Recognising contributions to supporting and improving the physical health of the community, including increasing health care accessibility and affordability, providing new health services, improving quality of life, and/or funding health services and initiatives.
Albury Wodonga Health’s paediatric unit used the funds to invest in child-specific equipment and surgical instruments, which has saved precious time for staff, improved outcomes for patients, reduced the need for families to travel hours for treatment, and supported staff skill development and retention.
One of the most positive outcomes of the funding, according to the paediatric team, is the fact that more local families can access treatment and care without having to leave the region.
Previously, patients had to travel to Melbourne, Sydney or Canberra for certain procedures and treatment. This burdened families with the added expense of travel and overnight stays, and greater disruption to work and school. Often families were separated because one caregiver would accompany the child while the remaining family members stayed at home. Keeping patients and their families together at an already challenging and stressful time has been an important benefit resulting from the SS&A’s support.
Having more treatment available locally also results in greater continuity of care. The nurses and surgeons know the patients and their clinical history, and children aren’t as scared when they come in because they’re familiar with the ward and the equipment, and they know and trust the people caring for them.
One of the most significant purchases made possible through the SS&A’s support was a state-of-the-art humidicrib – a safe, controlled environment that keeps babies warm and comfortable when being transferred to and from surgery. The humidicrib prevents them from using vital energy to keep themselves warm, and provides oxygen directly, rather than nurses having to insert a separate tube. As one clinical nurse specialist put it, the new humidicrib means babies arrive in good condition for their surgery, which aids healing and leads to better post-operative outcomes.
The grants enabled the health service to fast-track other paediatric-specific equipment on its wish list, including a bladder scanner, syringe driver and ECG machine. Staff no longer have to borrow adult equipment from other wards and spend time recalibrating it for children. This reduces errors and saves the paediatric team valuable time. As they say: in their job “time is everything”.
The funding has also allowed Albury Wodonga Health to purchase sofa beds for each of its 16 rooms so that parents and carers can stay with their children, while still getting the rest they need.
Albury Wodonga Health has also used grant funds to buy paediatric surgical instruments, allowing surgeon Dr Tracey Merriman to perform a wider range of operations on children locally. This gives the paediatric team clinical experience and training they wouldn’t otherwise receive. It also helps Albury Wodonga Health attract and retain staff, particularly nursing students who stay and work locally because there are more professional development opportunities.
Overall, the SS&A’s support has resulted in a better-equipped paediatric ward, and better health outcomes for local children and their families.
