The emergency department at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital received the Continuous Quality Improvement Award for working to make the busy department more efficient and welcoming. (Jo Salken)

By Spencer Sterritt

award winners

Busy Nanaimo Hospital ER receives award for improving care of patients and staff

Feb 6, 2020 | 6:47 AM

NANAIMO — Efforts to improve the busiest emergency room on Vancouver Island earned all those involved an award for the first time.

It was given to the Nanaimo chapter of the Emergency Department Quality Council at the end of 2019. They meet monthly to discuss how to improve the department and put into action recommendations from staff.

Joanna Salken, the interim manager of Nanaimo emergency services within the hospital, told NanaimoNewsNOW the efforts they were rewarded for require dedication and commitment.

“This is something which is completely staff-led and has led to some great opportunities for change and improvement. But (it) can take quite a while and involve other departments.”

Salken said similar initiatives at other health care sites are often done off the side of a desk and don’t receive a full amount of attention.

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“It’s a great undertaking to be able to do on such a big scale.”

She said roughly 50 ideas being recommended or worked on at any given time.

Recommendations can be as simple as buying smaller ID bands for those in pediatrics to fit their small wrists to creating new educational displays in the waiting room.

There’s also a staff component as well, such as creating a document introducing everyone with a quick biography.

“That’s a great way when someone new comes in for the rest of staff to know who they are and what skills they’re brining to the department.”

Staff development, retention and satisfaction were signalled as priorities for Island Health after a bombshell review revealed staff felt they were being censured in a toxic work culture and felt disrespected.

“Communication ideas which came to this group definitely came out of that,” Salken said of the report.

“Looking at ways to create a positive and safe workplace culture that deals with concerns brought forward years ago. If you asked people in the department working today, they would say morale is definitely better than it has been in the past.”

Salken said many vacancies in the emergency department are now filled, which removes a heavy burden from staff.

Looking to the future, she said efficiencies are expected to be found in how and where supplies are stocked and more space for pediatric patients who may experience mental health disorders.

A recent walkthrough was done to track what journey a patient infected with the coronavirus would embark on once their in the hospital, to minimize any potential liabilities and exposures.

The next Continuous Quality Improvement Award will be handed to a different emergency room in March.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit