Fairfield Hospital – DeliverEASE is here!
Date published: 01 Dec 2023
Author: Celia Pozzecco
DeliverEASE, which is part of the NSW Health Procurement Reform program and is led by HealthShare NSW with support from eHealth NSW, is a major project to transform the medical consumables supply chain by optimising processes from the point of receipt of goods at the hospital, to the storeroom.
The DeliverEASE team – affectionately known as the ‘Blue Fairies’ due to their bright-blue T-shirts – will be at Fairfield Hospital in South Western Sydney LHD (SWSLHD) for the next three months, including time spent at the adjoining Braeside Hammondville facility.
The team will be working their magic across 21 clinical areas where they will be implementing the award-winning stock management framework, reorganising medical consumables storerooms and treatment rooms, and training staff to use DeliverEASE dashboards and digital tools, including the StaffLink Requisitioning and Receiving (STARR) mobile app.
Aolele Fuimaono, Fairfield Hospital Director Corporate Services, said she is looking forward to the introduction of DeliverEASE and she believes it will be a change for good.
“I know that change can be challenging but I also think there are great opportunities in any change to look at efficiencies,” said Aolele who, as the local Executive Sponsor for DeliverEASE, will be overseeing the rollout process.
Aolele anticipates that the adoption of the DeliverEASE framework and processes will deliver many benefits including a reduction in wastage and unnecessary supplies, easy access to information including minimum and maximum stock levels and items on backorder, clarity around staff roles involved with stock ordering and stock management, and a reduction in manual handling of orders.
“It really helps to see the whole journey – from when items arrive at the dock, how they get into the storerooms, where they are in the storeroom, and how they get to the patient,” said Aolele.
She also added that DeliverEASE will provide opportunities to streamline products for financial benefit.
“For example,” explained Aolele, “there could be a particular bandage that is purchased in a few wards from different suppliers. We can look at consolidating this same product and streamlining orders to get a better rate.”
DeliverEASE improves inventory visibility and management controls to deliver increased availability of stock and cost savings. Ultimately, the processes, ways of working, and principles will return time to clinicians, enabling them to focus on providing high-quality patient care.
Main image: From Fairfield Hospital, SWSLHD: (L-R) Kathy McGuire, Nurse Unit Manager – Ward 1A; Aolele Fuimaono, Director Corporate Services; Christian Fenero, Supervisor Stores – General Services; and Edalina Hondros, Client Services Officer – Ward 1A.
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