Our plan for Great Care, Everywhere means building paediatric capacity and capability across the Victorian healthcare sector and increasing awareness and understanding of paediatric health issues among families and communities.

We will collaborate

We will collaborate to drive innovation and build capacity and capability in paediatric care everywhere. The RCH values a collaborative approach and recognises working with our patients, families, colleagues and partners will achieve much more than by working alone.

Stronger and broader partnerships across all levels of the health system are needed to meet the growing demand for services and we are committed to working collaboratively with each of our stakeholders, including:

• Patients and their families to co-design models of care that deliver more options, as well as better experiences and outcomes
• Government to deliver greater efficiency across the paediatric health sector
• Health system partners, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, Safer Care Victoria and the Victorian Paediatric Clinical Network, to drive and promote clinical best practice, innovation and quality and safety in paediatric care at a systems level
• Health care providers to share knowledge and expertise in order to build capacity and capability within the RCH and the wider community
• Partners to connect research, education and clinical expertise, ensuring we have the skills and resources to maximise the usage of medical advances in clinical care.
• Shared-care partners to develop and pursue an integrated service model so patients with chronic, complex conditions or mental illness can receive more care in the community.

Great Care domains	Our actions
	Advocate for and work with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and health services across Victoria to develop the foundations for a cohesive state-wide approach to paediatric healthcare that supports a decentralised, integrated care model.
	Develop and enhance partnerships with paediatric health care providers throughout Melbourne, including Monash Children’s, to develop key objectives for improving child and young people’s health together and ensure that clinically appropriate care is provided as close to home as possible.
	Collaborate with patients, families and consumers to further develop and embed our vision and framework for exceptional patient and family centred care.
	Collaborate with our staff, patients and families and campus partners, consumers and staff to develop and implement a Safe Place strategy (see below).
	Work in collaboration with community and partner organisations to enhance the delivery of streamlined and co-ordinated care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and their families.
	Make joint appointments across health services to share knowledge and expertise.
	Develop additional partnerships in paediatric teaching, training and research.
	Help build the capability and capacity of primary and community care providers.
	Build on our current initiatives in staff mental health and well-being to implement additional programs that are flexible and responsive to staff needs.
Legend:  Clinical excellence    Positive experience    Timely Access    A Safe Place    Sustainable healthcare

We will innovate

We will innovate to address the challenges confronting our industry, our patients and children everywhere. We understand the importance of fostering a culture that embraces research, education and innovation at every level if we are to maintain our position as one of the world’s great children’s hospitals and deliver a sustainable health service.

We will continue to integrate education and research in our clinical practice and invest in our researchers and clinicians to ensure they can undertake, lead and participate in cutting edge research. We will ensure research is focused on clinical outcomes and pursue new models of care, using data insights to determine how best to deploy our resources to support these changes.

By implementing a digital ecosystem, we aim to disrupt some existing systems and approaches to healthcare, to place the patient and family at the centre of using technology to improve how they access and navigate the complex healthcare landscape.

We will become increasingly adept at using data analytics to predict and inform outcomes in both a clinical and operational context by linking and analysing data and building staff capability in informatics and data management. Our Electronic Medical Record (EMR) will play an enormous and integral role in this moving forward as it allows us to analyse and predict demand, enabling data-driven decision making that supports the best use of our financial, physical and human resources within the RCH and across the health sector.

We will have a strong focus on supporting the successful delivery of the Parkville Connecting Care program – a shared EMR with the Royal Women’s Hospital, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. We will also plan to achieve an Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) Level 7 for inpatients, which includes implementation of a closed loop medication management system.

Great Care domains	Our actions
	With campus partners, deliver the Melbourne Children’s Centre for Health Informatics, enabling optimisation in data and innovation across clinical practice, research and operations, including: building our skills and workforce in advanced informatics and data management building the IT systems necessary to integrate and interrogate data across multiple sources pursuing opportunities to work with external agencies where linking and analysing data will lead to improved healthcare outcomes.
	Work to ensure that our clinical research translates quickly to new models of care, increase the number of clinical trials and explore opportunities for joint research with other service providers.
	Continue to pursue and support the use of new and emerging technologies and practices.
	Deliver an education and research hub that will support health professionals everywhere with an interest in paediatrics.
	Work with the Royal Women’s Hospital, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, to deliver Parkville ‘Connecting Care’ – a shared EMR for all four health services.
	Expand our ability to deliver care remotely by creating a ‘virtual’ hub.
	Develop smarter configurations of hospital spaces to optimise resources and provide the most clinically appropriate care in the most efficient manner, including: Expanding our capacity by fitting out and opening space on our fifth floor Delivering 20 new treatment spaces in our Emergency Department Securing funding to permanently establish the RAPID system in our Emergency Department Increasing the use of ambulatory day services to reduce overnight admissions Reviewing and improving de-escalation areas in the Emergency Department.
	Work with patients, families and health and social care providers to implement innovative and collaborative approaches to caring for children and young people with a range of conditions, including mental health and behaviours of concern.
	Continue to develop leaders across the organisation so that our people have the skills, support and information they need to effectively manage teams and improve performance.
	Implement integrated and contemporary non-clinical support systems that support the delivery of Great Care, Everywhere.
	Continue to review patient flows and care models to ensure we are using physical, financial and human resources efficiently.
	Identify and actively pursue new funding and revenue sources to enable the delivery of Great Care, Everywhere.
	Actively contribute to the implementation of the Victorian Government’s policy to be net zero carbon by 2050, and further improve environmental sustainability through other targeted initiatives.
Legend:  Clinical excellence    Positive experience    Timely Access    A Safe Place    Sustainable healthcare

We will advocate

We will advocate to influence positive health and wellbeing outcomes for staff, children and young people. The RCH is recognised nationally and internationally as one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals and we believe it is our responsibility to advocate for children and young people everywhere.

During the next three years, we will take every opportunity to influence issues where Great Care intersects with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

We will also work to provide collaborative leadership across the paediatric health sector by advocating on behalf of other health service providers, where appropriate, and working with other services to develop a coordinated state-wide approach to paediatric health services.

As our service and the health sector more broadly face an increasingly challenging environment, we believe that advocacy will play an important role in helping to convey the value of our service to the community and funding bodies, as well as securing support for paediatric health programs in the community.

Great Care domains	Our actions
	Consult widely and develop and implement a comprehensive advocacy strategy which positively influences outcomes for children and young people, particularly in the areas of: The Rights of the Child Mental Health and Behaviours of Concern Vulnerable Children and Child Safety Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Early intervention models Complex care.
	Lead and advance issues related to paediatric Mental Health that reflects a need for both acute services and support in the community.
	Recognise, actively promote and learn from the expertise and experience of other healthcare providers.
	Respond to the needs of our diverse community.
	Continue to influence community attitudes and awareness of paediatric health issues through the RCH National Child Health Poll.
Legend:  Clinical excellence    Positive experience    Timely Access    A Safe Place    Sustainable healthcare