August 2023
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Fostering success: The vital role of consumer participation in a seamless EMR rollout
Northern Health consumers are making a difference and improving health care processes and outcomes by regularly participating on various committees and focus groups and by being a patient voice during reviews. Standard 2 ‘Partnering with Consumers’ happens at different levels of the health service including, individual service, department or program of care, health service governance, policy and planning. The purpose of these partnerships is to improve the outcomes, experiences and the delivery of care by drawing on the knowledge, skills and experiences of people who are using, have used or may use the health service in future. The Electronic Medical Record…
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Achieving person-centred care through PROMs and SDM
The Clinical Leadership, Effectiveness and Outcomes (CLEO) team has launched two video animations on Patient Reported Outcomes Measures (PROMs) and Shared Decision Making (SDM). The videos have been developed as a fundamental education and communication tool to help patients understand the purpose and importance of collecting PROMs, and how their responses will be used throughout their care to inform their treatment. The videos aim to present complex information about PROMs and SDM in a clear, concise and easily understandable manner. By using animated visuals, the content is more engaging and accessible. Both videos also aim to increase patient’s awareness and…
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We are Northern: This is the Pharmacy team
The Northern Health Pharmacy department has a dedicated team of close to 100 pharmacists and 30 pharmacy technicians who are responsible for timely and safe medicine supply across all Northern Health sites. At Northern Hospital Epping, the main pharmacy is located on the ground floor near Outpatients, whilst a separate satellite pharmacy is on the ground floor of the Main Ward Block. “You’ll find most of our team members mixing amongst the clinical staff across the wards of Bundoora Centre, Broadmeadows Hospital and Northern Hospital Epping, however, where they play a critical role is optimising medication management and providing medicine information…
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Northern Health launches ‘Lucky to Have You’ raffle
At Northern Health, we recognise the importance of ensuring our staff feel valued and appreciated in the workplace. During Employee Appreciation Day in March, we asked for staff input via Idea Scale, on how you wanted to be appreciated. A number of recognition ideas were submitted, which generated 92 votes and 101 views. Some of the themes that came out of these suggestions included more frequent staff raffles and other tokens of appreciation like free staff carparking, coffee cards and other vouchers. As a result of your feedback, Northern Health is pleased to launch the ‘Lucky to Have You’ initiative,…
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Get to know: Monique Hatfield
#WeAreNorthern Meet Monique Hatfield, Manager Health Information Services and Ward Clerks, Bundoora Centre. Q. Firstly, what’s your coffee order? A. Skinny cappuccino, but I drink more tea than coffee! Q. What do you like most about your role? A. Working with all the amazing staff in Health Information Services, across all sites, and knowing I can never predict what the day will bring. Q. What do you find challenging? A. Dealing with my three teenagers! And also, making time to do things I enjoy like walking my dog (a boxer named Atlas), reading, listening to podcasts and meditating. Q. What…
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44-Years Pharmacy Pioneer: Northern Health farewells Kathryn Brett
Since 1977, amidst a world of evolving medical breakthroughs and ever advancing technologies, one dedicated pharmacist has stood unwavering at Northern Health. Starting at PANCH as an intern after her studies, this pharmacist’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of the community has remained steadfast across four decades. As we delve into the extraordinary journey of Kathryn Brett, we unravel the remarkable stories, the countless lives touched and the transformative impact that comes with dedicating oneself to a single institution for over 44 years. Q: How does it feel to be retiring after all this time? It feels very strange.…
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Speaking up for safety in the Broadmeadows Inpatient Unit
In partnership with the Cognitive Institute, Northern Health launched the Speaking Up For Safety (SUFS) program last year to enhance the physical and psychological safety of patients and staff. The program consisted of one-hour workshops to equip staff with the skills and confidence to escalate concerns around patient safety and/or staff safety with assertiveness and respect. Over the past few months, each division has had the opportunity to attend a SUFS session. During these sessions, staff were educated on the Safety CODE (Checks, Options, Demands, Elevates) – a proactive tool that enables staff to speak up before mistakes happen to…
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We are Northern: This is the Speech Pathology team
This week is Speech Pathology Week and the theme is ‘Communicating for Life’. During this week, the aim is to help raise awareness about communication disability and the role of Speech Pathologists. Speech Pathologists assess, diagnose and treat communication disorders and swallowing and feeding difficulties. At Northern Health, the Speech Pathology Department consists of 43 clinicians in the Paediatric and Adult teams working across Northern Hospital Epping, Bundoora Centre, Broadmeadows Hospital and Craigieburn Centre. The Paediatric team supports infants and pre-school aged children in the Neonatal Unit and Children’s Ward with feeding, swallowing and communication concerns. The team also works in outpatients;…