The Ramsay Way 2016 | 01 3 DEVELOPMENTS Paul Ramsay Foundation provides $15 million for suicide prevention continued from page 1 A securely shareable system, EDS sends critical patient information along with patient drug instructions, in a legible and timely way directly to a GP’s inbox at the time of discharge. A number of Ramsay sites are at various stages of implementation including “go live” throughout the hospital to trialling the system or planning for implementation. “The system has had great feedback from nurses and doctors,” says Michael Thompson from Ramsay IT, who has led the roll out for the Ramsay Group. “The objective is to ensure GPs receive timely notice of patient discharge information, improving continuity of care for patients. “This makes the discharge process more thorough as the patient has a legible copy of their summary. It will also reduce the likelihood of adverse events and re-admissions and facilitate ongoing management by the patient’s care team.” The Ramsay GP Liaison Team work with the GP community to continually improve communication between hospitals and primary health care and the EDS will significantly improve this communication. Around the globe, Ramsay Health Care nurses are providing care to more than 3 million patients a year. Now, with Ramsay trialling a new program to transfer registered nurses from Ramsay Australia to Ramsay UK, the Company is providing its nurses with unprecedented career opportunities. Currently, 13 Registered Nurses have been selected into the trial program, with two already working in the UK and the remainder working through the UK nursing registration requirements. “Under the program, Australian nurses will be on two year contracts with Ramsay UK and have a guaranteed job with Ramsay Australia upon their return,” says Lisa Chapman, Trial Co-ordinator for Ramsay Australia. “To qualify, nurses must be eligible for UK nursing registration and for the UK Youth Mobility Visa which allows them to work overseas. “Some of the criteria for eligibility include being under the age of 30; having 12 months post graduate experience and not having dependents. “Nurses in the current trial program will receive financial support by way of airfares, a return visit to Australia following their first year of contract, payment of registration and initial accommodation.” Lisa said Ramsay hopes to continue a productive partnership with Ramsay UK through future transfer programs. “Nursing overseas provides a wealth of life experience and shows a willingness to step outside your comfort zone which is valued highly by future employers. Most of all it’s a wonderful way to give our Australian nurses a chance to immerse themselves in a wider variety of clinical and cultural experiences whilst tackling global workforce shortages.” “In partnership with experts and consumers, the National and NSW Mental Health Commissions have both strongly recommended the implementation of an evidence-based and community-focussed approach to suicide prevention.” “We are extraordinarily grateful to the Paul Ramsay Foundation for acknowledging the strength of the evidence and the severity of the problem, and to the NSW Mental Health Commission for facilitating the translation of international evidence into a suicide prevention framework. The systems approach to suicide prevention involves the simultaneous implementation of nine key strategies that target suicide risk both through medical and social interventions. Local management means services can be tailored to local needs and are coordinated within the community by primary healthcare providers, education system, emergency services, community groups and other stakeholders. Sites will be selected on the basis of need and will be implemented in partnership with local Primary Health Networks and community organisations. The trial will commence in 2016. It is estimated that the new evidence-based solution will reduce the Australian suicide rate by at least 20% in just a few years and also significantly improve the lives of those in distress. “Their support, which represents the largest philanthropic donation ever given to suicide prevention activities in Australia, has the potential to change the way suicide prevention is addressed in Australia, opening the door for a nationally coordinated framework,” says Prof Christensen. The NSW Mental Health Commission funded the development of the Proposed Suicide Prevention Framework for NSW, which recommended using the systems approach. It also supported the next phase of Professor Christensen's work, evaluating the operational resources needed to roll out the systems approach to suicide prevention in small towns. John Feneley, the NSW Mental Health Commissioner, said the persistently high suicide rate meant new initiatives were urgently needed. "This extraordinary donation lets researchers kick-start an approach that the international evidence suggests has every chance of being highly effective," Mr Feneley said. "It is about combining things that are already known to work. What we don't yet know is exactly how many deaths and suicide attempts we can prevent when we pursue all these proven elements together in a wraparound, community-based response." "Seed funding can be the impetus to get important projects off the ground quickly," Mr Feneley said. "Through the Ramsay Foundation's leadership this work can now move quickly to the next level." The $14.7million donation from the Paul Ramsay Foundation will be used to implement and evaluate this new approach over six years in four sites across NSW. New EDS improves continuity of care A number of Ramsay Hospitals are at various stages of planning the implementation of Electronic Discharge Summaries (EDS) – which means GPs, patients, specialists and other external health providers will be able to receive an electronic summary of a patient’s stay in hospital. Ramsay commences international nurse exchange program Ramsay Health Care has commenced a new program to transfer registered nurses from Ramsay Australia to Ramsay UK. NSW Minister for Mental Health, Pru Goward at the announcement. “We are delighted to be able to support such a high quality organisation as Black Dog Institute in what is an absolutely vital project – Both in terms of saving lives and drawing attention to what is an area of critical need,” says Simon Freeman, CEO of the Paul Ramsay Foundation. “Our Board of Directors highlighted mental health as one of the key areas they wanted the foundation to focus on therefore it is truly fitting that this is the first major grant that we have awarded.” Top: Jed Daugalis (Noosa Med/Surg/ Ortho) is now working in New Hall Hospital in the UK. Right: Cate Moss St George Private Endoscopy is now working in Ashtead Hospital.
The Ramsay Way - Autumn 2016
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