Northern Health has welcomed 50 brand new doctors for a one-week comprehensive orientation.

Around 50 per cent of the new interns were medical students here at Northern Health. Chief Medical Officer, Associate Professor Wanda Stelmach, and Medical Services Director, Dr Kean Kuan, were on hand to warmly welcome them.

Addressing the interns, Kean said, “Congratulations to all of you to not only making it through medical school, but also doing so during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic! We all have much to learn, and there is no better place than Northern Health to do so, with a fantastic work culture. Looking forward to working with you all in 2023 and beyond!”

The orientation was hybrid in nature, with online lectures, a pharmacy workshop, and face-to-face revision of clinical skills. The interns enjoyed the clinical skills workshops held in the simulation lab as they practiced basic life support, intravenous cannulation, catheter insertion, the use of personal protective equipment and IT skills. This was followed by shadowing the current doctors on the wards to pick up some tips, before starting their first shift as a doctor today.

Dr Carol Chong, Supervisor of Intern Training, said, “The interns are excited to start their career here at Northern Health and to help our ever growing multicultural community.”

Emily Greenwood was excited to be coming back after completing her studies here. “I have loved it here; loved the culture and really excited to give back in an official capacity.”

Mathew Chen, also a student here said, “I am really excited to be joining Northen Health. It is a really supportive structure, and I am looking forward to working here.”

Saad Fahd said, “I have many reasons for commencing a medical career at Northern Health but growing up in the northern catchment to immigrant Syrian parents, this health service holds a special place in my heart. Between what is now Broadmeadows Hospital and Northern Hospital, many visits were made alongside family members after-school and on days off as the ‘support’ family member.”

“It’s through these interactions that my passion for medicine was seeded and I became ever motivated to play a small, but hopefully significant, role in delivering medical care that is compassionate and accessible to the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Susie Sangas, Medical Education Manager, was glad to finally have the interns here after preparing this orientation for months. She said, “It has been a pleasure welcoming our interns to Northern Health.”

Said Wanda, “Another year of hybrid format, but this hasn’t dismayed our new interns! They have been amazingly engaging online and full of energy and excitement in the teaching sessions! I haven’t seen one intern who hasn’t swapped the sticky label with their name for their official Northern Health doctor badge! I’m very proud to be working with our interns of 2023!”

Last November, the Bundoora Aged Persons Mental Health Unit (APMHU) and Assessment and Treatment Services (APATT) transferred to Northern Health.

Today, we speak to Lisa Carter, Director of Nursing and Operations Director of Aged Care Mental Health Division, about her role in the transition.

Lisa, let’s start with your coffee order?

Short black please.

Tell us about your role as Director of Nursing of Mental Health and what it entails?

The role is to contribute to the overall leadership and management of the Mental Health Division, specifically to review and continually improve the operation of aged persons mental health. It includes our aged care mental health acute inpatient units, aged care mental health residential units and our community Assessment and Treatment Services (APATT) teams. My role covers the development and support of our teams in ensuring quality and safety and meeting clinical governance targets. Overall, it is to deliver excellence in care to older persons that includes both physical and mental health wellbeing outcomes.

The recent transition of the Aged Persons Mental Health Unit and APATT at Bundoora Centre is a key part of this role and the transition planned for 2023 of the Aged Care Mental Health Unit and APATT at Broadmeadows will finalise the disaggregation process.

Tell us what you were doing prior to this role?

I have previously worked in the private healthcare sector in specialties such as mental health, aged care and also subacute (rehabilitation) and acute services. Whilst funding models differ between the public and private sectors, the fundamentals of teams and patient needs remain the same.

What does a typical day look like for you?

In the short period of time I have been here, no two days have been the same. At this stage, much is about learning, meeting other people and identifying synergies between roles.

What excites you about your role?

The opportunity in leading and developing new teams and being an integral part of a transition process.

What are some of the challenges of this role?

The acronyms – just joking!

Building and ensuring the resources are in place and supporting each other to support our patients in gaining the best outcomes for themselves.

Lastly, what would people be most surprised to know about you?

I know most people are keen on the sunshine this time of year or waiting for it as in 2022. I’m much more at home in the snow, having spent most winters and some periods of our summer skiing.

Bundoora Centre clinicians Ryan Hon, Physiotherapist, and Andrea Clarke, Community Compliance Leader, Community Therapy Services, have both been awarded a Safer Care Victoria (SCV) Fellowship.

The fellowship is a 12-month program to build health sector skill and capability to lead change, and improve healthcare quality and patient safety. Nine clinical fellowships were available for a yearlong secondment in 2023.

Fellows will develop skills and knowledge in improvement science, project management, human factors and systems thinking, incident review methodology, and leadership. Fellows will also lead a patient safety or quality improvement project by working within different branches of SCV to lead the full cycle of a key strategic project.

