This year, NAIDOC Week paid tribute to our Elders who have been mentors, teachers, and role models, passing on their wisdom and cultural knowledge for generations.

It was fitting that the week ended with a visit by the Narrun Wilip-giin, Aboriginal Support Unit to the Wandarra Elders Group, a local Aboriginal community organisation in Broadmeadows.

Aboriginal Liaison Officers Toni Gabelish, Stephanie Thompson, and Lindsay Holmes together with Consumer Participation Coordinator Sherrilyn Ballard handed out dilly bags to the elders to thank them for paving the way of our future.

Our Narrun Wilip-giin, Aboriginal Support Unit had displays at each site, showcasing the stories of inspirational Elders. The displays featured artwork by the children from Streeton Primary School in Yallambie.

A popular event this year was the basket weaving workshop in the Aboriginal Cultural Space. Tya Fry, Occupational Therapist and organiser said, “We ended up with more participants than expected which was fabulous!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The NAIDOC Week Quiz again proved very popular, with many participants getting all the answers right,” says Stefania Zen, Acting Director, Transcultural & Language Services (TALS)/Narrun Wilip-Giin Aboriginal Support Unit.

The winners are:

1^st Amanda Muller – Acute Community Co-ordinator

2^nd Erica Hateley – Senior Librarian

3^rd Maria Soo – Director of Workforce Planning

Thank you to all who participated.

Narrun Wilip-Giin, Aboriginal Support Unit thank all staff for joining in celebrating NAIDOC Week 2023.

This morning, Northern Health virtually hosted the third Quarterly Staff Recognition Awards for 2023 to celebrate and acknowledge the amazing work of our dedicated staff.

We once again had an outstanding response from our staff, with a number of nominations received across seven different categories.

Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive, opened the ceremony by acknowledging the incredible work of our staff across the health service.

“Among our award winners today are staff who exemplify a strong and positive workplace culture, staying true to Northern Health’s values of “Safe Kind Together”, and who continue to show a genuine commitment to their patients,” he said.

“The number and standard of nominations for these awards were very high. I would like to acknowledge and congratulate all staff who received a nomination, along with those who took the time to nominate their peers and colleagues. “

Michelle Fenwick, Executive Director, People and Culture, presented the awards and she said it was an honour to help recognise and award staff who demonstrate excellence in the work they do each and every day.

“I am extremely proud to work in an organisation where staff are passionate and kind and turn up to work every day to provide outstanding care to our patients and community. We thank you all for your hard work and dedication.”

The Orthoptist team won the Innovation Award, for remodelling aspects of the model of care and making additional slots and revising access points for equipment to optimise patient flow and efficiency. This has resulted in an impressive increase in the last reporting quarter of 163 per cent.

The Patient Experience Award went to Michelle McNith, Imaging Bookings Clerk, for her exceptional patient focused interaction with clinicians and for her significant contribution to the seamless running of the Radiology department.

Dr Carol Chong, Intern Supervisor of Training, was nominated ten times, across two categories, and won the Education category for going above and beyond to provide the best education and support possible to all of the Interns at Northern Health.

Ward 9 nurses were the recipients of the Clinical Excellence Award for their remarkable work and determination to make a positive difference during the pandemic and for demonstrating unwavering commitment to the hospital and the community.

The Excellence in Safety Award went to our Drive Safe Program, for promoting safe driving among young, adult and older adult consumers living with a mental health condition. The Drive Safe Program has successfully provided services, capacity-built staff and supported embedding consumer driving in systems and processes across Northern Health Mental Health Division and North-Western Mental Health.

Dr Grace Yuan, Medical Intern, was the recipient of the Rising Star award for showing true commitment and passion in the provision of holistic care for patients. She was commended on her listening skills and showing compassion for patients, as well as being an exceptional team member and a great first responder.

Lastly, the Above and Beyond Award was presented to the Northern Health Foundation. The team was recognised for their incredible efforts of raising over $800,000, which has assisted in the purchase of state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology to enhance patient care and providing PhD scholarships to support ground-breaking medical research.

