Continuity of Care
Every patient who has had surgery at the Eye and Ear would be familiar with Surgical Admissions and Recovery (SAR). In fact, in the 2022-2023 financial year, SAR saw over 9000 patients come through their doors.
Situated on Level 2 of the Smorgan Family Wing, SAR is the first point of contact for all patients on the morning of their surgery, and for many patients who come in for day surgery, they are the last point of contact too.
SAR Nurse Unit Manager (NUM), Mitchell Wilson, has worked at the Eye and Ear in this role since 2006. During his tenure Mitch has been seconded to work across several departments within the hospital and at Department of Health, utilising his experience in surgical services and patient care to provide valuable perspective across multiple projects and teams. Because of this, Mitch knows and values the significant role that patient feedback has in the hospital.
![Headshot of Mitchell Wilson, Nurse Unit Manager of Surgical Admissions and Recovery. He wears black glasses and a navy sweater.](https://eyeandear.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mitchell-Wilson-600x750.jpg)
“I do believe I’ve got a good overview of the hospital and the patient journey, which I really enjoy. We actively seek feedback in my department through feedback cards and the staff are very proactive at giving these out,” explains Mitch.
Using the feedback received on these cards, Mitch’s department has gone on to implement a number of patient centred initiatives aimed at improving future patient experiences. This includes introducing:
- Staggered admission times: patients are admitted at different times instead of all at once, reducing wait times.
- Comfort rounds for patients: dedicated staff members talk with patients and carers, providing updates and reassurance whilst they are in their care.
- Changes to staff rostering: patients admitted in the morning will see the same staff in their recovery, providing familiarity and easing patient anxiety.
- Volunteers in SAR: volunteers support comfort rounds in waiting rooms and recovery wards by checking in with patients and providing additional support.
Mitch has presented on the importance of patient feedback and maintaining positive patient experiences in several forums, including at the World Association of Eye Hospital Conference held at the Eye and Ear in 2023.
Valuing consistency for patients who come through their department, the SAR team actively seeks feedback and comes together to discuss ideas and improvements in their daily meetings.
“We have a daily huddle and that’s where staff have an opportunity to talk about how the day is going, what has gone well, what we could improve on, go through what feedback we have received from patients and think ‘what can we do? Is this something that can be done locally or is it something bigger we can do with other departments?,” says Mitch.
“For example, staggered admissions came about because we were getting some negative feedback about the long waiting times. It’s a terrible thing, waiting. So, we implemented the staggered admission to try and reduce that length of time that patients actually have to wait before you go into surgery and as a result, reduce patient anxiety.”
![Nurse Unit Manager Mitch stands addressing staff during a morning huddle](https://eyeandear.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Wards31-600x900.jpg)
All feedback, both positive and negative, is a valuable resource for discussion and further improvement across the whole hospital. Although Mitch’s department receives a higher percentage of positive feedback, all feedback is placed on a Quality Improvement Board and discussed as a team.
“We have had a couple of recent months where our feedback rate has been 100% complimentary, so that’s fantastic…but it doesn’t mean there isn’t an opportunity to find improvement,” Mitch explains.
“The patients, their carers and staff are the richest source of information. Their feedback provides clear insights as to what is working and what the opportunities are to improve the service and the experience.”
All feedback received at the hospital is collated by our Consumer Liaison Officer and distributed back to departments where they can actively reflect and share it with staff. In addition to these postcards, Mitch’s team relays their own experiences which can also lead to improvements.
The opportunities could be small, such as placing a visual aid in change rooms to assist patients to wear their theatre gowns correctly, or a broader project involving multiple departments to implement new procedures.
What is common throughout is the understanding that the patient’s voice and experience are at the heart of it all. It has improved experiences for patients, staff and the hospital as Mitch explains.
“The biggest thanks goes to the many patients who share their stories daily and make my role here at the hospital a positive experience.”