The Kilmore District Hospital Urgent Care Centre (KDH UCC) is a 24-hour a day facility that is available for all urgent care type presentations. Medical coverage is provided between the hours of 10 am to 10 pm, weekdays and weekends. All patients who present at the centre are triaged by one of their experienced registered nurses and assigned a triage assessment. The presentation numbers average 30 presentations per day.

KDH UCC treats patients with a range of medical conditions and is supported by Medical Officers seven days a week, with medical telehealth services available via the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED).

In November 2024, Northern Health and Kilmore District Health joined forces to become a stronger health service, caring together for the growing and diverse needs of the northern catchment. The amalgamation enabled both services to improve access to care for patients in the Northern Growth Corridor – one of Victoria’s fastest growing regions.

“We have already started to see the effects of the amalgamation. Future plans are in place for an increase in services, such as radiology, and there are additional opportunities for professional development through in service education, training session and courses” said Lisa Carlyon, UCC Nurse Unit Manager.

This is also a great opportunity to go across to the Northern Emergency Department, to experience exposure to the acuity and specialty areas such as paediatrics.”

Throughout the pandemic, the UCC took on the crucial task of COVID-19 testing for community members within their catchment area. Despite operating from a small department with only four bays, they navigated the challenge of managing a high volume of patients while upholding stringent infection control measures. To address the surge in demand for testing, they introduced a drive-through Covid testing area, providing efficient testing solutions during both regular periods and outbreaks.

Recently, following a generous $25,000 donation from the Lions Club, the UCC team upgraded their equipment with ECG printout capability, enhancing timely care for patients, particularly those with chest pain. They also established an infusion clinic, addressing community needs for procedures like iron infusions locally, reducing the necessity for patients to travel to the city.

Moving forward into 2024, the team aims to expand their on-site medical coverage and further develop the infusion clinic. This will bolster their capability to provide comprehensive care to patients within the community and close to home where possible. Kilmore UCC has a dedicated team of experienced nursing and medical staff who strive every day to deliver the best care to our community.

Pictured in featured image (L-R): Edric (ANUM), Lisa (Acting NUM), Simone (RN), Gurdie (CNS) and Dr Ahmed Memon (VMO).

The Neonatal Unit at Northern Hospital Epping is a haven for tiny warriors – a place where every breath is a victory and every heartbeat a testament to resilience. For baby Jaxx, born prematurely at 30 weeks, this was where he spent the first 52 days of his life, to ensure he was growing and developing healthily. Without round-the-clock care, babies like Jaxx may not have a fighting chance.

In January 2023, Jaxx’s mother, Brianna Pitt, was rushed into the hospital via ambulance, where Jaxx was born just six minutes after its arrival, weighing only 1800 grams.

“On the Saturday he was born, I was in quite a bit of pain. I took some Panadol and headed off to work but realised something wasn’t right. He was delivered in just six minutes once I arrived to the hospital via ambulance,” said Brianna.

This is where Jaxx began his long journey in the Neonatal Unit.

“He was on oxygen and had a feeding tube the whole time. You can imagine how scary this is for some parents,” she added.

At that time, Brianna and her family went through a very stressful and traumatic experience.

“There were times when I felt like I couldn’t walk back inside the hospital. I don’t know how I did it, but I knew I just had to push through.”

Despite Brianna’s appreciation for the exceptional care in the NICU, she couldn’t escape the lingering dread of potential setbacks looming at every turn. The discomfort of prolonged hospital stays, compounded by uncertainty about the future, weighed heavily on her mind.

A year after discharge, both Baby Jaxx and his mum are thriving, with Jaxx looking significantly healthier and stronger.

“Everyone was amazing. The nurses in the NICU are so beautiful, we couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Thank you to Brianna Pitt, her partner Dillon Paul and their family for their tremendous and ongoing support. If you would like to donate towards Brianna and Jaxx’s fundraising cause, please click here.

Pictured in featured image: Baby Jaxx and his mother Brianna Pitt. 

The Early Careers Mentoring Program has been running over 10 years now.  The mentor program involves each of the interns being matched to a consultant as a mentor, to help support the intern throughout their first year as a doctor. This year, the session was a hybrid session i.e. in person and online, run by the Medical Education Unit.

Dr Carol Chong, Supervisor of Interns, said, “We had 116 consultants volunteer for the program to our 61 interns this year – which showed how well received the mentoring program is!”

