​Gauteng hospitals stamped their authority in the Innovator of the Year category at the National Batho Pele and Innovation Awards (NBPIA) held at the Radisson Blue Hotel and Conference OR Tambo International Airport on Friday, 29 November.
All three positions under the category of Innovator of the Year were scooped by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) facilities.  Edenvale Hospital told first place for its Speedy-Q system, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) came second for its Physiotherapy Peer Review project while Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) was third for its Triage Clinic. 
The department again cleaned the floor when two of its employees scooped Best General Worker of the Year award. These exceptional public servants include Adolphine Molokoane, a cleaner and housekeeper at Tara Hospital who is a champion in quality assurance, as well as Martha Maboko who is a dedicated and meticulous general worker at Riverpark Clinic, and maintains high cleaning standards, consistently delivers exceptional results, and has received outstanding Patient Experience of Care results for cleanliness. 
The NBPIA aim to acknowledge and honour exceptional public service delivery and innovation in South Africa's public sector. This year, as the country marks 30 years of democracy, the awards emphasise inclusivity and the commitment to leaving no one behind, aligning with the national service and transformation objectives. 
The Speedy-Q system that has been installed at the Edenvale Hospital's Outpatients Pharmacy focuses on housekeeping and patient categorisation and has reduced waiting times by 73%. The system has been easily replicable and has significantly improved service delivery in the pharmacy. 
The Physiotherapy Peer Review project at CMJAH has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of physiotherapy services. The project involved standardising documents, improving communication, and implementing standard operation procedures within the cluster. The project also introduced ICU experiential learning to cover community placements in hospitals without ICUs and resulted in the development of 15 SOPs and ICU experiential learning for all 20 facilities.
The Triage clinic at CHBAH which was established in 2018 has helped patients and their families navigate a complex referral system. The clinic has provided interdisciplinary screening services for children at risk of hearing, communication, and feeding disorders, reducing waiting times and improving service delivery. The triage service increased access to 7 276 paediatric patients and reduced referrals of children with normal hearing into the paediatric diagnostic clinic.
MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko congratulated the winning facilities and healthcare workers for their dedication and excellence in servicing the Gauteng public. 
"The recognition reflects our spirit of service as the Gauteng Department of Health which has fostered a culture of kindness, accessibility, and professionalism among the staff, ensuring that every patient interaction is positive and empowering.
"With the launch of more innovative and patient centered projects such as the queue management system, digital fingerprint system and our I Serve with a Smile campaign, we are definitely going to bring home more awards in the upcoming year," said the MEC.