Grampians Health works to improve timely access to emergency care

Grampians Health has been named one of 14 Victorian hospitals to participate in the Timely Emergency Care Collaborative (TECC) project.

The TECC project aims to improve timely access to emergency care at Grampians Health through implementing strategies to assist in system-wide patient flow.

As part of the project, Grampians Health has commenced implementing strategies in the emergency departments and inpatient units at both hospitals in Horsham and Ballarat, while also working towards improving systems supporting patient flow across all five campuses.

Project Coordinator, Hannah Ryan-West, said Grampians Health was committed to providing timely care and the TECC project would greatly help to support this.

“Patient movement (patient flow) within the health sector is a long-standing multifaceted problem and COVID has certainly highlighted this. For the Department of Health to acknowledge this and fund improvement work, it is a great opportunity for Grampians Health to look at more efficient ways of doing things to assist getting people to the right place at the right time for the care they require,” Ms Ryan-West said.

“In working to achieve this, our project team is working not only with the emergency departments and the inpatient ward staff at Horsham and Ballarat but also with consumers and staff across all of our campuses to streamline organisational communications influencing patient flow.”

At a recent Grampians Health forum, TECC consumer representative, Lea Crammond of Horsham, provided insight into her many experiences in healthcare, touching on the importance of timely communication as well as consideration of a patient concerns when planning care.

Ms Ryan-West said Lea’s insights would be incorporated into Grampians Health’s organisational wide patient flow principles.

“Over the project duration, Grampians Health will continue to involve consumers to help create improvement strategies.”

The TECC project will run until June 2024.

Over the project duration, Grampians Health will continue to involve consumers to help create improvement strategies. To be involved in the project, please email tecc@gh.org.au and for more information please visit here if you are a Wimmera resident or here if you are from the Ballarat region.