Vinod Chellaram still has his cheque from his first time working at Northern Health. It was summer holidays in 2004, in between his studies for his second pharmacy degree.

The cheque was for the princely sum of $293.80, but the experience he gained at the Northern was priceless.

“I kept getting challenged more and growing more as the organisation was growing,” Vinod says.

Two years before that, Vinod had migrated from Egypt, only to discover his degree wasn’t recognised here and he had to start again.

When an internship came up at Northern Hospital shortly thereafter, he jumped at the opportunity, and was able to work and gain experience in different roles. Vinod quickly moved up and continued working his way through the organisation.

“At one point, I was responsible for the education of the pharmacy department, so for seven years I was educating all the new interns coming into the pharmacy,” he says.

“After that I became the Senior Oncology and Haematology Pharmacist, responsible for all chemotherapy across the four sites.”

Another four years went by and Vinod moved up to Deputy Director of Pharmacy and in July 2018, became Acting Director.

15 years after Vinod first stepped through Northern Health’s doors, he was appointed Director of Pharmacy.

Vinod says the culture and environment are what has kept him here for all these years.

“All of us are in a challenging situation and trying to make the best of it. For a lot of us, this is not just a job, this is the hospital where we come to when we’re sick – or when our family and friends are sick, so it doesn’t just impact on our work, but beyond,” he says.

Looking to the future, Vinod sees pharmacy as a key area for growth.

“At the moment, we’re probably more of a supply and clinical function, but I think pharmacists and their training would make for good project managers,” he says.

“We need to focus on keeping more patients at home, rather than coming into hospital.”

So how does keeping patients staying well at home impact on pharmacy?

Vinod explains a lot of the medication provided to our patients are not available to them at their community pharmacies. They can only be obtained from the hospital because of the special nature of prescribing them.

He would like to see programs for our patients to get their medication from their community pharmacy or advice from their GP.

“The pharmacy in the hospital could start running education programs for the community pharmacy about how to manage those patients better. We can look at how we address those patients at home rather than coming to hospital every time,” he adds.

“Community pharmacies could play a big role in the education but also the awareness of the side effects and how to manage it at home, which minimises patients being readmitted.”

Vinod says in his time at Northern Health, he’s seen dramatic growth and development.

“When I started, there were only about five wards – A, B, C, D and E!”

“We’ve also had an increase in people from surrounding suburbs wanting to work here – we’ve become more popular and word has gotten out about the care we’re giving, as well as the support we’re providing,” he says.

“I think the culture is similar to before – it’s just become more diverse – but it’s a family type culture.”

As a Bundoora local, Vinod sees firsthand how the work of Northern Health impacts the northern suburbs community.

“Our work is not just for eight hours, and it affects the quality of care directly. We’re not just doing this for the sake of it and then going home, we’re actually making an impact.”

Congratulations Vinod!

The 2019 People Matter Survey will run until Friday, 31 May. This survey is your opportunity to provide Northern Health with feedback on what is working well and what we need to be doing differently. Your feedback is important because it helps drive a number of key initiatives.

Dr Rachael Coutts, Associate Director of Medical Education and Emergency Physician, is a firm believer in the importance of hearing from staff.

Rachael played a pivotal role in the ‘Conversations on Mental Wellness’ initiative coinciding with R U OK Day in September; a week of speaking events, education sessions and wellbeing initiatives for the whole Northern Health workforce.

“By opening up these conversations, we provided the opportunity for each of us to examine our own workplace environment, our unit, or department and question the culture and practice and begin to advocate for and create change,” says Rachael.

For her work in developing a strategic wellbeing framework and an initiative to facilitate conversations on mental wellness, she won the Inaugural Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Wellbeing Award.

Over recent years, some of the key initiatives driven from staff feedback includes increasing communication through iNews and Chief Executive Updates, reviving our Annual Staff Awards and introducing a new Quarterly Staff Reward and Recognition Program. Other initiatives include staff safety programs such as Mental Health Week, Fatigue Management and Pilates, Mindfulness and Financial Wellbeing Programs.

“The feedback we get from staff is what helps us grow as an organisation – and also identify what needs to change,” says Rachael.

“We are truly committed to making Northern Health a great place to work. I would urge our staff to use this opportunity to make a difference through The People Matter Survey.”

Click here to complete the survey. You can complete the survey anywhere, any time of the day and on any device that has Internet access. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

IDAHOBIT stands for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia.

The day is celebrated across Australia and is a day where we take a stand against discrimination and support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) friends, colleagues and families. HOBIT can occur online, face to face and can make people feel unsafe, and like they cannot be themselves. Sexuality, gender identity or intersex status are not always visible and we are responsible for creating and maintaining a culture where everyone feels safe and included.

This Friday, Northern Health is holding the Inaugural ‘Genderbread Person Bake-Off’, which will take place in the Northern Hospital Foyer at 12 pm. This will be followed by two Information Sessions at 1 pm and again at 2 pm at NCHER (Click to book). We are pleased to announce that these sessions will be delivered by a prominent GP / LGBTI Health Expert, Dr Ruth McNair.

