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 Health exemplified our values of safe, kind and together, in continuing to provide high quality health services for our community,” Jennifer said.

Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive, reflected on some of the operational achievements from the past year.

“Our Northern Hospital Epping Emergency Department continues to treat more patients than any other emergency department in Victoria, including seeing the third highest number of presentations in Australia,” Siva said.

“In the past 12 months, we have received more than 103,000 emergency presentations, including over 21,000 paediatrics and over 32,000 patient arrivals from Ambulance Victoria.”

“Some highlights from 2020-21 include the Northern Hospital Stage 2 Expansion Project, which was completed in early 2021, with three new wards opening. Shortly after, three new operating theatres, including one hybrid theatre, and an increased theatre recovery area become operational at Northern Hospital Epping,” he said.

Siva also congratulated staff on the tremendous role they have played in the fight against COVID-19.

“I want to thank each and every staff member for your enormous effort and commitment over the past two years. I am proud of what we, as an organisation, have achieved to keep our community safe and healthy.”

Peter McWilliam, Board Director and Finance Committee Chair presented the Financial Report which included an operating surplus of $0.1m. he also introduced the Northern Health Annual Report, which you can find here.

A video, featuring the likes of Hamish Blake and Andy Lee, comedians and TV presenters, Peter Hitchener, 9 News, Ben Brown, Melbourne Football Club, Jill Gallagher, CEO VACCHO (Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation) and the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, was presented during the meeting. These well known Victorians praised Northern Health staff for their ongoing work during the pandemic.

“It’s great to see the work of our dedicated frontline workers being recognised amongst the Victorian community. Well done,” said Jennifer.

You can watch the Northern Health Year in Review video below.

Featured Image (clockwise from left): Jennifer Williams AM, Board Chair; Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive; Peter McWilliam, Board Director and Finance Committee Chair 

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 to our residents, but we also provide the support to families who may be struggling with having their loved ones in care.”

“We currently have one staff member who has been here for 30 years, and another nine staff members who have been working here greater than 10 years. These nurses continue to come to work each day with a smile on their face and the attitude of making our residents day. It is a privilege to oversee the care of our residents here at Ian Brand Residential Care.”

The residents at IBRC are joining in the celebrations. Here’s what one family had to say:

To everyone at Ian Brand Residential Care,

Wishing you all a very Happy 30th Birthday!

Mum has been a resident at IBRC for three years now and we, her family, couldn’t be happier with the decision to move mum to Ian Brand.

The love, kindness, compassion and understanding shown to mum by all staff at IBRC has been amazing.

Mum is very happy residing at Ian Brand and that has confirmed to us, we made the right decision.

COVID has been a very trying time for everyone and IBRC is to be commended for the way you have managed the situation from day one, always putting the safety and wellbeing of the residents first.

A huge ‘thank you’ to both Paula (former NUM) and Donna for the outstanding job overseeing everything.

Thank you to all the staff for all that you do day in and day out, for not only our mum but all who reside at Ian Brand Residential Care.

Happy Happy Birthday!

Lynda Kendall 

IBRC has a lot to celebrate. This year it won two grants. The first is for a Community Kitchen Garden. This grant was to improve an existing kitchen garden or for an additional kitchen garden.

Kirralee Jensen, Site Director Operations and Director of Nursing, Bundoora Centre, says, “The aim of this is to include the gardening aspect for able residents into the lifestyle program, as well as the ability to pick and consume the produce for able residents and families – a shared experience. Significant work has occurred with new garden beds for vegetable gardens and planting of multiple fruit trees.”

“There has also been a redevelopment of the backyard with a new footbridge and paths. It has become a lovely space for residents to enjoy and we look forward to sharing it with families when able,” she says.

Says Kirralee, “With the second grant, we were successful in purchasing a sensory system called a Tovertafel. This is a projector with inbuilt games. It is mounted on the ceiling and projects infra-red lights onto a table, the lights are immersive and interactive. Residents move the lights and shapes around with their hands.”

“It will play an integral part of our lifestyle program to assist and improve resident interaction and also assist as a distraction tool for any residents with agitation or behaviour of concern. I observed some residents playing with the game and it is so heart-warming watching their smiles while playing.”

“I cannot wait to share this experience with their families when they are able to visit. I am sure the birthday cake game will be used for the anniversary of IBRC!” she adds.

Adding to the chorus of well-wishers is Dr Ian Brand himself. He says, “I was surprised to learn that 30 years have passed since we opened, but I am happy to say I have only heard good things about the care and attention all our residents receive. On the occasions I visited, I was impressed with the manners of the staff, and while I hope I never have to be a patient, I am certain I would be wonderfully looked after, as are all our residents.”

“Please extend my warmest congratulations to the staff and management at the Bundoora Centre and at Residential Care,” says Dr Brand.

