HOSPITAL NEWS
Ramsay Surgical Centre officially opens
at Wollongong Private Hospital
Two months after welcoming its first patients, the state-of-the-art Ramsay Surgical Centre has been
officially opened by Wollongong Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM.
The stand-alone day surgery, located within Wollongong
Private Hospital, has already provided treatment to
1000 patients in the areas of urology, gastroenterology,
ophthalmology, cardiology and minor orthopaedics.
The facility contains one operating theatre, an endoscopy
suite and the hospital’s second catheter laboratory, dedicated
to coronary procedures. The design has allowed for the
provision for another theatre and cath lab in the future.
In building the Ramsay Surgical Centre, Wollongong Private
Hospital has placed the patient at the centre of the design
process, creating an efficient yet relaxing environment to
receive quality surgical care. Additions such as a personal
concierge, personalised care and cafe quality food bring a
touch of luxury to the day surgery experience.
Wollongong Private Hospital CEO Mr David Crowe said that
the feedback from patients has been exceptional since the
opening of the Ramsay Surgical Centre.
“Ramsay Surgical Centre patients are telling us they love all
the unexpected special touches like having an iPad to use
while they are waiting for their surgery. They are impressed
by the design of the facility, making the most of the beautiful
14 The Ramsay Way 2019 | 02
vista and vast natural lighting. I feel we’ve succeeded in
creating a comfortable space that helps to put those pre-surgery
nerves at ease.” he said.
“And feedback has been equally as positive from our surgeons.
Our brand-new cardiac catheter laboratory ticks all the boxes
for our cardiologists and as a result, we’ve already achieved
some incredible outcomes, including the introduction of three
new cardiology procedures to the Illawarra.”
Ramsay Surgical Centre is next preparing to launch an
Australian-first ‘digital day surgery of the future’ which will
further improve efficiency of the patient’s surgical journey.
The customised online platform will be simultaneously
accessible by patients, doctors and hospital staff, streamlining
various administrative and logistical processes before, during
and after an admission.
It is the first system of its kind to be implemented in a Ramsay
Health Care hospital in Australia.
This platform is currently being prototyped at Wollongong
Private Hospital and it is hoped for this to be piloted in the
coming months.
New treatment available
for Gold Coast patients
with liver cancers
Liver cancer patients on the Gold Coast now have
better access to potentially life changing treatment,
without needing to travel.
Three new procedures have arrived at John Flynn Private
Hospital: Stereotactic Radiation Therapy, Liver Ablation and
Sir-Spheres Treatment.
Radiation oncologist Dr Sid Baxi said: “Before the services
expanded, some patients who needed this liver-directed
treatment had to go to either Brisbane, or even to Sydney
for their treatment.”
The three services are a result of collaboration between
John Flynn Private Hospital, oncology service provider
GenesisCare and South Coast Radiology.
Sir-Spheres Treatment involves injecting radioactive
Yttrium-90 beads in to a liver tumour, which destroys the
tumour within. The ablation procedure uses heat to destroy
a tumour. Both are done by interventional radiologists at
South Coast Radiology.
“Many of these patients would otherwise have incurable
diseases; with these options on the table we are actually able
to get these patients into remission. So the ultimate end point
for these patients, is to cure the patient,” Dr Baxi said.
The treatments are less invasive, which means fragile patients
who are unable to undergo surgery can be treated with these
procedures. This applies to nearly one in three patients who
cannot have liver surgery for their tumours for various reasons.
“We have six patients who have already used the service on
the Gold Coast. Doctors bring the cases to a multi-disciplinary
team, who decide if the treatments are appropriate for each
patient,” Dr Baxi said.
The arrival of the additional services follows the roll-out of
liver radiation therapy, known as liver SBRT, which started
at John Flynn Private Hospital in November 2018.
Liver SBRT is the most advanced treatment for tumours
that have started in the liver or spread to the liver. It uses a
highly focused radiation beam to target the tumour without
damaging surrounding tissue.
“It’s well tolerated, effective and ticks all the boxes of what
you’d like treatments to be like,” Dr Baxi said.
Encouraging activity through pacing
at Donvale Rehabilitation Hospital
Patients at Donvale Rehabilitation Hospital have taken part in a new trial which
examined if an ‘activity pacing’ intervention would help to manage daily activities.
‘Activity pacing’ is a strategy commonly used to encourage
small amounts of activity – to prevent a ‘boom and bust’
mentality towards exercise or movement. It involves breaking
down goals into more manageable stages to gradually
increasing a person’s tolerance to an activity.
Senior occupational therapist Amanda Timmer was recently
awarded her PhD for this research into occupational therapy
and activity pacing with deconditioned older adults.
Ms Timmer began her studies after recognising there was a
lack of evidence to guide occupational therapy practice for
reconditioning programs.
Her PhD involved several areas of research including a
systematic review, an Australia wide Delphi study and a
randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted at Donvale
Rehabilitation Hospital.
The trial involved comparing a group of patients who received an
occupational therapy activity pacing intervention with a group of
patients who received a standard rehabilitation program.
Results from this study indicated a positive trend for the
activity pacing group in the
outcomes of quality of life,
self-efficacy and participation
in daily occupations.
As a result of this research program, occupational therapists
now have guidance in what an activity pacing intervention can
include, how this treatment can be delivered, and what the
suitable tools are to measure the change that will occur from
participating in an activity pacing program.
Donvale Rehabilitation Hospital now has 16 people
completing post graduate degrees and has established
a Research Special Interest Group. It has also received
grant support for a research project on rehabilitation
outcome measures and has clinicians throughout the
organisation participating in a higher standard of quality
programs and research.
Donvale Rehabilitation Hospital CEO Jenny Haig
congratulated Ms Timmer, noting: “Amanda’s pioneering into
the higher degree space has certainly influenced the rest of
the team to produce such a flourishing learning culture.”
New agreement to
enhance patient safety
at Ramsay hospitals
Ramsay hospitals will be the first in Australia to
receive a new type of volumetric pump which
supports the safe delivery of infusions to patients.
More than 5,000 Evo IQ Infusion Systems will be installed
across the network as part of a new agreement with Baxter
Healthcare. The system delivers routine critical infusion
therapies via continuous and intermittent delivery using
primary and secondary infusion modes.
Baxter Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) General Manager,
Steven Flynn said: “Baxter is proud to partner with Ramsay
Health Care to elevate the standard of care and patient safety
in Australian hospitals,” Mr Flynn said.
“The launch of Evo IQ Infusion System in Australia furthers
Baxter’s commitment to deliver innovative products and services
that respond to the changing needs of our customers.”
Operations Executive Manager (Eastern) Malcolm Passmore, Shellharbour MP Anna Watson,
Wollongong Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM, and Hospital CEO David Crowe.
Senior occupational
therapist Amanda Timmer.