Year in Review 19 - 20

Incident Management

Providing a dedicated contact for families

Nearly two million people receive care in NSW public hospitals every year, where the standards of care are among the best in the world. As is the case with every health system, occasionally an unplanned event occurs that causes harm, or has the potential to cause harm. A very small proportion of these events are serious. NSW Health has robust processes for managing incidents that have resulted in serious patient harm. On 14 December 2020, a new incident management policy was published which further strengthens this response. One of the key changes involves assigning a staff member to act as a dedicated family contact.

Consumer experience

Previously, feedback from families suggested that there were opportunities to improve the way we engage with them following a serious clinical incident. Many families reported that communication was infrequent, and others stated they weren't engaged in a way that suited them. There was also confusion about the review process and concerns about how long it took to receive feedback.

The introduction of a dedicated family contact aims to address these concerns by providing a consistent point of contact while the serious adverse event review is being undertaken.

The dedicated family contact keeps the family updated and assists in coordinating meetings with the review team and open disclosure team. They also arrange any practical assistance that may be needed.

A number of resources have been developed to support patients, families and carers, health professionals and staff assigned to the dedicated family contact role. These include fact sheets, information packs and explainer videos.

One minute explainer video – Dedicated family contact

Duration: 52 seconds

This one minute explainer video describes the role of the dedicated family contact in NSW Health.

Consumer Representative, Zoe Fernance, worked with Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) and patient safety staff from around the state to develop the resources. Her input ensured that information was written in a way that was simple to read and easy to understand and available in other languages.

Zoe said that the introduction of the dedicated family contact was a positive initiative.

It sends a strong message to families that the health service is willing to communicate openly with them. It is reassuring for them to have one person they can contact who will assist them with any queries or concerns

Zoe Fernance, Consumer Representative
Consumer Representative, Zoe Fernance,

Consumer Representative, Zoe Fernance.

Staff working in patient safety have been very positive about the introduction of the dedicated family contact. A survey conducted in April 2021 indicated that some of the positive aspects of the role include:

  • Improved communication
  • Support for families
  • Consistent messaging
  • Reduced complaints
  • Early identification and management of risk
  • Taking pressure off the serious adverse event review team

One hundred percent of respondents (n=59) believed the introduction of the dedicated family contact to be of benefit to families.

Serious Incident Review process

The information pack explains the review process

Feedback from staff who have been assigned to the role of dedicated family contact has also been positive. Survey data indicates that they believe it improves family experience.

Mark Zacka, Director Clinical Governance and Patient Experience, Northern Sydney Local Health District believes that assigning a dedicated family contact reduces confusion and helps families to restore their trust in the health system.

Communicating openly with families after a serious incident has occurred is the right thing to do. It demonstrates our commitment to the principles of immediacy, accountability and kindness

Mark Zacka, Director Clinical Governance and Patient Experience, Northern Sydney Local Health District
Mark Zacka, Director Clinical Governance and Patient Experience. Northern Sydney Local Health District

Mark Zacka, Director Clinical Governance and Patient Experience, Northern Sydney Local Health District