It has been a time of change and growth for our Emergency Department (ED) clerks, who have been working tirelessly to help fight the pandemic, led by Trisha Abbey, Emergency Department Clerical Supervisor.

“We have 55 clerks in the team, with 20 rostered across 24 hours. People often think that we just take clerical details, but our role is so much more than that – it has a large focus on customer service, supporting patients and families with empathy, assisting the doctors, nurses and handling all the phone calls, as well as admissions, discharges, transfers out of hours,” she explains.

The last two years have brought numerous changes in how the team works, especially with the patient self-registration process and the introduction of the Virtual ED in October last year.

“ED now offers the virtual service, which has been so successful thanks to the hard work of everyone involved, including our clerks and Dr Loren Sher, who is the project lead. The number of virtual patients soared so much, that we had to put in a second support clerk for the virtual role, and the morning shift now sees 50-60 patients from both community and COVID positive pathway, which is an enormous number,” she explained.

For Trisha and the team, the role of an ED clerk is all about customer service.

“You need to have a kind heart and be able to provide empathy to people. One of the challenges in this role is always the time – we would all like more time to dedicate to reassuring the patients and families. We work incredibly well together, and that is demonstrated through the amount of work the team gets done,” she added.

Trisha has been working at Northern Health for twenty years, and for the most part has worked in Emergency. She has been in the current role for three and a half years.

“I enjoy leading the people, supporting them and seeing their growth. I’m really proud of the team – this hasn’t been an easy time for our staff and we had some really difficult days,” she added.

Even though the COVID times have been challenging and still are, there is a lot to learn from the change.

“Biggest takeaway from the COVID-19 is the adaptability. If there is one good thing that came out of the pandemic, it has demonstrated how adaptable the team is. Change isn’t easy for everyone, and if you look at what ED has achieved during this time with the new registration system and the Virtual ED, it is clear that these changes are here to stay,” Trisha added.

Keeping the team informed is an important part of her role. At the end of every week, on a Friday, she sends a weekly update.

“This update has data about the patients seen and admitted, ambulance presentations, and all the department changes. It is really important to communicate that, as we work 24/7 and it’s impossible to get all staff together. The update includes a section on wellbeing and resources available to staff”.

“Trisha is like the conductor of the orchestra”, says Clare McCarthy, Director Quality Safety and Patient Experience.

“Over the last month, the Rapid Antigen Testing Team has had the privilege to see Trisha make sure we’re all in sync, working harmoniously. Her and the clerks have made us members of the wider ED family – ‘together’ well and truly,” she added.

“In this day in age, you need to support your people – you are only as good as your team,” Trisha concludes.

Featured image (left to right): Zainab Ayub, Bree Lock, Trisha Abbey, Mel Scrimizzi, Lynette McDonald, ED Clerks

Today is World Occupational Therapy Day. It is an opportunity to celebrate our Occupational Therapists (OT), and to educate the broader community on the value OTs provide.

During 2021, Northern Health’s Occupational Therapy service expanded, with new roles in acute inpatients with the hospital expansion and also in the community and NDIS spaces.

Northern Health employs over 80 Occupational Therapists who work across the service in various clinical and non-clinical settings including acute wards, rehab and GEM, Paediatrics, Community and Ambulatory Care and Hand Therapy. In addition, OTs work in other non-clinical areas including Education and OH&S.

Our Occupational Therapists work with patients to build independence within daily activities as well as promoting participation within their enjoyed and meaningful tasks. This ranges from assisting our acute or rehab patients in getting home safely and independently from their hospital admission, to recommending and prescribing specialised equipment such as wheelchairs to allow our clients to access the community and participate in meaningful tasks which are specific to them.

Their good work has not gone unnoticed. Here is some of the feedback our OTs have received in recent times:

“Wanted to reach out and say thank you for everything you did for mum & dad. You truly helped him so much for us to keep him home as long as we did. Thank you once again.” 

“I just wanted to let you know that my grandfather passed away almost three weeks ago now. I know that you haven’t dealt with Nonno for a little while now but I still just wanted to extend another thank you for everything you did for him.” 

“I believe in giving credit where credit is due and you should be very proud of the work that you do. He was very fond of you and the way you would chat with him. Thank you again for everything.”

This year’s theme of Participation, Inclusion and Independence celebrates the role OTs play in supporting people of all abilities to engage in activities they find meaningful.

