Christmas spirit is back in full swing at Northern Health! The Annual Christmas Decorating Competition is on again in 2022, after a challenging two years. Staff were encouraged to deck Northern Health’s halls with COVID Safe cheer, get creative and have fun, and they did!

We received over 30 entries from the creative minds of Northern Health, featuring The Polar Express, Dreaming of White Christmas, the Grinch, Michael Bublé and Mariah Carrey singing duet, as well as some hardworking (and cheeky) Elves, to name just a few.

The festive decorations have brought much joy and delight to our staff, patients, visitors and their families.

Northern Health judges, team of Executives, had a very difficult decision to make to choose the winners in this year’s Christmas Decorating Competition. They all agreed that staff have shown incredible skill, craftmanship and impressive creative talent!

And the winners of the 2022 Northern Health Annual Christmas Decorating Competition are…

• First prize – $1,000: Ward 1, Bundoora Centre
• Second prize – $200: VVED, Northern Hospital
• Third prize – $200: Surgical Centre, Broadmeadows Hospital

And we have two Highly Commended departments, winning a $100 each:

1. Craigieburn Centre
2. Support Services, Northern Hospital
   and a Special Mention to the Short Stay Unit at Northern Hospital Epping for their efforts and wonderful sportsmanship 😊 – they win a hamper donated by Northern Health Foundation.

Thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations to our winners. Please see the images from the winning departments below.

Wishing you a happy festive season!

Northern Health’s HRO Explorer Initiative has just concluded, and judging by the feedback received from the participating staff members and departments, it has been a roaring success.

The program itself gives employees the opportunity to work outside of their normal duties in another department to foster relationships and build understanding, ultimately adding individual and organizational value.  It was developed from a submission to ‘The Big Idea’ in early 2022 and then finessed to align with the HRO principle ‘Deference to Expertise’.

Physiotherapist Steph Castagnini, who got to work with HRO reflected, “Overall, I’d definitely recommend the program to staff who are not sure what their next move is – they may rediscover passion for their usual role or open doors to new opportunities.”

Julie Torres, a physiotherapist with Allied Health, opted to explore the Quality and Safety division.  She gained an appreciation for the work involved in following up patient complaints, health literary consideration for education material, and the efforts made to involve consumers in decision making at Northern Health.

Molecular Pathology’s Joshua Smith said of his time in the Digital Health division, “I have always had an interest in IT and data analytics however have never thought of pursuing a career in it. The Explorers Program has definitely made me more interested in working in Digital Health.

Andrea Clarke from Compliance stepped into Strategy and Planning. She realised she had many transferable skills and commented “The work the planning unit does is fascinating. They make very important contributions to future-proofing our health service to meet the needs of our community.”

Although most Explorers expressed difficulty in switching roles for one day a week with no back fill, the over arching theme appears to be that, through the program, participants gained a greater understanding of their chosen department, which they were able to channel back to the benefit of their own work environment.

The Department of Public Affairs consider themselves fortunate to have participated in this program. According to Pina Di Donato, Executive Director Public Affairs and Foundation “I was thrilled to discover that our staff wanted to learn more about what we do in Public Affairs. The program has opened up so many new doors. We suddenly became aware of the skills that were lying untapped within our own workforce. We are pleased to have since welcomed Slobodanka Trajkovski and Stephen Carnell, who has written this story, to our team. They have each added considerable value to the work we are doing.”

The pilot program was spearheaded by the irrepressible Cassie Bramston of the Transformation Unit (HRO).  Despite the hard work of co-ordinating Explorers, substantive departments and receiving divisions, Cassie was able to maintain a level of positivity which filtered down to the rest of the participants, setting the tone for this and future versions of the Explorers Program. Cassie said “It wasn’t until I started to collate responses from the focus group of the participants that I started to realise just how successful the program had been.”

Results were presented to the Executive just prior to Christmas, who, by all accounts, were delighted with the outcome. The next intake for the Career Pathways Program is set to commence early in 2023. Keep your eyes open for a chance to participate in culture changing initiative.