Big congratulations to all award winners today.

The Quarterly Staff Recognition Awards are proudly sponsored by BankVic and Northern Health Foundation.

To watch the ceremony, please click here.

Featured image: Top row left to right: Zeina Dayoub, Michelle McNith, Carol Chong and Sue Van Meeuwen.

Bottom row left to right: Catherine Palmer and Glen Dollman, Grace Yuan, Tatjana Dimoska, Kim Berger, Melissa Grenville and Margaret Rivette.

Located near the Fit Testing Centre and Lecture Theatre at Northern Hospital Epping, the Northern Health Library connects staff and students with high-quality, evidence-based information that supports their work as healthcare professionals. This connection can be via education sessions, use of library services such as expert literature search or provision of databases, eBooks or journal articles.

The current team is comprised of Natasha Bradley, Director Library and Information Literacy Services, Erica Hateley, Senior Librarian, Jade Howell, Librarian and Kelly Chan, Library Technician.

“As a team, we bring individual strengths which support library users. Jade is a wonderful advocate for the education teams and the library and brings our learning communities together. Erica is a literature search expert who regularly supports staff and students in finding the best quality results in medical databases. Kelly unfailingly delivers articles to staff to support their clinical knowledge and I focus on strategic initiatives that deliver best practice library services and resources to all Northern Health staff and students,” says Natasha.

Earlier this year, the team focused on redeveloping and expanding their online resources and capabilities via the eLibrary. Recently, the library has launched a single search capability that enables staff and students to search all evidence-based resources available at the library via a simple search. Try it out here.

“To help promote Northern Health’s collection better to staff, we have also installed additional display shelving to showcase specialty resources for medical, nursing and allied health professionals,” she added.

During the early stages of the pandemic, the library operated in a fully online mode for a number of months. This enabled the team to continue to deliver critical evidence-based information and literature search services to staff, and the library also continued to loan out books through a click and collect-style service.

“However, we very much missed the ability to interact with library users face-to-face,” said Natasha.

In 2023 the library team is excited to announced that it will be extending their services to all Northern Health sites, by visiting each site on a regular basis. The team will be working hard to accommodate for best dates and times for each site. They’ll be kicking this off this week, with Library and Information Week 2023 and visits to each site between 11.30 am and 2.30 pm, based on the schedule below:

• Monday, 31 July – Bundoora Centre
• Tuesday, 1 August – Craigieburn Centre
• Wednesday, 2 August – Broadmeadows Hospital
• Thursday, 3 August – Northern Hospital Epping

All Northern Health staff and students can become library members, which enables access to a range of resources and access to the Northern Health library anywhere, anytime. For more information and to sign up, please click here. Staff can access the library 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via their staff swipe card. The library has a small meeting room, a study room and twelve computers. Online, the library can be found via the eLibrary.

Thank you to our library team for all your hard work and dedication.

Featured image (L-R); Natasha Bradley, Director Library and Information Literacy Services, Jade Howell, Librarian, Erica Hately, Senior Librarian and Kelly Chan, Library Technician. 

#WeAreNorthern

Meet Julius Quiring, Nurse Unit Manager, Palliative Care Unit, Northern Hospital Epping.

Q: What is your coffee order?

A: I have recently discovered the benefits of taking mini breaks for my internal recovery. I head to Henry’s Cafe and order my daily large caramel latte. Such a treat!

 Q: Who do you most admire in your life?

A: As a young man my parents were my inspiration. My late mother was a generous and caring person who loved her family. She put herself last to ensure all our needs were met. My father was      equally supportive. Although less emotional, he was an excellent role model and worked so hard for the family generally.

These days my admiration is for my wife. She is my rock who supports and encourages me at every turn and is always there for me. Her patience and love for our beautiful children is admirable, and this provides great peace for me.

 Q: What is the one thing you have enjoyed about your job recently?

