Kim Caffell

Based in Dunedin with a district wide role.

Kim Caffell (Patient Safety and Policy Advisor)

On a typical day:
I am part of the Quality and Risk Team for the Southern DHB- I use my nursing knowledge within the team and external to the team particularly the clinical settings.

The role focuses on two key areas, Patient Safety and Document Management system (MIDAS) mostly related to policies procedures and guidelines. No two days are alike, however, key activities within my work include:

Providing data and information for Patient Safety Improvement Initiatives as lead from the Health Quality and Safety Commission (HQSC). This involves spending dedicated time on Audit and reporting, improving the systems that provide the data and manually carrying out audits where there are no electronic systems.  This information is reported via the national HQSC Quality Safety Markers (QSMs)   and our DHB for Clinical, Management Executive & Board.  This includes measurements related to our progress with reducing harm from falls, pressure injury and deterioration in a patient’s clinical condition.

I also work on specific Patient Safety improvement projects. In- the last two years I have been the project lead for the implementation of the NZ Early Warning Score (EWS) observation chart and response pathway. This is a team approach which I facilitate but requires significant collaboration with key stakeholders including clinical experts from all disciplines and specialist areas, Operations Leadership and Management team plus Releasing Time to Care.  I will be continuing this work in 2020 but I am also working on other improvement projects. The first is related to Medication safety with a focus on reducing administration errors- We know that medication administration errors make up 60% of our total medication errors. We are very fortunate to have a specific programme of work being supported by ACC looking at how we currently administer medication, what the issues and barriers to following standards and ultimately aim to improve processes to reduce harm from errors. My role is to facilitate this project within Southern DHB.

Another area of focus that I am imputing into as Patient Safety Advisor is improvement in Patient Care Assessment Plan/Goal setting and Evaluation of Care. Nursing documentation is a corrective action from the Health and Disability Certification Audit.  I am part of a wider project team which is being led by Lorraine Ritchie (Nursing Consultant). Staff have told us that documentation is a major challenge in that it takes a lot of time away from the patient. It is exciting to be involved in something that has the opportunity to give nurses back time to care.

I also manage the MIDAS team – as a team we have had a huge focus on document management, working to make it easier for staff to access and use. This work is ongoing and I am proud of the progress we have made in this area, to which I acknowledge the skill and expertise of the MIDAS team.

One way I’ve made a difference as a nurse
The implementation of the NZEWS chart and response pathway is an exciting project – a key focus has been the collaboration with others to achieve the outcomes, and standardisation of the way we work. Standardising processes is demonstrated to improve patient safety which is my ultimate goal.

What would you say to a person considering a career in nursing?
Nursing is a career that provides unlimited opportunities- it has certainly offered me a career path that I would never have envisaged as I started my training.