 

 

This year, Northern Health Foundation partnered with Play for Purpose; a not-for-profit online charitable lottery. The first raffle began in January 2022, with its attractive prizes gaining popularity among our staff and northern community, selling over 2,800 tickets in less than three months.

The benefit of this partnership allows charities across Australia to continue raising much-needed funds for their health service. Giving our community a chance to win great prizes, and having 50 per cent of all ticket proceeds directed back to the Foundation, became an innovative way to continue our fundraising efforts, while giving back to our community, all year round.

As 2022 draws to a close, we are thrilled to announce that, with your support and our partnership with Play for Purpose, we raised over $38,000 this year, with two Northern Health staff members winning major prizes. The proceeds will support Northern Health Foundation’s 2022-23 campaign to introduce a new service at Northern Hospital Epping by funding an Anorectal Laboratory. This laboratory will provide access to the latest equipment and treatment plans for OASIS patients (Obstetrics and Sphincter Injuries), without the need to be referred elsewhere.

Pina Di Donato, Executive Director, Public Affairs and Foundation, said, “In a time when fundraising has become restricted and much more challenging, the Play for Purpose raffle has allowed us to continue our fundraising efforts. While this is not solely a Northern Health raffle, it does give our staff and community a chance to win some incredible prizes that we wouldn’t ordinarily have access to.”

We would also like to thank the supporters of our Northern Health Foundation Christmas Raffle. Our lucky first-prize winner was a Northern Health staff member who took home the four-night Daylesford getaway. Together, we were able to raise a total of $4,155 with all funds going towards the purchase of a new Isolette for the Neonatal Unit at Northern Hospital Epping.

We sincerely thank everyone for their support, and look forward to seeing where our fundraising efforts take us in 2023.

If you would like to read more about our major campaign, or purchase your Play for Purpose tickets in Raffle 18, please head to the Foundation website HERE.

As we approach the end of 2022, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the past year, and thank our dedicated staff and volunteers for another year of providing care to our community.

Over the last 12 months, the themes that stand out are the resilience of our staff and the willingness to work together to find innovative solutions.

After two years of being focused on our pandemic response, we saw a return to some level of business as usual. Although we continue to live under the cloud of the pandemic, we are hopeful that the effects will become more manageable as time goes on.

Our health service has undergone considerable change and growth in the last 12 months. The mental health disaggregation on 1 July saw us welcome 800 new members to the Northern Health family. We are now the third largest mental health provider in Victoria. Early next year, we will open a new mental health building, with 30 additional beds to provide for the increased demand within our community.

We also saw the expansion of the Virtual ED service to become the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), servicing the whole of Victoria. This service continues to gather momentum, and has significantly eased pressures on our physical Emergency Department.

These are just two examples of the great work being undertaken across our entire health service.

Each and every one of you, across every Northern Health site, both clinical and non-clinical, should be extremely proud of the contribution you have made. Together, we continue to work towards our ultimate goal of providing outstanding healthcare to our patients, and kindness to their loved ones and each other. I personally thank you for your efforts and your continued support.

Next year is shaping up to be an exciting year, as we embark on some new capital projects and continue to consolidate all the learnings and new skills we have gathered over these challenging times.

On behalf of the Board and Executive, I extend to you and your loved ones my very best wishes for the festive season.

For those of you taking a break, please enjoy your well-deserved rest. And to those who will be working during the festive period, we thank you for your commitment.

 

Siva Sivarajah

Chief Executive

Last week at Northern Health, we celebrated the achievements of our long-service staff as part of the 2022 Staff Service Awards.

More than 400 staff were acknowledged for their dedication to our health service. Among those were Susan Short, Rhonda Lark, Freda Kotsios and Jeanette Kamar, who all marked 40 years of service in 2022.

Susan Short is an Enrolled Nurse at Northern Health. She commenced at PANCH in 1982 working in Plastic Surgery, before moving to Outpatients and the Colorectal Ward in 1985. She currently works in Ward 16 and Outpatients at Northern Hospital Epping.

“I have enjoyed every moment of those 40 years. I have met such great people, staff and patients. Although some things have changed, in nursing, patients will always need love and care,” Sue said.

