Introduction
Child and Family Health Nurses provide a range of services, including the crucial 1–4 week Personal Health Record check for babies.
Historical practices within Western Sydney did not facilitate collaboration and innovative approaches between Child and Family Health Nursing and the Maternity services in public and private hospitals. The Grow Together project strengthened partnerships that overcame siloed approaches and streamlined the transition of care. A greater acceptance of the 1-4 week check leads to positive ongoing family engagement to promote optimal long-term health of the baby, family, and the community.
Body
The Grow Together project was underpinned by the quadruple aim which drives healthcare redesign to enhance patient experience, improve clinician experience, deliver superior outcomes, and lower costs. Redesign methodology was applied, which consists of five steps: initiation, diagnostics, solutions, implementation, and sustainability. A range of qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to identify the key issues impacting family engagement with the 1–4 week check.
The project found three, interconnected key issues: non-standardised client communication processes, limited maternity staff knowledge and minimal client understanding of the Child and Family Health Nursing service.
The implementation of the project’s solutions has increased collaboration between Child and Family Health Nursing and Maternity services across both public and private hospitals. This collaboration has resulted in an increase in maternity staff confidence and understanding of the Child and Family Health Nursing service which has supported client engagement. Initial data has demonstrated a 40% increase in the confidence of maternity staff referring to the Child and Family Health Nursing service
Conclusion
This project has enhanced collaboration between Child and Family Health Nursing and Maternity services through multiple innovative approaches. This includes promoting the shared goal of delivering patient centred care, respect for each other’s roles, responsibilities, time, and finding mutually beneficial sustainable solutions.