*10th anniversary of employee recognition programme celebrated 
*Eight new hospitals and several specialised facilities opened to meet growing demand for HMC's services


HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari on Saturday said that Hamad Medical Corp (HMC) has witnessed tremendous development since the inception of its Stars of Excellence Awards in 2010. It has also significantly increased the clinical capacity of its network of hospitals and health facilities by opening eight new hospitals and several specialised facilities.

In her remarks during the Stars of Excellence Awards ceremony she said that this additional capacity has been able to meet the growing demand for HMC's services despite the annual increase in the number of patients receiving medical care and treatment.

The awards ceremony was held by the Centre for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement (CPESE) recently in the presence of hundreds of staff from the HMC.

The awards programme was established in 2010 to acknowledge employees’ commitment to delivering high-quality healthcare services and to recognise the outstanding achievements of staff.

HE Dr al-Kuwari said: “Since Stars of Excellence began in 2010, HMC has transformed dramatically. We have significantly increased capacity across our network through the opening of eight new hospitals and numerous specialist facilities. This additional capacity has enabled us to meet the increased demand for our services. Despite treating greater numbers of patients each year, we have worked hard to advance the quality of care we deliver in all areas of our service.

“During the past 10 years, HMC’s services have been assessed and successfully accredited more than 40 times by leading accreditation bodies from around the world. Today we recognise the commitment and expertise of our dedicated staff that has driven improvements and transformation across our system. The teams that are recognised today for their outstanding work embody HMC values and our cultures of commitment to excellence.”

A total of 29 awards within three main categories – health, education and research – were given to the winning project teams, including the Managing Director’s Award, the Star of Excellence Award, the Rising Star Award, and two Awards of Merit.

This year’s winning project of the Managing Director’s Award was ‘Embedded Sustainability in Value Improvement Work’, which also received a Star of Excellence award.

The project is included under the Health category in the Quality and Patient Safety subcategory. It focuses on value improvement through the use of improvement science.

Other winning projects recognised at this year’s ceremony include: Clinical Practice Award:Different Sites, Same Service; Collaborative Achievement Award: Achieving Global Excellence in Diabetes Care; Operational Performance Award: HMC-Wide Implementation of Bed Capacity Management and Patient Experience Award:

Maximising Patient Experience by Increasing Direct Nursing Care Hours.

The Education and Research Star of Excellence Awards went to the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute’s (HHQI) project ‘Capacity and Capability Building Programme’ and the ‘Treatment Burden Impact on Quality of Life’ project.

Nasser al-Naimi, deputy chief of Quality,CPESE and director, HHQI said: “Our success story started in 2010 and continues as we celebrate the Stars of Excellence 10th anniversary. This programme puts high-quality care and patient satisfaction at the top of our priorities and enables us to develop a valuable programme that allows us to recognise the determination and hard work of our dedicated employees.”

“Today, the programme is embedded in HMC’s culture. It places great emphasis on teamwork, recognising that while we have truly talented and motivated individuals working across HMC, it is when we work together as a team that we deliver the very best results,” added al-Naimi.