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Empowering Nurses for the Future Through Enhanced Clinical Governance

Thursday, July 24, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
Exhibition Hall and Foyer

Overview

Presenter: David Ramsay


Speaker

Mr David Ramsay
General Manager, Care And Services
Bethanie

Empowering Nurses for the Future Through Enhanced Clinical Governance

8:00 AM - 8:40 AM

Abstract

In 2021, Bethanie partnered with PricewaterhouseCoopers to assess its clinical governance maturity In response to the findings, Bethanie implemented a comprehensive maturity plan aligned with the Three Lines Model, focusing on risk and incident management while promoting a compliance-driven culture.
By 2024, Bethanie achieved significant advancements, introducing tools for enhanced oversight, data trending, and targeted interventions. Key innovations included the deployment of dashboards for restrictive practices, weight management, skin integrity, and wound care, which demonstrated measurable success in reducing incidents and improving outcomes. For example, nurses can use the weight indicator report to track residents with weight loss or at risk based on predicted trends. Similarly, the skin assessment report identifies residents at high risk of pressure injuries and ensures appropriate preventive measures are in place.
Enhanced data reporting and benchmarking provided the Board with clearer insights, while Clinical Quality Specialists strengthened site-level support, improved investigations, and drive continuous improvement. Medication incidents saw an exciting decline throughout the year, reaching their lowest point by November 2024 with a reduction of 4.2%!
Between May and July 2024, Bethanie achieved impressive improvements in Quality Measures, with reductions in falls, polypharmacy, unplanned weight loss, pressure injuries, physical restraint, and antipsychotic use—most now below the state average, except falls, which match it!
Bethanie now has clear visibility into compliance with incident investigations. In January 2024, only 43.4% of incidents had investigations initiated and 48.8% had corrective actions identified. By December 2024, this improved significantly, with 91% of incidents having investigations started and 92.8% corrective actions identified.
Bethanie now publishes a quarterly Quality Assurance Newsletter to provide insights into organisational governance, including key information and lessons learned, such as findings from root cause analyses.
Bethanie’s transformation has enhanced oversight and empowered nurses to deliver safer, high-quality care through innovative tools that improve outcomes

Biography

Dave Ramsay has worked at Bethanie for 5 years, heading up their Clinical Governance. Dave moved to Perth in 2007 following 14 years with the NHS in the UK and has worked in Hospital and Aged Care settings in Perth, with a 3 yr stint in Timor-Leste supporting nursing development.
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