This week, Northern Health celebrated Harmony Day and Cultural Diversity Week.

Harmony Day is held every year on 21 March, to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The 2023 theme for Harmony Day was ‘Everyone belongs’. On this day, we celebrated Australia’s diversity and paid cultural respect to everyone who calls Australia home.

Northern Health services a very culturally diverse community: 47 per cent of Northern Health patients were born in non-English speaking countries, with over 200 countries represented. The top countries of origin are Italy, India, Greece, Iraq and Turkey. Through the Transcultural & Language Services (TALS) department, Northern Health delivers over 70,000 interpreting occasions of service, in over 100 languages.

Cultural diversity is also highlighted in the Northern Health workforce, with staff born in over 40 different countries and speaking over 50 different languages.

Here is what some of our wonderful Northern Health staff said about what harmony means to them:

“Support Services proudly hosts a multicultural team of staff representing many varied cultures and backgrounds. Celebrating Harmony Day allows us to recognise their amazing contribution and to celebrate their hard work and inclusion at Northern Health,” said Operations Manager of Support Services and Co-Chair of the Northern Health Cultural Responsiveness Subcommittee, Wendy Nicol.

 “I am proud to work in such a multicultural catchment area and to liaise daily with staff from different backgrounds. I come from a different country myself (Italy) but this feels like home,” said Education and Engagement Manager for TALS and Narrun-Wilip-Giin, Stefania Zen.

To celebrate Cultural Diversity Week, staff were encouraged to either wear something orange (the official colour of Harmony Day) or a traditional costume from their culture, and celebrate Harmony Day with their colleagues.

It was great to see so many staff embracing Cultural Diversity Week and joining in the celebration.

Display boards were set up at Northern Hospital Epping, Bundoora Centre, Broadmeadows Hospital and Craigieburn Centre. Several staff members contributed to the displays, and one of the displays included artwork created by the year 3/4 children at St Raphael’s Primary School in West Preston.

The library team also set up a page dedicated to Harmony Week with resources and articles related to cultural diversity and healthcare: https://nh-au.libguides.com/home/harmonyweek2023.

Henry’s Cafe and Cafe 1231 put on a special menu to celebrate Cultural Diversity Week by serving traditional dishes from Greece, India, Lebanon, Thailand, Italy, China, and Mexico.

On Harmony Day, the Northern Health Community Choir was honoured to be part of Cultural Diversity Week celebrations in the community held by City of Whittlesea at the Epping Memorial Hall. In a night full of food, music, dance and art from around the world, it was uplifting to see members of the 200-strong audience stand and sing along to ‘I am Australian’ with the choir.

If you would like to participate in the Cultural Diversity week activities and share a delicious recipe from your culture, there is still time to submit one. All recipes will go to the Northern Health staff e-recipe book and can be accessed on the TALS Intranet page.

Please use this template and send your recipe to volunteer@nh.org.au by Sunday, 26 March 2023.

The Northern Health ISS Facility Services team was recently awarded the ISS Operations Performance Award at the 2022 Pacific Leadership Conference in the Northern Territory.

The team was recognised for its successful re-tender of their Northern Health contract, their agile response in all aspects of cleaning and food meeting high standards, establishing methodologies and work instructions to adopt consistency, and for implementing new initiatives in the workplace.

Saj Amerasinghe, ISS Key Account Manager, said the team should be very proud of the work they have done over the years.

“Winning a Pacific Award is always a great achievement, especially when you have to compete amongst the top ISS divisional contenders,” he said.

“This is a great recognition for our Northern Health contract and to all our staff. It also allows us to recognise and showcase the best of ISS and inspire the organisation by rewarding great behaviours, values and our culture.”

The 2022 Pacific Leadership Conference reflected on the OneISS journey – a strategy outlining a clear recovery path back to a healthy and profitable business – and to celebrate the many achievements of ISS.

“As the OneISS strategy has gathered momentum, we have made some clear progress by way of our diversity and inclusion journey. This was one very good reason why the conference was at Uluru – sharing four days of information on how to be a great leader in ISS, understanding our ambition and celebrating our purpose,” Mr Amerasinghe said.

“It’s also about understanding our OneISS strategy and how to execute, and of course, how to behave, to lead, and to build the culture we know will help us drive execution.”

Looking to the future, Saj says sustainability will be a key focus for ISS.

“We are working on waste analysis and a sustainability workshop where we prioritise and strategise projects which will deliver sustainable outcomes,” he said.

