It was a sea of rainbow and pride in St Kilda on Sunday as part of the Midsumma Festival Pride March.

The iconic, colourful march is a proud and loud celebration of the LGBTIQA+ community, culture and arts, and commemorates solidarity in gender and sexual diversity. The march began at 11 am at the Ian Johnson Oval, before proceeding along Fitzroy Street and ending in Catani Gardens.

Northern Health first marched at Pride March in 2020 with the Pride in the North network, and again in 2021. This year’s event marked the first year Northern Health marched under its own banner at Pride March. It was also the largest group since 2020 representing Northern Health at the event.

More than 40 staff members, from across Northern Health sites and departments, proudly marched, including Michelle Fenwick, Executive Director People and Culture, and Basil Ireland, Chief Financial Officer.

“It was great to participate in this year’s Pride March,” Michelle said.

“Marching allowed us the opportunity to reiterate to the community that Northern Health is here and present, as a workplace which acknowledges and respects individual differences.”

“As the Chair of the Northern Health Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee, it allowed me to actively contribute to Northern Health’s inclusive culture, which is about everyone feeling valued and respected.”

For Basil Ireland, Sunday was his first time participating in Pride March.

“I thank my colleagues for encouraging me to come. The group from Northern Health was so warm and welcoming, and the walk down Fitzroy Steet was a buzz. I was really pleased that I took part, and I was proud to represent Northern Health,” he said.

Below are the experiences of staff who marched with Pride.

“As a long-time ally, I was so proud to attend the March, and see the joy of people, being free to be who they are, in a safe environment. Excellent to see Northern Health be part of this,” said Paula Murray, Patient Experience.

“Pride March was a very exciting, colourful and proud day for all who attended. This was the largest group to represent Northern Health since our first attendance in 2020. We had over 40 people marching. Northern Health marching alongside other Victorian health services demonstrates that there is a solidarity between the LGBTIQA+ community, allies and staff. The general public recognised our banners and now know that the next time they come to Northern Health that there will be staff who respect, celebrate and value them,” said Andrew Grey, Rainbow Working Group member, Outpatient Services.

“Marching with Northern Health provided a great opportunity to represent the LGBTIQA+ communities and allies from the north. I got to be part of an organisation that promotes the values of safe, kind and together within our great team!” said Ramon, Periop Nurse, Broadmeadows Hospital and Northern Hospital Epping.

“It means so much to me to be openly queer at work and it was certainly very special to share that celebration with my colleagues at the Pride March, whilst also making some new work friends,” a participant said.

 “I attended the Pride March as a Rainbow Ally for the first time – it was really incredible to see so many people from so many organisations, not just health networks, showing their support for all our family, friends and colleagues who are part of the rainbow community. It was a fun and vibrant day with some spectacular outfits and decorations on show,” a participant said.

 “I felt proud marching in Pride March 2023 representing Northern Health. With the biggest turn out ever, it shows that we have some wonderful proud with pride people working within our organisation,” said Leigh Howard, Rainbow Working Group member, Victorian Virtual Emergency Department.

“The Midsumma Pride March is a day where we celebrate our strength in diversity and show our LGBTIQA+ patients and staff that we see you, we celebrate you, and we are working to make Northern Health a safer and more inclusive space,” said Chrissy Nicolaidis, Co-chair Rainbow Working Group.

“It was fantastic seeing Northern Health Staff come together to show support for the LGBTQIA+ community. A number of staff marched this year – from across sites, and different roles in the organisation, said Electra Ulrich, Co-chair Rainbow Working Group.

If you would like to join the Northern Health Rainbow Working group, email rainbowgroup@nh.org.au.

This week, Northern Health welcomed its largest ever graduate nurse and midwife cohort to date – 77 fresh faces, ready to dive into their healthcare careers this year.

Nursing and midwifery education unit graduate program co-ordinator, Kate Duggan said it’s fantastic to see fresh faces and a sense of nervous excitement amongst the group.

“We look forward to supporting their journey from student to beginner practitioner, as they continue to learn and consolidate upon the years of study they have all completed,” she said.

“Graduate nurses and midwives are critical in ensuring a sustainable workforce. It can be a challenging time as they adjust to becoming part of a diverse organisation, they will be supported at every step along the way.”