A: Our Gratitude Board provides much joy for me presently, where a display of cards from family/friends of loved ones expressing their appreciation of the Palliative Care Unit (PCU) and its staff. These genuine words provide great motivation for all of us.

My team has weathered the storm through the different changes/challenges we’ve faced recently. However, despite this, the all-embracing care has never altered. I feel very honoured to lead such a resilient team that sticks together and supports each other.

Q: What is something you are looking forward to in the future (professionally)?

A: I continue to look forward to opportunities to grow and develop my leadership skills. And hopefully expand our resources to potentially serve more of our community. An important goal at some stage would be that our PCU be recognised as one of the best units of its nature in Australia!

 Q: Where did you grow up?

A: I grew up in the Philippines where I learned the value of family, respect, generosity, positivity and humour. I consider myself a very lucky man!

This week is DonateLife Week – an annual event dedicated to raising awareness about the critical importance of organ and tissue donation.

This year’s campaign message is ‘Donate a Minute. Donate a Lifetime.’ It aims to encourage more Australians to register their wishes and promote the importance of telling family and friends should they wish to become organ donors.

As part of DonateLife week, today we introduce the Northern Donation Specialist Team, which comprises a Medical Donation Specialist, Dr David Crosbie, and a Nurse Donation Specialist, Bridget Walters. They both work closely with DonateLife Victoria.

 The Donation Specialist Team support and offer families of Northern Health patients the possibility of organ and tissue donation within the Intensive Care Unit at Northern Health.

“Organ and Tissue Donation would not be able to occur without the commitment, teamwork and compassionate nature that is in place to support our team, patients and their families through organ and tissue donation across the organization, in particular the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Theatre,” said Dr Crosbie.

The Donation Specialist team also collaborate with the Medical Designated Officers, Northern Pathology, Radiology, Echocardiology and Interventional Cardiology, who are all very accommodating of the needs of the donor patients, often over short timeframes.

“The allied health teams, through their social work team, and the Transcultural and Language Services (TALS) team of interpreters and translators, play a pivotal role during donor conversations and are always empathetic towards families during this difficult time,” said Ms Walters.

At Northern Health last year, three families said ‘yes’ to organ donation. These donations saved and transformed the lives of nine very grateful recipients. Seven families said ‘yes’ to eye and tissue donation, restoring the sight and changing the lives of 14 recipients.

“We thank all organ and tissue donors and their families for their generosity,” said the Donation Specialist team.

Over the last 12 months, eleven organ and tissue donation clinical nurse champions across the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Theatre have worked closely with the Donation Specialist team to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation, provide education, attend and participate in study days and most importantly, be an integral resource for their colleagues in their respective areas.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff who are involved in facilitating the wishes of donor patients and their families at Northern Health and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future,” said Ms Walters.

This important week gives hope to 1,800 Australians waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, inclusive of 70 people waiting for a life-saving heart transplant and thousands more on dialysis or in need of an eye or tissue transplant.

Could you donate 1 minute to give someone a lifetime?

If you are interested in registering, please visit donatelife.gov.au

Alternatively, you can register with three taps in your Medicare App.

Thank you to the Donation Specialist team for all that you do.

Pictured in featured image (L-R): Bridget Walters and Dr David Crosbie. 

The appointment of a Research Executive Committee (REC) is a significant step in fostering the next generation of engaged learners and inspired researchers at Northern Health.

Dr. Rebecca Jessup, Deputy Chair and Lead of the Research Advisory Group, says, “As a hospital that is experiencing exponential growth, it is important that we develop a strong reputation for high quality research. This will help us to recruit the best clinicians, as well as ensure we can provide the best care for our patients.”

The REC is tasked with advising the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Executive and its role in promoting, coordinating, and supporting research activities across the health service is of paramount importance. Developing key partnerships with our university and community partners is yet another area of focus for the committee. The REC also oversees research governance and quality at Northern Health.

A/Prof Prahlad Ho, Chair of the Research Executive, says, “Having a REC will help us to meet our key priority of growing engaged learners and inspired leaders and promote high-quality clinical care.”

