The need to innovate to meet future healthcare challenges is now an accepted imperative. Melissa Rahmate shares how learning and applying a redesign approach transformed one of her district’s paediatric services, and provided professional opportunities to lead change.
Having worked in project management across a variety of settings for 20 years, I have a keen interest in change and service improvement to better meet the needs of our community.
I became deeply interested in redesign following redeployment to the COVID Vaccination Implementation team in 2021, and became aware of the work underway by our district’s redesign lead. I was then given the opportunity to undertake a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Redesign through the Agency for Clinical Innovation’s Centre for Healthcare Redesign and University of Tasmania.
My initial expectation was that I would be able to develop my skills and deliver service improvement. What followed was an immersive experience into the world of redesign.
Improving access to care through redesign
At The Tweed Hospital, our Children's Hospital in the Home / Paediatric Post Acute Care Service plays an important role in providing sustainable, best practice care as close to home as possible. However, the service needed to grow and the path to do this was not clear for our regional hybrid service. This would become the focus of the project I undertook with my colleague and partner in the clinical redesign program, Paediatric Nurse Unit Manager Samantha Petersen.
From the first ‘redesign school’ workshop, I sensed I was in for an exhilarating journey. The methodology was rigorous and the time schedule was tight but it was also incredibly exciting. I felt as though we were doing something valuable and had confidence that we would be supported at every step. I am still in awe of the expertise and generosity of the Clinical Innovation Redesign team.
The program offered an ideal way to learn. Workshop theory was followed by immediate practical application of the skills across the five redesign phases. My team also had strong support from our district’s Redesign Lead, Lynn Hopkinson.
Following the redesign methodology, we developed a new service model called CHIPA: Children’s Hospital in the Home, Infusions, Procedures, Acute Review. Working with Samantha, and in close collaboration with Medical Lead Dr Andrew Hutchinson and the Paediatric team, the service has been restructured to provide greater integration and access.
For children and their families, this means reducing the amount of time spent in hospital or travelling to hospitals for follow-up treatment. Establishing this contemporary and sustainable model is particularly important with the move to the new Tweed Valley Hospital in 2024. As the region grows, bringing care as close to home as possible will also help to reduce pressure on hospital beds and the carbon footprint from healthcare travel.
Opportunities for career development
Beyond the project, the redesign program has provided ongoing opportunities. I have recently commenced in the role of Innovation Manager for Northern NSW Local Health District. The role allows me to share my knowledge and mentor other staff undertaking change initiatives. I also use these skills and the relationships I developed through the program to promote innovation and change across Northern NSW.
If you are interested in change and innovation to improve clinical processes and deliver better patient journeys, I highly recommend building your knowledge and skills in healthcare redesign.
Learn more about successful redesign projects on the Innovation Exchange, including Melissa’s: Home Grown - Maximising Tweed Children's Hospital in the Home / Paediatric Post-Acute Care Service
About Melissa Rahmate
Melissa Rahmate is the Innovation Manager at Northern NSW Local Health District. She has recently completed the ACI's Graduate Certificate in Clinical Redesign. Melissa has a background in project management with a special interest in child and youth health. She has worked for two decades on projects across a range of roles and health settings, including integrated care, health promotion and community health. Melissa has also completed a Master of Social Planning and Development and a Bachelor of Business – Marketing.