Prince of Wales Hospital's prototype leads District's virtual care transformation

Prince of Wales Hospital (POWH) is leading the District into new territory for managing hospital operations, with the launch of SESLHD’s first state-of-the-art command centre.

The POWH ‘Operations Centre, Virtual Care’ is a prototype of the hub planned for the new $780M Acute Services Building which is under construction.

The centre brings a new team-based approach supported by the latest technology, to efficiently navigate inpatients through their journey – and lays the groundwork to connect patients with new innovative virtual models of care in the community.

Dominica Lemmich, Deputy Director of Nursing and Director of Operations, POWH Virtual Care Centre, said the centre’s launch was an exciting time for the hospital, bringing together staffing, patient flow, bed managers, the waiting list manager, the after hours’ nurse manager and Corporate Services as one co-located operation.

The new approach allows the team to ‘huddle’ virtually with any part of the organisation.

“It’s the first time we’ll all be sitting together, so it’s a centralised team responsible for the management of planned and unplanned patient flow, combined with staffing, to support the whole hospital approach,” Ms Lemmich said.

“Previously, we had bed managers at one end of the hospital, staffing at the other, and we had patient flow managers sitting elsewhere. Now we’re regularly bringing the team together in a huddle, to decide who’s going where and what support services we need.

“This will be a really efficient operational unit. I feel very privileged to be leading it and they’re a really great team.”

Ms Lemmich said the primary purpose of the centre was to improve care for patients: “Our aim is that the patient journey is very streamlined – to give them the right care at the right time in the right place.”

Jennie Barry, General Manager, POWH, said: “This is the first step for Prince of Wales Hospital’s virtual care transformation. The efficiency for operational management that the command centre will bring will be built upon as we introduce more virtual services that we will connect our patients to in the community, expanding our high-quality care far beyond the walls of the hospital."

The prototype Operations Centre was made possible with support from the eHealth Virtual Care Accelerator funding.

Staff in masks waving