Having recently returned from working in the US, and having worked in hospitals in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia I am probably in a better position than most to comment on how the delivery of healthcare in Bendigo stacks up on both a domestic and international scale. It would probably be worth prefacing what I am about to write by saying that my observations are purely based on my experience in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
The three hospitals in Bendigo (Bendigo Health, St John of God and Bendigo Day Surgery), particularly with the new Bendigo Hospital being built, are on par with any of the hospitals in Australia and the US that I have worked in. The other specialists, the nurses, the allied health staff and the support staff that I have encountered so far in Bendigo would hold their own, in some cases shine, at any of these other hospitals. It must be pointed out also, because credit where credit is due, I would say that the focus of the treatment at any of the hospitals in Bendigo would be closer to being patient centered than perhaps it is at some of the ‘centers of excellence’. Whether a patient is seeing their surgeon for a hand injury or for an aesthetic procedure, the focus should always be on them and not on the hospital or the institution. While protocols and procedures help deliver healthcare efficiently, which is vital in order to provide the greatest good to the greatest number, the patient should never be made to feel like they are just a number being pushed through a system. In my recent experience, I would say that both the craniofacial teams in Seattle and Adelaide provide excellent examples of how to be ‘patient centered’ whilst practicing according to protocols. What I hope to achieve in my practicing lifetime, is to take the principles from both these units and implement them not only for patients with craniofacial disorders or injuries, but any patient presenting for hand surgery, head and neck surgery, breast surgery and any other condition that can be treated by a specialist plastic surgeon.
So, can we achieve multidisciplinary patient centered delivery of plastic and reconstructive surgery in Bendigo? The answer is ‘absolutely’. There are currently highly trained and experienced surgeons from general surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery and otolaryngology providing care for patients with head and neck cancer, and surgeons from general surgery providing care for ladies with breast cancer. Now there are two plastic surgeons in town we can work with these two teams to add a comprehensive reconstructive service for their patients. While there is a vast amount of behind the scenes work to be done by doctors, nurses, allied health and support staff in order to provide such a service, if we make sure that the protocols are clearly documented and the systems are patient centered (not hospital or doctor centered) and the success of our outcomes gauged by health and quality of life measures, then the service will succeed.
Please watch this space.