Ryan has been seconded to the Capability Development Branch Program as part of the fellowship.

“I am thrilled to be appointed as one of the nine fellows for this year’s program. But at the same time, feeling nervous about this new and exciting journey ahead of me,” Ryan said.

Ryan decided to apply for the fellowship following the successful implementation of the pilot Men’s Health Physiotherapy Service, and once he had an understanding of the complexities of a healthcare system.

“Most importantly, I have learned that to enable an effective and safe healthcare delivery in a post-pandemic era, healthcare remodelling is necessary,” he said.

“I would like to see myself as a healthcare leader instead of a clinician. Leaders are like tea bags – you only know how good you are when you place yourself in hot water. If you want to be a good leader, or a good tea bag, you have to take the risk of landing in hot water occasionally. Hot water moments are moments of truth when you learn and grow as a leader.”

“I would also like to be in a position where I can inspire others to transcend conventional boundaries, creating positive transformations in Victorian’s accessibility to high quality care.”

On a personal level, Ryan hopes the fellowship will grow his self-confidence.

“I am fairly introverted myself, and articulating my own thoughts and opinions have always been a challenge for me,” he said.

“I believe this fellowship will provide me with the opportunity to optimise my personal growth and potential, particularly in self-esteem, self-confidence and self-actualisation.  As Neale Donald Walsch said, ‘life begins at the end of your comfort zone.’”

“I am looking forward to meeting my peers and mentors in the program, embracing the challenges and opportunities that come my way, as well as forging new friendships and partnerships external to our organisation. I would also like to thank my Associate Director, clinical leaders, and past and present colleagues for supporting my application and shaping the person I am today.”

For Andrea Clarke, she is looking forward to gaining knowledge through the tailored learning program, and being able to apply the knowledge. As part of the fellowship, Andrea will be assigned to a health system improvement and safety project.

“I saw this as an opportunity to embrace something new, and to help me further develop my career. I feel very excited to have been accepted into the SCV fellows program,” she said.

“I am also looking forward to developing new networks within the wider health system. It is very exciting to have an opportunity to experience health system-wide improvement and to be able to bring that experience back to Northern Health at the end of the 12 months.”

Featured image: Andrea and Ryan.

Yesterday morning, The Hon Daniel Andrews MP, Premier of Victoria, along with Colin Brooks MP, Acting Minister for Health, visited Northern Hospital Epping to thank our Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) staff who have supported more than 85,000 Victorians since the service launched in October 2020.

During the visit, Premier Daniel Andrews met with Jennifer Williams AM, Northern Health Board Chair, Siva Sivarajah, Northern Health Chief Executive, Lisa Cox, Acting COO, Dr Loren Sher, Director VVED and Ambulance Vic representatives.

Following a tour of the VVED, the Premier spoke with local and metro media, discussing the need to expand other primary care services and relieve the pressure on emergency departments (EDs).

This includes delivering 25 Priority Primary Care Centres, 30 state-run GP respiratory clinics, and the Better at Home program across the state.

“Any pressure we can take off our hospital system is great for patients who need to be in hospital,” said Premier Daniel Andrews.

Dr Loren Sher, Director Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, said the VVED is a much better experience for people than sitting in a busy emergency department.

“We will be working collaboratively [with other health services] to try and increase the ability to keep patients out of the emergency department,” Dr Loren Sher said to 7 News.

“Patients that are advised to attend the ED in some instances will be referred into the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department.”

The VVED helped thousands of people avoid a trip to emergency department over the Christmas and New Year period.

While the VVED treats an average of 300 to 350 Victorians every day, over the holiday period this skyrocketed, with more than 640 patients seen on Boxing Day alone.

“Despite record demand, the doctors and nurses at the Virtual ED did an incredible job ensuring Victorians got the care they needed over the holiday period,” Mr Brooks said.

Victoria is one of the most fire prone areas in the world, and bushfires and grassfires are a part of life.

Bushfires and grassfires can start quickly, often without warning, and they can threaten lives and properties within minutes.

All Victorians need to know how to plan for and respond to fire.

There are some simple steps you can take to get ready now:

• Familiarise yourself with the new Australian Fire Danger Ratings and check them every day during the fire season
• Make your fire plan and talk with your family about what you will do. Just as every family or household is unique, every plan will be different
• If you live in a regional area at risk of bushfires or grassfires, be prepared to leave early on very high-risk days or if a fire starts

What does Leave Early mean?

If you live in a regional area at risk of bushfire and grass fires, we recommend to always leave the night before or morning of an Extreme or Catastrophic (Fire Danger Rating) day.

These days are rare. They are rated high risk because of:

• The heat
• How dry is the area
• How much dry vegetation there is (for example if there is dry forest, long grass, thick bush)
• The wind.

