A total of 76 recommendations have been identified as a result of an independent review into paediatric care at Caboolture Hospital.
Babies, toddlers, teenagers and their families who feel they have previously been let down by the hospital are the very reason the review was conducted into the care provided.
The review, which was announced in June 2023, was undertaken by an external panel to evaluate the way Caboolture Hospital provides care to paediatric patients and offer recommendations for improvement. Metro North Health released the recommendations and action plan from the independent review into paediatric care at the hospital in late July.
The review found that Caboolture Hospital’s care is clinically sound, however there are staffing, reporting and cultural improvements to be made which would improve the experience and outcomes for children under 16 and their families.
The report details recommendations in eight key areas, which include recognition of paediatrics as a distinct specialty, community consultation on development of a new outpatient building, organisation restructure to provide paediatric knowledge to the executive, development of a new paediatric medical staffing model, allocation of a paediatric triage or waiting room nurse, additional education and support to nurse practitioners, developing streaming models and developing a dedicated paediatric morbidity and mortality committee.
Metro North Health Chief Operating Officer Jane Hancock, who commissioned the report, said the expanding Caboolture community had a growing paediatric population which would benefit from improvements being undertaken.
“Caboolture is a booming region that has a high population of paediatric patients, which we know is only set to increase, so it makes sense our services are specialised to support our youngest patients,” she said. “The reviewers have identified that we need additional, specialised staffing for paediatrics across a range of roles and parts of the hospital, as well as more collaboration with consumers – and we remain committed to putting that in place, with many of these actions already underway.”
The reviewers recommended that Caboolture Hospital establish a paediatric consumer advisory group and a planned $15 million paediatric outpatient building be co-designed with clinicians and community members, as well as for there to be more ways to access specialist care. More emphasis is also needed on compassionate child-centred approaches and safety and quality reporting and complaints handling.
“We remain committed to continually improving the way we provide care to all patients, but particularly our paediatric patients following this important review,” Ms Hancock said.
The report focuses on key areas for improvement including recruitment and staffing models, enhanced patient spaces and patient experience and distinction between paediatric and adult care teams and spaces.
The reviewers also felt that more community education was required around accessing the satellite hospitals and about the good things happening at Caboolture Hospital.
To view the summary of findings and recommendations, visit https://metronorth.health.qld.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/caboolture-paediatric-review-summary-findings-recommendations.pdf
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