Mid North Coast - Staff secondments from Port Macquarie Base Hospital to the John Hunter Children's Hospital
This project was designed to meet the educational needs required by staff to allow them to perform competently in their area of expertise. Staff were seconded, in a supernumerary capacity to John Hunter Children's Hospital to up-skill in the areas identified and return to Port Macquarie Base Hospital with the purpose of taking on the role of educator and resource person in that selected field.
Staff from John Hunter Children's Hospital mentored a specific programme designed to facilitate professional development of individual staff. Examples of the areas identified by Port Macquarie Base Hospital staff that were included were:
- Wound and burns management
- Perioperative care
- Diabetes
- Allied health services
- Eating disorders and self-harming behaviours
The outcomes of the project were:
- All staff at Port Macquarie Base Hospital had the opportunity to apply for secondment
- A committee was structured to prioritise and select staff to be given access to the programme
- Staff returned with the purpose of becoming a resource person and educator in their chosen field of expertise
- The staff member had the opportunity to network and develop valuable links with tertiary centres for further updates
- All staff who work with children benefited from the programme and feel more confident and competent
- Children benefit by receiving care from staff who have the knowledge and expertise in current best practice
- There have been a reduced number of adverse events amongst paediatric patients