Featured image shows a resident playing a game on the Tovertafel

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 workers, the EMR team is taking a considered and pragmatic approach after recommencing Workshop 4 on 22 November. Keeping the best interest of our staff in mind, the workshops are planned carefully to minimise the impact on our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) but ensure governance is adhered to from a workflow design perspective.

“We used this time to recalibrate our efforts on refining workflows, design, build and testing of EMR components in preparation for upcoming November workshops. Initiatives to improve stakeholder engagement and maximise their time in this COVID new reality, has also been a joint focus of attention with our partners Cerner,” says Sarai Abel, EMR Application Manager.

“We are looking forward to the next series of workshops with our SMEs to review workflows such as blood transfusion, maternity and Specialty Nursing Services workflows,” explained Vanessa Reid, Chief Nursing Informatics Officer.

A new project timeline was announced last week at The Wall with a refreshed go-live date.

“We will complete our EMR build by July 2022 followed by testing and planning for training in January 2023, with a go-live set for 3 April 2023. It seems far away but it is really just around the corner,” says Trish Aldridge, EMR Director.

EMR training will take place from January to March 2023. More information on EMR training can be found here. For a detailed project timeline, click here.

The EMR team is excited to re-engage with staff at the workshops.

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 to set up all the infrastructure and connect them to our systems. As the whole outbreak went through the Hume region, we received a call at 4 pm that the testing sites need to be running from 9 am the following day,” he explained.

“The team works in collaboration with Capital, Engineering and with the rest of our colleagues, who have stepped up to keep the frontline going. The team pick up tasks and get things done – and there is a great atmosphere in ICT. No complaining – just delivering fantastic results,” said Anthony Gust, Executive Director, Digital Health.

The expansion of services outside Northern Health premises meant the team had to quickly work through the supply chain and logistics, leverage existing partnerships with suppliers and get new computers and equipment delivered in record time.

“We have worked on setting up the Outbreak Clinics, La Trobe Clinic for Kids, and the PRACC Vaccination Hub, in partnership with Whittlesea Council. As physical distancing became mandatory, more computers were needed everywhere,” Vikramjit adds.

Besides supporting testing and immunisation clinics, the team has worked on the IT infrastructure in the new COVID-19 wards, enabling virtual communication between staff and ensuring everything works like a well-oiled machine.

“The clinicians are doing an amazing job, and we are here to support them. They are the ones who help us do our job, as we are working off their energy to deliver the best we can. The clinicians are going above and beyond, and we are assisting the best we can, so our community is looked after,” Vikramjit explained.

While the COVID-related tasks had priority, the team worked in parallel to deliver major projects.

“Work on the major organisational projects hasn’t stopped – we now have a new Data Centre, Follow ME desktops have been upgraded and around 1,400 new computers have been delivered so far. The team is also supporting the new car park development, new IPU tower, nurse communication and so many more initiatives,” Anthony added.

“The ICT team is amazing and have gone above and beyond to be of service to Northern Health and the community, and I would like to personally thank them,” he concluded.

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?  

I was appointed to the role by the then Board of Directors. Dr Ian Brand was a BECC Board Member and CEO of PANCH at the time. PANCH managed some of the administrative functions in the early years.

Tell us more about those early days? 

When I was appointed, there were 40 acres of land and a site office. I supervised construction and commissioning of the hospital block, the Percy Cleland Wing, the Ian Brand Nursing Home, the community assessment facility and the psychogeriatric facilities.

We started the service with myself, a social worker and a part time ‘secretary’ as the role was called in those days. Essentially, it was a construction site at that time: A meeting room, two offices and a kitchenette. We conducted home visits and provided a consultation service to the Austin and PANCH.

From recollection, the hospital building was completed in 1984.

The Aged Care Assessment Team (one of Australia’s first) commenced in 1984 and the Day Hospital opened in 1985. Hospital wards opened in 1986.

BECC came to be known as an innovator – lots of pilot and incubator projects: Linkages program; Coordinated Care trial; etc. It was the first site for many state and national programs, including one of the first sites to co-locate geriatric and psychogeriatric services.

It was also one of the first aged care centres to be computerised. We built our own software that ran on a 20 MB server. We thought that was massive.

Dr Brand, says, “BECC was built on time and a little below budget.” What are your recollections of working with Dr Brand?

This was true – Ian was very proud of this at a time when many budgets blew out. He brought system wide know-how, which blended well with our staff’s youthful exuberance and innovative passion. 

What were some of the challenges you faced?

Well, the usual – needing to stay within budget, trying to innovate with budgets and performance indicators that support the status quo. Blending the aspirations of state and federal programs on the one precinct, to the advantage of older people in the area.

What were the highlights of your time there? 

Developing so many new programs and seeing them replicated elsewhere, and/or adopted as policy.

Although, by many standards, BECC (now Bundoora Centre) is a young enterprise, it has made important contributions to program development and service design in Australia. Congratulations to all who have contributed over the years!!

Featured image shows Professor Len Gray and the grounds of Ian Brand Residential Care.