We asked some of our OT’s to tell us about why they enjoy working at Northern Health, promoting Participation, Inclusion and Independence with our patients:

“Working at Northern Health as an Occupational Therapist is both exciting and rewarding, because I am able to work with a variety of patients from many cultures and all walks of life. Being able to practice alongside so many other dedicated, talented and passionate clinicians who work with Northern Health is something I value. We inspire each other to be the best practitioners we can be! I feel supported and valued as a therapist within Northern Health and am proud to work with Northern Health Occupational Therapy to contribute to a healthier and happier growing community in Melbourne’s North.”  Maria Govett, Grade 1 Occupational Therapist (Acute Wards)

“I love working as an OT at Northern Health because I have the opportunity to work with a variety of clients from different cultural backgrounds that share a common goal of improving their independence in everyday life. I also love working at Northern Health as I feel well supported by everyone in the OT team.” Jessica De Vincentis, Grade 2 Occupational Therapist (CHSP/NDIS)

“I love being an OT at Northern Health because I feel like I’m working with a family more than a team to help people in ways that only an OT can.”  Reanna Liberatore, Grade 2 Occupational Therapist (GEM) 

“I am so lucky to work with such a kind and capable team who genuinely care for their patients and for one another. It’s been 14 years and I can honestly say it has been an absolute pleasure to work within Northern Health OT because of our team.” Patsy Giannikos, Associate Director Occupational Therapy.

The OT leadership team comprises Patsy Giannikos (Associate Director, Allied Health, Occupational Therapy and Hand Therapy), Ange McLoughlan (Occupational Therapy Clinical Leader, Continuing Care, Northern Health Bundoora), Jess Trist (Occupational Therapy Clinical Leader, OT Workforce, Student Education, Broadmeadows Hospital) and Simone Cariss (Occupational Therapy Clinical Leader, Acute and Community).

This month is Telehealth Awareness Month, aimed at promoting telehealth and virtual care for consumers and addressing digital inequity and digital literacy.

Anton Harms, Senior Clinician, Physiotherapy, is one of many Northern Health staff using telehealth. He said he was keen to explore the use of telephone and video appointment with clients, prior to its introduction across the health service.

“I had been considering using telehealth for the assessment and review for some patients prior to the COVID-19 related initiative, particularly videos as it was not available previously,” he said.

As part of our COVID-19 response, Northern Health introduced telehealth as a strategy to support patients attending our Specialists Clinics (Outpatients). Now, telehealth is used right across our health service.

For Anton, his telehealth experience has been positive, although he does admit to some limitations when it comes to physical examinations.

“A physical examination is necessary to make these decisions. But there is still a lot we can do for our patients via telehealth, especially when we have video to view the patients’ movement and body language.”

One of the many conveniences that telehealth offers, is that patients don’t need to travel into the hospital to attend appointments.

“For many people with severe hip osteoarthritis, their mobility is quite limited and a physical examination is not required in the initial assessment, so having them save a trip to the hospital is much more convenient, particularly if they are from Kilmore, Alexandra or Flowerdale,” Anton said.

“I have had several long conversations with people, who have been very appreciative of the phone call and the information provided.”

Anton is exploring ways he can provide readily accessible and understandable information to people regarding hip and knee osteoarthritis and the range of management and treatment options available using technology.

“The use of apps, SMS reminders and other notifications to assist people on the treatment and rehabilitation journey for hip and knee osteoarthritis is also being explored,” Anton said.

“We are exploring digital ways of providing easy access to a range of ‘patient reported outcome measures’ (PROMS) so we can more easily understand if we’ve made an improvement to their lives and their goals.”

Tracey Webster, Telehealth Coordinator, said the use of televideo has evolved since it’s launch in April 2020.

“We started the pilot in Specialist Clinics and now we use televideo across Northern Health. The wards use it for family meetings, virtual visiting, multidisciplinary meetings and accessing interpreters,” she said.

“Our community programs use it for our aged care, allied health and transition care, to support dialysis and oncology patients at home and so many more ways. We now have Virtual ED, a Telehealth Hub, group education and a COVID-19 Telephone Monitoring Program.”

Featured image: Anton Harms, Senior Clinician, Physiotherapy, conducting a telehealth appointment.

Last month, Northern Health welcomed Dr Marcelle Jagga and his wife Dr Charlotte Jagga from Cape Town, South Africa.

They were recently invited to speak at the Victorian COVID-19 Press Conference about their move to Melbourne during the pandemic and how they can use their experience of Cape Town’s three COVID-19 waves to contribute to our current outbreak response.

Marcelle is an anaesthetist and Charlotte is an emergency physician.

“I think Australia is really lucky (in the sense) that they had a little bit of buffer and time to see what was going on in the rest of the world, and to learn from those experiences, and to see what mistakes were made and how to improve on that,” Charlotte said.

