Auckland Plastic Surgical Centre & Remuera Surgical Care – Five-star cosmetic treatments

Plastic and reconstructive surgeries are becoming increasingly common throughout the world for a variety of reasons. The field is becoming more regulated, the social stigmas associated with some of the procedures has largely been eradicated, and the number of respectable clinics which offer excellent quality of care has undeniably increased over the years. A testament to this is the Auckland Plastic Surgical Centre which offers patients a range of qualified specialists and a luxurious hospital setting unlike any other.

The centre was the brainchild of three senior plastic surgeons. While each of them had their own private practice, they wanted to offer patients a seamless flow from the time they visited the surgeon’s office to the time of their surgical intervention. Furthermore, when the centre was established in 2007, the only hospitals available in the area were either overcrowded or difficult to access. As such, the three surgeons decided to build their own surgery, not only for their patients but also for other specialists who might have wished to take advantage of the centre’s well-equipped facilities.

A range of services on offer

Tristan de Chalain, one of the founders and current directors, talked to us extensively about the facilities and services that they offer. Together with his colleagues, Martin Reese and Greg Taylor, Tristan operates Remuera Surgical Care, a hospital that works in conjunction with their private practice rooms. The facilities at RSC encompass a daycare surgery unit with two General anaesthesia equipped operating theaters, a procedure room, and four multi-night-stay hotel-like rooms with en-suite bathrooms. They are registered and fully accredited as a small hospital and thus are able to keep patients in for a number of days, if required.

The centre offers a wide variety of both surgical and non-surgical treatments designed around patient safety and satisfaction. While the centre has a few surgeons, such as Tristan, Martin, and Greg, who operate exclusively out of RSC, the hospital operates on an “as-needed” basis. To be more precise, the facility is available to any suitably qualified specialist who wants to offer their private patients the very best in modern surgical care. Thus, patients visit non-affiliated specialists who are welcome to make use of the facilities for specific purposes. Though they may not use RSC exclusively, there are always patients who wish to get a specialized procedure done and the hospital caters to that need

Overall, the small hospital operates on a fairly high turnover. Aside from the eight permanent staff, there are rotating nurses and technicians who come in on a contract basis. The hospital maintains a great relationship with organisations such as the insurance companies and is an Affiliated provider for Southern Cross Healthcare. It is also well-thought off by the standard-setting bodies of the industry at large and maintains full accreditation as a registered Healthcare Facility. There is a great working environment at Remuera Surgical Care, a friendly atmosphere that supports collegiality, a strong work ethic, and constant improvements in education, training, and above all, patient safety.

Frequent education events have also proved to be highly effective training modules: “We try to have an educational event at least once per month or once per quarter. At the most recent one, for example, we had a senior doctor come in and do what are called scenarios. We are all in the theater, the patient has been put to sleep, and we can’t get an airway. What do we do? We actually roleplay and live that out to make sure that people know where the emergency drugs are, where the emergency kit is, what has to be done, the protocols that are in place. In other words, preparing for everything”, explains Tristan.

True personalised care for each patient

As the hospital only has four beds, each of the patients receives what can truly be considered highly personalised care. Small acts of kindness and care can go a long way toward patient satisfaction, after all. For instance, if a patient requests a meal from a nearby restaurant and there are no medical reasons to contradict their decision, the hospital will certainly send someone to collect it. This, combined with the personal nature of each room, can make a patient’s stay as dignified and pleasant as possible. At times, it is hard to believe that one is in a hospital and not a hotel. From the free basement parking to the artworks on the walls, the whole facility is designed with patient comfort in mind.

Furthermore, huge emphasis is placed on patient safety. Once a month, the surgeons host a morbidity and mortality meeting to look at complicated or near-miss events. Thankfully, there has never been a fatality at RSC but there have been cases where a patient has had to be transferred to an ICU. The point of these meetings, however, is not to point fingers and assign blame but rather to discuss learning points so that the medical team can maintain standards, learn from the critical event, and develop plans and protocols to prevent a repeat incident.

Every patient who comes in is treated as an individual, from the moment that they pick up the phone to book an appointment to months after they leave the hospital. Before any procedure is actually completed, each patient’s surgeon sits down with them and thoroughly discusses options, comments, and concerns with them. After a procedure has been performed, the hospital conducts a follow-up call soon after the patient’s discharge in order to get feedback while their experience is still fresh in their minds. Finally, there are multiple follow-up appointments at one week, one month, three months, and one year after the patient has been discharged from the hospital. Importantly, Tristan was quick to note that patients can also come in at other times if they feel worried or have any urgent concerns.

Investing for the future

By continuously investing in the hospital, maintaining and improving equipment and technology, the surgeons have also managed to maintain high standards of quality over the years. One of their most recent and expensive decisions made at the board level was an investment on a new major sterilizing unit in the basement two years ago. While funding it was a considerable endeavour, it allowed the facility to become future-proofed in terms of sterilization capacity for the next 10 to 15 years. Moreover, they have heavily invested in laparoscopy gear because they see it as key to attracting gynecologists, one of the areas of surgical endeavour in which RSC is looking to expand, having as they do fully equipped operating theaters with available space.

This kind of forward thinking is what keeps the centre and hospital at the forefront of the industry. Right now, the focus is on increasing usage. Currently, they run at a utilization rate of about 40 to 45 percent, which allows considerable room for expansion. Over the next five years, Tristan hopes to see this increase to 70% utilization. With strict attention to regulatory compliance, staff who provide the personal touch and offering a state-of-the art facility which delivers a first-class surgical experience for each and every patient, this goal seems modest.