Orthoptist Katie Geering shares first-hand the work, and reward, in developing a dedicated paediatric orthoptic department which improved paediatric eyecare at Sydney’s Children Hospital.
Since 2012, the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, with the support of NSW Health, has been recognising outstanding achievements and contributions in health care by awarding the Michelle Beets Award.
Michelle Beets was a devoted and highly respected nurse who tragically lost her life in 2010. This award is given to health professionals who are seen to be providing outstanding paediatric health care within the NSW public health system.
I was fortunate enough to be named the 2022 Michelle Beets Metropolitan award winner.
I have been working as the head orthoptist at The Children’s Hospital Westmead since October 2009, and across the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network since March 2019.
The award nomination recognised the work I have been contributing to in the space of clinical trials, the volunteer work I have been involved in in remote Fiji, as well as improving the paediatric service at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick.
Katie Geering.
“The key to the success of this project was teamwork, dedicated paediatric staff and the collaboration of the ophthalmology and orthoptic department.”
Like many awards of this nature, it is an award that is deserving of the whole team of orthoptists I work with across the two sites. I am fortunate enough to work with nine dedicated paediatric orthoptists who constantly strive to provide the best paediatric healthcare possible.
In March 2019, the eye service at Randwick had reached a crisis due to the lack of a dedicated paediatric service. Wait times were extensive and the level of care required was not possible with the current staffing model.
It is important to note that the service provided was of a high quality, however, the difficulty was in the shared nature of the service. The service suffered as a result of a strained healthcare system.
Over the course of a few years, it was decided to create a dedicated paediatric eye service at Randwick. This involved employing paediatric orthoptists and implementing triage protocols to ensure referrals were seen in a timely manner.
There was a large backlog of patients that needed to be screened. With the help of the team at Randwick we were able to ensure all patients on the waitlist were contacted and offered an appointment if they still required one.
This task was huge as we had over 700 patients waiting to be seen. We were methodical and structured in our approach and ensured each patient was provided the care they had been referred for.
The key to the success of this project was teamwork, dedicated paediatric staff and the collaboration of the ophthalmology and orthoptic department.
By implementing structure to the clinics, a triage protocol, and additional staff, we have been able to improve the eye service for the patients within the Sydney Children’s Hospital local area health.
We have also added sub specialities such as contact lens teaching for patients with congenital cataracts. The collaboration of the eye service across the network has strengthened the eye clinic at both Westmead and Randwick. We share resources and continue to ensure we are providing evidence-based care of the highest standard.
To receive an award for the work that I have achieved over the last decade is a privilege and honour. I would like to thank the team of orthoptists and ophthalmologists I work with, as well as Orthoptics Australia, for ensuring my skills are of the highest standard through continuing education. I have wanted to be an orthoptist since I was five-years-old, so to now be a clinical lead in my chosen field is a dream come true. Thank you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Katie Geering is Head Orthoptist at The Children’s Hospital Westmead and also works across the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network.
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