Our National Standards Accreditation survey commenced in mid-May and was paused due to a COVID-19 lockdown, affecting interstate surveyors. Last week, the survey resumed with a combination of on-site and online surveyors, and was completed yesterday with a virtual summation.

The survey team announced that Northern Health has been assessed as meeting all the requirements of the National Standards. They found no requirement to write formal recommendations against the actions contained in the National Standards.

Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive, congratulated Northern Health on this achievement.

“Surveyors were impressed with the knowledge of our clinical and non-clinical staff in keeping patients safe, as well as systems for staff safety. They were pleased with the opportunity to engage with staff on the floor, and were delighted to see the amount of enthusiasm amongst our staff,” Siva said.

They were just as impressed by the way staff came forward in telling surveyors what they are doing well and what they are working on to improve. Northern Health was specifically commended on the commitment to Safety and Quality and continuous improvement.

In congratulating staff on this great outcome for Northern Health, Siva made special mention of Maree Glynn and Marisa Argetto, “for their tireless and dedicated work in preparing for the survey.”

“I would also like to acknowledge the work of the Chairs of the Standards Committees, our medical, nursing and allied health leadership, and to Bill Shearer, our Executive Lead for Quality,” Siva added.

Northern Health’s Board Chair, Jennifer Williams, also congratulated and thanked all staff on behalf of the Northern Health Board of Directors, for the work in preparing for the survey, and the ongoing commitment to the safe care of our patients.

Maree Glynn, Director of Clinical Practice Improvement, said it was very affirming to have such positive feedback from a very experienced survey team.

“Our motto has been that Quality and Safety is everybody’s business and that was evident from the very positive feedback from all our surveyors across all of our sites. They were so impressed with the visits to all of our wards and departments, and the positive conversations they had with staff, patients and the clinical leadership at Northern Health.”

“I want to thank all the staff that worked tirelessly to support a successful accreditation outcome and those who generously gave their time to talk so proudly about their service and the care they deliver.”

During the virtual summation, Northern Health was acknowledged for its “best it can be care”, with safety and personalised care for all patients, no matter their background, or how ill or well they were, at the front and centre of our minds.

Northern Health was also applauded for its management during COVID-19 outbreaks and keeping staff, patients and the community safe.

“Although we were challenged by the event of a COVID-19 outbreak in May, none of the surveyors wanted to leave because we felt unsafe. We absolutely felt safe and we have continued to be impressed,” a surveyor said.

Featured image: Laura Hughes, Project Manager/HRO and Naveeni Natkunarajah, NUM during a virtual ward survey

Anthony Gust, our new Executive Director Digital Health, is on a journey.

He believes our investment over the past few years in upgrading our server, the Wide Area Network and FollowMe desktop, purchasing over one thousand new computers for staff, hiring a dedicated digital health executive, and many other projects, “has positioned Northern Health well and we are ready to start the next part of our journey.”

Anthony’s role will lead and champion Northern Health’s commitment to leveraging technology for increasing results and develop Northern Health’s Digital Strategy and manage areas including: Decision Support Unit, Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and the Information Technology (IT) Department.

Anthony is developing a Digital Strategy to map out this journey. He says, “The key will be managing to continue to build our foundations, focusing on improving business as usual and being innovative, as well as implementing large initiatives such as EMR.”

Anthony has worked at Northern Health for the past three years, as the Director of Data Science & Analytics. Prior to joining Northern Health, Anthony worked within the healthcare industry and in senior management positions for over 20 years.

In his time at the Department of Health and Human Services as an Associate Director, Anthony was responsible for data linkages, modelling and forecasting – focusing on building teams, modelling, infrastructure and policy. He was also the Executive Director, Quality & Safety, Performance, EMR, IT and Innovation at Peninsula Health, Associate Director at KPMG and Director, Business Intelligence at Monash Health.

His appointment comes at an important time for Northern Health. As Anthony points out, “The demand for hospital services has historically outgrown population increases, as well as ageing of the population by approximately 50 per cent. Northern Health sits within one of the fasting growing areas of Victoria and demand for services is only going to increase. The importance of technology and, in particular, how we continue to partner with our community, will continue to increase.”

“In practical terms, we are already exploring the possibilities with simulation, Virtual Emergency Department, the Staying Well Program which focuses on our most vulnerable patients, a musculoskeletal website that aims to improve outcomes for patients waiting for surgery. At the core is how we can innovate in this space,” says Anthony.

