Award for high reliability in medicine and care presented
Berlin/Detmold. On 9 November, the Ecclesia Group and Gesundheitsstadt Berlin e.V. presented the first HRO Award at the 17th National Quality Congress on Health in Berlin. Three teams were honoured with the High Reliability Organizations (HRO) award:
- BG Klinikum Bergmannstrost Halle gGmbH, Saale
- Krankenhaus der Elisabethinen GmbH in Graz (Austria)
- Rettungsdienst-Kooperation in Schleswig-Holstein (RKiSH) gGmbH, Pinneberg
The award winners and their projects
The award winners are directly involved in patient care. They work with the utmost reliability at all times, undergo continuous training and optimize processes down to the last detail. Dr. Michael Weldi, Head of the Patient Safety Management and Organizational Development Unit at the Elisabethinen Hospital, explains: “The highest possible patient safety is a clear corporate goal at the Elisabethinen Hospital in Graz and thus all employees are aware of it as a goal. We anchored the focus on high reliability in our hospital's patient safety strategy several years ago.” He is pleased about the opportunity ‘to make these actions visible internally and externally with the award,’ Dr. Weldi continued. His hospital received the award for organizing pulmonological procedures as HRO care processes.
For Thomas Krautz, Deputy Medical Director of the RKiSH ambulance service, patient safety is also the top priority: “Patient safety is of central importance at RKiSH. When implementing it in the ambulance service, where the actual work in an emergency is decentralized and carried out in small teams, it makes sense to develop new approaches.” He and his team received the award for the highly reliable safety culture in the application of invasive measures by emergency paramedics. He and his colleagues would like to use the award to publicize their HRO concept in order to show other institutions what is possible. His recommendation is “to start small and then gradually expand and logically coordinate safety systems.” Krautz explains: “Our feedback system was gradually standardized and professionalized, followed by regular analysis of the results and the establishment of case conferences.” In addition, Thomas Krautz believes it is particularly important “to convince employees of the goals of their own efforts and to involve them”, and therefore emphasizes: “In particular, the award should recognize and focus on the excellent work of our feedback team.”
For Jan Richter, Head of Strategic Corporate Development and Corporate Governance at BG Klinikum Bergmannstrost, the award is also “a great distinction for the team-oriented approach.” “When treating seriously injured patients, our interdisciplinary emergency center teams have to be highly available and resilient 24/7. Patient safety is our top priority. For this reason, in addition to classic trauma room training, we focus on strengthening and developing our employees – with training programs for interpersonal skills, comprehensive occupational health management measures, resilience training and leadership development,” continues Richter. Especially in times of a shortage of skilled workers, it is important to guarantee the best possible and safest patient care with all appropriate means and around the clock. The BG Klinikum received the prize for adapting trauma shock room management to include further emergency care indications.
Why an HRO Award?
The statements of the award winners are in line with those of the initiators of the award. “A focus on patient well-being is the foundation of modern and safe medical healthcare. Accordingly, the systemic approach of the medical and organizational procedures and processes applied and the safety of the stakeholders and employees involved in the treatment process are of the utmost importance,” explains Dr. med. “The HRO Award honors organizations that have made a special contribution in this area,” the physician explains. Dr. Peter Gausmann, patient safety management expert at the Ecclesia Group, adds: ”With this award, we not only recognize the work of the teams, but also bring their patient safety projects to the public's attention so that they can serve as a model for other institutions and contribute to a noticeable improvement in healthcare.” Denny Tesch, CFO of the Ecclesia Group, goes even further: “We provide insurance coverage and risk management for more than half of all German hospitals and know that not only patients expect the highest level of safety and reliability in care, but also insurers.” Tesch thus bridges the gap to the insurance broker and explains: “Safer patient care means better insurability.”
About Gesundheitsstadt Berlin e.V.
For 20 years, Gesundheitsstadt Berlin has been the leading platform for the healthcare sector in the capital region. Gesundheitsstadt Berlin organizes working groups, forums, congresses and medical specialist events and implements publicly funded research projects. Gesundheitsstadt Berlin promotes and shapes Berlin and the capital region as a leading center of health care, health science and health services in the capital region. Its approximately 170 members include clinics, care facilities, welfare and social organizations, health insurance companies, companies, startups and individuals.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Dr. Peter Gausmann
Managing Director GRB Gesellschaft für Risiko-Beratung mbH
Ecclesiastraße 1 – 4
32758 Detmold
Telephone: +49 5231 603-312
Fax: +49 5231 603-60312
peter.gausmann(at)ecclesia-gruppe(dot)de
Jessica Scharf
Corporate Communications Ecclesia Group
Eccliastraße 1 – 4
32758 Detmold
Phone: +49 5231 603-225
Fax: +49 5231 603-60225