New QEH discharge system rolls out to speed up bed management

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has introduced daily discharge boards across wards to speed up patient flow, improve bed management, and keep families informed from admission to discharge, officials said Wednesday.

 

Launched earlier this month, the boards are being rolled out in a phased approach across the hospital. The initiative is designed to give patients, their families, and all members of the care team, a clearer understanding of expected discharge dates, helping everyone plan ahead and coordinate care more effectively.

 

Dr Ayja Clarke, service improvement manager at QEH, explained that the initiative is a visual tool placed at each patient’s bedside. It is intended to align all members of the care team toward safely discharging patients by the estimated date, ensuring that patient care remains at the centre of the hospital’s operations.

 

“The aim of the estimated date of discharge board is really a visual tool at the patient’s bedside, and it really aims to make sure everybody in the care team, the doctors, the nurses, the rehab specialists, other consultants, all the specialties that are involved in that patient’s care, is ready to focus the minds of everybody and make everybody work towards that central point of getting the patient home safely by that date,” she said.

 

Speaking to reports during QEH’s 61st anniversary open day, Dr Clarke revealed that the initiative began on Ward A1, with plans to gradually expand to other wards.

 

She said: “The boards are up on that ward, and we will be rolling out slowly going from there. With the next ward we’re rolling out to is the A2 ward and things are going great. It really involves a lot of continuous education with the staff and with the patients to make sure they know the initiative, they know their role in the initiative, what important part they play, making sure that the patients and the relatives become familiar with the boards so that we get the results we want.”

 

According to Dr Clarke, the initiative also addresses long-standing challenges in hospital discharge processes.

 

“In the past, the discharge process might have started closer to the end of the patient’s journey and what we’re really trying to do is we’re trying to start a discharge process from the beginning from admission,” she said.

 

“From the time the patient comes to the hospital, they’re given an estimated date of discharge and everybody in that care team can start planning from that date. We want to make sure that all the relevant referrals are made as early as possible, so we’re not doing that coming on to the end of the patient’s journey.”

 

This allows patients and families to prepare for discharge in advance, she said.

 

“In some cases we know we have to get the host ready, for instance, persons may have to get time off from work to collect their relatives, so we want to make sure everybody has all of the information that’s necessary.”

 

The hospital administrator said the boards are expected to improve bed management, enhance workflow among staff, and ultimately shorten patient stays, while maintaining safe and high-quality care.

 

The QEH open day also showcased other initiatives, including health checks for visitors, new technology in the oncology and nuclear medicine departments, and opportunities for staff and the public to engage directly with hospital services. These efforts form part of the hospital’s broader strategy on public information and service improvements under a three-year plan.

(LG)