2021
-
Remembrance Day: Lest we forget
“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” – Winston Churchill Tomorrow marks Remembrance Day. On this day, we remember the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women who lost their lives serving our nation and its allies in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. On the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minutes’ silence is observed and dedicated to the lives of people who died fighting to protect our nation. To commemorate this important date, Hospital Reception Manager, Nick Caruana and HIS Operations Manager, David Mangano, are ensuring a coordinated…
-
Feel Good Fridays are here
Feel good Fridays are coming to Northern Health, starting from Friday, 12 November, and will last until the end of the year. “The Wellbeing Team are introducing virtual ‘Feel Good Fridays’- an opportunity to gather as a collective and share stories, join in with games and fun activities, and shake off the stress. Each week will be a different theme, and we encourage all staff across Northern Health, both clinical and non-clinical, to head to IdeaScale, where they will find information on how to participate,” explained Stephen Whittaker, Wellbeing Team Lead, People and Culture. “The science behind a smile, the…
-
Kindness from Kyneton
Nurses on the frontline at Northern Health recently received gift boxes with this message: “Hi, we are Alison, Janice, Angela and Katy, four sisters who live in Kyneton, Victoria. Please accept these gifts, collected and created by our regional community, as a token of appreciation for all you have done and continue to do throughout this pandemic. We are thinking of you, we support you, we see you.” Katy is a nurse and midwife and says, “This started as a small family project and has grown tremendously.” She explains, “During my career I have worked in Melbourne and abroad in…
-
Q&A with Richard Laufer, Chief Legal Officer
In this week’s ‘Q & A with…’ we chat with Richard Laufer, Northern Health’s Chief Legal Officer. What’s your coffee order? If I trust the place, a long macchiato, if not, drown the coffee with milk. Tell us about your career at Northern Health? I started in 2015 as a lawyer with a mainly medical portfolio. Now as Chief Legal Officer, I am responsible for the entire legal and FOI function of the health service. What does a typical day look like for you? Some form of exercise at 5:30 am and am usually at my desk around 8 am.…
-
Rapid Antigen Testing Team
Northern Health’s Rapid Antigen Testing Clinic has been up and running for a month, seeing around 90 patients per day. With the working hours now extended to 24/7, the team is expecting to see even a larger number of patients. Dr Victoria Madigan, Infectious Diseases Physician, together with Clare McCarthy, Director Quality, Safety and Patient Experience, were asked to set up the team and get the clinic running. The clinic has already made a big difference for the Emergency Department, in terms of identifying COVID-19 positive patients faster and getting them access to treatment. “This is also helping the whole…
-
Q&A with Dominic LaCaze: Working in Supply and Procurement
In this week’s Q&A, we spoke to Dominic LaCaze, Supply Manager, about the work of Supply and Procurement at Northern Health. What is your coffee order? Medium triple shot flat white, no sugar. Tell us about your Northern Health journey? Back in 2015, I was employed on a 12 month contract for a project to convert manual ordering to a semi-automated order system, Imprest, which uses barcodes and scanners to create orders. Seven months into the role, I was employed full time and took over the Supply team and then also managed the car fleet. As the hospital grew and…
-
Trudi Hay’s Virtual High Tea
Fundraising looks a little different to how it used to, with new and innovative ways being sought to connect with networks and donors. For the second year in a row, Northern Health Foundation Board Member and Patron, Trudi Hay, hosted her annual Cancer High Tea via a virtual platform. The event, which was held live between Trudi’s living room and Northern Health Offices, successfully raised over $15,000 for our Cancer Services. Guest speakers included Melissa Gwynne, Nurse Unit Manager of Day Oncology at Northern Health, and Madelaine Flynn, Head of Infection Control at Northern Health. Guests were also offered an…
-
ED clerks: the glue that holds it all together
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.…