WA Health has been working hard for some time to provide the best possible services for patients attending hospitals for unplanned or emergency care. Despite having made vital improvements in the delivery of emergency care in Western Australia, we need to do more in order to meet the increasing demand for emergency services at our hospitals.
The Four Hour Rule will fundamentally change the way we manage unplanned or emergency patient care. We aim to improve the patient experience and quality of care by streamlining processes across WA public hospitals, from admission through to discharge.
What is the Four Hour Rule?
The Four Hour Rule Program is based on a similar model used in the United Kingdom, which has been successful in delivering benefits to patients and staff.
WA Health has adapted the UK model to suit local conditions and community needs. Staff from all areas will be working with patients, carers and consumer representatives to redesign processes and to identify new ways to improve the way we manage patients who need unplanned care.
A target has been set where 98 per cent of patients arriving at emergency departments are to be seen and admitted, transferred or discharged within a four-hour timeframe.
When will the Four Hour Rule come into effect?
Commencing in April 2009, the program will be introduced across WA Health in three stages.
Given that this is a major change process, each hospital will have two years to redesign processes and implement improvements in order to reach the target. All hospital sites involved will have to reach the target by mid-2012.
How will we improve our service to patients?
The Four Hour Rule Program is a significant statewide undertaking that will require major changes to the way we operate across the whole public hospital system.
We will improve patient care by remodelling the way hospitals work in order to reduce delays, improve coordination and streamline processes for unplanned care across the entire hospital. We will do this by using an internationally proven quality improvement process based on LEAN and Six Sigma methodologies, called Clinical Service Redesign.
The involvement of staff, patients and carers is an integral component of the redesign process and there will be opportunities for staff and patients to be involved.