She adds, “Some of the mentors that attended today were previous interns that started their journey at Northern and have returned as mentors which is really inspiring and special for us.”

Dr Richard Sia, GP Liaison Officer, Northern Health is one such consultant.  He started as an intern followed by two years as Hospital Medical Officer and then General Practice training in the local area. He returned to work at Northern Health in the Fever Clinic, Vaccine Hub and now in his current role as GP Liaison officer.

He says, “My time as an intern greatly influenced my decision to be a mentor. There were many people who have helped me along the way and being a mentor is a way I can give back and help those starting their medical training.”

“Being a mentor has allowed me to reflect on my own journey, now ten years since medical school with our first reunion coming up. I’ve been able to go back and thank those who helped me along the way,” says Richard.

“I’m excited to continue working as Northern Health’s GP Liaison Officer, with the same wonderful staff that continue to foster a caring and supportive workplace since internship.”

Reflecting on her time as an intern, Dr Amrita Simadri, Geriatrician and General Physician, remembers, “The supportive and generous environment that existed at Northern allowed my group of interns to learn, ask questions and adapt to the busy hospital workplace.”

“The senior doctors I encountered as an intern, including residents, registrars and consultants, modelled a way of working which was collaborative, empathetic and respectful. In addition, they highlighted the importance of having support and mentors throughout our careers, beyond internship. “

She says, “The importance of this role did not go unnoticed and being a mentor to junior doctors helped provided a benefit to both of us, mentor and mentee alike.”

 

Featured image shows Dr Carol Chong, addressing the interns.

Since the launch of Northern Health’s in-house medical imaging service Northern Imaging Victoria (NIV) in October last year, we have expanded the scope and capacity of services provided. One of the key constituent services of NIV is our clinical arm – Interventional Radiology (IR). This has grown into a full clinical service delivered by a dedicated team of specialist medical, nursing and radiography staff.

The Interventional Radiology service is staffed by five Interventional Radiology consultants and a dedicated team of IR nurses and radiographers who are available 24/7 to manage acute emergencies, in addition to providing a comprehensive IR service during business hours.

“The IR team have expertise in managing a wide range of conditions including minimally invasive treatments for acute bleeding, cancer, vascular, liver and renal and neurovascular diseases. We are also unique in having expertise to treat both an adult and paediatric population,” said A/Prof Terry Kok, Director of Imaging Services and Head of Interventional Radiology, Northern Health.

The IR service development also includes recent refurbishment of the angiography suite in the Radiology department with a new state-of-the-art Philips Azurion angiography system, and plans for installation of a second angiography suite later in 2024. Recent highlights have included the availability of tumour ablation and radioembolization (SIRT- Selective internal radiation therapy) for cancers and TIPS (Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) insertion for portal hypertension in chronic liver disease.

Regular IR clinics have already commenced, offering the convenience of a one-stop-shop for patients encompassing consultation with a specialist, on-site imaging, as well as treatment and follow-up discussions. The IR team are also available daily for consults on the ward, as well as imaging review, and are always happy to assist and provide advice to all Northern Health clinicians.

The team are located in the main Radiology department and contactable in person or via the IR on-call service (after hours via switchboard).

Pictured in the featured image: The Interventional Radiology team. 

Throughout the duration of the Northern Health Timely Emergency Care Collaborative (TECC) project, robust consumer engagement has been a cornerstone.

Led by the Department of Health, this two-year initiative has involved collaboration with 14 health services and Ambulance Victoria, all aimed at enhancing access to timely care. Significant strides have been made across various fronts on the project, focusing on key access indicators including prompt patient handover upon ambulance arrival, reduced Emergency Department (ED) lengths of stay and minimised wait times for accessing sub-acute services.

The TECC project began in late 2022 and is scheduled to conclude by the end of June 2024. Throughout its duration, two consumers, Karyn Findlay and Evan Bichara, have played active roles in contributing to its success.

Every four months, large learning sessions are held, gathering staff from all health services to share progress and plan the upcoming phases of work. These sessions serve as crucial checkpoints for consumers like Karyn and Evan to offer feedback on ongoing efforts and collaborate on designing new ideas for trailing. Their involvement has been instrumental in tasks such as reviewing brochures, conducting ED walkthroughs, and developing processes for early morning discharge communication.

