Northern Health’s Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) has been announced as the winner of two 2022 Australian Business Awards – ABA100 Winner for Digital Transformation and ABA100 Winner for Service Excellence.

The Australian Business Awards recognise organisations that demonstrate the core values of business innovation, product innovation, technological achievement and employee engagement.

Northern Health is the first public health service in Australia to provide a model for patients to self-present to a Virtual Emergency Department (ED).

“It has been an absolute privilege to lead this piece of work. At Northern Health, we are constantly looking for ways to provide accessible and gold standard care to our community. The Virtual ED team is thrilled to be recognised for this work,” said Dr Loren Sher, Director – Victorian Virtual Emergency Department. 

The Virtual ED was launched in October 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Northern Health has a strong history of encouraging and supporting innovation amongst all staff. The idea for a Virtual Emergency Department was originally developed to address the increased number of patients presenting to the Emergency Department, as well as concerns that patients were presenting late due to fear of contracting COVID-19.

The innovative service was initially available to patients in Northern Health’s catchment area. In late 2021, the VVED partnered with Ambulance Victoria, to allow paramedics to connect to the VVED from patient’s homes, significantly reducing the number of patients transferred to hospital.

Due to the success of the program, the VVED has since expanded state-wide, so all Victorians can access emergency care 24/7 from the comfort of their homes. In addition, the VVED has expanded to GPs and rural health services.

In most cases, patients can be managed at home. Prescriptions can be delivered to patients’ homes and arrangements can be made for ongoing care. Approximately 40 per cent of patients who present to the VVED are referred through pathways and linked to rapid review clinics, ‘Hospital in the Home’ programs or other services.

Northern Health is extremely proud of the multidisciplinary team that have spearheaded the VVED and look forward to increasing our capacity to care for our community through innovative solutions.

What are the things that get in your way at work? What workarounds can we help remove? What can be done differently?

These are the questions the Transformation Unit is aiming to answer following the launch of the next Big Idea campaign – ‘The Roadblock Challenge’.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented demands on our workforce, both clinically and non-clinically, and has led to significant challenges. 

“Feedback from frontline staff has identified they love their patient facing work, yet it is the mundane things and workarounds they find annoying and complicated to navigate. We are going to tackle these roadblocks head on, to help solve some of these day to day issues,” explained Cassie Bramston, Project Manager – Transformation Unit (HRO).

The Roadblock Challenge will explore what can be done differently by asking our staff what the problems are.

“We are looking to make the everyday problems visible so we can help find solutions to them. We plan to gather roadblocks or issues submitted on IdeaScale, and workshop solutions with the Executive and divisional leaders including Digital Health, Supply and People & Culture,” Cassie said.

“You don’t need to know how to fix the problem, but we want to know what those problems are! All submissions to The Roadblock Challenge are anonymous,” Cassie added.

Ideascale is open now, accessible via the Intranet or off campus using your Northern Health login.

Staff from the Transformation Unit plan to visit every location across every campus at Northern Health over the coming weeks.

“We will have tablets available and happy to talk to people about their issues and help upload your suggestions to Ideascale. If you have a specific time or date request you would like the team to attend, please contact bigidea@nh.org.au,” Cassie said.

Featured image (left to right): Electra Ulrich, Senior Dietitian, who was instrumental in the idea for the Roadblock Challenge, with Cassie Bramston.

Fleming Fund fellows recently visited Northern Health to observe Pharmacy and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) services.

The Fleming Fund is a UK aid program that supports low- or middle-income countries in Asia and Africa by building the capacity of clinicians in these regions.

During their three-day visit to Northern Health, the fellows from Pakistan, Nepal and Timor Leste, participated in training activities to strengthen their data analytic skills, and to learn about using data to improve antimicrobial prescribing and dispensing practices in the hospital. The fellows also visited the pharmacy, shadowed clinical pharmacists on the wards, and attended AMS rounds on the wards.

The visit provided opportunities for the fellows to network with experts in the AMS field, build closer relationships with their mentors, and to complete specific training tasks under their workplans.

