The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) Wheatbelt Mental Health (WMHS) is a specialist service that provides inpatient and ambulatory care to mental health patients in the Wheatbelt Mental Health Catchment Area. The service is committed to working to reduce barriers to mental health services and actively engage consumers likely to fall 'through the gaps'. People of Aboriginal 1 descent and their families are considered to form part of this group. State and National practice standards require that services deliver treatment and support in a manner which is sensitive to the cultural beliefs, values, practices and language needs of Aboriginal consumers, their family, carers and community.
The purpose of this policy is to inform and guide staff in assessing and admitting to the Community Mental Health Service. All referrals accepted into the service for assessment and/ or treatment must be in accordance with this policy.
As part of the its security risk management process, WACHS, in consultation with employees, ensures that all reasonably foreseeable security risks associated with access to workplaces are identified, assessed and eliminated where reasonably practicable, or the risks associated with access to workplaces are effectively controlled.
This procedure outlines the process that the Busselton Health Campus After Hours Hospital Coordinators must follow to obtain medications for patients when the Pharmacy is not open.
This procedure outlines the process that Bunbury Hospital After Hours Hospital Coordinators (HCAH) must follow to obtain medications for patients when the pharmacy is not open.
This procedure outlines how WACHS Mental Health Inpatient Units ensure effective and safe handover between nursing shifts and between members of the Mental Health Multidisciplinary Team providing care. Mental health consumers are to be active participants in handover. The ISoBAR structure underpins all clinical handover in WACHS. This procedure does not address intrahospital or interhospital clinical handover.
Acute Rheumatic Fever is a cause of significant morbidity in Aboriginal people in rural WA. Diagnoses can be missed or delayed due to unfamiliarity with the condition. This guideline and poster have been developed to improve care and outcomes of Aboriginal clients.
The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) endorses the National Stroke Foundation Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management 2017, Acute Stroke Clinical Care Standard 2015 and the WA Protocol for Intravenous Thrombolysis in Acute Ischaemic stroke - 2018 as evidence based recommended practice for use by WACHS Medical, Nursing and Allied Health staff.
This procedure aims to provide information on the use of additional observations for patients at risk of harm to themselves or others, or harm from others on the APU.
The purpose of this document is to provide South West staff with guidance regarding the administration of donated funds and the criteria upon which donations will be accepted, and the manner in which donated funds can be expended.
The purpose of this document is to provide Wheatbelt staff with guidance regarding the administration of donated funds and the criteria upon which donations are to be accepted, and the manner in which donated funds can be expended.
Fluoride varnish is a valuable tool in the prevention of dental decay in both deciduous and permanent teeth. Traditionally, the application of fluoride varnish is only to be carried out by a dental practitioner, however the Schedules of the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP) allows preparations containing fluoride that would otherwise be Schedule 4 to be exempt from scheduling provided the approval of an appropriate authority has been given. This policy sets out the training and competency in fluoride varnish application that is required to enable approved health professionals to apply fluoride varnish.
This procedure underpins the WACHS Alcohol and Tobacco Brief Intervention Policy and describes the WACHS procedure for the administration of the Alcohol and Tobacco Screening Tool and Brief Intervention.
Poor recognition and inappropriate treatment of thiamine deficiency, for which chronic alcohol abuse is the most common cause in Australia, can result in significant morbidity and mortality secondary to Wernike-Korsakoff Syndrome. This document provides clear guidelines for the administration of thiamine in patients with a known or suspected history of chronic alcohol abuse, with the aim to prevent and treat Wernike-Korsakoff Syndrome.
This procedure refers to those patients admitted to the Albany Hospital under the care of a psychiatrist. Unless specifically stated, there is no distinction according to physical location within the region, location within the hospital, or legal status of patients.
The Goldfields Mental Health Inpatient Service (GMHIS) provides assessment, care and treatment for people experiencing acute symptoms and/or behavioural change due to mental illness or psychiatric crises that cannot be managed in the community. Patients accessing psychiatric inpatient treatment do so on the basis that care and treatment is provided in the least restrictive manner possible, consistent with the Mental Health Act 2014 (WA) [MHA] and with regard to the safety of patients, staff, carers, visitors and the general public.
