Research, Innovation & Projects

Active

Safe Care for Kids Project (ViCTOR)

The Safer Care for Kids: ViCTOR project aims to reduce variation in how health services recognise and respond to deterioration in children by:

• ensuring consistent use of Victorian children’s tool for observation and response (ViCTOR )
• enhancing involvement of families and caregivers in recognising and responding to their child’s deterioration.

For more information on this project please visit https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/improvement/projects/safer-care-for-kids-victor

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Acute Care Collaborative Project

This project aims to improve the experience and outcomes for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Victoria.

• It will address the critical factors that increase the likelihood of readmission to hospital from COPD.
• By partnering with and providing funding to Lung Foundation Australia to deliver a nurse-led collaborative aimed at improving patient experience, quality of care and health outcomes for people with COPD in Victoria.

For more information on this project please visit https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/improvement/projects/copd-acute-care-collaborative

Victorian Sepsis Program

The Victorian Sepsis Program is a statewide improvement program designed with an expert working group of consumers, multidisciplinary clinicians and safety and quality experts.

The ultimate focus is on minimising variation in practice by aligning sepsis management in Victorian health services to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) Sepsis Clinical Care Standard (2022). This includes establishing and revisiting key evidence-based improvements in:

• early recognition and time-critical management of sepsis
• health service education
• sepsis awareness
• partnership with consumers

For more information on this project please visit https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/improvement/projects/victorian-sepsis-program

System Audit Family Violence Evaluation (SAFE) Project Expanded

The University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital obtained a grant from the Collier Charitable Fund to undertake research to assess the impact of the Strengthening Hospital Responses to Family Violence (SHRFV) program. The SAFE Project developed a System Audit Tool (SAFE Tool) to evaluate how hospitals and health services organisations are realising change at the patient, staff, and organisation levels to address family violence.
For more information please visit: https://www.saferfamilies.org.au/safeproject

HIRAID Project

The HIRAID project aims to reduce variations in how Urgent Care nurses in rural settings assess and manage patients after triage. This nursing framework is designed to improve the safety and quality of emergency nursing care.

The Loddon Mallee Health Network (one of Heathcote Health’s partnerships) has supported the implementation of this project by providing:

• E-Learning modules for the learning management system
• Contact for HIRAID prompt cards for staff lanyard to be ordered
• Support through regular Teams meetings with Nurse Unit Manager & Associate Nurse Unit Managers in Urgent Care

Completed

Maggie Beer

The Maggie Beer Foundation trainer mentor program – pairs aged care home kitchen teams with qualified chef trainer who mentor your team to serve flavourful, nutritious food and deliver an enhanced dining experience for residents in aged care homes.

Benefits of the program:

• Enhancing the quality of life for older people living in Aged Care
• Increase in food satisfaction for residents
• Building capability of chefs and cooks
• Receiving support and advice on how to meet the food and nutrition Aged Care standards

New Community Services Building

In 2024, Heathcote Health received more than $6.5 million from the Victorian Government to deliver its new Community Health Hub. Recently completed, the new facility will be a home for the Community Services Program and a one-stop-shop for a range of local community services.

The new building will feature a training and education area, private clinical appointment rooms, therapy and exercise space as well as staff and student accommodation.

This builds on the more than $2.6 million Heathcote Health received to upgrade the main kitchen and laundry facility – which delivered a more modern, spacious and efficient working environment for staff, with these services making an important contribution to a patient’s stay.

Projects like these play a vital role in ensuring that regional health services can attract and retain, a highly skilled local workforce with construction also supporting the creation of hundreds of jobs statewide.