance. By analyzing complaints, we can actively improve the quality of care and service provided to customers. We have a process in place, where Management will respond constructively to legitimate concerns of patients and their families. Anyone can make a complaint, patient, family or friend. A person making a complaint will not adversely affect the treatment of the patient because a complaint has been made.
A complaint can be lodged in writing, by telephone or in person. Complaint form (F-QM00-02) can be requested from the Admin staff. You can also make an anonymous complaint, although GDH may not be able to respond to the complaint immediately.
Patients and their families who wish to make a complaint are advised to speak to the staff.If by phone, the staff are required to record every complaint including:
- Complete a IIIR form
- Nature of the complaint
- Date of concern
- Name, Address and Phone Number
- Action taken in respect of the complaint
If the problem can be resolved at the staff level we will endeavor to rectify it as quickly as possible. If the complaint cannot be rectified then and there, the matter will be referred to the Complaints Officer for investigation and the appropriate follow up action (complaints procedure) will be taken.GDH will provide written feedback within 2 weeks.If the customer remains dissatisfied, they are advised to utilize external services such as the Health Services Commissioner. A complaint can be made about a health service provider who has
- Failed to provide satisfactory care
- Failed to provide enough information or denied the patient’s right to choose
- Denied patient’s respect, dignity or privacy
- Been negligent or unprofessional
- Or any other issues about the health service provider
- Doctors, anaesthetists, specialists
- Nurses
- Reception and administration staff
- Cleaners
- Anyone else who provides a health service
Who can make a complaint:
- A patient or user of a health service
- If the patient or user is unable to complain then: