Today, the Starlight Children’s Foundation launched ‘Planet Starlight’ at Northern Health.
Planet Starlight complements the Starlight Children’s Foundation physical presence in hospitals across the country by offering a digital alternative, connecting hospitalised kids with the child-led magic of Captain Starlight anytime, anywhere.
Captain Starlight visited our Children’s Ward, bringing with them bubble wands and musical instruments to entertain the young crowd
“We haven’t been able to visit Northern Health for three years because of the pandemic, so being back here today is really great,” said Samantha Urquijo Garcia, Starlight Children’s Foundation Program Innovation Project Lead.
“We’re so happy to be able to leave a digital resource here with staff so that sick kids can connect with Captain Starlight anytime they want.”
Planet Starlight has a digital ‘play space’ filled with distraction and entertainment, as well as other interactive games, like sending in artwork via ‘Rocket Mail’ or chatting to Captain Starlight via a secure online chat platform.
“Planet Starlight will really help to boost morale and the platform will encourage the kids to connect with each other while they’re here,” said Alecia Caddy, Ward 2 Nurse Unit Manager.
“Getting the kids to focus on something other than what they’re going through here in hospital is always a great idea.”
Planet Starlight aims to reach hospitalised kids for 100,000 experiences per year, from right here at Northern Health and all across Australia.
“As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul, and body of our patients, their families, and ourselves. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
This is Nurse Practitioner Week. The theme this year is, ‘Nurse Practitioners, the essential difference in healthcare.’
Nurse Practitioners provide advanced practice in many specialties, and can assess, diagnose and treat patients including prescribe medications. They assist by not only improving access to timely care but help reduce waiting times, decrease recurrent admissions and provide holistic care. An important part of their role is providing mentorship and clinical expertise to other health professionals.
The nurse practitioner profession started in 1965 in the United States in response to the increasing demand for primary care providers. The first nurse practitioner program (NP) was launched at the University of Colorado in 1965 by NP pioneers Loretta Ford and Henry Silver. It started as a certificate program, but in the early 1970s, the university upgraded it to a full master’s degree program.
Primarily focused on paediatrics, it soon expanded to other areas, including family NP programs and adult NP programs.
Vicki Malamatinas, a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery NP, here at Northern Health says, “At Northern Health, we are fortunate to have a number of NPs that work in many different speciality areas and provide outstanding care to patients, families and the community.”
Currently we have NPs that work in ED, stroke, heart failure, plastics, oncology, palliative care, diabetes, neonates, mental health, haematology and age care.
We also have nurse practitioner candidates in ED, haematology, endoscopy, pain service and diabetes.
Linda Romano, Divisional Director Nursing, Surgical Services & Access, says “Nurse Practitioners play an important role at Northern Health. Their work is pivotal in saving theatre time for critical cases.”
Here’s to all our Nurse Practitioners and future NPs at Northern Health and the outstanding care they bring to the organisation and our community!
Today, Northern Health celebrated the achievements of our long-serving staff as part of the 2022 Staff Service Awards.
Four hundred and forty-nine staff were recognised for achieving between 10 and 45 years of service, with many of our staff providing dedicated service since the days of PANCH and across our mental health sites. Combined, these staff have contributed over 7,000 years of service to Northern Health, a truly remarkable achievement.
More than 250 staff watched on as their colleagues celebrated significant work milestones, with many staff sending messages of congratulations during the event through the virtual chat. The ceremony also featured a series of throwback videos that highlighted major events of that year.
Michelle Fenwick, Executive Director, People and Culture, opened the virtual ceremony, by acknowledging all staff for their great work.
“Our annual Staff Service Awards provide us with a unique opportunity to thank and celebrate hard working and dedicated staff who are on the front line each and every day, saving lives and keeping our community safe and healthy,” she said.
“We have over 7,500 staff working across Northern Health, with the inclusion of mental health staff who joined us in July this year. It is great to see how our health service has continued to grow – expanding the range of services we provide to the communities of Melbourne’s northern suburbs.”
Five recipients have been with Northern Health the longest, celebrating 40 and 45 years. Susan Short, Rhonda Lark, Freda Kotsios and Jeanette Kamar celebrated an incredible 40 years of service. Helen Milevski celebrated an amazing 45 years of dedicated service.
Belinda Scott, Executive Director, Mental Health, presented Helen with her award and a beautiful bunch of flowers. After accepting her award, Helen spoke on the positive changes mental health has endured over the past 45 years.
“There have been huge changes, and a lot of changes. I am very proud to say I have worked in healthcare, mainly mental health, and the 45 years in mental health have been a rollercoaster,” Helen said.
“When I started in 1977, I remember the stigma of mental health and I have seen the changes, the progress, the facilities that are available now for people to go to get help. I am so grateful to work in a team to provide a great service. We have excellent clinicians, beautiful people and wonderful colleagues. We all have to remember we are a team – we cannot achieve anything and provide proper care to our clients and patients without the support of each other.”
“We have to help each other and take the time and say to ourselves, ‘are we okay?’ before we take care of other people.”
Debra Bourne, Chief Operating Officer, Wanda Stelmach, Chief Medical Officer, Pina Di Donato, Executive Director, Public Affairs and Foundation, Anthony Gust, Executive Director Digital Health, Jason Cirone, Chief Allied Health Officer and Basil Ireland, Chief Finance Officer, together with Belinda and Michelle, presented the awards for the 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40-year recipients.
Michelle closed the ceremony by reading a message on behalf of Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive.
“I am proud to be part of an organisation with such a rich history, and whose staff are so dedicated, passionate and hard working,” Michelle read.
“I would like to extend an enormous thank you to all of our staff here at Northern Health. As we move towards the end of another year, on behalf of the Board and Executive, I wish you a happy and safe festive season.”
As construction of the new Mental Health building continues at Northern Hospital Epping, there are also some other exciting works in progress.
This year, Northern Health Foundation partnered with Lendlease, a globally integrated real estate group, focusing on development and construction, to deliver a fundraising initiative which will continue to support mental health in our community long after the building works are completed.
Chris Liparota, Construction Manager, Lendlease, has been involved in helping Northern Health Foundation raise funds throughout the course of the new Mental Health build. Thanks to this incredible initiative, Lendlease has raised over $56,000 in donations, which will contribute towards a Mental Health program once the build is complete.
“The Lendlease construction team and our wonderful supply chain at the Pathway to 144 Mental Health Beds Project are excited to partner with Northern Health Foundation to fundraise for some incredible initiatives at the hospital and new Mental Health Unit,” says Chris.
“With a large percentage of our workforce being local, there has, and continues to be, a reliance on the Northern Hospital to support our community. We are grateful that Lendlease Construction can contribute toward the important work the team at Northern Health are doing.”
As our community continues to grow, there is an ongoing need to expand services offered by Northern Health. The Victorian Government’s Mental Health Beds Expansion Program forms a part of this, with 30 new mental health beds soon to be available at Northern Hospital Epping.
Belinda Scott, Executive Director Mental Health, said, “I am thrilled at the opportunity to lead an amazing team to improve outcomes for consumer, carers and families. The fundraising by Lendlease will make a significant difference to improving amenities in our existing units in addition to the 30 new beds.”
Once complete, the new mental health facility will improve outcomes for patients in the northern catchment area. It will provide more than 10,900 days of care, enabling 655 more local to access vital mental health services every year.
The Foundation is proud to be a part of the development of our northern community. With partners like Lendlease, we can continue to fund vital services for our residents, so they can access appropriate care on their doorstep.
We congratulate Lendlease on their successful fundraising campaign. We are sincerely grateful for their continued support.
Ishmeet Singh has just completed three months in the role of Director, Procurement Service at Northern Health.
He brings more than 20 years of experience to this role, having previously worked in procurement and supply chain services across tertiary education (RMIT) and manufacturing (Ford). For the past five years, Ishmeet has been the Deputy Director, Procurement Services at Monash Health, where he was responsible for managing procurement functions, contract management and supply chain operations, including facilities management, ICT corporate services and medical consumables.
Recently, Ishmeet also managed the planning and distribution of critical PPE and ICU equipment across the state, with the Department of Health.
Firstly, what’s your coffee order?
Almond cappuccino please.
Tell us about your role at Northern Health?
We are responsible for the procurement and supply chain of goods and services for all Northern Health sites. As a department, we provide a number of services, including strategic sourcing and tactical buying, contract management, supply chain, vehicle fleet and other logistic support services.
What do you like most about your role?
To be an enabler of growth and creating sustainable value for the business.
What do you find challenging?
Accepting waste, inefficiencies and mediocre outcomes.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Meetings with stakeholders to address their needs and guiding my team to deliver desired outcomes.
Can you tell us a bit about your career before starting at Northern Health?
I have more than 20 years of procurement and supply chain experience across manufacturing, tertiary education and health care. I spent the last five years at Monash Health Procurement, and was actively involved in the state supply chain for COVID-19 response.
What is something people don’t know about you?
I am a mechanical engineer by qualification, who slipped into procurement and supply chain, and never looked back.
What do you like to do after work?
Read about food and travel! I love to cook different cuisines and invent new drinks. I have a lot of favourites, but my go-to cuisine is Italian. I have done some crazy pizza combinations which turned out surprisingly well!
Do you have a bucket list item? Something you would love to do?
Learn to play guitar! I love music from all over the world. Rock and country music, with Guns N Roses and Alabama being my favourites.
What’s your favourite inspirational quote?
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value” – Albert Einstein.
If you were a superhero, who would you be and why?
Batman, for believing in the art of possibility in all situations and never failing to rise again if we fail.
Which Northern Health value do you relate to best?
All of them, but I relate the most to Kindness: We treat everyone with kindness, respect and empathy. We provide patient-centred and compassionate care.
When Professor Ewing was appointed as the inaugural Associate Professor of Surgery at PANCH, a storeroom was hastily converted into an office for him.
It was thought that the small doorway would not be wide enough to accommodate the large oak desk he wished to bring, so it was enlarged to two full length glass doors. “Much to the hospital engineer’s dismay, my large oak desk arrived in ready to assemble pieces. I got an office though with a lovely view of the garden outside!”
It marked the beginning of what Professor Ewing describes as “interesting times.”
Professor Hamish Ewing has just retired after a chequered career. In thanking him, Chief Executive, Siva Sivarajah spoke of his dedication, “to clinical improvement and teaching since you began your career at PANCH as Associate Professor of Surgery in 1989.”
“Your dedication has led to the establishment of academic programs and activities, computerised audits and a breast service, at a time when single speciality services were unknown in the health service. Your academic contributions to medical students, trainees and Fellows are well recognised by Northern Health staff who remain grateful for your significant contribution in establishing the Northern Health, University of Melbourne Medical School.”
Hamish says the post of inaugural Associate Professor of Surgery was, “a personal challenge. I was young (41 years) and was not only replacing a much-loved and skilled senior surgeon, but also had the daunting prospect of being the first ‘University Man’ at the busy Preston hospital where all the consultant staff were senior in years to me.”
He was delighted to discover that he had joined a team of surgeons, receptive to significant changes that could be made to improve education and service delivery.
This role came at the time PANCH was to be closed and the new Northern Hospital was being designed. “This meant active input into our new hospital design and visiting the vacant building site on Cooper Street that was then covered with thistles and some remaining dry-stone walls.”
The Director of Surgery role became a much more structured role when Northern Health was established. “I was a member of the hospital executive and could bring clinical issues to this forum. It also meant that I could bring the challenges of the executive directly to the surgical workforce ‘at the coalface’. A bit of a balancing act at times,” he says.
“Northern Hospital was inundated with work from day one. Specialty surgery services were developed with significant workforce increases at all levels for me to manage, both from a budget and human resources point of view. Quite different from PANCH days.”
One such development was the formalisation of a breast service – one of the first health services in Melbourne to create a truly integrated program.
“Yet another giant step forward at the time was the Breast Care Nurse position funded by a special grant. In addition to these multidisciplinary meetings, we also held a breast clinic which meant all the team would be in attendance at the ‘one – stop’ clinic. All very exciting,” says Hamish.
Another was the enhancing of the surgical audit tool at Northern Health, originally developed at PANCH. This tool facilitated surgical quality care meetings and was designed to also comply with the surgical registrar trainees log-book requirements.
In 2011, the University of Melbourne changed the six-year undergraduate degree, to a four-year graduate entry MD program. This change to the curriculum included an expanded GP experience to be delivered at only two new outer-metro clinical schools, Northern Health and Western Health. Professor Ewing was appointed as inaugural Director of Medical Student Education at Northern Health.
“The MD program has three clinically based years, with students returning to central hospitals for Children’s and Women’s Health. At Northern Health, we had all of these specialist services at our hospital and our campaigning led to the whole of the three-year clinical program being delivered at Northern by our medical staff.”
However, Northern Health did not have a space big enough to cater to the increased number of students.
“The student quarters consisted of two small rooms near the library which were crammed with shared lockers. Limited university funding was made available and two purpose-built de-mountables were delivered to create our first real home as ‘The Northern Clinical School’ (now housing Hospital-in-the-Home).”
The first home of the Northern Clinical School.
Hamish says seeing “the evolution of a health service from a desperately busy (& tired old building) community hospital in Preston to the new multi-campus Northern Health of today has been amazing.”
“The big and ongoing highlight for me is contact with people I have had across my 33 years of involvement at Northern: patients and their families, all manner of staff who make our service tick, nurses, students and doctors alike. My big reward, and affirmation of my career, is to meet these people years later in all manner of venues (even caring for my own health!) having progressed in their careers and life in general.”
He believes the challenge, as the health service is constantly getting larger and more complex, is to “achieve a sense of community to make it a wholesome and friendly workplace.”
“My thanks go to you all for being part of my journey. I am very proud of Northern Health and will be cheering from the sidelines into the future. Please say ‘hi’ should you ever spot me in the street, as it makes my day!”
We join Mr Sivarajah in wishing Professor Ewing the very best in his retirement. As he said, “On behalf of Northern Health and the generations of students you have mentored – thank you!”
Professor Ewing and studentsTeaching staff of the Northern Clinical School in 2013Professor Ewing and the Teacher of the Year 2012 A/Prof Doug Crompton
As the weather begins to warm up in Victoria, snakes are becoming increasingly active and putting both humans and pets at risk of snakebites.
Knowing what to do if you or someone you are with is bitten, is critical. Most snakebites are treatable and can be managed effectively.
Today, we sat down with Associate Professor Joe Rotella, Clinical Toxicologist at Northern Health, to talk all things snakebites.
Why do we see so many bites around this time of the year?
A common myth about snakes is that they hibernate, where in fact, they undergo a process called brumation, where they slow their body processes down and will move during winter, but very slowly as they are not running on ‘full power’. Before they enter this cycle, they build up their sugar stores so when the weather does warm up, they have the instant energy they need to move and catch prey. So as spring arrives, the weather is warmer and the snakes head out for a meal. This year, heavier rainfall has meant more insects and therefore more prey for snakes such as frogs, lizards etc.
What are some of the things you can do to protect yourself from snakebites?
The first thing to say is that snakes do not want to bite people. They only bite when they feel very threatened, so prevention is key. Try to avoid situations where you might encounter a snake, especially if there is signage suggesting they are around, but that isn’t always possible. Here are some thoughts:
If you are traveling around areas with long grass, wear closed toed shoes and make an effort to stomp a bit – snakes have poor hearing but the vibrations will let them know you are nearby.
If you have wood piles on your property, take care if needing to move them as these are often popular places for snakes to reside in.
If you own a dog, consider snake avoidance training or keep your dog on a lead if you are walking in the bush or tall grass. Snake venom is not great for humans but can be far more lethal for dogs. Please protect your pets – there are providers out there that can be found via a Google search.
If you see a snake, do not pick it up and please do not try to kill it. It is illegal and it is far more likely to result in a bite. Call a qualified snake catcher to assist and keep small children and pets away until they arrive.
Mow your lawns and keep clutter in the yard to a minimum. The less places to hide, the less likely a snake will call your yard home.
What to do if you are bitten by a snake?
Stay calm – movement spreads the venom. Lie down and do not move the affected limb.
If you are on your own, call Triple Zero (000). Do not try to move on your own.
If you have a pressure bandage (these can be bought from your local chemist) and someone to help, they can apply from above the suspected bite site down (with some extra layers around where the bite is). It needs to be tight enough that you can just get a finger in, but no tighter that that.
You can tie a stick or a newspaper etc. to use as a splint but not necessary.
Do not try to catch the snake. We don’t need to know which snake it was as we use a combination of antivenom to cover the main venomous snakes in Victoria.
Check the time – this will help the ED staff to manage you accordingly.
Prepare to be in hospital overnight at a minimum – even without signs of being envenomed, we need to do multiple sets of blood tests for 12 hours from the bite. It isn’t a short visit but it is for your safety.
What are the symptoms of a venomous snakebite?
Most people will feel pretty scared and anxious when they have been bitten by a snake or they think they may have, but the symptoms we look for that suggest envenomation include:
Severe nausea and vomiting
Severe headache
Severe abdominal pain
Difficulty holding eyes open or difficulty moving your eyes as required
Bleeding from puncture sites (i.e. where blood tests taken) or from your nose or gums
Although rare, some people can collapse after a snakebite
Not having symptoms is reassuring but some people can be envenomed and have abnormal blood tests, so it is important you stay in hospital to be assessed properly.
What key messages would you like to share with the community on snakebites?
Snakes are not our enemies. Mutual respect and prevention is key to avoiding bites. Bites are rare, and bites where venom is injected are even rarer.
If you think you may have been bitten, call for help urgently as symptoms can progress. The sooner you get to hospital, the better. It is better to be safe than sorry.
We have a wonderful world to explore. Go out and see what’s out there but take care along the way. A bandage is inexpensive and light to carry and adds peace of mind.
Northern Health’s Executive Patient Safety Walk Arounds create opportunities for staff and patients to directly engage with members of the Northern Health Executive and discuss the quality of care being provided.
The walks were paused during the height of COVID-19, but recommenced last week at Broadmeadows Hospital. As part of the visit to Broadmeadows, Executives also visited McLellan House Residential Care.
Williams Akengbowa, Acting Nurse Unit Manager, McLellan House Extended Care, said the walk around was a really good exercise.
“It created opportunities for the Executive to have a better knowledge about the facility, and to provide suggestions and advice on ways to make the residential facility as homely as possible for the residents,” he said.
“Having members of the Executive around, we are able to tell them directly what our needs are, instead of sending them an email,” he said.
“McLellan House is the resident’s home, we are the visitors. We are coming in to support them and meet their daily needs, so the environment is really important – how can we make it homelier and more attractive for the residents.”
“Staff were able to voice their concern directly to the Executive without fear and the Executives received them with good hearts.”
Lisa Carter, Director of Nursing and Operations, Aged Care and Mental Health, said the walk arounds help to boost staff morale, because immediate action can be taken to improve patient care and the environment in which staff work in.
“Much to our pleasure, the very next day, contractors came and were cleaning up the gardens, cutting down and pruning trees,” she said.
“There is a lot more to happen than just the garden, but the fact that staff saw instant action is a really good start.”
The walk arounds also provide an opportunity for mental health and aged care staff to meet the Executive team.
“I found it very beneficial as a new team member, because I met a number of people I wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to meet,” Lisa said.
“Often, within healthcare organisations, when you have Executive involvement, staff might feel that they have to polish themselves up, put on their best face, and we almost learn to hide the things that aren’t good.”
“But this experience was the total opposite. It was about telling the Executives what the problems are, how can they help, what needs to be done to rectify things, what would we like to see. As someone who is new to Northern Health, I found that it was such a flip compared to previous experiences.”
Clare McCarthy, Director, Quality Safety and Patient Experience, said, “It was great to be able to run our Executive Patient Safety Walk Around, as it’s been quite some time,” she said.
“Broadmeadows was so welcoming — Unit 2, Day Procedure and Endoscopy, and our new colleagues at McLellan House — were so engaged, identified safety problems and are committed to improvements.”