The worse these conditions are, the more difficult it is for emergency services to control fire. If the fire is unpredictable and uncontrollable, you do not want to be anywhere near it. Leave early.

Fires can start at any rating. Watch the conditions and check warnings so you know what to do if a fire starts.

You can:

• Download the VicEmergency App from the App Store or Google Play
• Add your location preferences (for example your home or other family member’s homes)
• Set up notifications to be alerted of Fire Danger Ratings and emergency warnings.

Total Fire Ban Days

Total Fire Ban Days are different to Fire Danger Ratings:

• A Fire Danger Rating tells you how dangerous a fire is likely to be if one starts. It gives you information to help you decide how you should put your fire plan into action.
• A Total Fire Ban tells you if it is legal to do certain activities that may start fires.

Total Fire Bans are declared by CFA on days when fires are likely to spread rapidly and be difficult to control. This sets legal restrictions on what activities can or cannot occur in a district for that day.

The purpose of a Total Fire Ban is to reduce the activities that may start a fire such as campfires and some outdoor BBQs.

Not all fires are equal. How you should respond depends on where your property is and the environment around it.

• Bushfires behave differently to grassfires. It is important to understand both. When a grassfire starts in an urban or built-up area, you need to react differently than if you are in a rural and regional area.
• Grassfires can start and spread quickly, especially on days when the fire danger rating is High, Extreme or Catastrophic.
• Grassfires can travel up to 25 km per hour and pulse even faster over short distances. Grass is a fine fuel and burns faster than bush or forests. Grassfires tend to be less intense and produce fewer embers than bushfires, but still generate enormous amounts of radiant heat.

If you see behaviour that could lead to a bushfire, it’s up to you to report it and keep our community safe. Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or go to crimestoppersvic.com.au.

In an emergency, or if you see smoke or flames, call 000 immediately.

For more information on bushfire safety tips, visit: https://www.frv.vic.gov.au/bushfire-safety

The Staff Exercise Physiology Clinic which opened in June last year, will now expand its service to five days, thanks to high demand and referral rates.

This clinic is an expansion to the equally successful Staff Physiotherapy Clinic which has been operating since February 2021. Both clinics were established as part of Northern Health’s commitment to increasing the physical and psychological wellbeing of our workforce and achieving a healthy workplace.

Exercise Physiologists specialise in clinical exercise prescription and the delivery of lifestyle modification programs for the prevention and management of chronic disease, musculoskeletal injuries and improved wellbeing.

“We all know that being physically active is essential for good physical and mental health and wellbeing, but unfortunately more than half of us are not active enough,” says Dylan Perera, Exercise Physiologist, who leads the clinic.

A staff survey showed that 70 per cent of staff who used the Staff Exercise Physiology Clinic rated their experience as 10/10. (All staff who utilised this service reported their experience to be at least an 8/10). Ninety per cent of staff found their wellbeing was better after treatment, and 100 per cent of staff reported that they became more physically active.

Here’s what a staff member had to say:

Hi Dylan,
I would like to express my sense of gratitude towards the exercise program. Thanks for your instructions which helped me to strengthen my muscles and joints, especially my troubled knees. Now I feel stronger and flexible to work as usual and have my life back. I can enjoy my gardening, walking and hiking. I am looking forward to continuing this program with you to build up a stronger body. I hope more staffs can join the program and gain the benefits I did!
Ling 

Physiotherapists and Exercise Physiologists are both qualified health care practitioners that help people with getting fit, healthy and recover from illness and injury. They both work together to help you get the best results for your health.

Tom Cooper, the Physiotherapist responsible for the Staff Physiotherapy Clinic, treats a lot of staff with back and nerve pain in the shoulder. He also treats ‘tennis elbows’ – which can occur due to a lot of repetitive moments behind the computer or carrying heavy objects.

Tom says, “If staff have a general musculoskeletal complaint, and they want to refer themselves, they need to visit the Staff Physiotherapy Intranet page and follow the instructions there.”

Staff members can make their own referral to the Staff Exercise Physiology clinic by completing the Terms of Service form and returning to staffexphys@nh.org.au.

Says Dylan, “You will have a thorough and comprehensive assessment to evaluate your needs, goals, and physical fitness. We then provide you with a tailored exercise plan as well as support and health coaching for the long-term.”

For more information, visit the Intranet page here.

Summer is finally here, and even though Melbourne weather is typically unreliable, when it’s hot- it’s hot.

Knowing the potential risks and how to best survive the heat is important. Heat can cause illnesses such as heat cramps and heat exhaustion, leading to the potentially life-threating condition of heatstroke. Older people, young children and people with a medical condition, such as heart disease or diabetes, are most at risk.

How to cope with the heat?