The 77 new staff members will each commence a 12-month “transition to practice” graduate program, broken down into two six-month rotations across Northern Hospital Epping, Broadmeadows Hospital and Bundoora Centre and exploring 32 different clinical settings.

Amongst the new graduates are a number who were born at Northern Health and are now returning to forge their own careers. This include Sophie Brugada, who was born at Northern Health in 2001 and will be commencing her graduate program on a surgical ward.

“I’ve been working as a RUSON (Registered Undergraduate Student of Nursing) here at Northern Health while I’ve been studying,” she said.

“I’m really looking forward to starting my career because I truly cannot wait to be able to make a difference in people’s lives and learn more every day.”

Also born at Northern Health in 2000, Bobby Bhatty completed a Bachelor of Nursing at RMIT University in Bundoora. Mr Bhatty will be commencing his graduate program at the Northern Hospital Epping Emergency Department, where he has been employed as a RUSON within our Aboriginal Cadet Program for the last two years.

“I am most looking forward to being part of a supportive team and developing all my critical thinking and nursing skills this year,” he said.

Originally from Queensland, Trinity Saxby joined Northern Health as a RUSON within our Aboriginal Cadet Program in April 2021, whilst studying a Bachelor of Nursing at La Trobe University in Bundoora, and is excited to start the graduate program.

“I’m really looking forward to starting my nursing career here because Northern Health provides so many opportunities to grow and move toward my career goals in nursing,” she said.

If you see them in the corridors, tearooms or wards be sure to say hello and welcome them to their new workplace.

The Transformation Unit is excited to run the HRO Explorer program again in 2023.

Applications are open to staff wanting to diversify their career at Northern Health. The purpose of the Explorer program is to provide Northern Health staff with opportunities to widen their skillsets and empower them to confidently pursue alternative internal career paths.

The HRO Explorer Program developed from an idea submitted in the February 2022 round of the Big Idea. During the pandemic, staff were considering changes in employment in the organisation, yet were unable to identify how to make the change. Scoping of the idea involved focus groups with our frontline staff, and development of a framework which aligned to the HRO principle ‘deference to expertise’, while drawing on the employees aims – to network, to empower them through knowledge, and to reinvest in our staff.

The 12-week program involves working in another division for one day a week for the duration, with some of the participating divisions including:
• Education
• Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) Project Team
• Data Science
• Quality & Safety
• Northern Health Foundation
• People & Culture
• Information Communication Technology (ICT)
• HRO/Transformation Unit

For further information about participating departments, please view a video here.

Cassie Bramston, Project Manager, Transformation Unit, is delighted to see this program run once again, after its successful launch in 2022.

“The program will commence Tuesday, 28 March, and conclude Tuesday, 13 June 2023, and is open to all Northern Health staff,” said Cassie.

“No prior specialist education or training is required for the selected divisions and mentoring will be provided by your prospective department and the HRO/Transformation Unit.”

To hear from some of the participants in last year’s program, click here.

If you would like to learn more, a virtual drop-in information session will be held on Thursday, 10 February 2023, from 12 pm – 12.30 pm. Please email HROpathways@nh.org.au if you wish to attend.

How to Apply
To apply, please email your responses to the questions below to HROpathways@nh.org.au:

• Name
• Department
• Manager
• Employment status – full time, part time, casual
• Which division would you like to explore and why?
This is an opportunity to sell yourself! (no more than 100 words).
Please provide area preferences (no more than three).

Please ensure you cc your manager in your email. This will confirm they are aware and support your application.

Applications close Friday, 17 February 2023.

Please direct any questions to Cassie Bramston via email at cassandra.bramston@nh.org.au.

For today’s ‘get to know your’ profile, we catch up with Simone Motton, Director of Allied Health. Simone joined the health service in 2015 as an Occupational Therapy Clinical Leader, and also worked as the Associate Director of Occupational Therapy and Hand Therapy, before she was appointed to her new role in December last year.

Let’s start with your coffee order.

I’m a very boring person who doesn’t drink coffee. I really wish I did, my taste buds just don’t agree.

Tell us about your role of Director Allied Health – what does it involve?

