Our recent STAR Award winners, goes to Jessica Harvey and Rebecca Bates for Outstanding Care or Service Delivery.
The Outstanding Care or Service Delivery award is for an individual, group or team who have achieved outstanding care, or service delivery. This may include:
- Achieving excellent results in their key performance areas
- Delivering a consistently high quality service
- Establishing a pattern of continuous performance improvement
Our Occupational Therapy department at Dandenong Hospital nominated the pair for their compassion and excellence in patient care and leadership.
Jessica is an Occupational Therapist, and Rebecca is a Physiotherapist in the West 2 team at Dandenong Hospital.
Photo: Jessica Harvey and Rebecca Bates. (Supplied)
Jessica and Rebecca were key caregivers to a patient visiting from overseas.
Mr. X travelled from Sri Lanka to visit family in Melbourne. But unfortunately, sustained a stroke and was admitted to Dandenong Hospital. Mr. X had significant left-sided weakness, communication, cognitive and vision difficulties, with a background of polio and required bariatric equipment to support his care needs. The situation was compounded by the challenges of Mr. X being a visitor trying to return home to Sri Lanka as soon as possible.
At the start of his rehabilitation at Monash Health, Mr. X initially needed four staff members to help him sit out of bed using a sling hoist. Thanks to daily occupational therapy and physiotherapy sessions with Jessica and Rebecca, Mr. X’s level of performance progressed until he could step-transfer while assisted by two staff members.
In preparation for Mr. X’s flight home, Jessica and Rebecca demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment and problem-solving. They improvised creative ways to simulate the seating on an aeroplane, including the height and circulation space. Using this set-up and various equipment and techniques, Jessica and Rebecca trained family members to assist Mr. X with transferring from a wheelchair to his plane seat.
Throughout Mr. X’s therapy, Jess and Bec provided regular updates about whether his current condition would allow him to manage the step transfer required to board his flight.
Jessica and Rebecca also made numerous calls to Sri Lanka Airlines to ensure the environment, seating and management of Mr. X’s toileting needs were considered for his flight.
With the help of Jess and Bec, Mr. X was able to successfully board his flight, transfer onto his plane seat and travel back to Sri Lanka. Upon arriving in Sri Lanka, he was admitted to a rehabilitation hospital where he celebrated his 65th birthday surrounded by family.
 Photo: Mr. X seated on his flight home to Sri Lanka. (Supplied) |
 Photo: Mr. X celebrating his birthday in at the rehabilitation hospital in Sri Lanka. (Supplied) |
Mr. X’s family were overjoyed to be supported by Jess, Bec and the West 2 team at Dandenong Hospital.
“Thank you once again to your team for going above and beyond in helping my father to the stage where he is at today. His recovery so far has been great and we owe a lot of thanks to you.”
The contribution of Jessica and Rebecca’s proactive preparations were key to the wonderful outcome; from creative simulations to numerous communications with airlines to ensure a safe and comfortable transit. Thank you Jess and Bec for your dedication in helping Mr. X achieve his goal in such a short time frame. It has been the discharge of the year for 2022!
Of the achievement, Jess and Bec are grateful to their West 2 colleagues supporting the patient’s journey with them.
“We would like to acknowledge Alexandra Edwards, Leesa Fielding, Ellen Goh and Donna Barlow for their support and assistance problem solving, as well as the wider West 2 team that helped to achieve this successful discharge.”
Congratulations to Jessica and Rebecca for winning this STAR Award.
If you would like to nominate a colleague or team, you can do so at any time by visiting the STAR Awards portal. For more information about the STAR Awards program, Monash Health Employee Recognition Program page.
Approved by Chris McLoughlin (Executive Director People and Culture)