Pindara Private Hospital’s New Emergency Department Opened The first private Emergency Department in Australia is now not only going to be the newest, but also one of the biggest in the country. On Friday 2 December, Shadow Minister for Health & Ambulance Services, John-Paul Langbroek MP, officially unveiled the new Pindara Private Hospital Emergency Department expansion and the South Coast Radiology Pindara facility. The $12 million new emergency department is the final phase of Stage 3 in the Pindara 4 Stage Redevelopment Master Plan and has taken a year to complete. Pindara CEO, Trish Hogan, said that Ramsay Health Care has invested well over $100 million in Stages 1 & 2 of the Pindara Master Plan which has included the building of a five-level specialist suites tower, a multistorey free car park, a new kitchen and the 120-bed Dr David Lindsay Wing. “At Pindara Private Hospital, we pride ourselves on providing world-class facilities and services for the Gold Coast community. This latest development means that we now have a worldclass 24 hour accident and emergency centre that can support the thriving local community,” Mrs Hogan said. The Emergency Department is now a 27-bed facility which has expanded to three times its original size and is fitted out with the latest technology and equipment including cardiac monitoring capabilities for all acute beds, bedside ultrasound and video laryngoscopy. It will also be the only private emergency department on the Gold Coast to have a purpose-built isolation room for infectious disease. The newly-built, huge undercover ambulance bay is equipped with a hazardous materials shower and has direct access to the resuscitation room providing optimal conditions for the best patient outcomes. This exemplifies the way the Department has been designed with work-flow in mind so that everything a patient may require is at the fingertips of the team, including being colocated with the SCR imaging facility. Emergency Medicine Group Member, Dr Paul Pluss, said that the new spacious treatment bays and wide corridors will give patients the room they need when they are sick, and caters for the whole family. “The Patients’ Waiting Lounge is more comfortable with an interactive children’s entertainment area which compliments the separate nested paediatric emergency area with its restful and distracting animal murals,” Dr Pluss said. “The emergency paediatric facilities combined with our dedicated on-site, paediatric, inpatient beds and outpatient suites make us one of the only NEWS L-R Dr Ben Walters, (Director of Emergency Medicine, Pindara Private Hospital), Mr Danny Sims (Chief Executive Officer- Australia, Ramsay Health Care), Mr John-Paul Langbroek MP (State Member for Surfers Paradise and Shadow Minister for Health & Ambulance Services). private hospitals to fully cater for your children’s needs,” he said. The Patients’ Waiting Lounge features calming murals of tress in autumn and a tranquil fountain to create a relaxing space. A screen has also been added which is updated in real time to display the expected waiting time, doctors on duty and the latest developments in the Hospital. IPads are also supplied for convenience and entertainment and allow patients to access a range of resources at the touch of a button. The Australasian College of Emergency Medicine has long recognised Pindara’s dedication to providing high-quality, emergency healthcare and Pindara continues to have the privilege of training new emergency specialists. Dr Ben Walters, Director of Emergency Medicine at Pindara, said that the new administrative, educational and consulting spaces will assist in facilitating the teaching program at Pindara. “We are committed to developing a stable team of specialist emergency physicians (FACEMs) and advanced emergency medicine registrars at Pindara, and the new areas will help us continue the teaching program we have, including further simulation training for all staff,” Dr Walters said. The team of doctors will still boast extensive relationships with the general practitioner community through open and comprehensive communication regarding the health needs of all patients. “The emergency team haven’t changed and neither has our objective to provide timely, friendly, high-quality emergency care in a familyorientated fashion,” said Dr Pluss. Part of this high-quality care is recognising how stressful it can be waiting for emergency assistance. Pindara, therefore, aims to make the wait as short as possible and has gone as far as to develop a clock showing how long the wait is likely to be. This is updated in real-time and is displayed in the waiting room and on the Hospital website. “We still, however, make sure we are not rushing you out of the department before a proper assessment has been made and each bed has its own TV so that loved ones can feel as comfortable as possible,” Dr Pluss said. As part of the expanded service, Pindara will also now be offering Executive Health Checks in a dedicated area of the Emergency Department which is spacious, modern and inviting. Dr Martin Clark said this service is called the Pindara Corporate Wellness Centre and the aims to identify health risks before they become major health problems. “Corporate wellness programmes are becoming increasingly important way for companies to look after their greatest asset – their staff – with the benefits of diminished absenteeism, improved productivity and engagement,” Dr Clark said. The Health and Productivity Institute of Australia’s report on the impact of workplace health and well-being programmes assessed that companies save $5.81 for every $1 invested in employee health and wellbeing. 2016 pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 11
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Nine
To see the actual publication please follow the link above