Cathy Fletcher, Nurse Unit Manager, Specialists Clinics Outpatients Services, and Susan’s manager, said Susan’s knowledge, including plastering, vascular wound care and plastics, enables her to provide outstanding care to her patients.

“I would like to thank Sue for her hard work and dedication and congratulate her on reaching 40 years of outstanding service at Northern Health,” she said.

Jeanette Kamar, Accreditation Support Officer, has worked with Maree Glynn, Director of Clinical Practice Improvement, for more than 30 years.

“Whatever position Jeanette has been in, she has always been passionate and dedicated to her work. Her application and dedication to her work goes well beyond normal work hours to achieve deadlines and the goals that she sets herself,” Maree said.

Jeanette has worked in a number of roles during her time at Northern Health. She was the Injury Prevention Coordinator where she was “instrumental” in reducing falls with harm. She has also been involved in falls research which resulted in several published articles and the development of the Northern Health Stratify Falls Assessment tool. This led to a randomised trial in public hospitals across Melbourne.

Jeanette was awarded a Healthscope Award in 2012 for her work in reducing falls. She was also the Policy and Procedure Coordinator where she helped clinicians on the floor.

“Her dedication and support of her colleagues, and her sense of duty was evident last year when the call for help was made to staff to support the health service’s COVID response. She came back early from long-service leave to work in the COVID Monitoring Program,” Maree said.

“I would like to congratulate Jeanette on her 40 years of nursing. Northern Health patients have been the beneficiary of Jeanette’s hard work, knowledge and dedication.”

Also celebrating 40 years of service in 2022 is Freda Kotsios, Instrument Technician. Freda has been with Northern Health since PANCH, and has worked in CSSD with a number of managers and different staff over the many years.

“Forty years of service in one organisation is something anyone would dream of achieving,” said Melanie Almazan, Freda’s manager.

“I have only worked with Freda for five years, but she is dedication at its finest. She has encountered so many changes in CSSD procedures, and has stood still, adapted to the changes and embraced the changes. I call her ‘mother’, not because she’s the most senior staff, but she cares for others as if they are her children. She takes pride in all the things she does.”

Rhonda Lark started her Northern Health career at PANCH as a cleaner and received in-house training to become a PSA. She spent most of her years in the former Ward B and then eventually moved to Ward 4 at Northern Hospital Epping.

“Rhonda has a good eye for detail and is always happy to help,” said Miguel Barros, Rhonda’s manager.

Featured image: Rhonda Lark, Jeanette Kamar, Freda Kotsios and Sue Short.

Summer is the hottest season of the year, when the days are long, and temperatures soar. During this time, our skin gets exposed to the sun more frequently, and if not protected, can result in significant skin damage.

It is very important that we are all aware of the potential risks of sun damage. Knowing how to protect our skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the best way to prevent melanoma and other skin cancers.

Today, we speak to Dr Aaron Robinson, Head of Dermatology, Northern Health, about skin cancer symptoms, treatment and prevention.

How common is skin cancer in Australia?

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, with approximately two in three Australians being diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70. Basal and squamous cell carcinomas are the most common types of skin cancer in Australia, with melanoma being less common.

What are some of the warning signs of skin cancer? What are the ABCDE signs?

Skin cancer can present as any new mole or other skin lesion growing or changing over time. The “ABCDE” signs are a simple way to identify possible suspicious changes in a lesion that should be brought to the attention of your doctor.

A = asymmetry (lesions becoming asymmetrical)

B = border (lesions with irregular borders)

C = colour (lesions with multiple colours)

D = diameter (lesions growing to have a large diameter above 6mm)

E = evolution (lesions changing over time)

In addition to these changes, lesions that are becoming painful or that bleed without any trauma should also be brought to the attention of your doctor.

Who is most at risk of getting skin cancer?

Skin cancer risk is highest in people who have had significant sun exposure, such as working outside or with outdoor hobbies. In particular, people who regularly have sun exposure to the point of tanning have a higher risk of developing skin cancer. A tan is a sign that your skin is distressed from sun damage – there is no such thing as a healthy tan. People with lighter skin types are also at higher risk of developing skin cancer.

