At the end of November, our Emergency Department (ED) held their ‘Research and Quality Presentation Day’ via MS Teams. This forum provided an opportunity for ED staff to present some of the research projects and quality initiatives they have been involved with over the course of the year, as well as present some future projects that will be conducted next year.

Dr Kirin Channa, ED Quality Lead, said the idea came from a hospital in Brisbane where she used to work when she was a registrar, where all the senior registrars had an opportunity to do an audit and present. She thought it would be great to have something similar at Northern.

“The registrars have been coming to me individually, expressing interest in getting involved with quality improvement initiatives and audits. When it comes to research, they were approaching Dr Nancy Sadka to find out how to get involved,” she explained.

The more formal registrar audit program started this year, where registrars can use some of their paid teaching sessions to do quality improvement projects, and most of them are doing audits.

“We now have a database of the audits that are being conducted and the consultants who are supervising them. Given that there is so much great work going on, not just with the registrars, but across the Emergency Department, we decided to have a dedicated day to showcase all this work,” she explained.

The initial idea was to have poster presentations in person, but due to COVID-19, the presentation day was held via MS Teams and was open to staff from other departments as well, with great attendance.

“The best thing about the day is not to just showcase the great work that has been done, but also generate a really good discussion on the projects and new ideas that were brought forward. The day really highlighted that quality and safety is key to what we do here as clinicians,” she said.

The day included voting for the ‘Best Project’ – and the two winners were: ‘Snake Bite Protocol’ by Tyson McLeod, Emergency Nurse and ‘PRADAA’ Study by Dr Joe Rotella.

“The snake bite protocol is an initiative targeted at improving the timely care of patients presenting to the Emergency Department with potential snake bites. It involved both formalised policy changes, as well as the rollout of emergency snake bite kits, containing everything you need to manage a potential snake bite in the ED. The kits contain QR scan codes for ease of access on how to use the kits and have since received state-wide interest. This has lead to further education rollouts on our LMS regarding the patient assessment of this cohort of patients,” Tyson explained.

Tyson chose to pursue snake bite management quality improvement due to his personal interest of the great outdoors.

“While I don’t personally have a pet snake, I have had numerous encounters with them in the outdoors and have always had a great respect for them and nature itself,” he added.

The research and physical rollout of the snake bite protocol has been widely well received by nursing and medical staff alike. It not only provides quick and easy education staff, but also improves our patients timely access to critical care. The protocol will be re-reviewed in the third quarter of 2021, to see how we can further improve on these interventions.

Dr Joe Rotella explained the PRADAA Study plans to examine the ‘safety and efficacy of PRomethazine And Droperidol for the sedation of Acutely Agitated patients in the Emergency Department’.

“We plan to conduct a single site, randomised, double-blinded placebo-controlled trial comparing droperidol (the most commonly used drug in the ED for acutely agitated patients) and a placebo against a novel combination of droperidol and promethazine (a sedating antihistamine),” he explained.

Dr Megan Robb, Director of Emergency Department added: “This is a fantastic initiative to highlight all the great work that is occurring in the Emergency Department. I am very proud of the team for their dedication and all their hard work to ensure our patients get quality and safe care.”

Featured image (left to right): Joe Rotella, Kirin Channa, Tyson McLeod.

Dr Stefan Herodotou, Northern Health Emergency Physician for almost 40 years, was recently nominated by medical students for ‘MD2 Teacher of the Year’ at Melbourne University’s Northern Clinical School.

Stefan has worked at PANCH and Northern Health since 1 May 1981, after finding his passion working in the Emergency Department. “I fell in love with it immediately, and made it my second home for the last nearly 40 years,” he said.

After graduating at The University of Athens Medical School, Stefan started his medical career specialising in surgery before moving to Melbourne. Following his work at a number of health services, Stefan was offered a job in the PANCH Emergency Department – where his passion for teaching medical students flourished.

