November 2022
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Meet Dr Julie Jambon, Consultant Psychiatrist
On 7 November 2022, the Aged Persons Mental Health Services at Bundoora Centre transitioned to Northern Health. We officially welcomed the staff of the Kath Atkinson Wing (KAW), Aged Mental Health Unit and the Aged Psychiatry Assessment and Treatment Team (APATT), Bundoora Centre. Today, we introduce a key member of the mental health team – Dr Julie Jambon, Consultant Psychiatrist, APATT. Julie, let’s start with your coffee order? Skinny latte please. Tell us about your role and what it entails? My role as a consultant psychiatrist of old age essentially entails the assessment and treatment of elderly patients with mental…
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Big Idea: Medical Community Virtual Consult Service
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance and value of technology. The success of Northern Health’s Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) has highlighted the opportunity to engage and deliver healthcare through virtual platforms. Dr David Langsford, Head of Medical Obstetrics and Nephrologist at Northern Health, had an idea to provide a virtual service for GPs to directly access hospital-based specialist expertise, to discuss complex patient management in the community. The newly established Medical Community Virtual Consult (MCVC) service enables GPs to book an appointment with dedicated internal medicine specialists that is conducted through HealthDirect. The GP…
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This is Trans Awareness Week
This week is Trans Awareness Week – an opportunity for transgender people and their allies to educate the community about who transgender people are, share stories and experiences, and advance advocacy around the issues of prejudice, discrimination and violence that may affect the transgender community. Observed from 13 November to 19 November, the week also leads up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on 20 November, which memorialises victims of transphobic violence. Transgender is an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender identity is different to the sex that was assigned to them at birth. Transgender people may identify as straight,…
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Fundraising our way to better health outcomes
Throughout 2021-22, Northern Health Foundation has been fundraising for new ophthalmology equipment for Broadmeadows Hospital. The campaign contributed to the purchase of new, state-of-the-art equipment for patients in our northern community with cataracts – a cloudy film covering the lens of the eye, causing loss of vision or even blindness. As our community grows and ages, so does our equipment. The time has come to retire ophthalmology equipment at Broadmeadows Hospital to make way for the latest models. With demand for cataract surgery increasing, the need for more efficient equipment became evident. Thanks to the support of our donors, this…
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ECG integrating with the EMR
Northern Health’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) will be integrated with our current electrocardiogram (ECG) records when we go live in September 2023. An ECG records the electrical signals in the heart and is commonly used by patients who experience chest pain, heart palpitations, and rapid pulse, in order for the clinicians to detect or determine whether there are irregular heart rhythms, blocked or narrowed arteries in the heart that might be causing chest pain or potential of a heart attack. Currently, at Northern Health, ECGs can be initiated by nurses or doctors, how and when these studies are reviewed is…
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Meet Gary Ennis, Director of Nursing, Mental Health Division
This is a significant time to be working in the mental health sector, as we declare our commitment to the ambitious reform agenda, set out by the Mental Health Royal Commission. Last week, the Aged Persons Mental Health Services at Bundoora Centre transitioned to Northern Health, and we officially welcomed staff from the Kath Atkinson Wing (KAW), Aged Mental Health Unit and the Aged Psychiatry Assessment and Treatment Team (APATT). Collectively, Northern Health is now the third largest mental health service in Victoria. Today, we speak to Dr Gary Ennis, Director of Nursing, Mental Health Division. Gary, let’s start with…
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Keeping us cyber-secure
Recently, there have been a number of cyber-attacks on prominent service providers – from telcos to health insurance providers. These breaches resulted in personal data including names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and email addresses of millions of users being exposed. Ironically, many of them happened during Cyber Security Awareness Month. The sobering fact is that there may be more. The Australian Cyber Security Centre received 67,500 reports in the 2020-21 financial year – up 13 per cent from the previous year. That is roughly one report every eight minutes. Our Chief Information Officer, David Calvo, tells us that…
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Speaking Up For Safety Workshops
Registrations are now open to staff for the Speaking Up for Safety (SUFS) program. The SUFS program is a series of one-hour workshops designed to equip staff with the skills and confidence to escalate concerns around patient and/or staff safety with assertiveness and respect. The program aims to build and normalise a culture where we feel comfortable to check on each other, and to welcome being checked on, with the aim of preventing unintended harm. Bianca Fazzari, People Experience Business Partner, People and Culture, said, “creating a culture of safety where staff feel empowered and comfortable to raise concerns is…