AGPAL Quality Innovation Award 2006

Federation Clinic was invited to apply for this award by AGPAL , the national body for the accreditation of General Practices in Australia following our 2005 accreditation assessment. The award was presented to the clinic at an international conference for Primary Health Care held in Brisbane in March 2006.
We were chosen from a number of finalists because we were assessed as being
“a general practice excelling in the provision of primary healthcare services in Australia” showing
“excellence in education, systems development, patient care and recruitment in the face of chronic doctor shortages”.

The award looked at 3 key areas in practice operations:

"Systems developed by the practice which put patient and staff safety first"

Aspects noted included:
• Color-coded waste control system for containers, cleaning materials and instrument handling which ensures safe disposal of all contaminated waste.
• The architectural design of the building with high ceilings, split waiting areas and carefully designed airflow minimising risk of cross-infection.
• Carpeting of the outside play area to reduce child injury risk.
• Vaccination management system with automated warning facility if storage fridge temperatures become too high and records kept of all temperature fluctuations to ensure vaccine integrity.
• Laminated plain English instruction sheets ensuring all staff have information about equipment and procedures as required.

"Commitment of the practice to quality care through innovation"

The use of technology at the clinic to improve quality has been ongoing:
• Nursing Home and other external consultations are now facilitated by real-time connection through wireless broadband and laptop to the surgery’s patient record database – this has improved quality of patient care as medical staff can now create and access records anywhere, any time.
• Unanswered calls during periods of high patient demand have been addressed by equipping part-time staff with computer and telephone links to their home, allowing staff on maternity leave or who work part-time to accept bookings and attend to other office duties for a few hours per day while working from home.
• Electronic desk top access to Xrays, CT and Ultrasound pictures online has enabled direct demonstration of test findings to patients. Medical staff also have electronic access to practice manuals and other online reference resources.

"Involvement of practice staff in risk management projects"

Efforts to ensure ongoing relevant education of all staff were noted.
Our training program includes:
• Training in instrument care and sterilisation for selected staff.
• Hand washing training annually for all staff from cleaners to doctors.
• Monitoring of doctor's surgical and infection control procedures ensuring they comply to Standards.
• Assessment of other protocols including triage, fire training, resuscitation, and cleaning cycles.