Working as doctors in one of the continent’s hardest-hit countries, Charlotte said it was difficult experiencing the waves of COVID-19 in South Africa.

“We’ve both lost our grandparents, we’ve lost uncles, we’ve lost colleagues, we have lots of friends who became ill,” Dr Jagga said.

“We didn’t anticipate how diminished our actual workforce would become – either being in quarantine or being ill – so that, for us, was really hard emotionally do deal with.”

The Jagga’s started planning to move to Australia in 2019 for various work opportunities. Marcelle was looking to complete a Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia Fellowship which he will undertake next year at the Royal Melbourne Hospital – a Fellowship that isn’t available in South Africa.

Charlotte wanted to come and work at a busy hospital and experience emergency medicine in Melbourne – so she is pleased to be working in Victoria’s busiest Emergency Department.

Marcelle and Charlotte both expressed how impressed they were with how Northern Health’s management and response to COVID-19.

Marcelle explained that caring for patients during a pandemic is challenging but it’s important to continue ensuring individual health care is at the core of what we do.

He also mentioned it’s been great to see how well staff are protected.

“There’s a great drive to ensure staff are mentally well and physically protected,” he said.

“We are also enjoying the diverse community here. It’s easy to get interpreters and wonderful how you can always find someone that speaks a different language. Everyone is happy to help here and show you the ropes,” Marcelle added.

Charlotte and Marcelle are loving Melbourne. They say it’s very family friendly and the community has been very welcoming since their arrival.

Featured Image: Charlotte and Marcelle, with their youngest daughter, speaking at the Victorian COVID-19 Press Conference (Image: news.com.au) 

COVID-19 not only threatens the physical health of our COVID Ward inpatients, but also psychological health, with new research revealing varying degrees of post traumatic stress following infection. Family members of COVID inpatients are similarly at higher risk of psychological distress in association with isolation measures such as lockdowns and strict limitations on attending hospitals and funerals.

Northern Health’s Allied Health social workers, psychologists and pastoral care workers have come together to establish the COVID Psychosocial Response Team to provide a range of psychosocial and bereavement supports for our COVID inpatients and family members.

The team has assisted a significant number of inpatients, partners, children and grandchildren to manage high levels of stress, anxiety, bereavement and grief. Some family members have also required assistance with practical concerns such as a lack of food, accommodation or finances, causing them increased worry.

The team offers one central point of internal referral through HealthPOWER (used for inpatient referrals and clinical data collection) for all COVID inpatients and family members, and self-referrals are also welcomed via phone or email.

Dr Brooke Froud-Cummins, Clinical Leader of Psychology, commented that, “Our COVID Ward staff are already enormously stretched, besides the COVID Psychosocial Response Team supporting improved patient and family outcomes, it is also so important to take the added weight of responding to emotional distress off staff as much as possible and to make referral simple and stress-free.”

Those involved with the COVID Psychosocial Response Team can receive up to three months of psychological therapy, social work supports and/or pastoral care. Linkages with relevant community supports on discharge will also be a key aspect of the care provided. DPV Health Head to Help services, which provide mental health and wellbeing support in the Northern Health catchment, will be a key partner in supporting those requiring longer-term assistance.

Dr Froud-Cummins also said, “Private psychology and social work services are also strained owing to the pandemic, with wait times of up to 18 months to see a psychologist with a GP Mental Health Plan being reported to us. The COVID Psychosocial Response Team undertakes to bridge this gap for our COVID inpatients and their support networks with ongoing psychosocial concerns.”

Ward staff can direct HealthPOWER referrals to PsychosocialResponse and will receive a triage worker response seven days per week. For further information, click here.

Featured image: Dr Sian Cole (Psychology), Tim Gauci (Social Work) and Natalia Dewiyani (Pastoral Care) from the Allied Health COVID Psychosocial Response Team.

Today we are celebrating our wonderful PSAs (Patient Services Assistants) and cleaners as part of Thank Your Cleaner Day.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our PSAs and ISS cleaners have played such an important role, ensuring hygiene and safety is at the forefront of our health service. Our cleaners at Northern Health comprise of both our PSAs, who are responsible for a variety of tasks including cleaning on the wards, cleaning beds when a patient is discharged and transportation throughout the hospital, and ISS Facility Services cleaning staff, keeping all Northern Health common areas and Emergency Department cleaned.

We spoke to staff across our health service who thanked our hardworking PSAs and ISS cleaning staff.

Dr Zena Barakat, Medical Registrar, thanked Craig Field, PSA, and his team for an amazing job assisting on the COVID Wards at Northern Hospital Epping.