The impressive team of experienced clinician researcher leaders leading the program will work to ensure that research conducted within the hospital is of high quality, ethically sound, and aligned with the hospital’s strategic goals. Just as important, they will work on embedding a culture of research at Northern Health.

Wanda Stelmach, Chief Medical Officer, says, “This is an important step towards Northern Health being recognised as a health service where the care of patients is driven by research to ensure high quality clinical care; where clinicians in allied health, nursing and medicine will together drive better care for their patients while at the same time growing their clinical and academic portfolios. Northern Health is setting itself up to be the preferred health service for innovative research.”

Pictured from left to right: A/Prof Prahlad Ho, Chair of Research Executive Committee*, Prof Donald Campbell*, Prof Russell Hoye, Pro Vice Chancellor, La Trobe University, Prof Nik Zeps, Director of Research*, Prof Shekhar Kumta, Professor of Surgery*, A/Prof Wanda Stelmach, Chief Medical Officer, Prof Geoffrey Donnan AO, Senior Research Advisor and former Director of Florey Institute of Neurosciences and Mental Health*, Dr. Rebecca Jessup, Deputy Chair of the Research Advisory Committee*

*Northern Health staff who are members of the Research Executive Committee.

A new ‘easy to chew diet’ will soon come into play for Northern Health patients.

The easy to chew diet consists of normal, everyday foods of a soft and tender texture, of any shape or size. Patients should be able to bite off pieces of soft and tender food and choose bite-sizes that are safe to chew and swallow.

Currently, staff use the ‘soft dental diet’ code which includes hard dry biscuits, toast and bread. With the easy to chew diet, multigrain bread, hard dry biscuits and toast will be removed, making way for soft cakes, soft bread – including white and wholemeal bread – and sandwiches with soft bread and soft fillings. Raw vegetables are also not included in the easy to chew diet.

Jasmine Wong, Speech Pathologist, said the Speech Pathology department reviewed recommendations from the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation for patients on an easy to chew diet.

“Easy to chew food may be used if you have a strong enough chewing ability to break down soft and tender foods into pieces without help, you have no increased risk of choking and do not have swallowing problems,” she said.

“This texture may be right for you if you usually choose to eat soft food, have weaker chewing muscles for hard and firm textures, but can chew soft and tender food without tiring easily.”

“It may also be a good choice if you have been sick and are recovering strength.”

The new easy to chew terminology is in the process of being implemented internationally to maintain consistence of diet recommendations across health settings. Northern Health will start using the easy to chew diet terminology in line with the EMR go live date of 4 September.

Featured image: Jasmine, Speech Pathologist, Lauren, Speech Pathology Allied Health Assistant and Joyce, Speech Pathologist.

We are only six weeks away from the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) going live! Training is full steam ahead and we have more than 1000 staff trained.

Staff who have completed training will be able to access the Train Domain (a mock-up version of the EMR) to practice. This is set up so you can practice the new skills you have learned in training.

To practice, simply follow the instructions and use the practice logins provided on the EMR website. We have a list of scenarios available in the participation guides to support you in this process. You are more than welcome to come up with your own scenarios as well!  In training, we aim to cover as much content as we can to equip you with the go live. However, you might need more practice on workflows that are specific to your area of work to feel even more confident in using the EMR.

The EMR team is also running dedicated practice sessions across Epping, Broadmeadows, and Bundoora, where a trainer will be present to answer any questions that you might have.

Annabel Milonas, Director of Education – Nursing and Midwifery, is supportive of the practice sessions. “After attending training, the key for me is to now continue doing the practice sessions and I encourage all educators to do the same and promote in your areas with your super users helping as well. This is how we can strive for adoption when the EMR goes live,” says Annabel.

A famous blue fish once said, ‘just keep swimming’. With the EMR going live in less than 50 days, we need to ‘just keep practising!’

Watch the short video below, of Ms Wanda Stelmach attending EMR Surgeon training!