Quality, safety and care

St John of God Healthcare at Home strives to provide our patients with safe, effective and high quality care. Our caregivers are highly skilled and trained, and are committed to ongoing professional development. We consistently review our processes to ensure our patients have the best possible experience while in our care.

An elderly lady greets a visiting nurse at the door

Accreditation

In Australia, all public and private hospitals are assessed against the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS).

These standards set out the level of care you should expect from hospitals and services like St John of God Healthcare at Home. They are designed to keep patients safe and improve the quality of health care.

All of our hospitals and services undergo regular accreditation assessments. You can view the assessment and rating of any St John of God Health Care hospital by searching on the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) website.

Find out more about accreditation and view assessment ratings

Quality and safety measurement

St John of God Health Care takes steps to reduce risk and ensure you have a safe, high quality experience at our hospitals and services.

Patient falls prevention

Falls can happen easily if you are unwell, taking new medicines, or in an unfamiliar place. We will talk to you about how we can reduce your risk of falls.

What you can do

Be aware that you may need more assistance than usual to move around.
Try to keep your environment as clutter free as possible to avoid tripping.
Keep glasses and walking aids within easy reach.
Let us know if you feel unsteady, unbalanced or notice changes in the way you usually move.

What St John of God Health Care does

We work with our patients to reduce their risk of falling in hospital and at home.
We assess your risk of falling and create a plan to prevent falls.
We have policies and procedures to reduce the risk of patient falls.
We train our caregivers to help reduce patient falls.
We report and monitor falls so we can reduce similar incidents in the future.

Often, patients do not want to ask nurses for help because they are busy people. Our caregivers are always here to help.

Research shows that recovery can be quicker and more effective when you allow caregivers to help you.

For more information on how you can prevent falls visit the Injury Matters website. The Stay On Your Feet® falls prevention program also has helpful resources.

Learn more:

Infection prevention control

St John of God Health Care has a rigorous infection control program. We work to detect and prevent patient infections in our hospitals and services.

What you can do

Regularly wash and sanitise your hands.
Don’t be afraid to ask your care team or visitors to wash their hands.
Ask people not to visit if they are sick.
Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and wash your hands afterwards.
Do not touch wounds or internal devices (such as intravenous cannulas, PICC lines or catheters).
Tell your care team if you have any signs of redness or infection.
If you are sent home with a device, ask your care team how to take care of it.
Follow instructions when taking antibiotics – taking antibiotics incorrectly can make your infection harder to treat.

What St John of God Health Care does

Our caregivers complete mandatory hand hygiene programs.
We report and monitor infections.
We use medications to prevent and treat infections.
We have a robust caregiver vaccination program.

Medication management

St John of God Health Care uses a range of safety strategies to reduce the risk of medication errors.

The safe management of medications is an important part of our patient care. Our caregivers need to know about all the medications you take so they can make the right decisions about your treatment.

There are different types of medications including prescription, over the counter, and herbal and natural medicines. Medications come in different forms such as tablets, lotions, patches and drops.

What you can do

Tell us about all the medications you use (including non-prescription medicines).
Let our caregivers know if you experience any new side effects or have had reactions to medication in the past.
Ask questions about the purpose, safe use and potential side effects of any medication you plan on using.
Get your care team to explain any changes to your medication and which medicines you should continue using at home.
Speak up if you are unsure about your medication.

What St John of God Health Care does

We conduct regular audits on our medication processes.
We provide ongoing training to caregivers.
We have policies and guidelines to ensure medications are prepared and given safely.
We have caregivers check in with a supervisor via video call before administering high risk medications.
We record all medication errors in our risk reporting system.
We monitor and investigate medication errors to prevent them from happening in future.

Pressure injury prevention

St John of God Health Care uses a range of strategies to prevent and reduce pressure injuries in our hospitals and services.

A pressure injury (also known as 'bed sores') is damage to the skin caused by constant pressure on an area of the body. They can range from reddened skin to large open wounds.

Pressure injuries can be caused by staying in one position for too long. They usually occur on bony parts of the body, such as the ankles, heels, tailbone, hips, elbows and the back of the head.

Patients can develop pressure injuries while staying in hospital and at home. These can be painful, take a long time to heal, and slow down a patient's recovery.

What you can do

Try not to stay in one position for too long.
Stay active while in hospital.
Ask a carer or family member to help you move around.
Check your skin regularly for signs of redness, blistering, tingling or numbness.
Be mindful of pain in bony areas of your body.
Report any skin concerns or pain to a caregiver.
Eat a well balanced diet and stay hydrated.

What St John of God Health Care does

We assess risk of pressure injury for each patient.
We create and monitor plans to prevent pressure injuries.
We provide ongoing caregiver training.
We conduct regular audits.
We monitor the rate of pressure injuries in our hospitals and services.
We use equipment to prevent pressure injuries from occurring.

Visit the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) and Better Health Channel websites for more information on preventing pressure injuries: