Patient Outcomes
As part of our quality framework, we regularly measure and benchmark ourselves against a range of 'Clinical Indicators'.
In accordance with the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standard 2: Partnering with Consumers, the contents of this page have been reviewed by Consumer Advisory Committees at Belmont Private, Brunswick Private and Gosford Private Hospitals.
Hand Hygiene
North West Private Hand Hygiene Compliance
Hand hygiene (or hand washing) is one of the best ways to stop infections so, as a priority, we educate and train all caregivers in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) “five moments” for hand hygiene. We also audit our staff and provide our results to Hand Hygiene Australia (HHA) to compare us against other hospitals.
Our auditors complete compliance audits on a regular basis and submit data three times a year. We also participate in the national hand hygiene strategy to continually improve our rates.
The graph below shows that North West Private's Hand Hygiene compliance rates are well above the 80% Industry benchmark for 2018 and 2019.

Inpatient Falls with Injury Requiring Intervention
North West Private Patient Fall Rates
A fall in a hospital is when a patient suddenly and unintentionally falls to the ground. This can happen in a hospital setting for a number of reasons, such as a change in medication, the after effects of an anaesthetic, or just because the surroundings are unfamiliar. Falls can injure patients and affect their recovery and independence.
This graph below shows the number of patients that sustain a fall that caused an injury as a percentage of total patient bed-days (the number of days that all patients spend in hospital). North West Private achieves a lower rate (better) than the industry benchmark.
We achieve a lower rate through our established Falls Prevention and Management Program and an electronic Incident/Risk Management and Reporting System. A variety of best practice tools and prevention intervention guidelines are utilised to identify those patients/consumers at high risk of having a fall.

Unplanned Re-Admissions
North West Private Unplanned Re-Admissions
The rate of unplanned re-admissions provides an indication of the effectiveness of our planning processes, for when people are discharged from hospital.
The graph below shows the number of patients that were re-admitted to North West Private within 28 days of discharge from hospital, with a diagnosis related to the same condition as the original admission.
North West Private's rate is lower (better) than the industry benchmark. This is achieved, for example, through the presence of dedicated Discharge Planners, Social Workers and other Allied Health staff as part of better discharge planning initiatives, plus pre-admission clinics where patients' discharge needs are identified prior to admission.