During the February Learning Session, the team engaged with Karyn, a primary school teacher deeply involved in her local community, who shared her invaluable insights into the project based on her extensive experience with Northern Health services. Karyn has consistently offered pragmatic and logical perspectives, particularly emphasising her passionate support for ED initiatives. She expressed admiration for “the collective dedication of Northern Health personnel to serve the entire northern region”. Furthermore, Karyn highlighted her appreciation for the commitment of senior staff members to enhance services, noting their genuine consideration of community feedback in all decision-making processes.

Laura Hughes, Transformation Unit and TECC project lead, commented, “Both Karyn and Evan have contributed significantly to the TECC project and have constantly given us valuable feedback on complex access problems. Active consumer engagement can be done via patient surveys and feedback; however, we find consumer participation in the actual process to be most helpful”.

The project team will continue to work with consumers until the end of the project, and are looking forward to continuing the partnership following the end of June 2024.

Pictured in featured image top row (L-R): Sandeep Sharma, Consultant Physician, Karyn Findlay consumer, Lora Davies, Divisional Director, Access and Subacute Services, Linda Romano, Divisional Director, Emergency Services, Edward Savill, Divisional Director, Medicine and Cancer Services.

Bottom row (L-R): Laura Hughes, TECC project lead, Rhiannon Cooper, NUM Ward 20, Simone Motton, Director Allied Health. 

Each week in the lead up to Accreditation, Northern Health will focus on a different Standard. You will hear from the Chairs of each Standard Committee on what you need to know.

This week we spoke to Dr Anthony Cross, Head of ICU, about Standard 8: Recognising and Responding to Acute Deterioration.

What is this Standard about?

Standard 8 aims to ensure that a person’s acute deterioration is recognised quickly and appropriate action and response occurs. Acute deterioration could be physiological changes or changes in cognition and mental state. Recognition of deterioration could be by a clinician, family member, carer, or the patient.

At Northern Health, this standard looks like….

• Observation and response charts with a track and trigger systems are utilised to prompt staff of acute deterioration.
• Processes are in place to ensure correct escalation.
• Resuscitation training for staff with direct patient care is mandated to promote patient safety.
• Medical Emergency Teams respond to escalation of acute deterioration.
• Cardiac arrest HAC, MET and Code Blue data is monitored and reported on.

What are the top 5 ways staff can be prepared for Accreditation against this Standard?

1. Know the process for escalating acute deterioration and where to locate the procedure.
2. Ensure you and your patients are familiar with the REACH escalation process.
3. Know where your resuscitation equipment is kept, how to know it has stocked and equipment is working.
4. Complete the Observation and Response Chart audit and ensure your departments compliance with questions.
5. Ensure you have completed your mandatory online resuscitation module and successfully completed the online assessment.

What are the top 5 questions staff needs to be able to answer about this Standard?

1. How do you know when to escalate acute deterioration and how do you do this?
2. If you do not have a response after you have activated an emergency call due to acute deterioration, what is the process to escalate this and ensure timely care is delivered?
3. What is the process for patients, carers or families to escalate care?
4. Where is your resuscitation equipment located and how do you know it is available and stocked?
5. How do you access the resuscitation training?

Is there anything else you would like staff to know about this Standard?

Standard 8 is part of your daily work when caring for patients. Ensure you escalate care if your patient falls into PreMET or MET criteria and if you have no response or there is no one logged on to Medtasker, escalate as per the Deteriorating Patient procedure. Always remember to engage your patient and their families in their care, even in an emergency situation and ensure they are aware of the REACH process.

To learn more about Standard 8, please see the Intranet.

#WeAreNorthern

Meet Coen Brown, Emergency Department- Aboriginal Liaison Officer.

Q. Firstly, what’s your coffee order?
A. A large latte with two sugars…particularly in the morning

Q. Why did you choose your specialty?
A. I’m very passionate about social justice, equity and equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mob accessing services, particularly in E.D. where I’m based. My aim is to give them a positive patient experience that’s also culturally safe.

Q. Do you have a bucket list item? Something you would love to do.
A. I’d love to travel the world, particularly Canada. I’ve always loved the culture, the country, and I find there’s a connection there to their First Nations mob and our history and stories here. And I’d love to own my own home one day, so I can have a bigger yard for all my pets.

Q. What’s something people might not know about you?
A. I love to paint, in a tradition Aboriginal, contemporary mix kind of style. My mum is an artist, and so I’ve been exposed to the medium all my life. And as part of the Bachelor of Social Work course I’m doing at the moment, I’m actually producing a series of paintings on canvas depicting Aboriginal history and culture as part of one of my assignments.