Michael Aghan, ISS Facility Services National General Manager, congratulated the Northern Health team.

“You all contributed to this award and should be very proud of the work you have done over the past year, and previous years in the trying environment,” he said.

ISS last week celebrated its seventh anniversary with Northern Health. Mr Amerasinghe thanked the more than 200 staff who provide cleaning, catering and hospitality services across the health service.

“A big thank you to everyone who has been there since day one, and to anyone who has joined along the way. It’s all about making sure the patient journey is as smooth as possible, and I look forward to many more years working closely with you all,” he said.

Featured image: Debra Bourne, Chief Operating Officer, Saj Amerasinghe, ISS Key Account Manager, and Greg Warman, Director Support Services.

Yesterday, Tuesday 21 March, was World Social Work Day and Northern Health’s social workers have marked the day with an event highlighting this year’s theme, “Respecting Diversity through Joint Social Action”.

The afternoon event featured two presentations, each focusing on aspects of diversity. The first presentation showcased the support provided to our local community by the Disability Liaison program at Northern Health for people living with a disability, focusing on intersectionality and marginalised groups. The second presentation focused on family violence in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Northern Health Associate Director Allied Health, Penelope Vye says the event provided a great opportunity for all Northern Health social workers to gather together and celebrate the amazing work they do.

“Social workers are key in leading efforts in the family violence and disability areas. The number of social workers employed at Northern Health has increased dramatically in the past year – the onboarding of mental health has led to the employment of an additional 90 staff who provide services across a wide range of inpatient and community programs,” she said.

Northern Health social workers promote diversity by respecting and advocating for patients from culturally diverse backgrounds, the LGBTQIA+ community and those with disabilities. This is achieved through a number of different programs across Northern Health, including Strengthening Hospital’s Response to Family Violence (SHRFV), Hospital Without Walls, NDIS and many more.

In celebration of the amazing work that social workers do, and especially on this World Social Work day, here is what some of Northern Health staff had to say.

“Social workers provide valuable knowledge of supports, services and programs available for inpatients and beyond the hospital walls. They provide human connection for patients and their families during stressful times and advocate for the safety and wellbeing of patients and their loved ones,” Sara*, Registered Nurse.

“Social workers work with patients to help them through mental health, which is vital in our area. They also work with families that have experienced loss. Social workers assist with complex issues such as family violence, accommodation and other hardship as well,” Jessica*, Birth Suite staff member.

“Social workers maintain a dual focus on both assisting and improving human wellbeing, as well as identifying and addressing external issues. The Northern Health social workers are dedicated professionals, devoted to helping vulnerable people to get through their life issues,” Sam*, Nurse Unit Manager.

Northern Health social workers invited other health professionals to help celebrate World Social Work Day by respecting diversity and working together to eliminate any issues and barriers experienced by patients across various health care settings.

*Aliases have been used for privacy reasons

Pictured: Social work team

Northern Health is about to change its Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution, in line with Department of Health (DoH) security requirements.

The DoH requires all Northern Health mobile devices, including applications and data on bring your own devices, to be managed by a new MDM system to ensure security on the health service’s network.

Microsoft Intune has been selected as Northern Health’s new MDM platform. ICT will start enrolling all mobile devices into Microsoft Intune by the end of June.

Once Microsoft Intune has been implemented, if a device is lost or stolen, it can be wiped directly from Intune. Mobile apps will be available for users to install directly without having to ask permission from ICT and, if a device is misplaced, Intune can track its last-known location. Devices will be backed up prior to the enrolment to ensure data on the device is not lost.

If a device is not enrolled in Intune, ICT will be required to block the device from accessing any Northern Health data.

David Calvo, Chief Information Officer, said with recent data breaches in other well-known organisations, it was a timely reminder the information of our patients was of a high priority.

“Northern Health has had many limitations with the current MDM solution in place. Intune will allow us to increase the corporate mobile device fleet security, be compliant with the cyber security requirements from the Department of Health and improve productivity by streamlining processes. I will also allow ICT to be more flexible with Northern Health users by allowing the enrolment of a wider spectrum of mobile devices,” he said.

Megan Farrell, Project Manager, said Microsoft Intune was a, “great move forward to secure data for Northern Health.”

Staff using a Northern Health owned mobile device will need to complete a short online form before Friday, 14 April to ensure the device is configured correctly.

For further information please visit the ICT Mobile Devices Procedure on PROMPT.

