Trevor McGill was the lucky 1000th patient through Wimmera Health Care Group’s Discharge Lounge.
Mr McGill, aged 92, was welcomed with party blowers and balloons as the 1000th patient to go through the Discharge Lounge.
The Discharge Lounge was an initiative started at Wimmera Health Care Group this year to improve the flow of patients through the hospital. The lounge is staffed by registered nurses, Jillian Kiley is the Discharge Lounge Co-ordinator.
"The lounge is a dedicated area where patients discharged from the wards can wait in comfort for their medications, transport, appointments or Doctor’s Discharge Summary letter," Ms Kiley said.
"We have recently completed a phone survey collecting information from patients that have been through the Discharge Lounge and the feedback has been very positive.
"There is also a Patient Experience Tracker (PET) that allows patients to provide electronic feedback anonymously, while in the Discharge Lounge. We will continue to collect regular feedback to help improve the quality and functioning of the service."
The Discharge Lounge will continue to be an important part of the discharge process and aligns Wimmera Health Care Group with the majority of hospitals that now have similar services.
Ms Kiley said the lounge is a great step forward for both the hospital, the patients and importantly helps to improve bed-flow, alleviating the wait for a bed for patients that need to be admitted to the wards.
"We will continue to strive for increasing numbers through the Discharge Lounge and maintain our feedback of excellent service and happy patients."