Patient Safety

PATIENT SAFETY STATEMENT SUMMARY
Mater Private Network is committed to managing and conducting their work activities in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare of their patients, visitors and employees – including fixed-term employees, temporary employees and other individuals at their place of work ie. Consultants, consultants’ secretaries and in-house contractors. 

This will be achieved by the following:

  • The provision and maintenance of welfare facilities and arrangements for our staff.
  • The provision of appropriate emergency plans, protocols, and procedures at our hospital facilities
  • Determining and implementing appropriate preventative and protective measures
  • Ensuring  accidents and dangerous occurrences are investigated, reported and learnings shared with the entire team
  • Preventing any improper conduct or behaviour by adhering to our Code of Conduct, Fair and Just Culture, shared values and behavioural standards
  • The design, provision and maintenance of a safe place of work, including safe means of access and egress
  • The design, provision and maintenance of safe plant and machinery, articles and substances;
  • The provision of safe systems of work
  • The provision of appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision
  • Performance of ongoing hazard identification and risk assessments
  • The proactive management of risk using retrospective and prospective risk management tools including Root Cause Analysis and Failure Mode Analysis tools to investigate events, mitigate future risks and ensure shared learning
  • Adherence and audited compliance to accreditation standards, laws and regulations, codes of practice, policies, procedures and guidelines, or industry best practices
  • Providing and maintaining suitable protective clothing and equipment
  • Taking account of the general principles of prevention
  • Reporting prescribed accidents and dangerous occurrences to the Health & Safety Authority
  • Obtaining the services of a competent person to advise on health and safety

The detailed arrangements for achieving these objectives are set out in the Mater Private Network Safety Statement.

INTERNATIONAL PATIENT SAFETY GOALS (IPSG) 

The purpose of the International Patient Safety Goals (IPSG) is to promote specific improvements in patient safety. The goals highlight problematic areas in healthcare and describe evidence and expert-based consensus solutions to these problems.

Recognising that sound system design is intrinsic to the delivery of safe, high-quality healthcare, the goals generally focus on system-wide solutions, wherever possible. At Mater Private Network, compliance to the IPSG’s is mandatory and forms part of the hospital leadership priorities on an annual basis.

Use at least two ways to identify a patient when giving medicines, blood or blood products, taking blood samples and other specimens for clinical testing, or providing any other treatments or procedures. The patient’s room number cannot be used to identify the patient.

Implement a process / procedure for taking verbal or telephone orders, or for the reporting of critical test results that requires a verification “read-back” of the complete order or test result by the person receiving the information.

Remove concentrated electrolytes (including, but not limited to, potassium chloride, potassium phosphate, sodium chloride >0.9%) from patient care units.

Use a checklist, including a “time-out” just before starting a surgical procedure, to ensure the correct patient, procedure and body part.

Develop a process or checklist to verify that all documents and equipment needed for surgery are on hand and are correct and functioning properly before surgery begins.

Mark the precise site where the surgery will be performed. Use a clearly understood mark and involve the patient in doing this.

Comply with current published and generally accepted hand hygiene guidelines.

Assess and periodically reassess each patient’s risk for falling, including the potential risk associated with the patient’s medication regimen, and take action to decrease or eliminate any identified risks.