Each year, many Australian lives are saved and transformed through the generosity of organ and tissue donors and their families.

DonateLife Thank You Day is acknowledged annually on the third Sunday of November to pause, remember, thank and recognise the difference organ donors and families have made to Australians.

Since the DonateLife program began in 2009, more than 6,000 people have become organ donors at the end of their life.

Thanks to these donors, more than 17,000 Australians have received a life-saving organ transplant and thousands more, have benefited from the generosity of eye and tissue donors.

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 sight and changing the lives of 14 recipients, and for this, we say thank you!

This week, alongside acknowledging the donors and their families, the Donation Specialist team would also like to highlight and thank Northern Health staff for their invaluable contribution.

“Organ and tissue donation would not be possible without the commitment, teamwork and caring nature that is in place to support the donation team, patients and their families through organ and tissue donation,” said Medical Donation Specialist, Dr David Crosbie.

“The role of the donation specialist is a very unique and privileged role. It is very humbling to sit with a family and learn about the patient, where they share intimate moments and stories with you, whilst feeling such grief and loss. The decisions of families saying ‘yes’ to donation, have literally saved the lives of others they have never met,” said Nurse Donation Specialist, Bridget Walters.

During this week, the Donation Specialist team encourages staff to log on to the DonateLife website and take a moment to read some of the family donor stories, where Australians share what it has meant for their loved one to become an organ donor, as well as stories from recipients about being given that second chance at life.

Read the inspiring collection of stories, here.

Pictured in featured image: Dr David Crosbie and Bridget Walters. 

The Liver at Home program facilitates earlier hospital discharge, provides specialised care between outpatient appointments and reduces readmission for largely preventable conditions.

The program was established in February 2023, after Associate Professor Mayur Garg identified that there were very few at home models of care for chronic liver diseases – a group at high risk of hospital readmission and health care utilisation. The program was created as part of the Victorian Government’s Better at Home initiative.

The development of the new program saw Dr Siddharth Sood become the health service’s inaugural Head of Hepatology, as well as Dr Catherine Yu as Northern Health’s first Hepatology Fellow.

The Liver at Home team is made up of three Clinical Nurse Consultants – Kendall Fitzpatrick, Kristen Peake and Vanessa Lowen, who all have an extensive history working within the Hepatology and Gastroenterology fields at Northern Health, as well as major tertiary hospitals across Australia. They also work closely with the relevant multidisciplinary teams.

Patient eligibility into the program is limited to current inpatients admitted with acute or chronic liver disease. These patients are then safety risk screened by the team and must fall within the Northern Health Hospital in the Home catchment area.

“These patients often have preventable and manageable conditions related to their liver disease including fluid overload, hepatic encephalopathy, ascites and poor nutrition,” Vanessa said.

“With specialised nursing care provided by the Liver at Home team, we can manage their medications, monitor their bloods and organise outpatient procedures without the need for an unnecessary emergency department presentation.”

The program has been successful in preventing patients from coming back into hospital, which has been a rewarding experience for the team.

“The gratitude we have received from patients and their families has been incredible! They are so thankful for our care and support,” Vanessa said.

“It’s so nice to be working so closely with the hepatology doctors, they have a lot of trust in our clinical skills and decision making. It’s such a collaborative environment where everyone’s opinions are valued.”

Featured imaged: Kendall Fitzpatrick, Hepatology Clinical Nurse Consultant, Vanessa Lowen, Hepatology Clinical Nurse Consultant and Kristen Peake, Hepatology Clinical Nurse Consultant.

We are now more than nine weeks into using the EMR. As you may know, the EMR team has transitioned from providing 24/7 support to an on-call roster. EMR on-call is in place for urgent issues and this will be triaged by the Afterhours Coordinator.

In addition to re-educating our staff on workflows and functionality on a request basis, the team is focusing on managing and resolving change requests submitted by our staff. While all the implemented workflows designed and built into the EMR are guided by Northern Health’s policy and procedure, as we get more familiar with using the EMR, we may identify opportunities to enhance the efficiency of patient care delivery.

“With any change request that comes through from Cherwell, these are reviewed weekly by governance to assess the impact of changes on both the system and workflow to ensure that patient safety and the quality of care remain the top priorities of the EMR,” says Rozan Madtha, EMR Solution Architect.

Trish Aldridge, EMR Program Director, highlights the success of Northern Health’s EMR implementation, considering the scale of the implementation.

“Go live can be extremely overwhelming but our staff have done a tremendous job of adjusting to this change while providing care for our patients,” she said.

“With many lessons learned from the team, we encourage everyone to participate in the EMR Satisfaction Survey to capture your thoughts and feedback.”

The EMR Satisfaction Survey closes on 17 November. So far, we have captured more than 270 responses with valuable feedback. More than 80 per cent of participants have expressed increased confidence in using the EMR since its initial launch. To participate in this anonymous survey, click here.

#WeAreNorthern

Meet Melissa Grenville, Director, Northern Health Foundation.

Q: What is your coffee order? 

A: Like most Melbournians, I love coffee and I am a very fussy coffee drinker. Henry’s Café makes fantastic skinny lattes, but I also like to bring my own in, as I got a coffee machine for my birthday.

