Site visit highlights value of sharing ideas for continuous improvement

HSV’s Logistics team recently toured the new supply operations and storage areas at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear), which were completed as part of the hospital’s redevelopment in 2024.

Manager of Supply and Logistics at the Eye and Ear Glenda Prewett says the visit was an opportunity for both teams to identify and discuss areas for improvement in the hospital’s logistics operations.

“We have the challenge of being located right in the middle of the city, so we only have one loading dock and limited storage facilities,” Glenda says.

“Josh Lotter and the team shared what they’d seen work well at other health services. They had some valuable insights about manual handling solutions.”

Glenda says she believes HSV has a lot of value to offer health services.

“I appreciate the positive collaboration, and the growth of the distribution centres means there are some great benefits for us.

If we’ve got a problem, we may not get a solution right away, but together we can come up with strategies that can help,” she says.

During the visit the group observed supply chain operations from the loading dock through to different areas of the hospital, including the perioperative suite, emergency department and inpatient ward.

HSV Head of Distribution Centre Operations Josh Lotter says the visit gave the team an appreciation of the day-to-day logistical challenges hospital staff face.

“It was helpful for us to see the size and scale of their operations – it gave us some context around the challenges that are there,” he says.

“Being city-based they have a smaller storage area to work with. As one of our distribution centre customers, we want to do everything we can to provide them with a service that fits their needs.”

“The HSV DC guys are doing an amazing job and we’re very fortunate to be working with them,” says Glenda.

“We’re all working for the same thing – patient care – and we want to ensure we do this well.”

Executive Director Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer at the Eye and Ear, Darren O’Connor-Price said the visit demonstrated the committed partnership between HSV and the Eye and Ear.

“Effective stock management is key in ensuring patients receive the best possible treatment without delays,” Darren says.

The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital is the largest public provider of ophthalmology and ear, nose and throat services in Victoria, delivering more than half of Victoria’s public eye surgery and, with its partners, all of Victoria’s public cochlear implants.

Image above: HSV Logistics staff, Senior Commercial Analyst Sagar Dutta, Head of Customer Operations Yvette Karslake and Head of Distribution Centre Operations Josh Lotter with staff from The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital including Manager of Supply and Logistics Glenda Prewett (far right).