Riverland Mallee Coorong engagement

Riverland CSSD Hub and Spoke Model

The Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network (RMCLHN) is exploring the option of establishing a Central Sterile Supply Department hub and spoke model across Riverland hospital sites.

A Central Sterile Supply Department, called CSSD for short, is a place in a hospital or health site where medical devices, equipment and consumables are sterilised.

The Riverland hospitals that would be part of the proposed model are Riverland General Hospital in Berri, Loxton Hospital Complex, Renmark Paringa District Hospital and Waikerie Health Service.

Under the proposal, the Riverland General Hospital would be the hub site, and Loxton, Renmark and Waikerie hospitals would be the spoke sites.

We are exploring the option of a hub and spoke CSSD model because our Riverland hospital sites require an upgrade of equipment and CSSD infrastructure in order to meet the Australian Standard AS/NZS 4187:2014 Reprocessing of reusable medical devices in health service organisations (the Standard).

The capital cost of upgrading equipment across all four sites is significantly cheaper if a hub and spoke model is implemented. Establishing a hub and spoke model would allow this capital funding to be reallocated to other critical regional health priorities.

Regardless of the decision regarding where CSSD services are provided, it is anticipated that the same range of clinical surgical services would continue to be provided at each site.

No material changes in where or how surgical services are provided are proposed or anticipated as part of the CSSD hub and spoke proposal.

You can find out more about the Standard on the Australian Commission of Safety and Quality in Health Care website at www.safetyandquality.gov.au

There are a number of benefits of implementing a hub and spoke CSSD model, including:

  • Increased safety and quality through specialisation of CSSD staff and services at the hub site
  • Spoke sites may be able to repurpose current CSSD areas for alternate purposes
  • No requirement for staff at spoke units to undertake sterilisation training
  • No validation of sterilisers at spoke sites
  • No requirement to upgrade sterilisers at more than one site into the future.

Though outweighed by the benefits, there are some potential risks of implementing a hub and spoke CSSD model, that are important to consider:

  • Transport – fragile equipment must be transported safely between sites, compliance must be maintained with sterilisation standards in regards to temperature and humidity control, and equipment may need to be re-sanitised on site in theatre.
  • Additional single use surgical equipment will need to be purchased for each spoke site which will increase the cost of consumables.

RMCLHN has already successfully implemented a CSSD hub and spoke model in the southern half of the region, incorporating Murray Bridge, Mallee and Coorong.

RMCLHN will develop and document an implementation plan using a quality improvement framework specifying timeframes, milestones and deliverables to support implementation for AS/NZS 4187:2014 by December 2021.

To have your say on the proposed RMCLHN Riverland Hub and Spoke CSSD Model:

RMCLHN Strategic Plan

The Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network (RMCLHN) launched two important engagement strategies in June 2020, and we are now developing our RMCLHN Strategic Plan that will sit alongside these strategies.

We want to gather feedback on the draft Strategic Plan from consumers and communities.

You’re a consumer if you use our health services, or are affected by the delivery of our healthcare services – for example, if you’re a family member, carer, friend or support person to someone who uses our services.

We want to know what is important to you for the future of your health services, and we want to partner with you to deliver the best outcomes for every member of our community.

You can download and read our draft Strategic Plan (PDF 321KB), find out more below or have your say by completing our short online survey before COB Friday 4 December 2020.

Everyone is invited to have their say!

If you have any questions, would like to provide any further feedback, or need a hard copy of the survey, please contact Penelope Cowley, on (08) 8577 9222 or via email at Penelope.cowley@sa.gov.au   

About the RMCLHN Strategic Plan

The RMCLHN Strategic Plan will define the focus of our organisation for the immediate future, by identifying our goals and priorities across four strategic themes:

  • Caring for our Communities
  • Excellence in Clinical Care
  • Local Governance
  • Investing in our People.

It will provide direction on how we achieve these goals and what success will look like when we are achieving our organisational purpose of Our people caring for our communities.

The Strategic Plan includes our Vision for our communities, including aged care, mental health, community health, Aboriginal health and acute care – you can read these in full in the draft Strategic Plan.

The Plan also explores our values, which are represented by the phrase RMC CARES, which is both a statement, and spells out our values:

  • Respectful
  • Motivated
  • Compassionate
  • Consumer Focussed
  • Accountable
  • Resourceful
  • Excellence
  • Service.

The Strategic Plan outlines what these values look like in action, including our practices and personal behaviours that embody and promote these values.

The draft Strategic Plan was developed following consultation with key staff and Governing Board members during a Strategic Planning Day in August 2020. We also sought feedback from the Presiding Members of the Health Advisory Councils at the HAC Regional Conference in September 2020 and consulted with Aboriginal consumers, partners and stakeholders at the Aboriginal Health Community Forums in October 2020.

We anticipate the Strategic Plan will be launched in early 2021.

Consumer and Engagement Strategy

Download the RMCLHN Consumer and Community Engagement Strategy   

The Consumer and Community Engagement Strategy, or CCE Strategy for short, guides how we engage with consumers and the community.

The aim of the CCE Strategy is to integrate, strengthen and promote meaningful engagement with consumers, and the broader community, and provides direction for how we will work with consumers and the community to provide the best possible care and services for our region now and into the future.

Engagement, in simple terms, is about how we talk with you, listen to you and collaborate with you on important issues.

A consumer is anyone who uses our health services, or is affected by the delivery of our healthcare services – that is, if you’re a family member, carer, friend or support person of someone who uses our services. For example:

  • If you’ve ever taken your sick child to the Riverland General Hospital emergency department, you’re a consumer of our healthcare services.
  • If your Dad lives in one of our Aged Care facilities, both you and your Dad are consumers of our healthcare services.
  • If you see a physiotherapist at the Lameroo Hospital, you’re a consumer of our healthcare services.
  • If you have a community health nurse visiting your home in Meningie, you’re a consumer of our healthcare services.

Download a digital copy of the Consumer and Community Engagement Strategy.

For further information, or to request the strategy in a different format, please contact:

Consumer Engagement Officer
Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network
Telephone: (08) 8580 2400 (Berri Office) (08) 8535 6777 (Murray Bridge Office)
Email: Health.RMCConsumers@sa.gov.au

Clinician and Workforce Engagement Strategy

Download the RMC Clinician and Workforce strategy 2020

RMCLHN has developed a Clinician and Workforce Engagement Strategy following widespread consultation with clinicians and our general workforce.

While the Act stipulates the Governing Board is required to develop a clinician engagement strategy, we sought endorsement to broaden the scope of our strategy to incorporate all RMCLHN workforce. This has allowed us to develop a more comprehensive strategy that encapsulates the unique needs and composition of our regional workforce.

The aim of the strategy is to promote consultation, collaboration and genuine engagement with health, and other, professionals working within RMCLHN. It applies to all RMCLHN staff and stakeholders who provide, or contribute to, the provision of services to our communities. This includes clinicians, non-clinicians, visiting medical specialists, Rural Support Service (RSS) staff, contractors, volunteers and partners (e.g. our partners include General Practitioners (GPs) and Statewide Clinical Support Services employees who partner with RMCLHN).

Download a digital copy of the Clinician and Workforce Engagement Strategy.

For further information, or to request the strategy in a different format, please contact:

Manager Secretariat
Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network
Telephone: (08) 8535 6707
Email: Health.RMCConsumers@sa.gov.au

Our Governing Board is required to develop and publish these strategies under Section 33A of the Health Care (Governance) Amendment Act 2018 (the Act).

Both strategies will sit alongside the RMCLHN Strategic Plan.