“Teaching is my second passion in life after medicine. I always said that if I didn’t do medicine, I would have become a teacher in mathematics. I started teaching medical students more than thirty years ago at PANCH. When the Northern Medical School was established, I was one of the first people who was asked by Professor Hamish Ewing to join it as a senior lecturer – a position which I hold until now,” Stefan said.

Below are just some of the reasons the medical students nominated Stefan for Teacher of the Year.

“A person of absolute integrity, compassion and kindness. Has been a role model to me as much as an educator. Is hard working and humble, often aiding student’s in ways that others will never be privy to. Admirably, does this without seeking recognition from others. A more worthy person of this award you are unlikely to find,” one student said.

“He stayed with us throughout the year and was extremely committed to keeping us on track, even amongst COVID duties!” and “Impressively empathetic doctor. An excellent example for medical students to follow,” others said.

“Reading the reasoning behind my nomination, it gives me goose bumps. It makes me so emotional!” Stefan said.

“At this stage of my career, I’m not looking for anything else but the simple recognition of my efforts, and when the recognition comes from the students, it means so much to me. To be recognised as a role model by a young group of students is a humbling and honouring experience,” he said.

Stefan says he feels the more experienced doctors have an obligation towards the community and towards the new generation of doctors.

“We need to give the less experienced doctors abundant knowledge in medicine, while simultaneously teaching them what cannot be learned through textbooks. That is, about the morality behind practising medicine, the importance and necessity of using a humane approach; Conveying that this is the essence of patient care, and should always govern one’s practise of medicine,” he said.

When asked what advice Stefan offers younger doctors, he said, “I tell them how lucky they are; How privileged they are. There is no other profession which gives you the opportunity to come into such a close contact with others, to build such a rapport, where they can trust you with their wellbeing, and at times with their life.”

“I inform them that this privilege is not without huge responsibility. I tell them how critically important is, to never take advantage of this trust. I like to point out how important it is to maintain the highest possible standards of their practice of medicine, but also the importance of maintaining their moral obligation towards the community and to the less fortunate.”

Stefan says he also believes it is essential for doctors starting their careers to know early on to anticipate the highs and lows of the job – the joys along with the disappointments and frustrations.

“They will make mistakes, but mistakes are an opportunity for learning and moving forward with even more strength. I also like to offer encouragement that they should never stop working towards their dreams and their values. The world can only grow and change alongside the dreams of the youth,” he said.

Over the years, Stefan has covered various positions other than working in emergency medicine, including surgical registrar and postoperative management of psychiatric patients – a position he described as a “challenging but a rewarding experience”. His routine would consist of an ED shift on a Saturday afternoon, then a surgical registrar shift where he would spend the rest of Saturday and Sunday manning the surgical pager, finally finishing his shift first thing Monday morning – only to have a quick shower and start all over again for his Monday morning shift as an ED consultant until evening!

He reflects on, “unforgettable memories covering an uncountable number of weekend shifts.”

“I remember how it was especially gratifying to receive the recognition from Dr Peter Leslie, the former Medical Director of PANCH, who called me in his office to tell me that the CEO and the rest of the medical administration were highly appreciative of the services I was providing to the hospital and the community.”

Featured Image: Stefan (front) with two of his medical students 

Today, Northern Health celebrates International Day of People with Disability, a celebration aimed at promoting awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with a disability.

Just a week before the International Day of People with Disability, Simone Ortiz became Northern Health’s new Disability Liaison Officer.

Simone has been with Northern Health for eight years as a social worker, and is now excited to start her new role.

“The Department of Health has identified that people with disability are sometimes struggling to access health care and, when the pandemic started, that increased. My role was created primarily to help those people with a disability, their carers or families access health care during the pandemic and after,” she explained.

In this role, Simone works closely with Northern Metro Disability Liaison Officers, to identify what the issues have been so far for people with disability when it comes to health care access.

“A number of my colleagues work in this role across different health services, and we are all working closely with the community to identify the barriers,” she said.

