QUEENSLAND SECTION 2016/17 the Furthest Corner
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QUEENSLAND SECTION 2016/17 The furthest corner. The finest care. The furthest corner. The finest care. Providing excellence in primary health care and aeromedical service across Queensland. Contents Letters from the CEO and Chairman .................3 Year in numbers .....................................................6 Our people ..............................................................9 Queensland Fleet .................................................16 Service maps .........................................................18 Funding model ..................................................... 21 Our services ..........................................................23 Case study .............................................................34 Clinical Governance and Training .....................36 Queensland Section | 2016-2017 1 2 The furthest corner. The finest care. From the Chairman The past year has been one of considerable progress for RFDS Queensland Section, as we’ve pursued improvements designed to strengthen and future proof the organisation, while continuing to uphold our high standards of clinical and aviation performance and provide access to vital health care to over MARK GRAY – CHAIRMAN 90,000 people. In October 2016, with the assistance of industry experts This NSQHS accreditation is again an important in the health and aviation markets, Dr John O’Donnell independent and objective benchmark of the high (former CEO of Mater Health) and David Hall (former CEO standards of our patient care across our aeromedical of Jetstar), we embarked on a thorough review of our and primary health care programs, and we are proud to organisation aimed at ensuring we achieve best practice be among the first aeromedical providers in Australia in quality and safety to support the wide range of health to have achieved this. services delivered by our frontline people. Supplementing the focus on safety and quality, we have From this review, we implemented key changes to our worked hard during the year to maintain and strengthen Executive Leadership Team, with the development of relationships with our key stakeholders and funders. two newly defined positions, namely a Chief Operating The Board is forever mindful of ensuring that the Flying Officer position responsible for day to day service Doctor legacy ensures and prospers. We therefore owe delivery obligations and a Head of Clinical Governance, a great debt of gratitude to those thousands of individual responsible for clinical practice standards. A review of our donors, corporate supporters and community groups non-frontline support functions was also undertaken that continue to provide such marvellous charitable as part of our continued focus on delivering efficiency support making our task infinitely easier. gains while not compromising on quality and safety This year the organisation is pleased to achieve a net standards or service delivery. operating surplus of $4.2 million, aided significantly by As part of this commitment to best practice, our aviation the $14.8 million in fundraising support we have received team further strengthened our enviable safety record from our donors and supporters, which has been used by becoming the first aeromedical provider in Australia to significantly underwrite our new B350 King Air aircraft to achieve full certification under the International platform, purchase an array of highly sophisticated Standard for Business Aviation Aircraft (IS-BAO). medical equipment and continue to deliver programs such as our mental health, oral health and health This certification is regarded as world’s best practice in promotion initiatives that would otherwise not have our aircraft class, and achieving this is a demonstration been possible. of our aviation team’s dedication and professionalism. But undoubtedly, our thanks also must go to our close We have also recently moved to a single source aircraft to 350 RFDS staff across Queensland, who whilst maintenance provider in line with our recently certified undergoing significant reform, have continued to international best practice standard in aviation safety. exemplify our commitment to patients and their Underpinning these important changes is our desire to communities. To all concerned my sincerest gratitude ensure our Queensland services meet and perform to for your tireless efforts and my well wishes for the year world’s best practice standards in all that we do, across ahead, as we celebrate our 90th anniversary in 2018. both our primary health care and aeromedical services. Meanwhile our clinical teams continued to work tirelessly on implementing further policy and practice improvements under our National Quality and Health Safety Standards (NSQHS) accreditation obtained in 2016. Mark Gray | Chairman Queensland Section | 2016-2017 3 From the CEO Each year, the Royal Flying Doctor Service strives to uphold its reputation as a leading provider of primary health care and aeromedical services to rural and remote Australia. And this year was no different for the Queensland Section. NINO DI MARCO – CEO This past year has been one of significant reform with Elsewhere, our primary health clinic program saw more a committed focus on improving the efficiency and than 44,000 patients and our telehealth program effective delivery of our diverse range of health care performed some 12,459 medical consults. In terms services. of future growth, we have been thrilled to be part of a recently launched telehealth initiative that will see the To ensure we continue to achieve best practice in Quality progressive roll out of video-conferencing to all our and Safety across all parts of the RFDS in an increasingly primary health clinic locations in the coming years, with competitive and challenging funding environment, we the first pilot location of Yowah in south west Queensland have implemented many reforms that will support our recently deploying the new technology. This enhancement ability to deliver health services across Qld. to our remote clinic program is an important service for Our aeromedical operations have focussed heavily our patients that will improve medical care in between on the successful introduction of our new B350 King our remote clinic visits. Air, with three of the four newly purchased airframes having been brought into operation in the past 12 months. Our mobile dental program continued its visitation across Equipped with a unique three stretcher configuration, rural and remote Queensland, with the Service now on improved navigation and an ability to fly further and a sustainable funding pathway having transitioned to a faster, we have already begun to see their benefits, federally funded service as part of the Commonwealth particularly in the coastal areas of our operations and Government’s partnership with the RFDS to deliver a the important inter-hospital patient transfer services we national rural and remote dental program. provide within Queensland Health’s hospital system. The now renamed RFDS Dental Service, previously the The implementation of the B350s along with its smaller QCoal Community Dental Service was relaunched in contemporary, the B200, has allowed us to consolidate April this year. In implementing this change, the RFDS our aircraft fleet into effectively a single type, a more wishes to acknowledge the support of the Service’s efficient fleet that also simplifies our pilot training and founding partners, QCoal Group and the QCoal aircraft maintenance programs. Foundation for their significant support of the program since its inception in 2013 and the $4 million worth of In addition to this new fleet type and as a further boost free dental treatment afforded to over 8,000 patients to our aviation performance, RFDS was delighted to in need in this period. become the launch customer of a new world class flight simulator centre based at Maroochydore Airport, Our mental health programs, which saw 16,736 patient which has a dedicated B350 simulator that we will use consultations in 2016/17, have continued to be well extensively to train our pilots. The availability of such a received with welcome news that our Queensland Health Centre, the first of its type in Australia, was launched funded, Drought Wellbeing Service is set to continue for early in 2017. It now means we will no longer need to a further 12 months, with our team of clinical psychologists send our pilots overseas for such training, saving the in Longreach, Mount Isa, Charleville, Townsville, and organisation considerably. Bundaberg providing tailored counselling and support services to many drought-affected communities. From a health care service delivery perspective, both our primary evacuation and inter-hospital aeromedical While celebrating the continuity of one mental health services continued to expand, with over 11,359 patients program, it is with a tinge of sadness that one of our moved in the past year. cornerstone programs in the Cairns and Cape York regions transitioned from RFDS hands. 4 The furthest corner. The finest care. From the CEO The furthest corner. The finest care. After a successful decade of providing a Social and While the delivery of health care programs across the Emotional Wellbeing program, including the State is an ever-changing landscape, one thing remains establishment of Wellbeing Centres in the indigenous a constant source of strength and inspiration – the communities of Aurukun, Coen, Mossman Gorge, and support we receive from the community. So too is the Hope Vale, the RFDS successfully