The fellows are pharmacists and policymakers from the Ministry of Health who play an important role in implementing Antimicrobial Consumption (AMC) and Antimicrobial Use (ASU) surveillance systems in their countries.

Vinod Chellaram, Director of Pharmacy, together with Deanna Guy, Jier Nguyen, Deputy Directors of Pharmacy, and Jeff Khoshaba, Education Lead in Pharmacy, welcomed the fellows to Northern Health.

“All the fellows were very impressed with the AMS program at Northern Health,” Vinod said.

“They thoroughly enjoyed the AMS rounds – seeing a highly trained clinical pharmacist in action contributing to medication safety. The experience was an eye-opener for them – it inspired them to think differently about clinical pharmacy workforce development.”

The fellows have since returned to their home countries, where they will finish their fellowships at the end of the year. They will continue in their respective roles to advocate for antimicrobial resistance policies, build national AMC systems, and pilot hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Featured image: Overseas fellows at Northern Health

World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) is held annually as one of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global public health days.

WPSD provides an opportunity to increase public awareness and engagement, enhance understanding, and work towards global solidarity and action to promote patient safety.

This year’s theme is Medication without Harm: Know. Check. Ask.

Yesterday, Northern Health marked World Patient Safety Day across our sites, with staff donning orange safety vests and stickers to help raise awareness of the day – and the important role we all play in medication safety.

Almost every person around the world will, at some point in their life, take medications to prevent or treat illness. However, medications sometimes cause serious harm if incorrectly stored, prescribed, dispensed, administered or if monitored insufficiently.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the risk of medication errors and associated medication-related harm. It is in this context that ‘Medication Safety’ was selected as the theme for the WHO World Patient Safety Day 2022.

Erika Dax, Quality Coordinator – Surgical Division, explained there are a number of ways staff can get involved in promoting medication safety.

“We are encouraging staff at each huddle to lead conversations about medication safety, including inpatient NUMS, medical leads, pharmacists and all medication safety portfolio holders. Staff can also take part in the Northern Health Medication Safety Quiz as a fun way to refresh knowledge. After completing the quiz, staff can visit their area NUM and collect a treat!” Erika said.

In recognition of World Patient Safety Day, our dedicated quality team chatted to consumer, Janet, who is a strong advocate for healthcare workers listening to their patients.

Janet emphasised the importance of clinicians asking their patients questions around medications, prior to prescribing, to help prevent medication harm.

She recalls a past experience where she was able to prevent medication harm, as she knew which medications she was allergic to and was actively involved in her care.

Janet said, “Before providing any medication to patients, it’s really important that clinicians ask questions and listen to the patient. There also needs to be checks done to ensure medication is safely prescribed.”

Clare McCarthy, Director – Quality, Safety & Patient Experience, said, “Janet’s experience confirms education provided by our staff — about her medication — gave her the confidence and information to speak up. A testament to our staff.”

For more information on medication safety, click here.

Featured image:

Front (left to right): Sophie Rodier – Manager Patient Experience & Consumer Participation, Vinod Chellaram – Director of Pharmacy, Mandy Maberly – Clinical Governance Coordinator and Marisa Argetto – Administrative Coordinator & PROMPT Administrator

Back (left to right): Julie Shelton – Quality Coordinator, Fiona Turner – Team Leader – Patient Experience, Clare McCarthy – Director Quality, Safety & Patient Experience, Baneet Bhasin – Quality & Risk System Administrator & Derwin Or – Quality Coordinator

PreMETs at Broadmeadows Hospital will move from a call bell system to Medtasker from Tuesday, 20 September. This follows the success of the rollout at Northern Hospital Epping just over 12 months ago.

A PreMET is a clinical review of an inpatient requiring a response by the medical team within 15 minutes.

Feedback from Junior Medical Officers was that the continuous paging noise from the legacy call bell system was disruptive, particularly in the middle of a procedure or a sensitive conversation with another patient. Although PreMETs will no longer be triggered through the call bell system, the bedside call bell system will remain active for MET calls and codes, providing an ongoing safety backup that staff are familiar with.

