November 2019
-
Fiona Moate: Clinical Excellence in Hand Therapy
Fiona Moate, Hand Therapist who has been working at Northern Health for 17 years, won the Clinical Excellence Award at the last quarterly Staff Recognition Awards. She was recognised for her dedicated and outstanding clinical skills in assessment, splint fabrication and treatment provision for patients following complex hand trauma. Laurelle Bland, who nominated her, said Fiona keeps up to date with current research by attending courses and reading literature, and implements this into her practice. “She brings new treatment ideas to the team and encourages others to do the same,” said Laurelle. Laurelle also nominated her as she feels Fiona…
-
2019 Annual General Meeting and Open Access Board Meeting
The 2019 Annual General Meeting and Open Access Board Meeting held this afternoon was well attended with representation from consumers, community members and Aboriginal Elders. This event provides an opportunity for the board and senior leadership team to engage with staff and consumers and showcase many of the initiatives and collaborations we have undertaken in the past 12 months. A media video report was also shown, and the participants had an opportunity to see how Northern Health’s achievements were presented to our community through both local newspapers and TV stations (video below). Jennifer Williams AM, Board Chair, welcomed attendees and…
-
LGBTIQ+ Ideas Labs
LGBTIQ+ staff and friends recently participated in Ideas Labs across our four sites. Through discussion, participants identified there may be more Northern Health could do to promote pride within the LGBTIQ+ community of the north. This includes improving LGBTIQ+ visibility through leadership, higher profile of LGBTIQ+ people and the use of relevant signs and symbols (e.g. rainbow flags). One way we can do this is by celebrating LGBTIQ+ through special events involving the broader community, with plans well underway to participate in the Midsumma Pride March in February 2020. We also hope to run events for IDAHOBIT (International Day Against…
-
Celebrating our volunteers
One of the greatest gifts you can give is your time and that is what Northern Health’s 350 fabulous volunteers give day after day. Today, as our gift to volunteers, Northern Health hosted a Christmas lunch at Casa D’Abruzzo Club in Epping. A delicious buffet lunch was enjoyed by all and the volunteers danced the afternoon away with DJ Con. The volunteers have much to celebrate, as this year has been particularly busy. Andrew Williamson, Executive Director Public Affairs and Foundation, thanked volunteers for their time, commitment and dedication to Northern Health. “Our wonderful volunteers make a significant difference every day for…
-
Hats off to Stephanie, Mary and Anthony
At the graduation ceremony at the 2019 AGM of the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM), three of the five Victorian and Tasmanian Fellowship Graduates were from Northern Health. Our congratulations to Stephanie Allan, Mary De Gori and Anthony Gust who are all now Fellows of the College. Fellowship is the highest membership category awarded in the College. It is a significant professional achievement and is awarded by the College to those individuals who have demonstrated to their peers that they have the knowledge, attitudes, conceptual and communication skills to be recognised as senior managers and leaders in the…
-
NDIS training held at Broadmeadows
Northern Health has partnered with the Summer Foundation to up skill our staff in how we work with the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme). After completing a gap analysis of what we need to do to successfully manage the interface between NDIS and the health service, a steering committee was established to identify and develop systems required to meet the relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks under the NDIS. “We are training our staff health service-wide on this complex issue. We have some very long stayers, either due to the complexity of the system or due to lack of training on…
-
Sharing life experiences across generations
A unique program at Northern Health sees Parade College students regularly visit the Bundoora Centre Social Support Group. The program exposes students to building intergenerational relationships and encourages them to interact with older people in the community. Lisa James, Social Support Group Manager, said, “The Parade students have been coming for a number of years now. They come in during the week and spend time with the group members – they interact with them, play cards, reminisce about things, joke around!” The Northern Health Social Support Group based at Bundoora Centre is a Commonwealth Home Support Program. Group members live…
-
World COPD Day
Today is World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day (COPD)​ and this year we are taking the opportunity to encourage people to reach out to their health professionals for support and assistance to manage their illness and improve their wellbeing. Awareness and investigation of new or ongoing respiratory symptoms, such as persistent cough, wheeze, or shortness of breath can lead to early diagnosis and treatments for a range of respiratory diseases. Awareness and understanding of the treatments prescribed is also important, with the respiratory department promoting evidence based therapy, including the correct use of inhaled medications or ‘puffers’. Maureen Goodwin, Respiratory…