Chelsea Simpson, who chairs Northern Health’s Disability Working Group, explained the group’s role is to act and explore the issues that arise by staff and consumers, in relation to disability and access issues.

“It is also about having a broader strategic role in promoting awareness and inclusion for people with disability and actively working towards reducing barriers, for both staff and community members,” she said.

“The working group takes feedback from our consumer representatives in terms of issues and challenges they might be having when accessing our sites, and we work with them to improve that access,” she added.

Some of the things the group is working on are tangible things, such as ensuring we have sheltered car parks available for people who might need to transition from a vehicle to a wheelchair or similar.

“One of the major pieces of work is the implementation of the Northern Health Disability Action Plan, which focuses on promoting inclusion and reducing barriers for people with disability,” she added.

For Chelsea, International Day of People with Disability is about promoting the great value and contributions of both our staff and the consumers with disability, and promoting the needs of people with disability, ensuring we provide the best care possible.

“Today, I would really like to acknowledge all people with disability, whether they are Northern Health staff, community members or patients who visit our services and their achievements and contributions,” she added.

In her new role, Simone welcomes comments and suggestions from staff and the community. If you have a question, please email her here.

International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is a United Nations sanctioned day that is celebrated internationally on 3 December. It aims to promote public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability.  

IDPwD represents a significant opportunity for Australian organisations to share their commitment, campaigns, leadership and stories of empowerment related to inclusion of people with disability in the workforce. 

Featured Image (left to right): Simone Ortiz and Chelsea Simpson

Congratulations to our Northern Health Volunteer Services Team, declared the winner of the Volunteering Victoria‘s 2020 COVID-19 Support and Connection Award!

The state award was given to the organisation that achieved strong ongoing support and connection for their volunteers during the pandemic. This award showcases the hard work, creativity and genuine kindness the team has demonstrated towards our volunteers, and our volunteers towards each other.

“I am very proud of our Volunteer Services Team,” said Andrew Williamson Executive Director Public Affairs and Foundation.  “The team  has been  absolutely committed to keep our volunteers engaged and connected during this challenging  year.  The Award from Volunteers Victoria is well deserved.”

One way of keeping in regular contact was the daily newsletter. The volunteer team has sent out their 180th newsletter that has provided information, humour, and inspiration that keeps the volunteers connected with each other.

“Volunteers sent in photographs of their ‘iso’ activities and we had some volunteers being guest editors, adding their own personal touches to the daily update,” says Henni.

Carol, a volunteer from Northern Hospital, says “Having a daily, rather than a weekly newsletter better represents real life as many of us volunteer on more than one day and catch up with other volunteers. The combination of silly jokes and uplifting quotes is a nice balance and lifts the day for many, especially for those who are isolated. Receiving the newsletter throughout the COVID 19 restrictions keeps us informed, but more importantly, it lets us know that the co-ordinators care enough to do this so regularly.”

“Our program evolved from one where the main focus was the volunteers providing  support to the health service to one where the health service was supporting our volunteers, helping to keep them well at home,” says Monica Polimeni, Volunteer Coordinator.

“Volunteer Week was another such opportunity, ‘to make a fuss of our volunteers’,” says Monica.

A TikTok dance video, a volunteer song, thank you videos from Peter Hitchener from Channel 9 and the Clown Doctors, thank you messages from staff collated and put together in a colourful booklet were some of the ways the volunteers were made to feel special in that week.

Literally going that extra distance, Henni, Christine and Monica also spent three days on the road, dropping in unannounced and surprising their long standing volunteers with Length of Service Awards.

“The effort you put in to make sure Volunteer Week was special, going from door to door to deliver the awards to people who were celebrating significant milestones… while not forgetting the other ones who are in between these dates,” says Julia Arlow, a volunteer from Broadmeadows Hospital.

“From setting up virtual chats, to filming funny TikTok videos and developing daily newsletters, our Volunteer Services Team has worked hard to not only keep in touch with our volunteers, but to genuinely provide support in the challenging times. For many of our volunteers, we are their second family, and that is how we feel about them too,” says Christine McGowan, Volunteer Coordinator.