Dr McNair specialises in lesbian and bisexual women’s health, transgender health, mental health and wellbeing, and is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, teaching LGBTI community research.

Jason Cirone, Director, People & Culture is encouraging all to grab their multi-coloured food dye and enter the Genderbread Bake-Off.

“The judges will be looking for the most creative concept of the Genderbread Person, which will be delicious, colourful and represents inclusivity of LGBTIQ people, and awarding prizes on the day,” Jason said.

So get baking and drop off your ‘Genderbread Person’ at the People & Culture Office, which is located on the ground floor (next to the library) between 8.30 am and 10.30 am. Judging will take place at 12 pm in the Northern Hospital Foyer.

Staff are encouraged to wear a rainbow ribbon, pin or piece of clothing on the day.

When Batool Albatat arrived in Australia in 2001 unable to speak a word of English, she never imagined she would have the opportunity to study medicine at the University of Melbourne and eventually become a doctor.

Dr Albatat’s family arrived in Australia seeking refuge after fleeing from war in their home country, Iraq. She says she always dreamed of becoming a doctor and being able to help people.

She began her schooling in Melbourne while learning to speak English and went on to earn a biomedical science degree from La Trobe University, before studying medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 2017.

Dr Albatat began her Northern Health journey five years ago as a medical student, completing her three years of clinical placement.

Following her placement, she tells us she was very excited to apply for an internship at Northern Hospital.

“I loved it because it was very multicultural and supportive, and I felt it was a place I belonged,” she says.

“It was the institution where I received excellent training from dedicated practitioners. I’ve been privileged to do my internship and residency year here, and be able to contribute to Northern Health’s culture and services,” she adds.

When asked what her favourite part about working at Northern Health is, Dr Albatat says “definitely the culture and diversity.”

“Northern Health provides a well-supported learning culture, with respect for one another in order to ensure the best care is given to the patients.”

“Northern Health is allowing me to gain a broad depth of essential knowledge and skills that allows me to grow into a dedicated doctor, under the guidance of senior clinicians who are very approachable,” she says.

She tells us she also has a strong passion for teaching and research, and Northern Health has provided her with many opportunities for both.

When asked how she would describe Northern Health in one sentence, Dr Albatat says – “Northern Health is a developing community that nurtures growth and strives for excellence.”

Currently a surgical resident at Northern Hospital, Dr Albatat says she has completed different rotations in a variety of medical fields and has found many areas interesting but still hasn’t figured out which field she would like to pursue.

“Even though I have a strong interest in surgery and obstetrics & gynaecology, I still feel there are so many more medical fields I need to undertake and gain the clinical experience before making the decision for my medical career,” she says.

“The journey has been tough, but I feel privileged to be a doctor now, and to be able to help people at the most vulnerable time of their life.”

Even though Access Support Officer, Lyn White, has just turned 70, she still speaks about her nursing work and long career with much passion and enthusiasm.

“I started in 1966 at Fairfield Hospital as a Division 2 Nurse, and I have been nursing ever since,” she begins.

Lyn has worked in all areas of nursing for more than 50 years.

“I saw a nursing ad in the papers one day and I thought it sounded interesting. At the time, I was too young to apply, so I had to wait until I was 17,” she says.

“I’ve been at Northern Health for 12 years now. I love it here – I love the people I work for and the people I work with.”

Lyn remembers starting at Northern and knowing everyone, as the hospital was much smaller back then. She’s seen many changes and witnessed the hospital grow and develop, but one thing that has remained the same is the community spirit.

“Everybody is friendly and approachable here. I lost my husband three years ago and I feel like the people here saved me during a difficult time,” she adds.

Lyn started at the transit lounge, when it was just a small four-bed room. She then moved into ambulance transport and now with the restructure, works in access as well as in the transit lounge.

“I now do subacute referrals, ambulance bills, and work in transit and I really enjoy my role,” she says.

Throughout her career, Lyn spent four and a half years on the Nurses Board Victoria and found this role interesting and rewarding.

“As a Division 2 Nurse, there is really nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it. You can work in Emergency and Intensive Care and see where your career takes you,” she adds.

When Lyn reflects back on the old days of nursing, she says team nursing was the way things used to be done.

“When I started, we worked on busy wards and I knew every patient. We all worked as a team, together. Now, nurses have dedicated patients, whereas before I just looked after everybody,” she explains.

Outside of work, Lyn is a Bulldogs fan and loves to go to the footy.

As many of you will be aware, last year we reintroduced Executive Patient Safety Walk Arounds. You may wonder what they are and why we do them.

Executive Patient Safety Walk Arounds are designed to link the Executive directly to patient safety concerns in the clinical environment.

This is a great chance to hear from our staff and managers about what needs to improve.

These Walk Arounds are conducted once a month, by selecting similar wards or clinical departments at several of these sites simultaneously. The Chief Executive together with the entire Executive team, visit selected areas to become familiar with their issues and risks they identify as needing to be addressed.

Importantly, the Walk Arounds create an opportunity for staff to discuss patient safety issues of concern with the highest level of management, and escalate and action opportunities for increasing staff, patient and visitor satisfaction and safety. They are also an opportunity for our staff to identify ways to improve their work.

