Bass Coast Health (BCH) has been recognised for improving patient flow through the Emergency Department (ED) and inpatient wards at Wonthaggi Hospital.
BCH received the Award for Achieving Sustained and Significant Improvement as part of the Timely Emergency Care 2 (TEC2) - Optimising Flow Pathway project.
The award acknowledged BCH’s achievement in delivering a sustained 12 per cent reduction in Emergency Department admitted length of stay, a key measure of timely and effective emergency care.
This means patients identified as needing admission are now being accepted and transferred to an inpatient bed faster than before.
The TEC2 project is a state-wide initiative to improve patient flow across health services, from arrival in the ED through to admission, treatment and discharge. By reducing delays and improving coordination, the project aims to enhance patient experience, support staff and ensure patients receive the right care at the right time.
BCH’s success reflects organisation-wide work, including action-focused huddles to drive progression of care, a focus on earlier discharges before midday, improvements to cross-organisational communication, and enhancements to flow processes and visual management tools. These key metrics and processes are reviewed daily in freshly streamlined Daily Operating System (DOS) meetings.
The Department of Health acknowledged the team’s persistence, problem-solving approach, and consistent effort and collaboration. The achievement also recognises the leadership and dedication of Kate Lindsay, Lisa Oakley and Fiona Mills.
“If we can get a patient home from the ward just 15 minutes earlier, it means we can get a patient up from the Emergency Department sooner. This creates a free cubicle in the ED for ambulances to offload their patients more quickly and get back out into the community where they are needed,” Project Lead Kate Lindsay said.
“We know from the data that patients who stay in Emergency Departments longer than necessary experience poorer health outcomes. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure our processes support patients receiving the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Our staff have worked really hard to deliver this.”
Improvement Advisor Lisa Oakley said, “We acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of both our clinical teams and support services, who work tirelessly every day to ensure seamless patient flow at every stage of the patient journey.”
Executive Director for Clinical Services Christine Henderson highlighted staff’s collective effort and work.
“From Emergency and inpatient wards, to our support services, staff have worked together to redesign processes that improve the patient journey,” she said.
“The TEC2 project has strengthened how we work as an organisation. It has improved not only our performance measures, but also our culture of collaboration and shared accountability for patient flow and safety.”
The TEC2 Project will continue until the end of March 2026, with activities to embed sustainable processes into everyday practice. The project team is hopeful that Wonthaggi Hospital maybe considered for participation in TEC3.