Department of Health
With the inauguralWorld Patient Safety Day on Tuesday 17 September 2019, Top End Health Serviceis deeply committed to patient safety.
TEHS Co-Director (Nursing) Division of Women, Children& Youth Maureen Brittin said an escalation system for patients and theirfamilies to raise concerns about their own, or a family members care, had beenrolled out across all Top End hospitals over the past year.
The escalation system titled REACT encourages patients,carers and families to escalate their concerns and receive immediate feedbackif they notice something is not right.
The initiative has been rolled out at Royal Darwin Hospital,Palmerston Regional Hospital as well as Katherine and Gove hospitals.
The REACT system encourages patients, carers and families tofollow a simple two-step process:
Raise concerns with a staff member oran Aboriginal Liaison Officer
If you see no change in care providedor are not satisfied with the response, then call, or ask someone to call theREACT number on 1800 290 888.
The call is answered by a nursing staff member who willengage with the medical team on the callers behalf and task a senior team memberto review the case immediately.
Posters and brochures have been distributed across thehospitals and patients are advised of the new system upon admission.
The REACT system enables patients and families to escalateconcerns about their own care or the person they care for. It aims to empowerpatients and families to engage with staff if they notice something is notright and to call for help if they are concerned.
Engaging patients and families in patient care helpsempower them to work in collaboration with health care providers to put thepatient first. It also conveys to patients and families the important messagethat they are valued as partners in improving safety and quality.
The REACT Program aligns with other programs in hospitalsaround the world to empower patient and their families while in hospital towork in collaboration with their health care team.
While the use of observation charts to recognise andrespond to clinical deterioration is effective, partnering with patients andfamilies as care team members (i.e. the people who know the patient best) toalert staff to patient deterioration provides an additional safety net.