Anthony believes the increasing demand for services in the north is placing a greater demand on our staff and systems.

“This demand also creates opportunities for funding and focuses us on being innovative,” he says.

Anthony is clear – it is the staff and culture at Northern Health that is the ‘secret sauce’.

“In past roles, I have been privileged to work with amazing people. I have seen this in spades also at Northern Health – how we can be agile and be creative, especially during the pandemic. I look forward to working with them. The goal is to provide our staff and patients with the best service we can.”

Featured image: Anthony Gust

Speech Pathology Week, celebrated 22-28 August, seeks to promote the speech pathology profession and the work done by speech pathologists with the 1.2 million Australians who have a communication disability. The theme for this year is: Communication is everyone’s right.

As part of Northern Health’s commitment to breaking down barriers for those living with a communication disability, we have implemented the Communication Access training program through Scope. After undertaking this training, the service is assessed and if successful, it gets awarded with the Communication Access Symbol.

At Northern Health, Henry’s Cafe and the front reception at Northern Hospital are accredited by ‘Scope’ to communicate with people with communication disability.

Hien Pham, a Speech Pathologist who has been instrumental in the roll out of this program, explains “What that means is that if someone has a communication disability and they see that symbol, they know that the staff have an understanding of their disability and are aware of different ways to communicate”.

“Communication impairment is different for different people – one person might use a high-tech device to communicate, while another might just use thumbs up or down, so staff need to adapt to that person’s communication style” she added.

In line with this year’s theme Speech Pathology have collaborated with the Northern Health Disability Action group to find practical ways to upskill Northern Health staff.

The Communication Access program aligns with the Northern Health 2018 – 2022 Disability Action Plan with Northern Health’s Disability Liaison officer Simone Ortiz adding: “Successfully obtaining two packages from ‘Scope’: Communication Access and Disability Inclusion, will allow Northern Health staff to develop a better understanding and approach to working and communicating with people with disabilities. This online package for our staff and those who work at Henry’s café addresses our goals of promoting inclusion and participation as well as achieving tangible changes in attitudes and practices which discriminate against persons with disability. Our disability sub-committee is excited about this progress and also appreciate the work and contributions of our speech pathologists for their work and passion towards improving communication.”

Stephanie Bennetts, Speech Pathologist added that this is a great example of how Northern Health is accommodating patients with the communication impairment and adapting our environment to suit the needs of our community.

“One in 500 people have a communication disability.  It is important that we as a health service make sure we are accommodating these patients.  Wheelchair ramps are normalised for people with physical disability so this is a way of normalising supports, like communication boards for people with communication disability” she said.

Henry’s Café and front desk reception staff at the Northern Hospital have previously been accredited with this symbol. The team are excited to continue with the commitment to Communication Access – with re-accreditation planned this year and the introduction of a new online training module for staff.

“This shift to online training will allow us to maintain our credentialing even with the barriers COVID-19 has created,” she concluded.

Featured image: Front reception staff member Elizabeth with Hien, Speech Pathologist.

“I don’t really have a plan when I start a piece – it just happens.  I see a colour, then shapes and then the dragonfly appears, taking its rightful place in the totality of the picture.”

At the entrance of our Main Ward Block, at Northern Hospital Epping, you can find an exquisite series of artworks by Anny Bargo aka Antoinette Braybrook, that bring both colour and drama to the foyer.

Anny serves as CEO of Djirra. Djirra (the Woiwurrung word for the reed used by Wurundjeri women for basket weaving) provides support to Aboriginal people who are currently experiencing family violence or have in the past.

She was born and has lived in Victoria on Wurundjeri country all of her life. Says Anny, “My family line is to Kuku Yalanji in Far North Queensland, through my grandfather, Billy Bargo and my mum, Wanda Bargo (Braybrook). Dragonfly is our dreaming. ”

It was COVID-19 and the lockdown in Melbourne last year that gave her the opportunity to take some time out from her 18 – year role as CEO of Djirra. It was during this time that she found Dragonfly Dreaming and her journey began.

To date, Anny has created over 40 stories on canvas. Every one of them has a dragonfly or several – sometimes prominent, but other times not.

Vikky Brown, who works at Reception says, she constantly has visitors asking her about the artworks and finds them really beautiful.

Read on for the inspiration behind this beautiful art by Anny.

You can follow Anny on Instagram at @annybargo_art or antoinette_braybrook.