GCMHS prioritises resources for those who meet the eligibility criteria as per WACHS Admission Criteria for Adult/Older Adult Community Mental Health Services Policy and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Access Criteria Policy.
The High Dependency Unit is located within the Broome Mental Health Inpatient Unit (BMHU). It provides short term intensive interventions for patients in a low stimulus environment.
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure the admission of patients process meets the needs of each patient through the provision of quality care in a safe environment and meeting the organisation's needs through the efficient use of health service resources.
The purpose of this policy is to establish minimum practice standards for the care and management of admission, discharge, and intra-hospital transfer of patients throughout the WA Country Health Service. (The policy also incorporates the content of the WA Health Statewide Discharge Summary Policy MP 0016/16 which was rescinded 29 September 2017.)
The purpose of this policy is to establish minimum practice standards for the care of Adult Airway Management throughout the WA Country Health Service. The CPS does not include specific procedural airway management information for the community setting.
This guideline describes the management of patients who present to a WA Country Health Service (WACHS) South West (SW) hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
The purpose of this policy is to establish minimum practice standards for the care and management of dysphagia screening and assessment throughout the WA Country Health Service (WACHS).
The purpose of this policy is to: - Guide appropriate referral and admission to adult inpatient mental health services within the WA Country Health Service (WACHS). - Promote evidenced based practice in the assessment, care, treatment and management of mental health patients who are admitted to adult inpatient services within WACHS. Note: This policy remains in effect however a comprehensive content review has commenced in line with the Acute Patient Unit re authorisation self assessment process. Queries can be directed to: ExecutiveDirector@health.wa.gov.au.
The purpose of this guideline is to establish minimum practice standards for the care and management of refeeding syndrome in adults throughout the WA Country Health Service (WACHS).
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure a consistent approach throughout the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) for managing decisions making where an adult (a person over 18 years) has impaired decision making capacity. It prescribes the steps to be taken where an adult has impaired decision making capacity in cases where an application to the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) is required to protect the best interests of the person.
State legislation introduced in February 2010, provides instruments (Advance Health Directive or Enduring Power of Guardianship) for people to plan in advance for circumstances when they may become unable to make decisions for themselves.
All requirements for pharmacy medicines are to be met during normal pharmacy operating hours. In the absence of a pharmacy on-call service, after hours nurse managers are granted access to the pharmacy after hours to access essential or emergency items only. Routine (i.e. non-urgent) requirements must be fulfilled the following day or next working day during normal pharmacy operating hours. All entries into pharmacy after hours will be recorded through the swipe card system and compared to documented issues.
To provide guidance to staff on support available for management of palliative care patients that present to WACHS emergency departments and acute settings
This procedure oultines the process for after hours call outs for the One Arm Point, Lombadina, Looma, Warmun and Kalumburu Clinics which are designated remote area nursing posts that provide primary health care and emergency care service during business hours.
This policy aims to ensure greater security and protection for older people receiving Australian Government subsidised aged care services. Note: The policy continues to apply and will be incorporated into the revised WA Health CRS policy in due course.
The purpose of this policy is to establish minimum practice standards for the care and management of airway suctioning throughout the WA Country Health Service (WACHS). Removing unwanted variation in clinical practice and following best practice guidelines has been found to reduce inappropriate care (overuse, misuse and underuse) thus improving health outcomes, reducing preventable harm and decreasing wastage.
This procedure sets out how Team midwifery care is provided at Albany. It refers to care given during pregnancy, childbirth and the early postpartum period by a small team of hospital midwives in collaboration with participating GPOs. Birthing is supported within the hospital labour ward. The philosophy being continuity of care rather than individual caregivers, and to promote the normality of childbirth by providing consistent psychosocial support.
The WA Country Health Service will undertake Brief Intervention including assessment, feedback and referral relating to the alcohol and tobacco use with relevant patients. The aim is to reduce harm caused by alcohol and tobacco, and to provide supportive and non-judgemental care.
This CPS has been endorsed for use by WACHS and should be applied to the WACHS clinical practice context until it is transitioned completely to a WACHS CPS.
The objective of this procedure is to reduce the risk of an adverse event related to an identified risk by improving communication of these risks when engaging with consumers.
