St Andrew's Emergency Centre team. Picture taken before COVID restrictions.
Finding high-quality care for staff impacted by a workplace injury is a responsibility many employers take seriously – and delivering that care is a promise and passion at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital.
Nestled in the central suburb of Spring Hill, the hospital’s Emergency Centre has no wait times and works seamlessly with WorkCover Queensland, meaning no out-of-pocket expenses for employees.
But it’s the highly trained team of doctors, nurses and allied health staff, who have immeasurable knowledge, and go above and beyond for their patients, that sets the hospital apart.
Dr Kim Hansen, Director of Emergency Medicine, explains the hospital has been open for more than 60 years, its Emergency Centre for 25 years, and some medical staff have been onboard for more than two decades.
Employers can rest assured that when their employees present to the Emergency Centre with work-related injuries, they will always be seen by a senior doctor.
“Emergency medicine is a speciality in its own right, and it is a five-year training program after graduation from medical school.
“It means all of our doctors have gone through at least 10 years of training, and for many, it’s even more than that,” Dr Hansen says.
There is no workplace injury that the doctors don’t have expertise in treating, as all have worked in intensive care, major emergency departments and trauma centres.
Common job-related injuries seen at the Emergency Centre include broken bones, cuts and lacerations, back and leg injuries, concussion, chemical eye burns, spinal injuries, industrial deafness, invasion of foreign objects and many more.
“We have imaging, such as MRI, access to theatre, access to surgeons, access to hospital beds, so patients can get better quickly and get back to work.”
Dr Hansen has handpicked her team of skilled professionals.
“They are chosen on their ability to relate to patients, for their knowledge, for their quality of care, as well as being team players.
“We all love private emergency medicine; we love the opportunity to provide the best care possible to the patient without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.”
The hospital also invests in innovative medical equipment. A handheld ultrasound and a portable ultrasound machine are just some of the unique tools recently introduced at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital Emergency Centre.
These machines allow doctors to provide imaging at a patient’s bedside, instead of the patients being transferred to the imaging department. This particularly helps WorkCover patients who have foreign bodies stuck under their skin, or those with broken bones and fractures.
“It’s more comfortable… and everything just happens much faster,” Dr Hansen says.
The hospital also boasts a new slit lamp, which is a special microscope that looks at the surface of the eye, checking for rust, stone or welding flash that gets stuck, which are common workplace injuries.
Dr Hansen says at the end of the day, the patient is at the heart of every decision made at St Andrew’s and employers can feel confident their staff are in capable hands.
“It’s very collegiate, so my doctors will help each other, and the nurses help the doctors – it is all about what is best for the patient.
“It’s a really lovely environment for us to work in because we all have the same aim,” Dr Hansen says.