Sydney Adventist is a not-for-profit acute care hospital on the Upper North Shore of Sydney – the flagship facility of the South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The hospital was established in 1903 as a 70 bed “Sanitarium” to provide a place to help people stay well – “a home of health and healing”.

Today, the private hospital has more than 500 beds and is one of the largest not- for- profit healthcare facilities in NSW. Affectionately-known as “The San” since its days as a Sanitarium, it offers surgical, medical and emergency services supported by state-of-the-art treatment facilities, access to at-home hospital services and cancer support services within their four facilities.

The Hospital serves private health care patients in the northwest areas of Sydney with a spirit that is reflected in their mission statement: “Christianity in Action – caring for the body, mind and spirit of our patients, colleagues, community and ourselves.”

“We have what we believe is a unique commitment to caring,” Dr Leon Clark, CEO of the Sydney Adventist Hospital, says. “We ask each employee to look out for their own health and well-being, since it is truly part of maintaining their ability to look after other people and patients.”

The San cares for patients with a proactive holistic approach, understanding the benefits of nurturing mental, spiritual and physical wholeness to promote healthy living and deliver compassionate medical care. Dr Clark and the San Executive manage the 2,200 staff members and over 700 accredited medical practitioners who care for more than 45,000 in-patients and 155,000 outpatients yearly. Some major benchmark partners include Catholic Health Group in Perth, UnitingCare Health Group in Queensland and Epworth HealthCare in Melbourne.

SERVICES

The hospital offers acute surgical, medical and obstetric care including complex cardiac and orthopaedic procedures. Its acute-care facilities include 12 operating theatre suites, three state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratories, urology lasers, 1.6 Tesla MRI and Australia’s first dual source CT scanner with 128 slice capability.

Its Emergency Care department was the first private emergency unit established in NSW and is the largest and busiest private sector facility in the State.

Sydney Adventist Hospital outpatient services include physiotherapy, radiology, ultrasound services for women, pathology, radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, wound care clinic, dietician services, and an on-site family medical and dental centre. Sophisticated support services are available on the campus, including Cardiac Rehabilitation and Cancer Support services.

LOCATIONS

Sydney Adventist Hospital owns and operates a number of individual facilities, located both on the hospital campus in Wahroonga and off-site in nearby suburbs.
Located on the hospital campus, the Fox Valley Medical & Dental Centre provides a full range of general practitioner services. Two on-site accommodation facilities include Jacaranda Lodge, which provides accommodation for patients, their families and general public and the nurses’ residence which provides accommodation for student nurses, staff, guests and general public.

San Day Surgery Hornsby is a freestanding licensed day-surgery centre with three theatres undertaking ophthalmology, cosmetic and plastic surgery, orthopaedic, oral/dental and general surgery.

In June 2010, the San purchased Dalcross Private Hospital, a 51-bed facility providing neurosurgery, spinal, vascular and ophthalmology services.

To complement cancer services, day-only chemotherapy and blood transfusion treatments are provided at the San Day Infusion Centre and the Sydney Haematology & Oncology Centre.

ATTRACTING EMPLOYEES THROUGH REPUTATION

Clark and his staff spoke with employees to ask what attracted them to work at the San. “Employees are attracted to continue to work at the San because of our mission, culture and reputation,” he says. “We offer a higher quality of service to our patients and great environment for employees who we support through in-house education for personal and professional development.”

Staff members are able to undertake courses offered by the onsite e San College of Education and access onsite recreational facilities, work-life balance activities and health and well-being programs.

The hospital is a major part of the community and encourages its management to become active members of local organisations such as Rotary clubs in order to develop closer links with their neighbourhoods.

THE SAN EXPERIENCE

Clark says he is noticing that, compared to 10 years ago, they are serving a much older population which is coping with age-related medical conditions. Their facilities care for an entire spectrum of patients and diseases. The San Experience is a program that aims to create a consistent experience for patients. The San has partnered with US-based Studer Group to improve patient satisfaction and create a positive work environment for employees and physicians.

TECHNOLOGY

The San has made significant investments in IT and has developed a number of programs that support its core IT capabilities. “These programs were developed in-house if there were none commercially available IT applications to meet our needs,” Clark says.

CAPITAL INVESTMENTS

The San is planning to spend $150 million on new facilities including a major cancer centre on the main campus with construction likely to commence within 12 months. The facility will add extra beds and operating rooms, and offer comprehensive support services. The San is also looking into developing a short-stay hospital on its Hornsby site and is currently waiting on approval from the state government to proceed with the project.

Since the economic recession, the San has continued to serve patients at a record level with above 90 percent occupancy within its facilities. “This is the reason why we’re adding 160 beds to our facility and why we bought Dalcross to care for some of our patients,” he says.

“In five years from now, we’ll probably have another few facilities in this area and we’re already looking for opportunities for expansion where appropriate,” Clark says. “We will have completed our new building and the premium cancer treatment centre will be unlike any other in the private sector.”