Medtasker provides better clinical information, two way accountability, automated reminders and the ability to audit – which the call bell based system lacked.

Medtasker is also linked with i.Patient Manager (iPM) to give accurate patient identification and location data. Dr Lachie Hayes, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, said, “Medtasker has allowed the analysis of data to see what PreMETs are being called on each ward, how long it takes for a PreMET to be attended to, and how many PreMETs end up escalating to a MET call.”

“PreMETs being called via Medtasker ensure the entire team is notified, not just one individual. They receive an automatic reminder at 7.5 minutes and 15 minutes. It’s been very successful for not only nursing staff and doctors, but has also benefited patients and the organisation.”

Since its rollout at Northern Hospital Epping, the PreMET on Medtasker process has become integral to clinical deterioration management and well accepted by staff.

“Understanding the number and nature of PreMETs, allowing workload and workforce to be adjusted as needed, is a first. As the system collects patient level data, we’ve been able to look into, not only trends, but specific cases of concern raised by the quality team,” said Lachie.

“We’ve used the Medtasker data to help improve patient safety in these incidents in a way we’ve never been able to before, which is great.”

“We’ll be presenting this at the Sydney Digital Health Summit in mid-October on our findings and recommendations.”

The rollout of PreMET on Medtasker was part of the original plan, but was deferred at Broadmeadows Hospital due to the pandemic. The Standard 6 Committee has confirmed the time has come for Broadmeadows Hospital to be included as intended.

“We’ve come a long way with Medtasker, but there are still some tweaks and projects in the works,” says Lachie.

“For instance, currently, only inpatients are visible on the system, but the plan is to pull in outpatient and community patients so that tasks can be directly associated with them, instead of using platforms not linked to iPM messaging option.”

“Although the EMR is coming soon, there is a need for reliable secure mobile communication now for all patients, regardless of whether they are within the ‘four walls’ of the hospital. We can already leverage Medtasker outside the hospital using our secure two-factor authentication and have trialed this successfully in Hospital in the Home.”

Click here to view a video on the Medtasker update.

Yesterday was World Pharmacist Day – a celebration of every pharmacist, pharmaceutical scientist and others who work in this field.

This year’s theme is, ‘Pharmacy united in action for a healthier world’, which aims to showcase pharmacy’s positive impact on health around the world, and to further strengthen solidarity among the profession.

Here at Northern Health, 118 staff make up the Pharmacy Department, spanning across all sites.

The pharmacy is responsible for ensuring the quality and safe use of medicines is in-line with evidence-led practice.

Vinod Chellaram, Director of Pharmacy, began his Northern Health career as a pharmacy student 19 years ago. He said pharmacy was one of the central departments within the health service that interlinked with every department to produce outstanding health outcomes for patients.

“No task is too big or too small. All patient-related tasks are completed efficiently, and are evidence-based, every time,” he said.

“Our catchment is rapidly growing, and the pharmacy team at Northern Health are composed of a perfect mix of backgrounds and experience to tackle any task.”

Jier Nguyen, Deputy Director of Pharmacy – Operations, said he pursued a career in pharmacy to help people better understand their health conditions, and how medicines play a role in this. Jier has also been a part of the Northern Health family since he was a pharmacist intern.

“Being a pharmacist, and a member of a health care team with a common goal, is very rewarding when you see the difference you have had to a person’s life and wellbeing,” he said.

“I have had the privilege of working with the most amazing team of healthcare professionals, who have made me who I am today. Northern Health fosters a sense of teamwork where everyone is important, and each person plays a vital role while striving for excellence in patient care. I am honoured and proud to be part of the Northern Health family.”

For Deanna Guy, Deputy Director of Pharmacy – Clinical, pharmacy has always been her passion.

“I have always been fascinated by how medicines work and how they can be used to save lives. I have loved the opportunities I have had across my career to specialise and advocate for therapy optimisation and patient safety,” she said.