Christmas is fast approaching, and what better present is there than a brand new car!

There is only two weeks left to purchase tickets to the Northern Health Foundation Major Raffle and be in the running to win a stunning new Toyota Corolla Hybrid valued at over $30,000.

Proudly supported by major sponsor, Maxxia, the raffle aims to raise $150,000 to fund cutting-edge diagnostic equipment for our Gastroenterology Department, which will make a real difference to our patients.

In addition to the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, the raffle offers up a chance to win a number of amazing prizes including a Helicopter Joy Flight over Melbourne valued at $4,500, an UPPAbaby Vista Pram and Bassinet valued at over $2,000, and a stay in the Mantra Epping Penthouse Suite including breakfast and dinner for two, valued at $750.

By purchasing a ticket, you can feel proud of supporting the important work of Northern Health and know that you are not only helping us as a health service, but helping patients in our community too. Click here to purchase your tickets today!

There are a number of other ways you can support Northern Health and our patients this Christmas.

Our resident teddy bears, ‘Scrubs the Bear’ (pictured above being COVID Safe with their face masks) are available for purchase here, and would make for a wonderful children’s Christmas present. Scrubs the Bear is just $20, so perfect for a KK gift!

Even though our dedicated volunteers haven’t been on site due to COVID-19, they have still been working hard behind the scenes to support Northern Health.

Our annual Volunteer Christmas Raffle offers a chance to win a variety of fabulous hampers. Purchase tickets here – only $5 for three tickets!

Funds raised from the Volunteer Christmas Raffle will go towards the purchase of a sleeper chair for Northern Hospital Epping. Sleeper chairs enable parents and carers to remain close to their loved ones whilst they are receiving care in hospital.

After what has been a challenging year for Northern Health and indeed the entire community, we are grateful for your unwavering support. Our northern community has shown that, even in tough times, we come together and continue to support each other.

Our new state of the art Central Sterilising Services Department (CSSD) is now open!

The Northern Hospital Expansion Project hit a key milestone last month with the successful move of our CSSD from Level 1 to their new space on Level 2 (opposite Ward 18).

Over five days, the dedicated team completed the move safely and efficiently – with no interruption to services or patient care.

The new CSSD officially went live on 23 October after months of hard work and an enormous effort from staff to bring the move to fruition.

“I am incredibly proud of the collaborative work done by staff from CSSD and the General Operating Theatres, to operationalise this state of the art department,” said Tracey Wyllie, Peri Operative Services Manager.

“Without their hard work and effort, none of what has been achieved would be possible,” Tracey said.

Tracey explained the move was a “mammoth effort” by everyone involved, led by herself and supported by Divisional Director, Linda Romano, and Operational Readiness Director, Carolyn Downing.

“Even staff from Broadmeadows Surgical Centre participated, providing a second level of expertise from previous moves,” Tracey said.

“The entire project has epitomised the Northern Health value of ‘together’, and demonstrated true camaraderie within the Surgical Division,” she added.

Evient Koh, CSSD Nurse Unit Manager, and her team have been working collaboratively with theatre staff, who are also playing an important role in the new CSSD.

Celeste Taylor, CSSD Acting Associate Nurse Unit Manager, normally works in theatre but has been working alongside CSSD staff to assist with theatre set-up – a new role that CSSD has taken on from the move.

“The new CSSD is a very large, modern department with state of the art facilities and a structured workflow,” Celeste said.

CSSD Acting Nurse Unit Manager, Melanie Almazan, said “It’s a new challenge for everyone, aside from having a bigger department which everyone enjoys, most of the equipment is new, thus staff need further training to be able to operate the equipment.”

“In saying that, our staff have done their very best to be able to adjust and adopt to the new changes. The management team has been supportive to the staff every step of the way, up until they gain their confidence with the different role that they play in CSSD,” Melanie explained.

