Celebrating Patient Experience Week 2025 at The Practice Bundanoon

Patient Experience Week is a global celebration dedicated to recognising healthcare staff and community members who impact patient care every day. This year Patient Experience Week runs from 28 April to 2 May and revolves around the theme ‘Building the Foundations of Experience‘– highlighting the accomplishments of healthcare organisations and honoring people who make a positive difference in patient’s lives. From clinicians to support staff to patients and their families, everyone plays a role in shaping the patient experience, and this week is all about bringing those efforts into the spotlight.

In celebration of Patient Experience Week and in recognition of the exceptional care being provided by AGPAL accredited practices, our team were delighted to speak with the co-owners of The Practice Bundanoon, Dr Aarielle Turner and Jessie Smith.

Following their recent accreditation assessment, AGPAL’s Surveyor Team provided a wealth of positive feedback regarding the stand-out care, service and team at the Practice Bundanoon Medical Centre (The Practice Bundandoon). Get to know a little bit more about The Practice Bundanoon and insights into how they deliver first class patient-centred care.

Meet The Practice Bundanoon: family-oriented care in the Southern Highlands

The Practice Bundanoon is a strong example of a team committed to building positive healthcare experiences for their patients. Located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales the established practice was purchased by Southern Highlands locals Dr Aarielle Turner and Practice Manager Jessie Smith (RN) in 2022 and brings together over 20 years of combined experience in the health industry.

The practice is home to a multidisciplinary team of highly trained professionals committed to delivering personalised, high-quality care for their patients and their families to enable them to live the healthiest life they can.

Offering a broad range of services –from skin cancer checks, aged care, pain management, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare to psychology, and skin cosmetology– the practice is well-equipped to care for people across all stages of life and needs.

A team dedicated to patient-centered care

For The Practice Bundanoon, creating a positive patient-experience is part of their team culture, operations and approach to care and safety. Their staff pride themselves on taking the time to listen, understand and involve patients in their healthcare journey to support better health and outcomes

“As a team we ensure that each patient is heard and has the chance to voice their own concerns in regard to their health” says Dr Turner, highlighting the practice’s collaborative approach. “We then aim to work together with our patients to achieve their health goals. We see ourselves as their health advocates, here to support their medical journey.”

This proactive, partnership-based approach allows patients to feel heard and supported in their efforts to be and stay healthy. Having strengthened their recall, reminders and health promotion and prevention strategies The Practice Bundanoon Team are committed to keeping patients informed so they can be proactive in their healthcare, reducing the need to only act when they are unwell. result of their efforts the team has “observed better patient outcomes and experiences as a result. We approach this as a team – doctors, nurses, allied health and our wonderful reception team.”

The Practice Bundanoon Team recognise that importance of preventing illness where possible to help their patients to maintain their quality of life while also being there for them when they are sick.

In addition, the practice also places great emphasis on creating a welcoming and supportive environment. Practice Manager Jessie Smith explains: “From booking an appointment through to the end of your appointment. The patient’s experience is prioritised with our team working really hard together to support this”.

Dr Turner and Jessie share: “We pride ourselves in being open and honest and patients readily approach our team with both positive and constructive feedback to better patient care”. This openness to feedback reflects the practices’ desire to grow and continuously improve their services to better the patient-experience.

At the Practice Bundanoon patients are encouraged to share their experience – whether it’s a compliment or a suggestion – and the team uses that input to continually refine their operations. Knowing that their voices matter, community members trust that the practice team will take their feedback onboard and do their best to action it to make their experience a positive one. Striving for continuous quality improvement in patient experience is always part of the work undertaken at the Practice Bundanoon, and accreditation also plays a big role in this journey. The accreditation process demonstrates a dedication to the highest standards of quality, safety, and continuous improvement in the services they provide. As they explained “Accreditation has ensured that as a practice we are always striving to meet best practice guidelines to enable us to care for our local community to the highest standard.” Their commitment helps to build trust and create a better patient experience, as they know that an accredited practice is committed to delivering safe, high-quality care for them and their loved ones.

The team at The Practice Bundanoon is a fantastic example of a team that stives to “build the foundations of experience” and we thank them for taking the time to share their story with us.

To learn more about The Practice Bundanoon visit their website at https://thepracticebundanoon.com.au/