AN EMERGENCY department in a private hospital may seem unusual.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the service provided at St John of God Ballarat was recognised in the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards.
The health care provider was highly commended in the private hospital excellence category in Melbourne last week.
Director of Emergency Medicine Dr Vince Russell attributed the accolade to the hospital’s emergency department strategy.
The Review Project aims to improve patient flow throughout the hospital.
“We have done quite a bit of work with patient flow, with no added funding or resources,” Dr Russell said.
“We were able to provide a service to the Ballarat and regional community at no cost to the public purse.”
St John of God’s emergency department operates on $2 million per year and treats about 15,000 patients.
Dr Russell said by comparison about 45,000 to 50,000 patients would present to the public system.
The Epworth HealthCare Group and Cabrini Health Limited were also recognised in the private hospital excellence category.
St John of God was one of the first private hospitals in Victoria to open an emergency department in 1989.
It is the only regional private hospital providing a 24 hour emergency service.