The Director of Allied Health is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Allied Health Department, as well as ensuring we are strategically planning and responding to current and future needs. This involves a lot of meetings with various staff across the organisation and working very closely with the Allied Health Leadership team across all allied health disciplines.

What excites you the most about your new role?

Allied Health is involved in so many different areas of the organisation so there’s always something new and exciting happening as Northern Health expands. Ensuring we have the right Allied Health staffing within teams and services as we expand is exciting for me. It ensures the community is receiving the best care possible. We also have around 500 staff. I am very passionate about staff wellbeing and making Northern Health a great place to work. We have so many capable staff and we want to ensure we attract and retain them.

What is your vision for the Allied Health department?

Our vision for the Allied Health Department is for it to be a responsive service in a time of rapid growth in the north. This means ensuring we have the best workforce available with the right skills, who are functioning in a positive and supportive environment. It also means ensuring we are collaborating closely and working as a team with all key stakeholders along the continuum of care to provide optimal outcomes for patients.

What do you like to do in your spare time or when not at work?

What spare time! When I’m not at work, I enjoy getting out and about with the family to the beach, events, eating out, visiting family. Post-COVID, we find ourselves not wanting to be within the walls of the house often.

What would people be most surprised to know about you?

I have four children (eight, five, three and one year old) – they keep us on our toes and really ensure we experience the full spectrum of emotions within each 24-hour period.

After several successful Play for Purpose raffles in 2022, Northern Health Foundation is once again taking part in this fundraising initiative.

Play for Purpose is an online charitable raffle helping Australian charities fundraise. By purchasing a ticket, you will be supporting Northern Health Foundation in its vision of building a healthier community for our staff and patients at Northern Health.

The Foundation was able to raise an incredible $38,000 during 2022, over four raffles drawn in March, June, September and December.  Proceeds from these raffles contributed towards the purchase of new state-of-the-art equipment for the Ophthalmology Department at Broadmeadows Hospital.

Tickets purchased put you straight into the draw for your chance to win a $250,000 first-prize package that offers the best of both worlds; a luxury BMW X5 xDrive45e Hybrid SUV, plus over $89,000 in cashable gold.

Other prizes include a Visa gift voucher worth $15,000, a Travel Associates gift voucher worth $7,500, a JB Hi-Fi gift voucher worth $5,000 and a Woolworths gift voucher worth $2,500.

Northern Health staff and patients have won some great prizes in these raffles previously, including two staff members taking home a top five prize.

Tickets cost $10 each, with half of all proceeds going directly to Northern Health Foundation to help fund essential medical equipment, research and training for our patients and staff in the north.

Pina Di Donato, Executive Director, Public Affairs and Foundation, said, “We thank our staff and community for supporting our fundraising initiatives. Play for Purpose enable us to participate in raffles offering quality prizes which we wouldn’t be able to access in our own right.”

Get in quick! Ticket sales close on Thursday, 16 March. Winners will be announced on Friday, 17 March.

To purchase your raffle tickets, click here.

Northern Health is becoming more environmentally friendly, as part of the Victorian Government’s ban of the sale and supply of single-use plastics.

From today, 1 February, the following items can no longer be purchased or supplied:

• drinking straws, cutlery (including knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks, sporks, splades, and food picks)
• plates
• drink stirrers
• cotton bud sticks
• expanded polystyrene food and drink containers.
• items made from conventional, degradable and compostable materials, including bioplastics.

The ban applies state-wide to businesses and organisations, including not-for-profits, governments, sports clubs, schools and others that are incorporated.

Henry’s Cafe at Northern Hospital Epping will transition to paper cutlery and straws. Cafe 1231 at Bundoora Centre will remove all plastics and use bio-degradable products. Cutlery, paper plates and containers will also be wooden at Cafe 1231.

The above plastic items will no longer be available to be ordered from FMIS and will be replaced with sustainable alternatives. Exemptions to the ban will be made for patients requiring plastic items for certain departments.

The Procurement team is also working with Health Share Victoria on a list of alternatives and samples. Imprest barcodes will be replaced by Supply, and any orders placed as a non-catalogue order will be reviewed and approved only if the department ordering is exempted. At this stage, the ban does not include cups or bowls, however Northern Health will remove these items from purchasing lists to become proactive.