Through Patient Safety Walk Arounds, we’ve been able to make a number of changes that have resulted in real impact.

We have ordered computers on wheels to support the timely delivery of care, based on the feedback from Unit 1 and Observation Unit. From Broadmeadows and Day Surgery feedback, we have ordered new observation machines and a two-year capital request plan is in place to support the purchase of additional machines across the organisation.

We are also improving the patient experience by updating patient lounge areas after visits through SSU, CHS, Unit B and Cardiology EPSWA.

As an organisation, we understand that both our staff and patients need a clear space, as clutter can make areas look messy and difficult for patients and staff to move around. That is why we’ve taken a number of actions to reduce clutter.

Some of these actions include relocation of equipment, rationalisation of storage rooms and infection prevention consultation – to ensure equipment and consumables are stored correctly. This initiative has supported timely delivery of care by decreasing the time lost in searching for items.

Also, a new electronic screen is being installed which will help family members track movement of their loved ones through the Day Procedure Centre.

You can see that this is a real opportunity for us to take action and ensure we are a safer health service for our patients – whilst improving the patient experience.

There’s strong commitment from the Executive – but the immediate needs of patients is our number one priority. At a recent Patient Safety Walk Around at 5.30 am, one of our Executives, Bill Shearer, who also happens to be an Anaesthetist, left the Walk Around to assist in an emergency caesarean section!

Another way we listen to your ideas is through the People Matter Survey, which begins Monday, 13 May. I would like to strongly encourage you to participate and see your ideas brought to life. As in previous years, all answers are anonymous.

To find out more about the survey, see Michelle Fenwick’s guest column.

Jane Poxon

Acting Chief Executive

Ten years ago, Gladys Graham’s doctor advised her to put her feet up as often as she could, to help her poor circulation. Most people her age, would have conceded the time had come to take that advice literally and retire gracefully. Not Gladys. It was at the age of 90 that Gladys discovered her ‘second career’ – knitting caps and booties for the babies in our Maternity Services.

Every month, Chris Le Page, Pastoral Care Worker (pictured here to the right of Gladys), collects six to eight sets of the caps and booties Gladys knits. Chris explained that Gladys originally heard of the need for these items from one of our volunteer chaplains and decided she could help.

“Gladys pays for the wool herself and knits them with a lot of love,” Chris says.

Seneca Bowen and Jo Quinn from our Koori Maternity Service, say the midwives, mums and babies love how they are knitted in the Aboriginal colours.

“It’s fantastic that these hand knitted items can be given to families in need,” says Michelle Morrow, Maternity Services Nurse Unit Manager.

When we visited her with a signed card and a framed certificate of appreciation from the Pastoral staff at Northern Health, she insisted on sharing her birthday cake with us (a delightful confection, topped by coloured balls of yarn).

Gladys seemed quite amused by all the attention, including a card from the Queen – “I don’t know what all the fuss is about!,” she said.

Gladys showed no signs of slowing down and admitted she was ready once again to get back to her knitting – “I want to keep doing it!”

The Pastoral Services Department provides Pastoral and Spiritual support across all Northern Health sites. The department comprises of Northern Health employees, faith employed Chaplains and volunteer Chaplains.

As an extension of the in-house team, the Pastoral team also have a variety of ministers, some 50 in total, who provide support after hours to members of their own faith traditions. These dedicated individuals will come in outside of business hours to comfort and support those in need. Communications (formerly NH Switch) have a list for after hours when needed.

Next week, Northern Health launches the 2019 People Matter Survey, which will run from Monday, 13 May until Friday, 31 May. This survey is your opportunity to provide Northern Health with feedback on what is working well and what we need to be doing differently. Your feedback is incredibly important because it helps drive a number of key initiatives.

Over recent years, some of the key initiatives driven from your feedback include increasing communication through iNews and Chief Executive updates, reviving our Annual Staff Awards and introducing a new Quarterly Staff Reward and Recognition Program. We have a strong focus on addressing bullying and harassment and we’ve aligned to key community action groups such as White Ribbon. We’re currently improving our People Management systems and establishing an integrated Help Desk. Other initiatives include staff safety programs such as Mental Health Week, Fatigue Management and supportive programs like Pilates, Mindfulness and Financial Wellbeing.

The more staff voices we hear from, the richer the feedback, which in turn, assists us with raising ideas and more importantly, what needs to change to ensure that Northern Health is truly a great place to work.

On the morning of Monday, 13 May, all Northern Health staff will receive a generic survey link, which is sent to all active email accounts. The survey link means you can complete the survey anywhere, any time of the day and on any device that has Internet access and will take approx. 15 minutes to complete.

It’s also important to note that we take your privacy seriously and therefore, the survey has been and is completely anonymous. The survey is managed by an external company (Orima) and Northern Health will only receive an aggregated (and de-identified) report.

In 2018, 47 percent of Northern Health staff completed the survey, this year we want to hear from even more of you!

We look forward to receiving your responses and sharing the results from this year’s survey. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Penelope Grellet (Penelope.grellet@nh.org.au).

Michelle Fenwick

Executive Director, People and Culture