The value of allied health team leaders across specialty streams to drive change, support staff and create novel models of care
Jessica Simionato1, Lara Kimmel1, Valentina Maric1, Caitlyn Green11Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Abstract
Allied health at Alfred Health spans all specialty streams and campuses. To maintain excellence in quality and safety care provision; progress care; and develop contemporary, adaptable and novel models of care, it was identified that allied health team lead roles would support staff working in a variety of streams from trauma to oncology, general medicine, burns and emergency.
Starting with a highly successful trauma model of care that focused on enhancing allied health intervention intensity thus reducing length of stay, the allied health team lead role was considered and established across several streams, including the COVID wards. The roles innovate and protect the model of care within the specialty stream, use improvement science and data to monitor and drive change for improvement, and are active members of multidisciplinary leadership and governance groups. The roles have diverse aims and are staffed by allied health professionals from a range of disciplines. A core job card and regular team meetings have ensured a collective and consistent focus. The roles have enabled various outcomes; including the establishment of a replicable quality management system and access to additional grant funding.
This presentation will outline the quality improvement framework, data and skill sets used to establish these roles and present key clinical outcomes linked to the team lead roles. Using an ‘all teach all learn’ approach, including sharing the lessons learnt and success achieved, attendees can expect to walk away with a recipe on how they too may create these roles in their local health networks.
Biography
Jessica Simionato is Allied Health Team Leader for General Medicine at Alfred Health. Jessica has a clinical background in Speech Pathology and holds a Masters of Public Health. In addition, Jessica has skills in improvement science and research and is a firm believer in the power of continuous improvement to both improve staff engagement as well as patient outcomes. Jessica’s mantra is simple- lets leave things better than we found them, and have the data to prove it!