At Wollongong Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery we take quality and safety seriously and are committed to ongoing improvement of patient care.

Accreditation

Wollongong Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is an Accredited Specialised Health Service, recognised by QIP (Quality Innovation Performance). We are professional members of ACHS (The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards), and our practice is Part of Bupa Dental Corporation.

Infection Rates

Wollongong Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery has thorough infection control procedures and ensures staff take every precaution to prevent infections. Healthcare associated infections (HAI) occur as a result of healthcare interventions and can happen whether you are being treated in hospital, in a GP clinic, another healthcare facility, or at home. They are caused by microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. Some patients are at a higher risk of acquiring an infection, which may lead to a longer recovery time.

By collecting data on healthcare associated infections and analysing this, we are able to identify patterns and trends allowing our clinicians and staff to improve practices and reduce the risks for infection.

Hand Hygiene

The single most important factor in reducing healthcare associated infections is hand hygiene. Simply put, hand hygiene is washing or cleaning your hands with soap and water, or with waterless hand sanitiser (Alcohol Based Hand Rub). While our hands may look clean, many germs are invisible to our eyes. Germs can survive on unwashed hands for over an hour, allowing for bacteria and viruses to be easily transmitted to our environment and other people.

All Wollongong Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery staff are expected to frequently clean their hands and to use correct hand hygiene. ‘Hand Hygiene Australia’ is a government approved organisation that helps train staff in the use of correct hand hygiene. The World Health Organisation has identified five moments for hand hygiene; this is five opportunities when hand hygiene should be performed in hospital. These Five Moments are:

• Before touching a patient
• Before a procedure
• After a procedure
• After touching a patient
• After touching a patient’s belongings or surroundings

Wollongong Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery staff are regularly audited by being observed when carrying out their duties, to see whether hand hygiene has been performed correctly at each ‘moment’.

It is important that all patients and visitors to Wollongong Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery also follow good hand hygiene practices. You can do this by washing or cleaning your hands:

• After blowing your nose
• After going to the toilet
• Before, during and after preparing food
• After smoking
• After handling/patting animals
• When your hands are visibly dirty

Return to Theatre and Transfers

Wollongong Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery undertake many surgical procedures each year. On very rare occasions, a patient may be required to return to theatre following their procedure, or alternatively be transferred to another hospital for a higher level of care.

Wollongong Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery endeavours to ensure patients do not need a return to theatre or to be transferred to another hospital following their procedure. We minimise this risk by following these steps:

• A preadmission assessment of high risk patients
• Careful monitoring of patients in recovery
• Ensuring patient’s level of pain is carefully assessed
• Reviewing every case when a patient requires a return to theatre, to work out the reasons why and how to prevent it in future