Q: Tell us about your new role with Northern Health?

A: I started in April this year as Director of the Northern Health Foundation. My role involves working with a great team of people who fundraise for Northern Health. As the charity arm of our health service, our purpose is to raise funds for important medical equipment, research and training, raise awareness, and increase community engagement. Prior to this role, I was at Western Health in the Foundation and have been involved in fundraising for most of my career.

Q: What do you love the most about your job?

A: I get to work with amazing and very talented people who make my job fun and enjoyable. Events are always a fantastic way to have fun, whilst raising funds. The Gala Ball in May this year was a spectacular black-tie event, that not only was entertaining, but helped us raise over $70,000. Our next big event is the Great Gatsby Staff Fun Raising event, for which tickets are on sale now. This event will be held on 25 November 2023, and we would love to see our wonderful staff join us, dress up and party in support of Northern Health, the Gatsby style.

Q: What is your favourite place to be on Earth?

A: I don’t think I’ve found it yet, or I would be there!

Q: What is something not many people know about you?

A: I am half New Zealand. My dad was born in Auckland before marrying my mum and moving to Perth, where I was born. I still have family in New Zealand, mainly on the North Island and I plan on going for my uncle’s 80^th Birthday in Port Waikato. Their parties are legendary and usually last about three days, even if it is for an 80-year-old!

To purchase tickets to the upcoming Great Gatsby Party, please click here.

Last month, our Spiritual Care, Palliative Care and Social Work teams hosted a memorial service to honour the memory of those who passed away at Northern Health.

The service, ‘A time to remember’, was an opportunity for relatives, loved ones and staff to join together to remember those who passed away between June 2022 and May 2023. The service, which also paid tribute to those who died during the pandemic, was the first one since 2019.

The service was attended by many loved ones and staff, including Debra Bourne, Chief Operating Officer, Jason Cirone, Chief Allied Health Officer, who opened the service, and Stephanie Thompson, who delivered the Acknowledgement of Country.

Other notable attendees included Maree Glynn, Director of Clinical Practice Improvement, Reverend Melanie Moore, Anglican and Palliative Care Chaplain, Julius Quiring, Nurse Unit Manager, Palliative Care Unit, Sebastian Antony, Spiritual Care Practitioner and Natalia Dewiyani, Spiritual Care Coordinator.

The Northern Health Community Choir also performed at the service. Guests were invited to reflect during the service by choosing a butterfly that represented an element – grief, courage, memories, love, peace and hope – that was meaningful to them. The butterflies were beautifully placed on a community tree in memory of those being honoured.

Reverend Melanie Moore, Anglican and Palliative Care Chaplain, reflected on the evening, saying the sharing of stories was a highlight for her.

“We heard about how courage, love and hope is helping people to be resilient as they grieve,” she said.

“The evening connected bereaved people from the community where we laughed, cried and supported each other – it was a privilege to be part of. Northern Health staff worked together to give people hope, support and remind them they are not alone.”

 

Today, the neonatal care team hosted an elaborate display for Neonatal Awareness Day.

Located in the Northern Hospital Epping front foyer, the display featured medical and nursing simulations, items of lifesaving equipment and experienced health care professionals on hand to speak with staff, patients and consumers.

The Neonatal Unit is on a mission is to provide the highest standard of specialised care and support to premature and critically newborns and their families. They are committed to fostering an environment of compassion, excellence and innovation, ensuring that every tiny life entrusted to their care has the best possible start in their journey. The dedicated team of healthcare professionals, in collaboration with families, work tirelessly to promote the health, growth, and wellbeing of vulnerable infants.

Milly, Registered Nurse, Neonatal Unit, Northern Health, said, “We are raising awareness about our neonatal unit and providing people the opportunity to look at our equipment and talk to our friendly health professionals.”

Every day, all around the world, babies are born prematurely, many who require ongoing specialised care. In these critical moments, neonatal units becomes their first homes, and dedicated health professionals become their heroes. In the midst of those incubators and monitors, we find the true meaning of hope.

“Today we have opened our doors to the community to come down and see what we do in our neonatal unit. We also recognise the amazing work our doctors and nurses do in caring for our tiniest babies in the neonatal unit,” said Barbara Rischitelli, Nurse Unit Manager Neonatal Unit, Northern Health.

The work that the neonatal care team do is nothing short of extraordinary. But neonatal care doesn’t only rest with the health professionals. It is a collective effort. Families and communities all play a vital role in supporting these infants and their parents.

Our Northern Health values; Safe, Kind, Together, serve as our guiding principles in the neonatal unit, reminding us of our commitment to providing a secure, compassionate, and collaborative environment for the well-being of our precious infants and their families.

So, let us remember the importance of our neonatal care, not just today, but every day as we support the incredible individuals and Northern Health that dedicate themselves to this cause.

Featured Image: Neonatal Care Team, Northern Health.

#WeAreNorthern

Meet Jennifer Gilham, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Kilmore District Health.

