The Director General of WA Health addressed the launch of Patient Experience Week. He spoke to the importance of compassionate care and outlined Recommendations from the WA Clinical Senate.

1. Patient Experience Week 2016
Dr DJ Russell-Weisz - Director General, WA Health

2. Patient Experience at WA Health
 WA Health is committed to patient care, patient safety and
providing the best patient experience.
 Patient experience informs clinicians and administrators and
drives quality and safety outcomes in clinical services.
 It is essential to have an organisational culture where staff feel
valued and respected, and patients are treated with dignity and
respect.
 Consumers must be involved in strategic processes that guide the
planning, design and evaluation of health services.
 Everyone at WA Health is responsible for the patient experience.
“People have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in
the planning and implementation of their health care.”
– Declaration of Alma-Ata, International Conference on Primary Health Care 1978
2

3. Values – from a personal perspective
 Commitment, Accountability, Respect, Excellence
 Drive and Dedication
 Integrity and Humility
 Passion and Humour
 Resilience
 Teamwork
 Work ethic
 Attention to detail
 Set, build and deliver
the culture
3

4. Clinical Senate on Patient Experience
The patient will see you now – thinking beyond
accreditation to focus on the patient experience.
 Held December 2015
 More than 100 senators, consumers and experts
 Department of Health partnering with Health Consumers’
Council
 Consumers and clinicians working together to improve the
patient experience in our health system
 Examining how we can best use
the patient experience to inform
clinicians in order to drive quality
and safety outcomes within our
clinical services.

5. What is Compassionate Care?
“Put simply, compassionate care is about the way in which people
relate to each other.” – WA Health Nursing and Midwifery Office.
 Compassion for self
 Necessary in order to have capacity to deliver care required
 Compassion for consumer and their caregivers
 Consumer is part of the journey and decision making process
 Compassion for colleagues
 Direct link between staff wellbeing and quality and safety of care
 Compassionate organisations
 Caring and compassionate culture.
5

6.  These disasters
were heralded
years in advance
by poor clinical
engagement.
 Quality indicators
indicated a
problem
retrospectively.
 Need to
understand which
lead indicators
gauge the health
of an
organisation.
Failings in Compassionate Care: A Case Study
The Francis Report - Mid Staffs Hospital Scandal, NHS Hospital Trust
6

7. Compassionate Care at WA Health
 Earmarked as a priority in the Nursing and Midwifery Office
(NMO) Strategic Direction 2015-2017.
 Embedded in NMO’s Leadership Development Program –
completed by more than 200 frontline leaders since 2013, with 60
more enrolled for 2016.
 Embraced as a priority throughout the Department of Health – in
particular in the Nursing and Midwifery Office, Chief Health
Professions Office, Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and Patient
Safety and Quality Division.
 Department of Health – as system manager - setting key
performance indicators and policy around non-bullying culture,
culturally safe workplaces, and professional development and
training.
 Key performance indicators also being set in relation to staff
engagement, patient outcomes, accountability and innovation. 7

8. Patient Experience – Summary
 The patient journey is unique to each person. Every interaction
with patients and their families impacts on their experience.
 We must transparently measure the patient experience.
 Lessons learnt – through both positive and negative feedback –
can be used to improve health services.
 A system-wide definition of a great patient experience should be
developed.
 Consumers must be involved in the planning, design and
evaluation of health services.
 It is essential to have an organisational culture where staff feel
valued and respected, and patients are treated with dignity and
respect.
 This starts with our behaviour and our values.
8

9. Thank you.
Enjoy the Inaugural Patient Experience Week Events
9