Featured image L-R: Anthony Bordon, ICT Support Officer, David Calvo, Chief Information Officer, Andrea Clancy, ICT Admin Support, Megan Farrell, Project Manager and Neha Singh ICT.

The Inpatient Palliative Care (PC) unit is located in Ward 3 at Northern Hospital Epping. It is a 16-bed unit with shared and private rooms for adult patients diagnosed with a health condition that cannot be cured. The nature of the patients admitted to the PC unit varies from patients at the end of their life to patients with pain issues, which need to be managed more effectively. The unit also provides respite care for primary carers.

The PC multi-disciplinary team seeks to deliver a comprehensive care suite by holistically addressing symptoms and concerns for patients and their families.

Patients cared for in the ward might need help with:

• Symptom assessment and management – such as pain, breathlessness, nausea, anxiety, and others.
• Talking about the diagnosis, treatment options and future care planning.
• Making plans for ongoing care outside of the hospital, such as accessing community services, equipment for home, carer training, and moving into residential care.
• Care at the end of life.
• Other situations requiring inpatient specialist palliative care.

The PC team consists of many dedicated health professionals who have chosen the field because they are passionate about helping others and have impeccable work ethics. Some of the nurses who have joined the PC unit through the Graduate Nurse Program, say that the work experience enabled them to get a better insight into what palliative care is and they felt truly inspired by the team.

“Starting as a graduate nurse in PC many years ago, I’ve learned from an amazing team and enjoy working in a difficult but rewarding area. I’ve had the opportunity to share many special moments with patients and their families, such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries. These moments remind me why the PC unit is such an important place, and I’m grateful to be part of a team that can provide this kind of care,” says Clinical Nurse Specialist and former nurse student, Shannon Wilson.

Northern Health social worker, Kirsty Winton, says that many people have the impression that working in PC would be sad or depressing, but to her, the PC unit is a special place.

“I have never worked with such genuinely caring and compassionate people who go out of their way to make patients and their families feel at home. To be able to make a small difference in the lives of people that have a life-limiting illness is a real privilege,” she said.

Pastoral Care Chaplain, Melanie Moore, says she feels privileged to be part of the PC team.

“Northern Health recognises that those who use our service, and our staff, are diverse in many ways. The recognition and inclusion of spiritual care offers a holistic model of care in this diverse setting. Working alongside various disciplines in the PC unit for optimal patient outcomes, offers a benchmark standard of care that is often recognised by affirming feedback on the PC unit service,” she said.

The pandemic presented many challenges for both patients and staff at the PC unit. Due to the strict COVID-19 restrictions at the time, the entire PC unit had to be relocated to a different facility. With the introduction of vaccines as a mandatory requirement and strict protocols for patients’ visitors put in place, the unit slowly adapted to the changes the pandemic brought and continued to serve the community.

In 2022, the PC unit was relocated back to Ward 3 at Northern Hospital Epping. Staff are confident that during 2023, they will continue to provide all the necessary care and support for patients, their families and loved ones. They are also hoping to see improvements to the garden area and create a special space for the patients to make their stay in the unit more enjoyable.

Thank you to the Palliative Care team for all that you do for our patients and their families! 

Pictured: The Palliative Care team

The Speaking Up For Safety (SUFS) program is a series of one-hour workshops designed to equip staff with the skills and confidence to escalate concerns around patient and/or staff safety with assertiveness and respect.

The program aims to build and normalise a culture where staff feel comfortable to check on each other, and to welcome being checked on, with the aim of preventing unintended harm.

The program launched late last year at Northern Health, with staff who attended a SUFS session noting the, “empowering and encouraging,” training when it came to speaking up for safety in the workplace.

“The SUFS training was empowering and encouraging. It provides a practical stepped communication approach that increases confidence in raising concerns about safety. I really liked that the training also considers the tricky ethical issues that impact on staff when faced with the decision to speak up for patient and staff safety,” said Dr Brooke Froud-Cummins, Clinical Leader, Psychology, Allied Health.

Johanna Hayes, Divisional Director Hospital Without Walls, said the program was a great initiative.

“I attended the session which was led by Rachel Nolan. I would strongly recommend all staff, clinical and non-clinical, to attend,” she said.

“Already myself and my colleagues have used the words and phrases learnt. It’s a great initiative and I have to commend the skills of the presenter for running an insightful session.”

Wendy Nichol, Operations Manager, Support Services, said it was important for all staff to understand, that no matter their position at Northern Health, safety was everyone’s responsibility.

