April 2020
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Naomi Kent: Nurse turned OHS team leader
Sydney born and bred Naomi Kent, Team Leader Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) now calls Melbourne home, after changing not only the state she resided in, but her occupation as well. She joined Northern Health in October 2018, and in her role provides OHS advice, looks at all OHS incidents and liaises with affected staff members and managers. In her role, she also provides advice and support with OHS risk management . “I started my career as a registered nurse, and worked in nursing for 8 years while living in New South Wales. At some point, I went back to…
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HRO team: A sense of team wherever you are
Since the COVID-19 preparation started, the multi-skilled Project Management/HRO team has been focused on two main things: setting up to use the split team model and supporting the organisation in COVID-19 response activities. Sophie Argiriou, Director Project Management Office/HRO, explained the team first made a skill set list for all team members. “We looked at the various qualifications the team has and where we could best use our previous experiences, or develop some of our skills further. We all had one question on our minds Where can I help in the organisation?” she explained. “For example, the skills ranged from ICU…
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Twilight Surgery at Broadmeadows Hospital
Early this month, the Broadmeadows Surgical Centre were excited to conduct its first Plastics Surgery twilight session. The team were enthusiastic and thrilled to be a part of Broadmeadows Surgical Centre expanding its service provision and enabling timely emergency access to surgery for the northern community. Broadmeadows Surgical Centre has seen many changes of the past five years, increasing from a four-day per week day surgery unit, into a six-day per week Surgical Centre. Brylie Wilson, Nurse Unit Manager, Broadmeadows Surgical Centre, says, “It has been a challenging and rewarding experience to be involved in this transformation. Being able to…
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Northern Health welcomes first toxicologist, Dr Joe Rotella
Northern Health recently welcomed its first toxicologist, Dr Joe Rotella, who worked at Northern Health as a medical student back in 2007 and went on to become an intern and a resident here. Having previously held roles as Director of Clinical Informatics and Assistant Director of Education at other health services, Dr Rotella brings a wealth of knowledge to Northern Health – being one of only 10 toxicologists in Victoria. His mix of research, education and medical skills and roles keep him very busy, but he enjoys variety and sees it as “the spice of life”. Dr Rotella’s predominant role…
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Postcard to my younger self: Judy Sonneveld
To celebrate the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we asked a selection of staff who exemplify the key qualities of a nurse/midwife to write a ‘postcard to their younger self’ and offer insight and advice. Judy Sonneveld, Nurse Unit Manager of Ward 6 at Northern Hospital had this to say to her younger self: Hey Jude… What a journey you are about to experience. You will be faced with many challenges, but always remember be true to yourself and steadfast. You will find the only constant in your career will be change – this is not a…
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Family weekend for the flu shot
With the global COVID-19 pandemic, getting the flu shot this year is even more important. To ensure our community stays protected, Northern Health is holding a “Staff Family Vaccination Weekend” from tomorrow, Friday April 24 to Sunday, April 26. All staff are encouraged to let their family know they can come to the Northern Centre for Health Education & Research (NCHER) on these three days, 9 am – 5 pm to get their free flu shots. Linda Romano, Divisional Director Nursing, Surgical Services, brought her family to have their flu shots and encourages everyone to do so. “It’s very important…
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Today is Earth Day
Today, Wednesday 22 April, marks 50 years of Earth Day. The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity, and happens when the Earth heats up because of too much carbon dioxide and other ‘greenhouse gases’ in the atmosphere. Today, on Earth Day, we showcase the PVC Recovery in Hospitals Project, an environmental/recycling initiative that Northern Health, and in particular pharmacy, has been involved in since 2017. Plastic contributes significantly to hospital general waste. It has been estimated that all plastics account for about one third of a hospital’s…
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NPV brings COVID-19 testing in house
Northern Pathology has successfully implemented onsite testing for COVID-19, with a turnaround of one to three hours. Previously, all tests for COVID-19 were referred to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), with some delay in results due to the high demands on their services. Dr Frank Hong, Director of NPV, explained, “one of the major benefits of bringing the testing onsite is the marked improvement in turn-around time.“ “Our local testing capacity will build up over time, with the addition of more equipment and testing kits. Currently our tests are being performed on patients that require urgent results, like…