Jo McKenna started volunteering at Broadmeadows Health Service (now Broadmeadows Hospital) in 2000, and has spent many years on the wards visiting patients, conducting raffles, running activities, talking with clients and keeping people company.

Jo has continued to volunteer at Broadmeadows Hospital two days a week, including more recently supporting patients to navigate Q-Flow when attending outpatient appointments.

In 2011, Jo joined the Consumer Participation Advisory Committee and spent about six years contributing to helping improve access for people with disabilities at Northern Hospital Epping and Broadmeadows Hospital.

In 2015, Jo joined the new Northern Health Consumer Network and continued her journey in giving her expertise to the health service, in how it can best meet the needs of those living with a disability. As a Northern Health consumer, Jo has been involved in the design of the new operating theatres at Broadmeadows Hospital, infrastructure design for the Main Ward Block including access to public spaces, the Intensive Care Unit and disabled toilets, and the Disability Action Plan 2018-2022.

As a Northern Health Consumer in the Disability Working Group, Jo said consumers are an important aspect to the health service, as they bring a different perspective with lived health care experiences.

“I think, especially looking at access to health care from a person living with a disability, we bring different ideas. Being on the Working Group with others living with a disability, we can lean more and give back. There are always new places you go, still a lot of changes to be made. Putting things out there, some things others don’t think about and a need to get things changes for all people experiencing disabilities,” Jo said.

“Quite a few things happen in the group, including the December 2019 celebration of International Disability Day, with the stall at Northern Hospital Epping.”

As a Northern Health consumer in the Disability Working Group, Jo says she “enjoys meeting people and learning more about how Northern Health works.”

Chelsea Simpson, Chair of the Disability Working Group, said, “Jo is also a valuable contributor to the Northern Health Disability Sub-committee, sharing her experiences and insights and together with the other committee members, making tangible improvements for people with disability who access Northern Health.”

Sherrilyn Ballard, Consumer Participation Coordinator, said Jo was very active in every Consumer Participation activity requested of her.

“Jo has every time said ‘yes’. I know for Jo, getting out and about is not effortless, yet she gives so much to Northern Health and always with a beautiful smile,” said Sherrilyn.

In her personal time, Jo enjoys playing wheelchair soccer as goalie with the Springers. Jo also loves participating in chair dancing, Zumba and bowling.

“I like wheelchair soccer. I like Zumba a lot too,” Jo said,

When Jo is not playing sport, she spends time with her 15-year-old Jack Russell cross Terrier named Chance.

“Chance is spoilt and very cheeky,” Jo said.

Featured image: Jo McKenna

This week, Northern Health has reached an incredible milestone in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Since the rollout began in March, Northern Health has provided over 100,000 vaccinations to our community – a major milestone we should all be proud of.

Northern Health commenced COVID-19 vaccinations on 9 March 2021 at Northern Hospital Epping, where the very first staff members were excited to receive their vaccine.

Since then, the vaccination clinic has moved to a mass vaccination hub located at Plenty Ranges Arts & Convention Centre in South Morang, to help provide vaccinations to the community on a larger scale.

Hayley Gray, COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Acting Nurse Unit Manager, explained the clinic is currently vaccinating approximately 1,500 people per day.

When asked how it feels to have been involved in providing 100,000 vaccines to our community, Hayley said, “it’s very satisfying to be helping our community. We are achieving significant goals and it’s extremely rewarding to be a part of this important work!”

Many staff from different areas work in collaboration to run the clinic every day, including 35 nursing staff each shift, ward clerks, security guards, PSAs, concierge staff, doctors and educators.

“The general response from the community after they have been vaccinated is really positive. They are thankful for the service and very impressed with the smooth process,” Hayley added.

Madelaine Flynn, Director of Operations – Infection Prevention/Nursing Projects, acknowledged the wonderful work of the vaccination team.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time for the Northern Health COVID-19 vaccination hub, reaching 100,000 vaccines. The community has shown tremendous support of the vaccination program to keep themselves, their family and their community safe. The vaccination team has truly lived Northern Health’s values, working together to achieve this amazing feat, keeping everyone safe and, in every interaction, acting with kindness,” Madelaine explained.

Northern Health is constantly adapting to the challenges of working in a COVID-19 environment and expanding our virtual approach to the way we provide care. We have been conducting virtual Executive Patient Safety walk arounds for some time and recently have been conducting virtual accreditation assessment practices in readiness for continuing our accreditation assessment which commenced in May.