Q. Which superhero do you wish you could be?
A. Definitely Mystique from X-men. I’d love to be able to morph into anyone, use their skills and have different experiences. Or maybe Cyclops, because I wear glasses. If I saw someone mucking up, I could pull my glasses down and zap them! lol.

This week, Northern Health celebrates Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Day.

Harmony Day is held every year on 21 March, to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The message of Harmony Week is “Everyone Belongs” and it promotes inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background.

With more than 50 per cent of Australians either born overseas or having at least a parent born overseas – this is a week to celebrate the cultural diversity of our country.

As far as Northern Health is concerned, this cultural diversity is prominent amongst patients, staff and volunteers.

Henni Wade, Manager of Volunteer Services, explained that, “Northern Health volunteers represent 23 birth countries and 25 per cent of our volunteers speak another language. We very much appreciate the diversity they bring to our team. Volunteers who can speak another language can make a real difference to the experience of our patients.”

David Le, Manager of Transcultural and Language Services (TALS), says, “One in five appointments are conducted with a patient from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background with the assistance of an interpreter. This demonstrates how culturally diverse the Northern Health catchment is and our commitment to provide equitable and inclusive care.”

For Natalia Dewiyani, Spiritual Care Coordinator, being able to hold a sacred space for a rich and diverse group of patients, family and staff is a true honour.

“It is a beautiful and enriching experience. I am privileged to work with staff who strive to meet the different cultural, spiritual, and/or religious needs of our patients. We can all learn from each other’s perspectives, traditions, and experiences,” she said.

This year, Harmony Day brought with it a renewed sense of celebration and unity, marking a significant milestone, as we gathered in person for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.

Displays were set up at Northern Hospital Epping, Broadmeadows Hospital, Bundoora Centre, Craigieburn Centre, and Kilmore Hospital. Staff from various departments worked together on the displays and this was also an opportunity to collaborate with a local childcare centre and a local school. The Green Leaves Early Learning Centre in Craigieburn donated a beautiful painting made by the kindergarten children. The children worked collaboratively to create a Harmony masterpiece that was displayed at  Northern Hospital Epping during the Harmony Day celebration.

St Monica’s College in Epping also donated a poster made by Year 7 students. The students chose orange, the official colour of Harmony Day, as the background and added hearts and flowers. This masterpiece was displayed at Bundoora Centre.

 

The Northern Health library has put together a display focusing on Culturally Safe Care (see attached photo) and resources can be found via the e-library: https://nh-au.libguides.com/home

Henry’s Café and Café 1231 have special menus this week, highlighting Cultural Diversity and international foods. click here to view Henry’s menu and here to view Cafe 1231 menu.

Staff were encouraged to wear something orange or their traditional costume on Harmony Day, to go into a draw to win a prize, by sending a photo of their team effort to TALS Enquiries by Friday, 22 March. The winning team will be announced on Monday, 25 March.

Kilmore District Hospital hosted a Cultural Awareness afternoon tea on Monday, 18 March and invited staff to attend an online education session on Cultural Competence delivered by Education and Engagement Manager, Stefania Zen. The presentation focused on Cultural Competence in Health Care and the importance of delivering effective, quality care to patients who have diverse beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviours.

“It is about recognising that we are all different, even within the same culture,” said Stefania.

On Wednesday, 20 March, the Northern Health Community Choir performed in the main foyer of Northern Hospital Epping, and on the same day, a new episode of the ‘Visiting Hours’ podcast was released, featuring Dr Fidel Touma who talked about his migration journey and what it was like to start a new life in Australia.

This morning, staff embraced the celebration and attended a live performance at Northern Hospital Epping by the Little Town North Cyprus Dancing Group. The performance was opened with a speech by Chief Allied Health Officer, Jason Cirone, who talked about how cultural diversity enriches us as a health service and as a community, and was followed by a morning tea, which included a variety of delicious traditional Turkish pastries.

Other gatherings during the week included the celebration of Nooroz, a secular cultural festival observed by diverse communities, including Iranians, Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Central Asians and others. Based on the Iranian Solar Calendar, Norooz/Noruz is the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The first day of Norooz festivity this year was 20 March, and the Transcultural and Language Services (TALS) team celebrated this event with traditional Persian food, provided by their lovely Persian Interpreter, Zoreh Karimi.

As the vibrant colours of cultural diversity adorned the corridors of Northern Health today, Harmony Day showcased the power of unity in embracing our differences, because today and always, we all belong!

Pictured in featured image: Staff from the TALS Department.