Staff are pleased with the new space, with one of their instrument technicians describing working in CSSD as “exciting and also rewarding.”

The new CSSD space is spacious, bright and provides unidirectional flow of instrumentation to ensure compliance with infection prevention standards. Take a look inside!

Craigieburn Centre has seen a lot of change since the beginning of the pandemic.

Back in June, a drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic was erected in the Craigieburn Centre car park, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Since then, the clinic has seen over 30,000 people.

Running seven days a week, including public holidays, the clinic has been an important part of our pandemic response by helping to test a large proportion of the community, in the safety of their cars.

Since its inception, staff have demonstrated terrific team work and adaptability during uncertain and challenging times.

With the rapidly evolving situation, staff have had to be flexible as they learnt to quickly adapt to many changes as the pandemic unfolded.

During their busiest time in July, the clinic swabbed an impressive 619 patients in one day.

Natasha Knapic, Project Manager COVID-19 Testing Clinics, said the environment staff are working in can sometimes be a challenging one, however the team have shown just how dedicated they are through their exceptional care to our patients and to each other.

“We are very grateful for their ongoing hard work and dedication,” she said.

“The smooth running of the clinic can be attributed to a collaboration of many staff members from different departments including PSA’s, ward clerks, pathology staff and nurses.”

Northern Pathology Victoria runs a fast and efficient service and has an average turnaround time of 8 hours for results, with all test results available within 24 hours.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a global campaign to end gender-based violence. The campaign began yesterday with the International Day for the elimination of violence against women and concludes with International Human Rights Day on 10 December.

Says Snezana Filiposki, Project Support Officer, Strengthening Hospital Response to Family Violence, “This is a time for us all to reflect on the social norms which exacerbate and excuse gender-based violence, and as a collective society, bring an end to discrimination, inequity and abuse.”

Findings released by The Crime Statistics Agency show the impact COVID-19 has had on family violence:

• The number of family violence incidents increased 11.7 per cent between April – June 2020 compared to the same period in 2019
• Women aged 30 – 34 were most often recorded as victim-survivors in the April – June 2020 time period
• Males aged 35 – 39 made up the biggest demographic group of family violence perpetrators
• June 2020 saw the biggest monthly increase in family violence from 2019.

She points to the following ways we can show our support and learn more on this subject:

• Attend a Family Violence Education Session via MS Teams online:
  Tuesday 1 December or Tuesday 8 December at 2.15 – 3 pm.
  Email the SHRFV team for an invite on: NH-FamilyViolenceProjectteamStaff@mh.org.au
• Visit the information display table at the front foyer at any Northern Health site for family violence resources
• “How far can you go” wear something orange a little or a lot during the 16 days and share a photo with us
• Attend a Family Violence webinar during the 16 days. More details here.
• Share the message of this campaign via social media:
• #BuildingaRespectfulCommunity #RespectIs #CallitOut #16DaysCampaign #WeAreNorthern

Respect Victoria is also conducting a Respect Women: ‘Call It Out’ campaign, to coincide with 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

Respect is the building block of all healthy relationships and is offered, exchanged and received in the places we spend our time: homes, schools, workplaces, sporting clubs and more. Violence against women and girls is a devastating act of disrespect and a pervasive breach of human rights worldwide.

On Thursday, 10 December at 2.15 pm, Women’s Health In the North (WHIN) will provide the evidence base for the prevention of violence against women and an introduction to active bystander approaches, in line with Respect Victoria’s ‘Respect Women: Call it Out’ campaign. Click here to join the meeting.

Bystander action refers to how a bystander calls out, or engages others, in responding to incidences of violence, sexism, harassment or discrimination. Importantly, there is no ‘right way’ to be an active bystander.

As we mark 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Northern Health invites you to “call it out” and share a brief story of how you have called out disrespectful behaviour and language by email to NH-FamilyViolenceProjectteamStaff@mh.org.au that we can share.

As Snez points out, “It all starts with respect.”