“The SUFS training provides tools and tips to empower staff to speak up when they see something that is unsafe for patients or staff and allows them to have the confidence to do so,” she said.

All staff will be invited to attend an online SUFS session via Microsoft Teams. Calendar invitations will be sent from Managers and Division Leaders this month, encouraging their staff to attend the workshops.

Bianca Fazzari, People and Culture Business Partner, said the physical and psychological safety of patients and staff was crucial in delivering quality care and a positive patients experience Northern Health can be proud of.

“That’s why we have partnered with The Cognitive Institute to deliver SUFS,” she said.

“This one-hour workshop forms the foundations we need to learn the Safety C.O.D.E (Checks, Options, Demands, Elevates) – but we aren’t stopping there. We want to embed it into our daily practice on every ward, in every team – clinical and non-clinical – at every handover, meeting and critical moment in each patient’s care.”

“By doing this, we can strengthen the culture of safety at Northern Health – safely, kindly, and together.”

Watch the below video for more information on the Safety CODE.

Featured image shows SUFS trainers, Melanie Alcorn, Sarah Charles, Bonnie Ferguson and Jake Gelvezon.

#WeAreNorthern 

Meet Will Sherer, Children’s Ward, Enrolled Nurse.

Q: If you weren’t in your current role, what would you be doing?

A: Stressing! Rewind a few years and I was going into a new role as a travel consultant. I changed direction and followed my passion by starting a nursing degree instead. One year later, the pandemic hit and travel was shut down. The pandemic of course has been stressful for both professions, but I’m glad to have been able to study and work through it all.

Q: What do you hope your co-workers say about you at your retirement party?

A: Hopefully that they’ll miss me! We have a great team on the ward and it’s always sad to see someone go.

Q: What motivates you?

A: Curiosity. Bridging the gap between the known and the unknown is exciting in this field. I’m always learning something new which really keeps me engaged.

Q: What career advice would you give to your younger self?

A: Change always feels risky, and it often is, but the risk is worth taking and you’ll find yourself in a much happier place if you just follow you heart. Be brave, be bold, reskill sooner.

Q: If you lived 500 years ago, what do you think your profession would be?

A: It wasn’t really a time when men were nurses…the period back then is often referred to as the ‘dark ages of nursing’ and the profession looked quite different. I would like to think I would be doing something that helped people, so perhaps a surgeon or doctor? If not, then a court-jester!

Close the Gap Day advocates for health equity of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and educates the public about health issues and barriers they may face.

The national day is observed on the third Thursday of March each year and aims to close the health and life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.

The 2023 Close the Gap Report, titled ‘Strong Culture, Strong Youth: Our Legacy, Our Future’, explores how the cultural determinants of health play a vital role in achieving long-term health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, with a particular focus on the organisations and individuals that work to enrich the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth.

For more than a decade, Australians from every corner of the country, in schools, businesses and community groups, have shown their support for Close the Gap by marking National Close the Gap Day.

Northern Health is playing its part in closing the gap through Narrun Wilip-giin (Aboriginal Support Unit), the Koori Maternity Service and more recently, the employment of the new Emergency Department Aboriginal Liaison Officer, who works four days a week from 1 pm to 9 pm in the Emergency Department and Short Stay Unit.

There is also the Northern Health Aboriginal Advisory Committee (NHAAC) that meet four times a year, and the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Sub-Committee that meet monthly, who are currently working on the second version of the Innovate RAP. Northern Health also has a Cultural Safety Plan which has been worked on with Aboriginal staff, Aboriginal community members and Northern Health Executive Directors.

“Northern Health has a committed Aboriginal Support Unit which aims to culturally support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and carers through the hospital journey,” said Toni Gabelish, Aboriginal Liaison Officer.

“We do this by ensuring Aboriginal people have access to all Northern Health services and ensuring Northern Health is culturally sensitive, safe and welcoming to Aboriginal people.”

“We also identify and address barriers that may prevent Aboriginal people from using Northern Health services and assist Northern Health as a whole to develop relationships within the Aboriginal community,” Ms Gabelish said.

Northern Health’s aim is to bring people together to share information, and most importantly, to take meaningful action in support of achieving health equality for First Nations Peoples by 2032.

Featured image: Karen Byrant, Senior Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Stephanie Thompson, Aboriginal Liaison Officer and Toni Gabelish, Aboriginal Liaison Officer.