Celebrating clinical excellence and innovation in Australia's private hospitals

Tuesday, 5 April 2022

Celebrating clinical excellence and innovation in Australia's private hospitals
The Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) 2022 Awards For Excellence celebrate successful projects in
innovation and clinical excellence by private hospitals around the country.

The Awards, announced last evening (Monday 4 April 2022), recognise the amazing work being done in the private
hospital sector, said APHA CEO Michael Roff.

"Australia's private hospitals have a long tradition of innovation and providing high quality health care to their
patients. It was the private sector that introduced robotic surgery to this country and the innovation hasn't stopped
there," he said.

"Australians saw private hospitals step up to help the public system cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, and now we
have an opportunity to congratulate private hospitals for thinking outside the box to deliver new and effective
practices that improve health care outcomes for their patients. This is even more remarkable considering the
constraints the pandemic has placed on them."
Mr Roff said the high standard of entries for the Awards reflected the great work being done in the private sector,
which is constantly striving to improve services.

"These efforts are particularly noteworthy given COVID pressures that include surgery restrictions, staff shortages,
increasing cost pressures and helping public hospitals and aged care with the pandemic response," he said.

Mr Roff said all entrants would have been worthy winners and the judges had a difficult task determining the
successful hospitals. There was also an element of peer review in the judging – delegates at the APHA 39th National
Congress voted on the winners following presentations from each finalist during the event. The delegates vote
counted for five percent of the final score.

The Awards were presented at the APHA Gala Dinner held in Adelaide Monday 4 April 2022.

Clinical Excellence:
Winner: Mt Wilga Private Hospital, Lymphoedema Rehabilitation Program
Synopsis: A multidisciplinary team approach to lymphoedema care that has resulted in reduced requirement for
treatment sessions, increased skills across the nursing and exercise physiologist teams and increased communication
with patients resulting in the service better meeting their care goals.

Finalists:
• Brisbane Waters Private Paediatric Jungle Safari Experience
• Sydney Adventist Hospital - Nutrition and Dietetics
Innovation:
Winner: South Pacific Private Hospital - Accreditation to Rainbow Tick Standards
Synopsis: South Pacific Private have implemented six LGBTQIA+ inclusive practice standards to achieve Rainbow Tick
Standards in 2021. The hospital has ensured its Consumers and Carers Committee has LGBTQIA members to help
Level 3 /11 National Circ, Barton ACT 2600. PO Box 4502, Kingston ACT 2604. [T] 02 6273 9000 [F] 02 6273 7000
[E] [W] www.apha.org.au [FB] ValuingPrivateHospitals [Twitter] @priv8hospitals
ABN 82 008 623 809

shape its programs and has instituted extensive staff training and the appointment of a Cultural Safety Officer to
ensure patient safety needs are met.

An external audit of staff and management confirmed that South Pacific Private has a very open, positive and
inclusive communication system. Staff spoke of their personal stories in relation to how they have felt welcomed,
outlined their sense of safety, and identified how the hospital has enabled this safety and supported their wellbeing.

Finalists:
• Royal Rehab Private Hospital - EksoNR (advanced robotics exoskeleton)
• Lingard Private Hospital - HealtheHeart

-ENDSMedia contact: Frith Rayner, Director Communications and Marketing, 0413 971 999

Level 3 /11 National Circ, Barton ACT 2600. PO Box 4502, Kingston ACT 2604. [T] 02 6273 9000 [F] 02 6273 7000
[E] [W] www.apha.org.au [FB] ValuingPrivateHospitals [Twitter] @priv8hospitals
ABN 82 008 623 809

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