This policy applies to employees of WACHS engaged as AHAs and the AHP that delegates to and monitors tasks of AHAs. The intent of this policy also applies to service partnerships where WACHS AHPs delegate and monitor activities of an AHA employed by other organisations.
The aim of this policy is to ensure WACHS allied health clinical handover achieves effective, high quality communication of relevant clinical information when responsibility for patient care is transferred between facilities providing allied health services.
This document aims to provide guidelines for collaborative allied health service arrangements between the WA Country Health Service and external allied health service providers in country Western Australia for all eligible, in-scope WACHS allied health services.
This procedure aims to assist allied health professionals, and their relevant managers, to ensure compliance with organisational and professional codes of ethics and conduct, and awareness of and the appropriate management of, conflict of interest. The procedure includes a written agreement between the manager and employee which documents the conditions under which approval for outside allied health employment is granted.
This guideline is intended for use by the pre-assessment nurse, surgical team and anaesthetists as a reference for booking emergency cases for theatre, pre-operative assessment and investigations. Additional queries are to be directed to the responsible anaesthetists.
This guideline is to assist practitioners in increasing the frequency and uptake of antenatal screening in areas of WA currently experiencing an outbreak or higher than usual rates of syphilis.
This procedure pertains to all anticancer therapy prescribed for the treatment of adults with cancer at the WACHS regional cancer centres, cancer treatment units and telechemotherapy units
Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a systematic approach to optimising use of antimicrobials to reduce inappropriate use, improve patient outcomes and reduce adverse consequences of antimicrobial use (including antimicrobial resistance, toxicity and unnecessary costs). This policy is intended to supplement the existing WACHS Medication Administration for Nurses, Midwives and Unregulated Health Workers Policy.
The WACHS endorses the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA), Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence fourth edition 2015 as evidence based recommended practice for use by medical, nursing and midwifery staff.
This policy applies to all WACHS staff who provide care at the Approved Provider facilities, including any individual who is employed, hired, retained or contracted through WACHS (whether directly or through an employment or recruiting agency) to provide care or other services. This policy is limited to reportable assaults in WACHS settings as defined in the Act. That is Residential Aged Care and Multi-Purpose Site residential aged care services.
The purpose of this policy is to establish minimum practice standards for the care and management of Arterial Line Insertion -Transducing and Monitoring - Clinical Practice Standard, throughout the WA Country Health Service (WACHS).
The purpose of this policy is to mandate the expected standard for Aseptic Technique for WACHS clinical Health Care Workers (HCWs) performing Aseptic Technique procedures at WACHS Health Services.
This procedure provides a guide to the process of checking the welfare of referred and existing patients, and the degree of assertiveness of such checks.
The purpose of this policy is to: Ensure evidence based minimum practice standards for the triage, assessment, care and management of unplanned patient presentations to emergency facilities. Minimise unwanted variation in clinical practice (overuse, misuse and underuse). Ensure safe, effective and efficient health outcomes, minimising preventable harm and decreasing wastage therefore reducing health expenditure. Ensure each presentation is newly assessed as a unique episode of illness/injury. Ensure appropriate documentation and clinical handover.
This Great Southern procedure outlines the management intervention for patients at risk of self-harm on a general ward is to ensure that the patient is adequately supervised and observed for the level of risk identified.
The purpose of this policy is to establish minimum practice standards for the assessment, care and management of the patient requiring interhospital transfer from a WACHS facility.
All women planning to birth at Bridgetown Hospital are to be assessed against the defined exclusion criteria at the first and subsequent ante-natal visits.
The purpose of this document is to outline the accountabilities, roles and responsibilities that are essential to help ensure the consistent delivery of the AIP in meeting the Commonwealth and State Government policies and WA Health's requirements.
This document outlines the process to be carried out for patients attending the campus for a same day or short stay procedure (with or without admission) at Global Diagnostics Australia.
This policy provides the framework for the conduct of the WACHS audit function, which in accordance with the WACHS Internal Audit Charter, provides objective and independent assurance and advice over processes and systems of internal control and risk management to the Board, Audit and Risk Committee, the Chief Executive (CE) and to the Executive.
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that all staff are aware of their obligations in relation to mandatory notification to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and Chief Executive (CE).
The WACHS endorses the RPH resource for on Autonomic Dysreflexia as evidence based recommended practice for use by WACHS Medical, Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Staff.
