East Tamaki Healthcare (ETHC) has added another feather to its cap with one more prestigious accolade. ETHC’s contributions to the health sector have been rightfully acknowledged at the Westpac Business Awards ceremony held at the Telstra Clear Events Centre black tie dinner on August 12.
ETHC went through as finalists in three categories and was awarded the winner for both the Cogita Excellence in Innovation & Strategy Award and also the RSM Prince Excellence in Service Delivery Award.
The ETHC team present at the ceremony then waited in anticipation for the conclusion of the award ceremony where the supreme Westpac Business of the Year Award was to be presented.
To their delight, ETHC was announced as the supreme winner, which had ETHC’s Clinical and Management Team invited up on to the stage to accept the award.
At the function it was acknowledged that the judging panel for the 2011 Westpac Business Excellence Awards was experienced in the judging process (approximately 30 judges are involved). Entries were scored in accordance with the Baldrige Quality Model that align the awards with the global quality award system.
Dr John Evangelista, GM of ETHC says, “It was a real thrill to see primary health care and the contributions it makes to both the business community and the community as a whole getting the recognition it deserves.
“I think that all primary care providers would benefit from the acknowledgements gained by ETHC at the awards and the greater realisation by the commercial sector of the difference general practitioners and their teams can make to their communities”.
The business was established 35 years ago as a solo doctor practice with its headquarters still based in Otara, South Auckland. It has grown to become New Zealand’s largest private primary healthcare provider, with 30 medical clinics located throughout South, Central and West Auckland.
The original founders of ETHC, Dr. Kantilal Patel (QSM) and Mrs. Ranjna Patel (QSM), continue to actively be involved with the governance and operations of the business.
Dr. Patel dedicated the Westpac awards to the hard work that all ETHC personnel provide. “I am so pleased and honoured not just for myself and my family but for all our hard working, dedicated and loyal personnel. We are proud that our collective and persistent efforts serving our community have been recognised once again. From a corporate business perspective we take pride in winning the Supreme and Excellence in Innovation and Strategy Awards. However to win the Excellence in Service Delivery Award is very significant especially as a health provider”.
Mrs. Patel said, “Achieving these awards confirms that we are on the right business pathway. Its good to be judged at being good at what we do but we also believe there is still a lot of work ahead of us to get even better outcomes for our patients.”
The Baldrige performance excellence criteria are a framework that any organisation can use to improve overall performance. Seven categories make up the award criteria:
Leadership: The leaders are the people in your business that are responsible for guiding and managing the business. For ETHC it is the Clinicians that largely influence business direction, performance expectations, behaviours and how they monitor the performance of the business.
Strategy and Planning: this is the process by which the future direction of the business is determined. ETHC incorporate the whole team in determining the actions, responsibilities and resources that will ensure the business achieves its short- and long-term strategies.
Customer and market: Customer and market focus determines the market requirements and expectations, determine the requirements and expectations of customers, acquire new customers, build relationships with customers, monitor customer perception of your success and develop future opportunities. The Patel’s philosophy that has driven its success has always been – “Look after the patient (customer) and the patient will look after you”.
Information and Analysis: This is the foundation of a performance-oriented business. It means having a fact based measurement system with the use of information and data (knowledge) to support key business activities, to make decisions based on fact, as well as analyse the performance of the business. ETHC Clinical Management defines the key information and data used by the business, how this is analysed and made available to others both inside and outside the business.
Workforce: Excellent businesses encourage their people to develop and use their full potential while contributing to the achievement of the business' short and long term goals. ETHC designs and delivers on how the work and jobs are organised, how training and education provides the skills and knowledge required and how the employee work environment is measured and improved to ensure satisfied committed employees.
Processes: Processes are the way things are done to carry out the business. Key Processes are those processes that "touch" the customer and may include the design, development, manufacture and delivery of products and/or services to customers or suppliers. ETHC see this as an ongoing development in the delivery of high quality accessible healthcare.
Results: The results are the outputs from the business activities. ETHC are acknowledged in understanding their business' performance and improvement in key areas that include services, patient, financial, market, workforce and business effectiveness. ETHC have delivered on actual results and the trends and stress the importance of measuring real outcomes not just outputs.