Greg Warman, Director, Support Services, is delighted with these changes.

“We know how harmful plastic waste is to the environment, wildlife and even people. This is a bold move to help save our planet,” he said.

Staff are also encouraged to use keep cups when purchasing take-away coffee.

If staff have any queries regarding product changes, contact TNH-SupplyServicesGroup@nh.org.au. For further information on the ban, please visit Sustainability Victoria.

Picture shows from left to right: Snezana Poposka – Manager and Mai Lolesio – Food Service Assistant, ISS Facility Services –Bundoora Centre

At the beginning of 2023, we asked a cross section of our Executive team to tell us what they wished for in 2023.

Anthony Gust, Executive Director, Digital Health, predicted 2023 to be the “year of together – together we will continue to look after our patients and also each other.”

With this in mind, at ‘The Window’ yesterday, Northern Health’s Year of Together was officially launched.

There’s no doubt that the last few years have been challenging. During that time, the health service, along with the world, dealt with, and continues to deal with a pandemic. Closer to home, we also said farewell to some dear colleagues – but we also welcomed new faces. We were unable to do some of the things we used to – but we found new ways and did it better. Not only are we still standing – but we are also standing closer together.

As we look towards this new year, we are resilient and strong, and will face new challenges and triumphs the same way we always have – together.

Our values have never been more relevant than they are today, especially ‘together’. They are not just words – they are principles that guide our actions and behaviours in our everyday work life.

“Together is the team coming together. If an individual is dominating a game, usually what happens is they eventually get beaten. We can have teams within divisions dominating, but the trick for a really good team is knowing when to pass off, knowing when to involve others in your play,” said Anthony Gust.

For Associate Professor Mayur Garg, Director of Gastroenterology, together is “recognising that we are all navigating in an ever-changing and complex healthcare environment, and that none of us can do it without the assistance and support of each other.”

“Together means having a team that takes pride in each other’s achievements and has each other’s backs to get the best out of each other,” he said.

Simone Motton, Director Allied Health, said teamwork is the essence of together.

“I believe teamwork is about banding together to get the job done. Over the past few years, we at Northern Health have been bonded together more strongly. It is an exciting time ahead at Northern Health – we are a strong team, and we are doing great things,” she said.

Craig Field, PSA, says together means the support of your fellow colleagues and helping each other out.

“We need to have each other’s backs. If we don’t, it is very hard. We do rely on each other, and we need to be accountable for what we all do. If we are all accountable, and we work as a team, togetherness is fantastic,” he said.

Visit the Intranet for more information on the Year of Together, including a signature that has been developed for staff to show their support of the Year of Together.

Northern Health’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is due to go live on 4 September 2023! In approximately eight months, staff in the emergency department, any inpatient setting, and ambulatory (maternity) will be transitioning from paper-based documentation to ‘paper-light’ documentation, primarily using workstations on wheels (WOWs) to document patient clinical data into the EMR.

From using new devices and workflows to deliver patient care, administering medications using barcode scanning, to documenting patient information in near ‘real time’, this implementation will be a significant change for Northern Health staff and consumers. Last year, the team had the privilege of speaking with some of our executives and staff members about what EMR will mean for them as individuals, cohorts, and the organisation as a whole. Today, we are delighted to share this video so you can hear firsthand what EMR means for them in their own words.

Lucia Bento, Site Director of Broadmeadows and Director of Nursing, says, “With the EMR going live in September, for my staff and I, it will mean there will be less paper-based charts with most documentation being completed in the EMR. Our staff will also be able to access specific patient charts to prepare beds, medications, and much more, before the patient is transferred to our site.”

Vallavan Kulasekaran, Medication Management Software Pharmacist, says, “For pharmacists specifically, we will be able to verify medication charts and drug orders using the EMR. I am really excited about the EMR because it will come with a lot of benefits. In the long run, I think it is important for everyone to remember that EMR is built with decision support tools, like allergy checking, and duplicate drug checking, but remember that this doesn’t replace our clinical decisions and the need for clinicians.”

Visit the EMR website to find out more about the EMR and the benefits it will bring to you, your area of work, and the organisation. Reach out to the team by emailing NH-EMRQuestion@nh.org.au.