November 2021
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Put a smile on a child this Christmas: ISS Annual Christmas Appeal
“Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” As we look forward to spending the Christmas season with close friends and family, spare a thought for the patients in our Children’s Unit at Northern Hospital Epping. For the fifth year running now, ISS Facility Services are hoping to make a difference to these children, unfortunate enough to be spending Christmas away from their families with their annual Christmas Appeal. Snez Poposka, Facilities Service Manager ISS Facility Services, reminiscing on what prompted her to organise this Christmas appeal, says “It was the thought that whilst I am enjoying Christmas…
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International Day of People with Disability: Brodie’s story
The International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD), is observed on 3 December. The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. This year’s UN theme is, ‘ Leadership and participation of persons with…
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Northern Health welcomes new Emergency Department NUM
We recently welcomed new Emergency Department Nurse Unit Manager, Tanya Davis, to Northern Health. Tanya joined us from Epworth Camberwell, where she was the Nurse Unit Manager for the Hospital Coordinator Team. Prior to her appointment, Tanya worked clinically within Emergency Departments both in Darwin and Melbourne, across both public and private sectors. In addition, Tanya worked as a Flight Nurse for CareFlight International and served as a Nursing Officer in the Australian Defence Force, bringing with her diverse, clinical and leadership skills to her new role. “I spent several years as a Nursing Officer in the Army which was…
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2020-21 Northern Health Annual Meeting
This afternoon, we hosted the 2020-21 Northern Health Annual Meeting. The Northern Health Board and Executive were virtually joined by members of the local community, consumers, primary care partners, volunteers and staff, to hear about Northern Health’s highlights and achievements over the past 12 months. Jennifer Williams AM, Board Chair, opened the meeting, acknowledging yet another challenging year, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The first half of the year saw us fighting the height of the pandemic, with a number of outbreaks affecting our northern community and health service significantly. I am delighted to say our staff at Northern…
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Happy Birthday Ian Brand Residential Care
Today, Ian Brand Residential Care (IBRC), located at our Bundoora Centre, marks 30 years of service. IBRC is Northern Health’s 30-bed residential aged care facility that provides 24 hour nursing care for 27 of our community’s most vulnerable population. Donna James, Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) for IBRC, says, “To be entrusted with the care of a family’s loved one is a very special and rewarding part of being an aged care nurse. When a resident is admitted into our care here at Ian Brand Residential Care, we become part of their journey. We not only provide the care and support…
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EMR update: Workshops to reconvene and new project timeline announced
With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria in the past few months, Northern Health’s resources were increasingly focused on the COVID response and a decision was made in September to pause aspect s of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) project. This decision, together with redeploying some of our EMR analysts and senior medical staff back to their substantive roles, allowed our staff to focus on providing patient care for our community. During this time, the EMR team took the opportunity to realign and evaluate project activities, as well as plan ahead for 2022/23. While COVID-19 continues to place strain on our healthcare…
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Our ICT: Stepping up through COVID-19
During numerous changes in operations in the pandemic times, our Information and Communication Technology (ICT) team has stepped up to support the frontline workers and keep staff and the community connected and safe. Vikramjit Multani, ICT Infrastructure Manager, explained how the team has successfully collaborated with other ‘back-of-house’ departments to meet the tight deadlines and get systems up and running. “When COVID-19 came along, testing sites had to be quickly set up in Glenroy, Craigieburn, Northern Health and Meadow Heights. Some of these locations aren’t part of Northern Health, and an immediate response and action was needed from our team…
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30 Years of Ian Brand Residential Care: Prof Len Gray remembers
Ian Brand Residential Care (IBRC) at Bundoora Centre marks 30 years on 24 November. We spoke to Professor Len Gray, who was the first Executive Director of what was then called Bundoora Extended Care Centre (BECC), on his recollections of his time there. Professor Gray currently serves as Director of the Centre for Health Services Research at the University of Queensland. Dr Ian Brand, former CEO of PANCH and who IBRC is named after, describes him as, “A first-class geriatrician who took to managing, as to the manner born.” How did you come to be involved in starting up BECC? …