By Carole Levy
As part of Djerriwarrh Health Services’ ongoing commitment to patient safety and continuous improvement, the teams at Bacchus Marsh and Melton Regional Hospital, Melton Health and community health centres in Caroline Springs, Bacchus Marsh and Melton, have been put through their paces as part of a number of multidisciplinary teamwork training programs.
Designed to upskill and enhance emergency response training, the Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training (PROMPT) program has been introduced by Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) in partnership with the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA) to improve perinatal outcomes as well as teamwork, communication and emergency management skills.
VMIA – the insurer and risk advisor to the state of Victoria – has worked closely with the Victorian health sector to develop tailored programs to help the state’s public hospitals reduce the factors which lead to adverse outcomes in birth suites.
The rollout of evidence-based skills training and education such as PROMPT and Incentivising Better Patient Safety – a $16 million VMIA program focusing on multidisciplinary maternity emergency training, foetal surveillance and neonatal resuscitation – will ensure patient safety in the maternity setting continues to improve.
By committing to these training programs, Victoria’s public health services will ensure higher standards of care, better outcomes for women and babies and better prepare staff to deal with emergency situations.
While predominately targeted at clinicians who would usually respond to a maternity emergency, Djerriwarrh Health Services expanded access to this training to allow all its staff, across all its campuses, to participate.
Birth rates at Djerriwarrh Health Services have increased 23 per cent year-on-year and following last year’s $1.6 million renovation of the maternity unit at Bacchus Marsh and Melton Regional Hospital, the service is well-equipped to meet the immediate and future care needs of this diverse and rapidly growing region.
Djerriwarrh has also recently invested in new medical equipment and recruited new, highly qualified medical and other healthcare practitioners to focus on continuous improvement.
The people of Bacchus Marsh, Melton and Caroline Springs can rightly have confidence in – and be proud of their local health service.
Djerriwarrh Health Services, 29-35 Grant Street, Bacchus Marsh. Inquiries: 5367 2000 or djhs.org.au