“Their empathy, witty banter, strong work ethic and endless supply of cold cordial has been much appreciated by the nurses and doctors on the COVID Wards,” she said.

“A big thanks for everything you are doing. You’re making a difficult situation more enjoyable for everyone.”

Kirralee Jensen, Site Director and Director of Nursing, Bundoora Centre, said, “I would like to extend my thanks to all the PSAs for the work they do in keeping our wards clean. They are an important part of our team and their work is very much appreciated, thank you.”

Lucia Bento, Site Director and Director of Nursing, Broadmeadows Hospital, acknowledged the PSA team for their continued friendliness.

“PSAs at Broadmeadows Hospital work tremendously well as a team and are always happy to assist patients and staff. The PSA team is very efficient in keeping Broadmeadows Hospital wards tidy, clean and safe for patients and staff. The PSA team at Broadmeadows Hospital team are happy, friendly and approachable and we thank them for all the hard work they do,” she said.

Adele Mavity, PSA, is based at Broadmeadows, but has recently assisted with the COVID-19 response at Northern Hospital Epping.

“We work hard to keep the wards clean and to help the staff to provide great care for our patients,” Adele said.

Snezana Velevski, Support Services Coordinator, said, “I am so proud of the PSA team and how dedicated they have been during such a busy time at Northern Health. I know I can rely on my team to do their very best.”

Tonia Scuteri, also a PSA, said she loves the interaction with patients and staff, while Karen Ayres, PSA in charge at Bundoora Centre, said all PSAs have come together and worked so well to accommodate shift changes due to COVID-19.

“Everyone has put the patient and residents needs first,” Karen said,

ISS staff member, Yanti Kuntari, has been working as a high touch cleaner at Bundoora Centre, since the start of the pandemic.

“My job is really important and I always get acknowledged from all staff at Bundoora. They are always happy to see me as I go around as they know we are making sure the place is disinfected and cleaned to keep everyone safe,” she said.

ISS staff member Aktapreet Kaur, a cleaner, said she is proud to be part of Northern Health.

“I have worked at Northern Hospital Epping as a cleaner since July 2020. I am proud to be part of a team that helps to protect our staff, patients, visitors, and the surrounding community during a pandemic that affects us all,” she said.

ISS staff member Melanie Dias, a cleaner from Craigieburn Centre, said, “I thoroughly enjoy working. I am passionate about the Craigieburn Centre ISS team because most of the staff never forget to let me know how I make them feel. The respect, friendship and appreciation I get makes me want to push myself to keep them safe at Craigieburn Centre and make them proud of ISS.”

Wendy Nicol, Operations Manager, PSA and Cleaning Service Contracts, said it had been a busy year for PSAs, with Accreditation and the health service’s COVID response.

“The PSA teams have all worked tirelessly to ensure the hospital stays clean and the patient experience is positive. We want to show appreciation to the staff working in red zones, who never complain, spend all day in PPE and always come to work ready to assist,” she said.

“There has been increased hours and tasks for those working in the COVID areas and they have stepped up without question. PSAs work as a team, and always look out for their colleagues.”

“The CARPS team have taken on extra responsibilities this year which has led to a greatly increased workload and they have all increased capacity to get the job done.”

Saj Amerasinghe, ISS Key Account Manager, said, “Let’s show cleaners the appreciation they deserve on Thank Your Cleaner Day, for all the vital work that they do, especially in COVID times. These often invisible heroes ensure that we all have safe and hygienic spaces to enjoy, work and live in. Thank you today and everyday!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featured image: L-R Snezana Velevski, Support Services Coordinator, Adele Mavity, PSA, Zorka Stojanoska, PSA, Cindy Sherlock, PSA, and Sarah Rexhepi, Quality Coordinator, Support Services

One of the latest and highly specialised cancer treatment options available, known as SIRT (Selective Internal Radiation Therapy), was successfully performed at Northern Health on 13 October. Only a relatively small number of hospitals offer this treatment in Australia.

Says Dr Terry Kok, Interventional Radiologist, “Our patient was diagnosed with liver cancer that was not suitable for surgical treatment and we were asked to provide minimally invasive treatment for his tumour. SIRT, also known as Y90 radioembolisation, was chosen to provide the best chance of curative treatment.”

The complex procedure involved the combined Radiology and Nuclear Medicine teams including Nuclear Medicine Physician, Dr Anthony Hannah, supported by specialist nurses and technicians working closely together to plan and administer the treatment.

It also involved expert input from specialist colleagues in Hepatobiliary Surgery, Gastroenterology-Hepatology and Oncology through our cancer multidisciplinary team.