Many of us at Northern Health have had the privilege of getting to know Jennifer over the past year as we worked towards the voluntary amalgamation of our two health services. However, as you will see, Jennifer’s relationship with Northern Health goes back much further than that.

Jennifer stepped into the role of Interim CEO at Kilmore District Health in February 2023. Her leadership throughout the voluntary amalgamation process has been instrumental in shaping what a better-connected health service could look like.

Q: Jennifer, let’s start with one of life’s most pertinent questions. What is your usual coffee order?

A: Mocha… chocolate is (one of) my weaknesses. If I could add it to everything, I would!

I only started drinking coffee when I began working at Northern Health in 2015, as I found this was a great way to meet others and get to know the Northern Health team.

Q: Tell us about your career journey so far. Have you always wanted to work in healthcare?

A: I studied nursing as a mature-aged student after I had my children. I had wanted to be a nurse since I was about 10 years old, when I would go into the nursing home to visit my grandmother.  The nurses were always so kind and caring. The nurses who cared for me when I had my children, inspired me to follow my dream of becoming a nurse. Two in particular, became my personal and professional mentors, and I still consider them to be great friends.

I started my nursing career as an enrolled nurse at Beechworth. I completed a Bachelor of Nursing and then my graduate year at Seymour Health. I then undertook post graduate certificates in Rural and Report Health and Health Service Management. I commenced working at Northern Health in the Emergency Department and then as Short Stay Unit NUM, and Operations Director, before commencing at Kilmore District Health in 2018 as the Director of Clinical and Aged Care Services.

Q: Tell us about the work culture at Kilmore, and how you see this aligning with the culture at Northern Health.

A: One thing that stands out to me, having worked with both Kilmore Health and Northern Health teams, is the ‘can do’ attitude of both teams. If there is something that is going to improve services or patient care, staff are keen to give it a go and are always looking at how they can do things differently to support better outcomes for patients, resident and consumers.

What is your vision for the future of Kilmore District Hospital?

A: That Kilmore District Hospital continues to provide safe and quality care and expands its current services and streamlines access to healthcare for our community.

Q: What is your connection to the local community?

A: I was born at Seymour Hospital and have lived in Seymour for most of my life. My children attended school in Kilmore. I am also involved in a number of local community and sporting groups. I am very passionate about advocating to ensure that rural and regional communities have equitable access to high quality health care services and to be able to access care close to home where possible.

Q: How will the amalgamation benefit staff both at Kilmore and at Northern Health?

A: I believe that being connected will provide different and varied opportunities for staff to work in different settings. It will provide opportunities to learn different skills in areas that that they may not have had the opportunity, such as HRO, CLEO, Public Relations, Northern Health Foundation, Decision Support, but also with opportunities for STEP programs, post graduate studies and research. There are lots of exciting opportunities that will be opened up to staff.

Q: What do you like to do when you are not working?

A: When I am not working, I like to spend time with family and friends, walk our dog, play golf, eating out!

Q: What is your favourite holiday destination?

A: Sorry, can’t choose one….

• Bali for relaxing
• New Zealand – to visit my daughter who lives in Dunedin
• Anywhere by the beach!

Q: What is something that most people would not know about you?

A: I am a little bit of an adrenaline junkie, I recently went paragliding at Bright!

Q: Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to staff at Kilmore?

A: It has been an honour for me to lead Kilmore District Health over the past year. This year has brought about a lot of change, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work, their support, their patience and participation throughout this process.

I am so proud of our health service and everyone who works at Kilmore, and the community we serve. I am excited to see what the future brings.

Today we celebrated Better Connected Care with our Kilmore District Hospital colleagues at the Kilmore District Hospital Staff Open Day.

The event welcomed staff from across the service to enjoy a morning of festivities in the rose garden, including speeches, a visit from therapy dogs and a lively performance from the Northern Health Community Choir.

The Northern Health Foundation offered free coffee, and BankVic supplied a tasty barbeque lunch, while representatives from People and Culture offered support and advice to staff.

Staff were also given gift bags, containing lunch boxes, keep cups and a welcome pack.

“We are delighted to welcome Kilmore District Hospital to Northern Health,” said Debra Bourne, Chief Operating Officer, Northern Health.

“Commencing 1 November 2023, the voluntary amalgamation ensures a greater coordination of health services across Melbourne’s north and the Kilmore region by improving access to health services while focusing on the community’s future healthcare needs.”

“It is important that we acknowledge and celebrate the rich history of healthcare in Kilmore. Dating back to 1856, the bluestone façade of Kilmore District Hospital remains a pillar within the local community, and we are proud to be part of the next chapter in its story,” Ms Bourne said.

“Today is the culmination of many months of hard work, and I thank all of our Kilmore staff, volunteers, community and patients for their ongoing support,” said Jennifer Gilham, Interim CEO, Kilmore District Hospital.

“It is a really exciting time for our community, and I look forward to working together with Northern Health moving forward.”

Please see some photos from the event below:

 

Featured Image: Jennifer Gilham, Interim CEO, Kilmore District Hospital; Ren Cazar, Project Manager, Northern Health; and Debra Bourne, Chief Operating Officer, Northern Health.