Here at Northern Health, we have the prescription for a successful career. Videos will be launched in the coming weeks showcasing our amazing Pharmacy Department.

Watch the first video below to find out what it’s like to work in the Northern Health Pharmacy Department.

https://youtu.be/hKg0yV6f2FU

Featured image shows some of our Northern Health Pharmacy family.

In today’s ‘Get to know’ profile, we catch up with Danika Arney, Senior Clinician – Occupational Therapy (OT).

Firstly, what’s your coffee order?

I don’t drink coffee, but will occasionally have an almond hot chocolate.

Why and how did you choose your specialty?

I always wanted to work in health, and help people. Whilst in high school, I played netball with an Occupational Therapist, who introduced me to the Occupational Therapy profession. I was drawn to OT due to the nature of enabling others to participate in meaningful activities to achieve fulfilment in their daily activities and life. Whilst completing rotations at Northern Health, I really enjoyed working in an inpatient setting and was drawn to the fast-paced nature of acute.

What do you like most about your role?

Everyday is different as an acute OT – and I really enjoy the variety.

What is your greatest achievement or favourite memory since working here?

I have had so many achievements at Northern Health, such as progressing from grade 1 rotations to my current position as Senior Clinician in acute at Northern Hospital Epping. But the memories that stay with me are always getting the complex patients home. The gratitude that families have when their loved one finally gets home makes all the hard work worth it.

How do you relax after a long shift?

Going to the gym or taking a walk.

Where is a favourite place you’ve travelled and why?

London. There is so much to see and do! As a sports fan, visiting Lords was incredible.

What’s your favourite inspirational quote or figure?

“Do your best” – I try and live by this each day.

Which Northern Health value do you relate to best?

Together. Working together as a team is important to ensure that patients are able to achieve their best health outcomes. And I believe the teams and people I have worked with over the years, and now, is a big part of why I enjoy working at Northern Health.

Featured Image: Danika in London 

This week, we celebrate Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) programs at healthcare services around Australia.

Here at Northern Health, it is a time to recognise our CDI professionals and the vital role they play in improving patient safety, enhancing the quality of healthcare data and ensuring the financial sustainability of health services.

Often, the documentation in patient healthcare records makes sense from a clinical care perspective, however, it may be missing key information for our clinical coders. Incomplete documentation can lead to incomplete coded data and subsequently incomplete reporting and funding. The aim of the CDI team is both to address documentation gaps, and also provide real-time feedback to our clinicians so that their notes are complete and accurate for every inpatient encounter every time.

Diana Villalta, Clinical Documentation Specialist, joined the team just over a year ago.

“I come from a clinical background of Dietetics and Midwifery. My fellow CDI colleagues come from a Health Information Management (HIM) background. This mix of clinical and HIM skill sets works well for a CDI team, as we are able to bounce ideas off each other and look at things from different perspectives,” Diana says.

“I enjoyed direct patient contact in my previous roles, however, I have really enjoyed making an impact in other ways whilst still using my previous skills and knowledge. Prior to this role, I knew very little about coding, casemix and funding. I always knew, as a clinician, that documentation was very important, but it has been fascinating to see the process in which the documentation is reviewed, coded and extrapolated for different purposes. I am more aware now of all the dedicated staff who work in HIS and more specifically the CDI and Coding and Casemix teams who work hard to ensure that every inpatient episode is coded accurately to reflect the clinical truth.”

Mary Kouvas, Clinical Documentation Integrity Coordinator, Health Information Services, says, “There are some exciting things on the horizon for CDI here at Northern Health. In particular, we look forward to trialling a digital move in communicating our documentation queries with the doctors, through the use of Medtasker. This will mean moving away from our current paper-based form, which will hopefully improve response rates and decrease retrospective queries, not to mention it being better for the environment! We also look forward to transitioning to the EMR and seeing what challenges may arise in the documentation space.”

Learn more about CDI by participating in the CDI Quiz on the Intranet for a chance to win a hamper!

Picture shows Diana Villalta, Clinical Documentation Specialist.