The Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) has announced the recipients of its 2022 Awards For Excellence.
“Australia’s private hospitals have a long tradition of innovation and providing high quality health care to their patients. It was the private sector that introduced robotic surgery to this country and the innovation hasn’t stopped there,” said APHA CEO Michael Roff.
“Australians saw private hospitals step up to help the public system cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, and now we have an opportunity to congratulate private hospitals for thinking outside the box to deliver new and effective practices that improve health care outcomes for their patients. This is even more remarkable considering the constraints the pandemic has placed on them.”
Mr Roff said the high standard of entries for the awards reflected the work being done in the private sector.
”These efforts are particularly noteworthy given COVID pressures that include surgery restrictions, staff shortages, increasing cost pressures and helping public hospitals and aged care with the pandemic response,” he said.
The award for Clinical Excellence went to the Mt Wilga Private Hospital Lymphoedema Rehabilitation Program. The program has resulted in a reduced requirement for treatment sessions, increased skills across the nursing and exercise physiologist teams and increased communication with patients resulting in the service better meeting their care goals.
South Pacific Private Hospital received the Innovation award for its Accreditation to Rainbow Tick Standards. The hospital's Consumers and Carers Committee has LGBTQIA members to help shape its programs. It has instituted extensive staff training and the appointment of a Cultural Safety Officer to ensure patient safety needs are met.