Doctors recommendations are to drink plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty, keep yourself cool by using wet towels, putting your feet in cool water and taking cool showers, spend as much time as possible in cool air-conditioned buildings (shopping centres, libraries, cinemas or community centres), stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day and wear a hat and light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

In addition, keep in touch with sick or frail friends and family and check on your elderly neighbors on any extreme heat day.

Remember to also avoid heavy activity like sport, renovating or gardening and to never leave kids, adults or pets in hot cars.  Always seek medical help in case of a serious heat-related illness.

Prepare for extreme heat  

Here are some tips on how to best prepare for extreme heat:

• Stock up on food, water and medicines so you don’t have to go out in the heat. Visit your doctor to check if changes are needed to your medication during extreme heat.
• Store medication safely at the recommended temperature.
• Check that your fan or air-conditioner works well.
• Look at the things you can do to make your home cooler such as installing window coverings, shade cloths or external blinds on the side of the house facing the sun.

Should you decide to cool down by going to the beach or the pool, always remember to play it safe by the water. This means learn how to swim and never swim alone, know your limits, stay hydrated, learn some CPR (first aid) and always supervise children around water.

For more information on how to survive the heat, visit: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

We wish everyone a happy and healthy summer!

Helen Milevski celebrated an amazing 45 years of dedicated service in 2022. To commemorate this special milestone, Helen speaks about her career, and the many changes the healthcare profession has seen since 1977.

Having reached 45 years of service in mental health is overwhelming when I look back on it. It is difficult to capture all my experiences, incredible memories and the highlights, challenges, and changes over that period of time. I can say that it has been a lifetime commitment which has been both challenging and rewarding.

I was 19 years old when I first started on 10 January, 1977. At that time, there were three different hospitals all located in the same grounds at Bundoora; Mont Park, Larundel and Plenty.

My first position was in Plenty Hospital based in the wards for the acute/geriatric and long-term care. In 1985-86, the three hospitals merged under one management – one of the very first mergers with many more to come.

My second role in the early 1980’s was a Level 2 Supervisor to domestic services staff, including heavy duty cleaning staff. This role lasted for nearly 15 years. I worked up to Level 4 Supervisor Training staff in hygiene/other domestic duties required for this role, and organising a rostering system for 80 staff. I also was on the roster working two days on and two days off. I was also involved in the relocation of wards and planning and organising the accommodation for overseas medical staff. Part of my duties was to also plan for and organise events, seminars, and conferences which at times, involved up to 100-150 people.

Since 1995, I have been working in an administration role in different areas such as community mental health clinics. Currently I am still in the same role based in Mill Park at Noogal Clinic.

I have witnessed so many changes over the 45 years. All the changes were intended for the best interests of the patients/clients, and involved relocations, merges, rebranding, restructuring and change of management and reporting lines. Personally, I was involved in 19 different relocations, and, at one stage, I had to apply for my own job! Luckily, I got it as I wouldn’t have made it to 45 years.

One of the positive changes that I can now see looking back, is the reduction of stigma for those with mental health conditions and the multiple programs and services which are now available for people to get help and support. Another significant change was having opportunities for staff to undertake professional development and training. This may be taken for granted now, but when I first started back in 1977 there was no such thing as professional development training.

When I reflect, I have a lot of happy memories, working with different staff, being part of the team and always feeling supported and respected, even during the hard times and times of stress. The highlight of my working journey has been to support clinicians in my admin role in the provision of the Carers’ Program. This involved monthly meetings with the carers’, providing them with a light lunch and information from guest speakers. It was heart-warming to see the carers’ having a really good time, developing friendships with one another, and supporting each other, especially towards end of the year for the Christmas gatherings.

At the middle of last year, we moved across to Northern Health. In my personal experience, that was a smooth transition because Northern Health, together with management, was very communicative and kept staff informed. It was very helpful and much appreciated that staff from Northern Health took the time and made the effort to visit us at Noogal Clinic together with Belinda Scott, Executive Director, Mental Health.

Overall, I can say that my working life over the last 45 years has been truly rewarding, because in my small way, I was part of helping people in their recovery. The most satisfying and rewarding aspect of my work was to witness the amazing work the team has achieved in helping the patients and clients recover.

Finally, the pandemic as we all know, touched everyone’s lives. This challenged us all to come together and look after one another. I want to acknowledge the hard work that everyone provided to the patients and clients during this difficult time. It showed the strength, resilience and capabilities that people have during challenging times.

Lastly, I want to say that what I have learnt the most over my 45 years of service in mental health is the importance of working as a team. Having respect for one another, valuing different opinions and perspectives, and appreciating your colleagues so that we can achieve the best outcomes for our patients and clients.

Thank you to everyone who I have worked with, I plan to be here for a few more years.