Six workplace initiatives by the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services to improve patient and client care have been recognised by the awarding of this year’s Innovations in Practice Awards.

 

Three of the awards were won by Launceston General Hospital projects. These included a program to improve the safety of patients with impaired swallowing called the Safe Tick Routine: A Meal Management Framework; the Functional Electrical Stimulation project which has developed a  suite of educational and instructional tools about the treatment of stroke victims; and the Hospital at Night program that provided additional support for medical staff overnight by introducing an out-of-hours medical team system.

 

Two projects from the Royal Hobart Hospital’s cancer team also won prizes. One project involved the introduction of a multi-disciplinary team meeting that facilitates planning care for cancer patients throughout their illness, and the other investigated the perceptions of cancer patients and team members about a new program that provides treatment information, with their perceptions forming the basis for further improvements.

 

A new Housing Tasmania program - Stay and Key Services - was also an award recipient.

 

Stay and Key addresses the needs of people who are at risk of homelessness and frequently in institutions such as prison or youth detention. In this program, clients develop skills that enable them to sustain their tenancies and live independently while connecting with families, the community and other networks.