Although some sun exposure is important to maintain adequate Vitamin D levels, the amount of sun required is usually quite minimal. Your GP can also check Vitamin D levels, and this can also be supplemented with tablets if required.

How to prevent skin cancer?

The best way to prevent skin cancer is to minimise sun exposure, and to always use sun protection (such as a hat, long sleeves and sunscreen) when outside for any extended periods. Being aware of your own skin, moles, and seeing your doctor to review any suspicious changing lesions is also important, in order to potentially diagnose any skin cancers early, when they can be easier to treat.

When to see a doctor?

Any new growths or changing lesions should be brought to the attention of your GP, particularly for people that have had a history of significant sun exposure or sun damage. Your doctor may also recommend having a regular check of your skin, if you have a history of significant sun damage, previous skin cancer, or a significant family history of skin cancer. In cases of skin cancer diagnosis or particularly high-risk patients, a referral to a Dermatologist for specialist care might also be appropriate.

Today, the Starlight Children’s Foundation launched ‘Planet Starlight’ at Northern Health.

Planet Starlight complements the Starlight Children’s Foundation physical presence in hospitals across the country by offering a digital alternative, connecting hospitalised kids with the child-led magic of Captain Starlight anytime, anywhere.

Captain Starlight visited our Children’s Ward, bringing with them bubble wands and musical instruments to entertain the young crowd

“We haven’t been able to visit Northern Health for three years because of the pandemic, so being back here today is really great,” said Samantha Urquijo Garcia, Starlight Children’s Foundation Program Innovation Project Lead.

“We’re so happy to be able to leave a digital resource here with staff so that sick kids can connect with Captain Starlight anytime they want.”

Planet Starlight has a digital ‘play space’ filled with distraction and entertainment, as well as other interactive games, like sending in artwork via ‘Rocket Mail’ or chatting to Captain Starlight via a secure online chat platform.

“Planet Starlight will really help to boost morale and the platform will encourage the kids to connect with each other while they’re here,” said Alecia Caddy, Ward 2 Nurse Unit Manager.

“Getting the kids to focus on something other than what they’re going through here in hospital is always a great idea.”

Planet Starlight aims to reach hospitalised kids for 100,000 experiences per year, from right here at Northern Health and all across Australia.

Find out more at www.planetstarlight.org.au.

“As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul, and body of our patients, their families, and ourselves. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”  – Maya Angelou

This is Nurse Practitioner Week. The theme this year is, ‘Nurse Practitioners, the essential difference in healthcare.’

Nurse Practitioners provide advanced practice in many specialties, and can assess, diagnose and treat patients including prescribe medications. They assist by not only improving access to timely care but help reduce waiting times, decrease recurrent admissions and provide holistic care. An important part of their role is providing mentorship and clinical expertise to other health professionals.

The nurse practitioner profession started in 1965 in the United States in response to the increasing demand for primary care providers. The first nurse practitioner program (NP) was launched at the University of Colorado in 1965 by NP pioneers Loretta Ford and Henry Silver. It started as a certificate program, but in the early 1970s, the university upgraded it to a full master’s degree program.

Primarily focused on paediatrics, it soon expanded to other areas, including family NP programs and adult NP programs.

Vicki Malamatinas, a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery NP, here at Northern Health says, “At Northern Health, we are fortunate to have a number of NPs that work in many different speciality areas and provide outstanding care to patients, families and the community.”

Currently we have NPs that work in ED, stroke, heart failure, plastics, oncology, palliative care, diabetes, neonates, mental health, haematology and age care.

We also have nurse practitioner candidates in ED, haematology, endoscopy, pain service and diabetes.

Linda Romano, Divisional Director Nursing, Surgical Services & Access, says “Nurse Practitioners play an important role at Northern Health. Their work is pivotal in saving theatre time for critical cases.”

Here’s to all our Nurse Practitioners and future NPs at Northern Health and the outstanding care they bring to the organisation and our community!