Key strategic initiatives see St Vincent's hit the ground running in 2021

11 Feb 2021

A number of major initiatives relating to future planning for St Vincent’s have commenced in recent months, already yielding major promise for a bright future as the Health Service grows its Mission of responding to community need.

At the beginning of the year, St Vincent’s engaged consultancy Deloitte to undertake a comprehensive review process called Project Optima, to identify opportunities to provide better value care.

“With a central focus on providing the best landscape for improved patient outcomes, Project Optima is looking at the most effective ways to utilise our assets and engage our workforce, the Project will also identify revenue opportunities across our continuum of care,” said A/Prof Anthony Schembri, CEO of SVHNS.

Currently the Project Optima team from Deloitte are consulting with a cross-section of staff and key stakeholders to get a clear picture of St Vincents’ needs and identify opportunities for improved service delivery.

Late last year, St Vincent’s formally launched stvincent’s@home, - an expansion of works aimed at providing quality alternative models of care beyond the walls of our hospitals. The programme includes six keys projects: Virtual Outpatient Project, Virtual Hospital Project, stvincent’s@home operating model, Transforming delivery of acute care, Expansion of Hospital In the Home (HITH), and Rehab and Palliative Care – Models of Care.

All six projects are now well underway with key appointments and new technologies embedded, helping to identify alternative models of care to enable quality care at home, while supporting the evolution of existing admitted models of care to transfer to stvincent’s@home.

In another major future proofing exercise for the Health Network, St Vincent’s has commenced a review and refresh of its Clinical Services Plan across all specialities and services in St Vincent’s Public and Private Hospitals.

In 2017, St Vincent’s launched its Campus Clinical Services Strategy, setting out six strategic service commitments to 2027 including its Centres of Excellence strategy, precision healthcare and its enduring commitment to services and advocacy for the marginalised and vulnerable.

The Clinical Services Plan, also launched in 2017, outlines projected demand and activity – in both public and private hospitals, including key model of care changes. This Plan informed the development of a capital business case for the major redevelopment of the existing Cahill-Cater site.

In September 2020, St Vincent’s received $25 million from the NSW Government for the first stage of funding for the Campus redevelopment which includes an immediate expansion of ICU and ambulatory care capacity in the Xavier Building, as well as detailed planning and site preparation for the full Cahill-Cater redevelopment.

External consultants have now been engaged to review and refresh the 2017 Clinical Services Plan, conducting clinical consultations over the coming months to explore the Campus’ redevelopment needs, to optimise service delivery, use of assets and our research and innovation efforts across all Campus partners and project demand for ambulatory, in-home and virtual care services across all specialties to support stvincent’s@home.

“These three distinctive but complimentary projects represent some terrific opportunities to grow our Mission of responding to community need, and we are hoping for as much staff input as possible as we map our pathway as a world-leading future-focussed health service,” said A/Prof Schembri.

Artists render of the proposed Cahill Cater Project

cc building