“We were very grateful to have the support of two experts, Dr Mark Goodwin (Interventional Radiologist from Austin Health) and Dr Yung Kao (Nuclear Medicine Physician from Royal Melbourne Hospital) to guide us through the first SIRT procedure at Northern Health,” says Terry.

SIR-Spheres are tiny radioactive ‘beads’, one-third the width of a human hair. The microspheres are injected directly to the liver tumours using the tumour’s own blood supply. The microspheres, light enough to be carried by the blood flow, yet too large to pass through the small blood vessels, become permanently trapped in the small blood vessels that are in and around the tumours.

They then emit high doses of radiation to the tumour cells to destroy them. This targeted nature of the procedure, enables doctors to deliver up to 40 times more radiation to the liver tumours than would be possible using normal radiation therapy, while sparing the surrounding healthy liver tissue.

“The procedure went very smoothly due to the meticulous planning put in by the IR and Nuclear Medicine teams and our patient made an uneventful recovery after a short overnight stay in hospital. The treatment will take effect over the coming weeks and he will be followed-up by his surgical team under the care of Mr Russell Hodgson, HPB Surgeon,” says Terry.

“The establishment of a SIRT treatment program at Northern Health has been the product of over two years of hard work as part of a greater aim to establish an Interventional Oncology centre of excellence for our patients. We offer a comprehensive and holistic service to patients with cancer, covering a wide range of procedures from biopsies and vascular access for chemotherapy, to minimally invasive treatments such as tumour ablation, chemoembolisation and most recently, SIRT radioembolisation,” he explains.

“Patients who would have previously had to be referred to other health services for some of these specialised treatments, are now able to benefit from comprehensive and ongoing care at Northern Health by their doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals who know them best.”

“Associate Professor Wanda Stelmach and Dr John Ferguson (current and former Chief Medical Officers) have provided invaluable support over the years in our endeavours and this achievement is something that Northern Health can be proud of,” he adds.

Chief Medical Officer, Wanda Stelmach, congratulated the team for their dedication and persistence to set up this service which supports the care of our community.

“I have heard from a number of sources how well the procedure went and the collegiate atmosphere that allowed everyone to contribute to the success of the procedure – truly a multidisciplinary effort! Well done to everyone! I look forward working with you to support your to aim to establish an Interventional Oncology Centre, ” she said.

Featured image shows Dr Terry Kok, Dr Mark Goodwin and Dr David Burrows, performing angiography before delivery of radioactive Y90 SIR-Spheres to the tumour. In the background is Maryann Chetcuti RN.

Northern Health has received formal notification from the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) that we have met all actions within the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.

Northern Health was acknowledged for the progress it has made since the last assessment and the commencement of its strategic journey towards a ‘High Reliability Organisation’.

“This is a fantastic achievement and is a direct reflection on the quality of the care that our staff provide to our patients and our broader consumers every day. We can all be proud of this affirmation of the quality of services we provide to our community,” said Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive.

Northern Health was congratulated on the continued focus on collection and evaluation of key performance measures, throughout the pandemic-affected clinical and non-clinical operations of the health service. The assessors acknowledged that the previous 12 months have been particularly challenging for both the health service and staff individually.

Assessors reported that staff were well informed and engaged on governance, their processes, and outcomes, and readily discussed their current improvement work.

Maree Glynn, Director of Clinical Practice Improvement, said this is a fantastic achievement.

“I would like to thank everyone for being so adaptable. Our staff were able to adapt to our ever-changing environment and were ready for parts of the Accreditation to be undertaken remotely,” she said.

“To achieve an Accreditation result with no recommendations, nothing that we have to correct, is a wonderful achievement,” she added.

“Some of the feedback from surveyors included compliments like ‘care is the best it can be at Northern Health’ or ‘can-do attitude comes across in everything that you do’ etc.”, which is great feedback we should all be proud of,” Maree added.

The assessors were impressed that staff were consistently focused on patient and staff safety, quality of care, and experience. They also noted our commitment to a values-based culture, respecting choices, improving services and outcomes for all consumers, and acknowledged extensive positive feedback from consumers and volunteers.

Dr Bill Shearer, Executive Director, Quality, Safety and Transformation, thanked Maree Glynn, Marisa Argetto, Standard Chairs and Clinical Improvement Committees, for the amazing effort they have put into preparing us for Accreditation.

“You did so much work in the lead up to the Accreditation. This is probably the first hybrid survey that has been successfully completed. Thank you to all our staff and a huge congratulations to all,” he said.

Jennifer Williams AM, Board Chair, said “On behalf of the board, I express my appreciation to all staff on this significant achievement.”