As demand for healthcare continues to grow across the region, caring for patients requires more than a busy Emergency Department. It relies on hundreds of staff across Bendigo Health working together to ensure patients receive safe, timely and coordinated care at every stage of their journey.
For Dr Yvonne Higgott, Consultant in the Emergency Department, increasing demand highlights an important reality of modern healthcare: no single department can meet patients' needs alone.
"Emergency medicine is often described as the front door of the hospital, but we're only one part of a patient's journey," Dr Higgott said. "What happens in ED is closely connected to what happens across the rest of the health service."
The Emergency Department is often where hospital care begins. Every day, staff care for people with a wide range of needs, from minor injuries to life-threatening illnesses and emergencies. Unlike many healthcare settings, ED teams never know who will arrive next or what level of care they may require.
But while the Emergency Department is highly visible, much of a patient's care depends on what happens elsewhere across the hospital. Diagnostic imaging, pathology, specialist teams, inpatient wards, operating theatres, allied health services and discharge planning all play an important role in helping patients receive the care they need.
As hospitals across Australia experience increasing demand and more complex patient presentations, ensuring patients can move safely and efficiently through the health service has become increasingly important. Dr Higgott believes this is something every team contributes to.
"We need to view patient flow as a patient safety issue," she said. "The patient should remain at the centre of every decision we make."
While patients may spend only a short time in one area of the hospital, their care often relies on many teams working together behind the scenes. Strong communication and collaboration help ensure information is shared, decisions are made quickly, and patients receive the right care at the right time.
Dr Higgott said it was important to think about healthcare not as a collection of separate departments, but as one connected system focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for patients.
"It's very easy to focus on our own area, but every decision and every action have an impact beyond our department," she said. "The best outcomes happen when we think about the health service as one connected system."
Despite the challenges facing healthcare services, Dr Higgott said staff remain united by a shared commitment to patients and their families.
"No one comes to work wanting to deliver bad patient care. That's not why people choose healthcare," she said. "Every day, staff are doing their best for patients, often in challenging and unpredictable circumstances."
Ultimately, she believes the strongest outcomes occur when teams work together with a shared purpose.
"We're one hospital, and the patient needs to come first," Dr Higgott said. "When we work together and keep the patient at the centre of our decisions, that's when we're at our strongest."
How busy is the Bendigo Health Emergency Department? Check the real time updates: Bendigo Health Website - Emergency Department
In an emergency, please phone Triple Zero (000)