#WeAreNorthern

Meet Sharon Caruso, Doctor Liaison Officer and Cashier Revenue Services.

Q: Firstly, what’s your coffee order?

A: Skinny latte, us Melburnians love coffee don’t we! One of my favourite things to do is visit our Melbourne city laneways and have a latte!

Q: What do you like most about your role?

A: My team. We are a united, close-knit team. We all multitask and cross train within each other’s roles, and of course, we make sure we have a little bit of fun along the way.

Q: What are some things people don’t know about you?

A: Prior to working at Northern Health, one of my ventures was making wedding cakes. Who knows how many hours of work I put into each one! I really enjoyed delivering them around Melbourne and country Victoria wineries and photographing the finished products. I love how a lot of people are getting creative and making their own cakes these days.

Q: What do you like to do after work?

A: I’m a die-hard Richmond supporter (perhaps I should put that last) and usually attend every game. I love connecting with new people wherever I find myself, and I spend a lot of time with my favourite child who is an English Staffordshire named Archie. He’s king of the castle and absolutely knows it too!

Q: Which Northern Health value do you relate to best?

A: I love them all but ‘Kind’ and ‘Together’ stand out to me the most. Northern Health is naturally a caring community, and our work collaboratively brings everything and everyone together. I’m going onto my 14th year here at Northern Health, and I decided to join our workplace giving program.

I have seen the work of our Foundation does around the place over the years, and it feels good to be a part of it, working together to make Northern Health a better place for the community we serve. I encourage you to join if you haven’t already done so.

 

Dr Jamie Mackay, Anaesthetic Consultant, began a journey three years ago as part of the Big Ideas Campaign, led by the HRO team. His vision aimed to improve communication between the hospital and surgical patients through a digital platform, enhancing patient preparedness for elective surgeries.

This innovative project has now come to life with the launch of the Perioperative Digital Care Pathway (DCP) via the My Health @ Northern app on 20 August, 2024.

“The digital care pathway provides patients with a source of information that’s tailored to them and that they can trust. It is a sign of Northern Health’s leadership in the digital health space that we have a team like CLEO that can take an idea and produce a robust, comprehensive digital care pathway for our patients,” said Dr. Mackay.

The Perioperative DCP is designed to provide clinicians with accurate, real-time information about patients’ health status, improve patient satisfaction, reduce surgery cancellations and decrease hospital-acquired complications.

The project has been a collaborative effort, with a steering committee including key members of the surgery division, Allied Health and consumers, ensuring the pathway meets the needs of both patients and clinicians.

“The My Health @ Northern app is a great addition for our patients, giving tailored surgical and health information, with the aim of reducing patient uncertainty, failed attendances and surgery cancellations,” said Lisa Cox, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer.

A key component of the project has been the recent development of educational resources including a Welcome to Your Surgical Journey  video series, featuring four videos that follow a patient’s surgical journey from start to end. It covers what to do if a patient gets invited to the pre-admission clinic, what will happen on the day of their surgery as well as the discharge and follow up process.

“The Perioperative Digital Care Pathway aligns with the Department of Health’s newly released Planned Surgery Reform Blueprint, which aims to improve the experiences of planned surgery for all Victorians,” added Ms Cox.

“Happy to be involved in making the video to help patients that have never been under an operation before,” said Noel King, Consumer, Northern Health.

The goal of the program is to provide timely, coordinated, person-centred care that delivers the outcomes that matter most to Northern Health’s patients and their families. We want to help our patients build the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to improve their own healthcare outcomes.

“It has been wonderful being involved in this project, which will greatly benefit our surgical patients. The app will assist patients with physical and mental preparation for surgery, and the future phases of the app will continue to improve the patient’s journey in the surgical space,” said Yvette Sage, Perioperative Project Manager, CLEO, Northern Health.

“As a nurse, it has been refreshing to be involved in a project which involves digital health, and to deliver a DCP which is patient outcome focused.”

International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), observed annually on 31 August, is a powerful campaign dedicated to ending overdose, remembering those who have died without stigma, and acknowledging the grief of their loved ones.

Associate Professor Joe Anthony Rotella, Clinical Toxicologist and Emergency Physician (Addiction Psychiatry and Toxicology), poses a poignant question: “What is the difference between those who overdose and us? For most of us, we have not endured the same suffering or experiences. I sincerely hope no one ever does.”

He explains, “In some cases of overdose, it was a recreational mishap. There was no suicidal intent, there was no desire to die but the substance in question didn’t behave the way it did last time. In other cases, someone’s distress was so great and so terrible, that they were forced to take something to try and make that pain and suffering go away. At that time, your brain is working at its most primal level, trying anything to escape danger, distress, pain and/or fear. There is no space or opportunity to think rationally or, as some enlightened individuals suggest, to ‘snap out of it’. At that point, it feels like nothing could be worse. I think it is not a stretch to say that we all can think of times where we have felt the same way.”

“But it could happen to any one of us. Perhaps this realisation drives our response, or lack thereof… that the gap between us is not that wide after all?”

Scott Bell, Lead Peer Support Worker at North West Area Mental Health Service, emphasises, “Those with lived experience of alcohol and/or drug use are people first. Preventing overdose gives us the opportunity to continue our journey to abstain or gain our connection back to the community. Having faith in us, even after having multiple overdoes, still gives us hope, even in the darkest of hours. Compassion, curiosity and a genuine effort to include us in our own treatment goes a long way to help prevent overdose. Only we can remove the stigma of criminality and change the view towards this health crisis”.

The Northern Health Addiction Psychiatry and Toxicology (APT) service is available to consumers admitted through the Northern Hospital Emergency Department, medical and surgical inpatients, psychiatry wards, and current consumers of our mental health services. Our services include specialist assessment, diagnosis, and clinical management of co-occurring substance use disorders and toxicity, as well as secondary consultations with treating teams for advice on diagnosis, clinical management, and treatment options.

Dr. Vinay Lakra, Divisional Director of Mental Health, states, “APT services at Northern Health are committed to providing evidence-based care to those who present with an overdose. This complements the efforts of our other clinical services in supporting patients to make positive choices. Together we can.”

Belinda Scott, Executive Director of Mental Health, urges, “On International Overdose Awareness Day, let us unite under the theme ‘Together We Can’ to raise awareness, advocate for change, and work towards ending the harm caused by overdose. Every voice counts in this vital campaign.”

A/Prof Rotella concludes, “So I put to you, if any of us could end up in the same circumstances, why shouldn’t we help? We can all ask about someone’s wellbeing, we can promote harm minimisation, and we can combat stigma. In other words, we can be safe, kind and together.”

Pictured the Community Mental Health Clinicians at Merri-bek (L-R):  Georgia Borrack, Sarah Cunningham, Rohan Godfrey, Cem Sonmez, Josh Sollitt, Chris Jennings

Northern Health anaesthetist, Associate Professor Suzi Nou, has recently been awarded the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) 2024 President’s Award for her outstanding advocacy work on private practice.

Suzi’s award was announced on 3 August at the AMA’s national conference, AMA24, on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

AMA President, Professor Steve Robson, said A/Prof Nou, the immediate past president of the federal Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA), was committed to improving conditions for medical professionals and ensuring patients have access to the best possible care.

“A/Prof Suzi Nou is an exceptional anaesthetist who is highly respected by her colleagues.”

“As federal ASA president, she mitigated the impact of caring for public patients in private hospitals, particularly on work conditions.”

“We want to honour Suzi for advocating strongly for specialists to maintain their independence, for public patients in private hospitals, amid the looming threat of bundled and managed care in the private sector,” he added.

Suzi represents anaesthetists on the AMA Federal Council and works with the wider profession to improve work conditions for doctors and ensure their independence.

During the Awards event, Suzi was abroad on sabbatical leave and couldn’t attend the ceremony. However, she said she was deeply honoured to be the recipient of the President’s Award.

“When Professor Robson rang me to let me know that I was the recipient of the award, I was standing in a campground, looking across a Norwegian glacier lake. It was a surreal experience and I was speechless,” said A/Prof Nou.

“I saw my role as ASA President and AMA Federal Councillor as an incredible opportunity to represent the profession. I learnt a lot about private health funds and their growth in profits and reduction in payouts to patients. I regarded it as my duty to speak about these things so that the independence of doctors be maintained and patients continue to receive high quality care. To be awarded for what I saw as my duty is an incredible honour,” she added.

Jake Geertsema, Northern Health Director of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, said, “Suzi’s tireless advocacy for both patients and medical professionals has set a new benchmark in our field. Her receipt of the AMA 2024 President’s Award is a testament to the profound impact she has made in healthcare, and we are incredibly proud to have her as a part of our team at Northern Health.”

From all of us here at Northern Health, congratulations and well done!

 

Featured image supplied by AMA 

This week is Speech Pathology Week 2024 and the theme is ‘Communicate Your Way.’ Speech Pathology Week is all about celebrating the diverse ways that people communicate and to raise awareness about the work of speech pathologists.

In Australia, there are an estimated 1.2 million people with communication support needs. Speech pathologists work with people to achieve their communication goals, whether it’s a child with a developmental language delay, someone recovering from a stroke, or anyone needing support to communicate.

According to 2021 Australian Early Developmental Census (AEDC) data, on average one in five children in Victoria (28 per cent of children in the local government areas of Hume and 20 per cent in Whittlesea) present to school as developmentally vulnerable in at least one area (Department of Education and Training, 2021).

At Northern Health, the Speech Pathology Department consists of 35 speech pathologists and allied health assistants in the Paediatric and Adult teams, working across multiple sites. Speech pathologists are responsible for assessment and management of swallowing and communication disorders. To celebrate and acknowledge the Northern Health Speech Pathologists, let’s take a look at the services they provide across the continuum of care with a focus on supporting patients with a communication impairment.

Communication Support Group

Frank Matsuzak and Norminia McGregor are two Northern Health patients that have had speech pathology as part of their journey. Frank and Norminia are currently involved in a weekly communication group run by Manuela Cavuoto, Northern Health Speech Pathologist.

Norminia was first seen by speech pathology when she was diagnosed with a Left Lacunar Infarct. At that time, Norminia’s speech started depleting and progressively became worse. With the support of Northern Health Speech Pathologists, Norminia reports that her speech has improved since implementing strategies and talking as much as possible. Despite some spelling difficulties, Norminia sometimes uses pen and paper to write down what she is trying to say to help others understand her.

Frank was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis and a Left Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke which impacted his communication. When talking about the difference speech pathology has made for him, Frank shared that “speech pathology gave me the confidence to speak again and get around the community… Speech pathology had helpful recommendations about what to do when there is a communication breakdown.”

Acute

The Acute Speech Pathology team play a significant role in the early stages of a patient’s communication journey. They provide communication screening, assessment, management and early rehabilitation of patients who present with a communication and/or swallowing difficulty. It’s essential for patients to be able to communicate their basic needs and wants and participate in healthcare decision making. Speech pathologists help to optimise and advocate a way of communicating (e.g. gesture, communication aids, verbally) and support patients on their healthcare journey.

Subacute 

The Subacute Speech Pathology team continue on the assessment and management of patients with a large focus on rehabilitation and goal-based intervention and within the geriatric population. It’s within this setting that patients may receive therapy to work on their goals. Some examples include improving the clarity of their speech, participating in a conversation, reducing word finding difficulties, and providing education to family and carers.

Community

The Community Speech Pathologists have a key role in working alongside patients to achieve their communication goals once they are back at home. This can include supporting a patient return to work by practicing their clear speech strategies over the telephone, increasing their confidence in reading a story to their grandchildren or practicing word-retrieval strategies to help with successful conversations. Both Bundoora and Broadmeadows host a Communication Support Group which provides an opportunity for patients to increase their confidence communicating.

Paediatrics

The Paediatric Speech Pathology team supports family and nursing staff to understand babies’ early communication skills. They also provide outpatient services for children who have developmental delay including language, speech, play, and cognition. Paediatric Speech Pathologists work within the Multidisciplinary Developmental Assessment Clinic (MDAC) and the Northern Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic (NASDAC).

Thank you to our Speech Pathology team for all your hard work and dedication!

Featured image: Speech Pathology teams at Bundoora, Broadmeadows and Epping.

#WeAreNorthern

Meet Genevieve Lane, Hospital Coordinator, Kilmore District Hospital, Northern Health.

Q: Firstly, what is your coffee order?

A: Long black with full cream milk on the side. Cup, not a mug.

Q: Tell us about your role as hospital coordinator at Kilmore District Hospital?

A: I have been a hospital coordinator for the last three years. My role includes a fairly detailed oversight of the running of the facility when the management have left for the day/weekend. I have worked at Kilmore District Hospital for 25 years, mostly as an ANUM RN RM on the acute ward. I also worked in our Urgent Care Centre during this time and for some variety.

Q: What does a day at work look like for you?

A: My day/night involves managing staffing across all areas, codes, equipment failure, reporting to the executive on call and maintenance, Victorian Health Incident Management System (VHIMs) reporting, limited site security, supporting staff, making sure they have the resources required so that the patients, residents and the community are safe and getting the best care we can provide at Kilmore District Hospital. There is often something that comes out of left field that is unexpected and requires lateral thinking.

Q: What are some of the achievements you are most proud of, both personally and professionally?

A: I am proud to be a nurse/midwife after 46 years of working in healthcare and still enjoy working. I love the connection nursing gives me with people. I tell people I have been nursing for 100 years!

I am also proud of my family connection with Kilmore District Hospital. My grandfather and father both served on the Board of Management for years. My father was President for quite a long time, including the period when the community fundraised and lobbied the government for funding to build Caladenia Nursing Home, one of our two aged care facilities, which opened back in 1991. My father later became a resident of both Dianella Hostel and Caladenia Nursing Home.

Q: Favourite movie quote?

A: My favourite quote would have to be from The Addams Family, Lurch, “You rang”.

If fact, I often answer the phone with a deep voice, “You rang” when I am expecting a call or I think I know who is calling. I have been caught once when a patient phone call was transferred through to the hospital coordinator’s phone and yes, I was very embarrassed.

The bi-annual General Surgery Registrar Prize Night is the brainchild of Professor Hamish Ewing, inaugural Associate Professor of Surgery at the Preston and Northcote Community Hospital (PANCH).

It is a way of celebrating and rewarding our accredited surgical registrars for their dedication and hard work across the six months of their rotation at Northern Health. And what better way to reward them than to make them present a case report and literature review in a competitive environment!

The Prize Night, held on 25 July, was a particularly good one. The rules of the competition are that registrars must present a case they have managed in their six-month term, present a relevant literature discussion, and above all, stick to the 10-minute time limit.

All six registrars did a fantastic job, were clearly very enthusiastic regarding their topics, and had put a lot of work into their presentations. Dr Neil Strugnell and Dr Bibhusal Thapa had the unenviable job of judging, while those in attendance enjoyed the excellent spread of sushi and Vietnamese spring rolls put on by our sponsor Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). Our thanks to the BD representative, Sam Jawad, and also to Donna Wilkes, who organised the evening and was the official timekeeper.

Tess Howard kicked off proceedings with a fascinating case about foreign body perforation of a Meckel’s diverticulum. Alex Kuminov had a great discussion following a case with synchronous oesophageal and gastric cancers, and how to surgically manage these. Khadijah Ahmed presented a great ethical dilemma of when to remove peritoneal metastatic disease, the role of debulking, the role of Hyperthermic Intra-Peritoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC), or whether palliative care is more appropriate in a patient wanting active treatment.

The judges highlighted Candy Cheng’s talk on a large fungating Phylloides tumour, and in particular were impressed at the depth of patient care when delving into a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis being the reason for the markedly delayed presentation. Sara Mohammed Jinnaah’s talk was also highlighted for the amazing video and pictures of a humungous gallstone being delivered out of the duodenum in a rare case of Bouveret’s Syndrome – gallstone ileus with duodenal impaction.

The star of the night was vascular registrar, Amar Lakhani, who presented a case of femoral artery pseudoaneurysm and abscess in an IV drug user. Seeing a photo of a pseudoaneurysm that had emerged through the skin, and hearing about the acute rupture on the ward was a little terrifying, but the discussion around the surgical methods to first save the life, and then save the leg had the whole audience asking questions. Congratulations to Amar, who was a worthy winner!

The registrars in the second half of the year will get a chance to show their presenting skills at the next Surgical Registrar Prize Night on 12 of December at 5.30 pm in the Northern Health Lecture Theatre and on Teams.

Picture shows Registrar Amar Lakhani, Sam Jawad, BD representative and Drs Bibhusal Thapa and Neil Strugnell. 

Kilmore District Hospital staff will soon have more access to healthier food options, thanks to the latest efforts aligned with the Victorian Government’s Healthy Choices Policy Directive for Public Health Services.

The policy directive aims to improve the availability of healthy food and drink choices at public hospitals and health services, supporting the health and wellbeing of staff and visitors. Northern Health has embraced these guidelines to ensure a greater number of healthy food and drink choices are available across its facilities.

In recent audits, food options available for staff to purchase at Kilmore District Hospital were analysed in depth using ‘FoodChecker’ software, which was developed by Nutrition Australia with support from the Victorian Government to assess how various public services align with the Healthy Choices Policy Directive.

From September 2024, all vending machines and in-house food retail outlets at Kilmore District Hospital will offer at least 50 per cent green food options (those deemed the healthiest) and no more than 20 per cent red food options (foods that should be limited).

The catering provided at staff meetings and events across other Northern Health locations will also offer at least 50 per cent green foods and drinks and no red foods and drinks. These changes ensure that healthier choices are more accessible, encouraging better eating habits among staff and patients.

The implementation has been overseen by key Northern Health staff, including Lisa Cox, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, and Executive Sponsor for Healthy Choices at Northern Health.

“It’s good to see how we have integrated the Healthy Choices Policy directives to be able to unite as one health service and engage Kilmore District Hospital, so that we are all working towards healthy outcomes for not only our patients but for our staff.”

Working in partnership with food providers such as Henry’s Café and the hospital’s in-house catering services, Northern Health is dedicated to enhancing the nutritional quality of food available to staff. This collaboration ensures that vending machines and meal options for catering are stocked with healthier choices, providing convenient and nutritious options throughout the day.

These efforts reflect Northern Health’s ongoing commitment to creating a supportive environment for health and wellbeing, making the healthy choice the easy one.