Laura Hughes, Project Manager, explained these sessions have been set up by the HRO and Accreditation teams to prepare our wards and departments for both on site and virtual assessments and ensure that the technology supports a successful assessment for our remote assessors. These sessions include a mix of senior staff from Nursing, Medical and Allied Health and patient interviews.

“We ran some trials this month across Northern Hospital for a virtual ward round. Dr Gautam Vaddadi, Consultant of the Heart Failure team conducted his ward rounds from home. The ward round included seeing patients on Ward 5, as well as patents in ICU and on Ward 21. The consultant was able to interact with the medical team and talk directly to the patient. Dr Vaddadi was also able to collaborate directly with the ICU team to develop plans for a patient with complex needs,” Laura explained.

“The feedback from the patients was really positive, with many happy to see Dr Vaddadi’s face and talk to him, while also receiving the face to face care from the onsite team. It gives patients comfort to have the expertise and senior decision making of a consultant,” she added.

Laura and the Project Management team are excited for the opportunities the virtual walk arounds bring and the scope of their implementation across the health service.

“There is so much scope to expand this capability across Northern. The HRO team is working with the Quality and Accreditation team on implementing models for Accreditation and Executive Patient Safety Walk Arounds, plus future models for virtual ward rounds, or as the Heart Failure team affectionately called it, ‘Doctor on a stick’, she said.

Richard Ram, Ward 5 Nurse Unit Manager, trialled the virtual walk around before Accreditation.

“This is the first time I have prepared for an Accreditation using virtual technology. It helps us prepare for the day and gives our staff a great opportunity to show and tell about their ward,” he said.

For Coleen Scully, Acting Director of Operations for Emergency Services, this was also a completely new experience.

“With the pandemic, we actually had to learn new ways of doing things, so I actually think this is an evolution of that. We are utilising the technology we have in order to be able to participate in a really important process, such as accreditation. This is very similar in content, but just different in format,” she explained.

“This is a good opportunity for staff to showcase the really good work they are doing. You can see in the way Richard is presenting his area that he is really proud of his staff and care they provide to patients,” Coleen said.

Coleen emphasised that conducting virtual walk arounds just shows how resilient Northern Health’s staff is and how quickly we adapt to change, which has already been proven in the way they have responded during the whole pandemic.

Featured image: Richard, accompanied by Laura and Dr Naveen Sharma, showing the Information board and answering questions from Maree Glynn and Jason Cirone virtually, ahead of Accreditation.

The tight-knit family of 20 Patient Services Assistants (PSAs) at Broadmeadows Hospital and Craigieburn Centre have been keeping their sites spotlessly clean, while never losing banter and a genuine connection with each other.

Wendy Nicol, Operations Manager, PSA & Cleaning Services, said the team has a really high standard of cleaning, highlighting the way their PSA Supervisor, Snezana Velevski, works with her team, and the health service as a whole.

“She keeps on top of everything. COVID-19 has presented challenges to some of our staff. We have staff who had to homeschool their children, staff who have been unwell, so it has been a challenging time to keep on top of it. The team here have managed everything perfectly, and there has been no change to our patient care. We had fantastic feedback from all of the NUMs on wards about how smoothly everything has continued to go thoughout the COVID-19 period. The PSAs, led by Snezana, need to be commended for the role they have done,” Wendy said.

“There has been an increase in the amount of high touch cleaning they had to do, like door handles and toilets. It was a seamless process on the surface, but a lot going on in the background to keep everything running,” she said.

Snezana looks after her 20 PSAs like her family – they would often get coffees together, sometimes donuts, share a few laughs and any other news they may have.

She has been working at Northern Health for the last seven years, starting as a PSA in Emergency, before coming to Broadmeadows. She has been enjoying her role and the ability to talk to everyone on site.

“I work with everyone in the hospital – from cleaners, nurses, managers and this role really keeps me busy. I love it because it’s not just a role where you sit in the office, it’s a people-facing role,” she explained.

“Snez is our problem solver – she knows what to do, how to get it and where to find it. We would be lost without her here,” Wendy added.

In her free time, Snezana is a passionate cook, gardener and has recently welcomed her second grandchild. “Staff already know this about me, we share everything here,” she added.

Snezana is very happy at her role – “I don’t want to go anywhere from this hospital, it’s like a home. I had opportunity to move on, but I really like it here,” she said.