A/Prof Natalie Hannan was awarded a National Health Medical Research Council Ideas Grant for the 2021 round (2022 funding) as Chief Investigator A. This proposal was supported by Associate Investigator A/Prof Lisa Hui.

Lisa and Natalie lead the NCHER Biobank at Northern Hospital Epping, where part of this work will be carried out. Natalie has been funded for her project, ‘Improving the pipeline for translation of therapies for serious complications of pregnancy’.

Says Natalie, “Preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction are deadly complications of pregnancy, without current therapies for either. Development of treatments is seriously limited and pregnant women are excluded from drug trials, due to concerns for both mother and baby.”

“We have developed a dedicated pipeline for drug discovery for pregnancy; we will thoroughly test promising drug candidates and advanced delivery strategies. This proposal paves the way for much needed development of therapies for pregnant women,” she adds.

Says Lisa, “I am one of the two Associate Investigators; the other is Ms Sally Beard, a scientist who is also an honorary Northern Health researcher, who helped set up the Obstetrics and Gynaecology research, NCHER lab and the Biobank.”

“It is a small team of only two Chief Investigators – A/Prof Hannan and Dr Binder, and two Associate Investigators – a really amazing result to get funded!”

Prof Peter Brooks AM, Research Lead – Northern Health, had this to say, “‘I am delighted to see the research that has been led by Natalie Hannan and Lisa Hui receive important recognition and funding through an NHMRC Ideas Grant in the latest round.”

“The success rate for these grants was less than 10 per cent and it is a great testament to these researchers who have established the NCHER Reproductive Biobank over the past two years, that their efforts have been nationally recognised. It also demonstrates the foresight of our Chief Executive, Siva Sivarajah, who has supported the creation and ongoing support for an important part of the project,” he says.

Featured image shows A/Prof Natalie Hannan and A/Prof Lisa Hui

‘Shout A Coffee to Healthcare Workers’ is an initiative by Northern Health Foundation for the community to show their gratitude for staff who are working tirelessly to keep our community safe. This initiative complements Northern Health focus on wellbeing by encouraging a little time out.

The campaign which runs till the end of the month, got an extra boost when Northern Health Foundation, Board member Tricia Lee, paid a special visit to Northern Hospital Epping to shout 1,000 coffees for frontline medical staff.

The Riverlee Foundation has a longstanding relationship with Northern Health Foundation. Over the years, Riverlee have funded important medical equipment for Northern Health, and most recently, a three-year PhD scholarship.

The Lee family is passionate about giving back to the community and always willing to support a good cause.

“We are very grateful for the hard work of all healthcare workers in Victoria. They are working so hard to keep us safe. We wanted to do something to show our appreciation. When we came across this campaign, we thought it was the perfect way to connect directly with the staff at Northern Health and to show we care,” says Tricia.

Nurse Unit Manager, Rhiannon Cooper, is extremely grateful for the recognition saying, “Being in full PPE for up to 12 hours a day is extremely exhausting. However, it’s nice to see the community recognises all our hard work and effort by getting behind the ‘shout a coffee’ campaign and supporting all health care worker across Northern Health campuses.”

Pina Di Donato, Director, Northern Health Foundation, said, “We thank Riverlee Foundation for their continued support of Northern Health, its staff and community.”

If you would like to support the Northern Health Foundation, ‘Shout a Coffee’ campaign, please click here: https://support.nhfoundation.org.au/2021-shout-a-coffee-campaign

Featured in the picture above are Katharine See, Head of Respiratory Medicine, and Tricia Lee, Board member of Riverlee and Northern Health Foundation

A new online library service for all Northern Health staff and students has been launched, bringing the library to staff regardless of where they are located.

The service provides access to a range of evidence-based resources such as medical literature, databases, education tools, eJournals, access to books and eBooks and point of care decision support tools such as UpToDate.

The eLibrary can be used to submit requests for article sourcing by library staff or access expert search capabilities by requesting a literature search.

“Both of these valued services help Northern Health staff and students stay up to date with the latest evidence-based thinking and research, which supports excellent patient care and safety,” said Natasha Bradley, Library Manager.

The service can be accessed via the Library intranet page – the main image activates the eLibrary site. For those working remotely, click here for access. Please note, you will need to be a library member to access library resources from home. Join here.

The site works on desktops, tablets, computers and smartphones.

Staff and students can access quality resources to support their day to day work with patients or to conduct their own resource using reliable sources. Finally, staff and students can explore specialty topics like COVID-19, Nursing and Midwifery and HRO – Quality and Safety via the new eLibrary. Anyone interested in developing content for a specialty area should contact Natasha directly.

“I’m delighted to launch this enhanced online offering of library services and resources to staff and students. We are looking forward to expanding our online information and resources over the next few months. It’s an exciting time for the library.”

Watch this space for further improvements to eLibrary services and information search.

Featured image: Natasha Bradley, Library Manager