Eleanor Johnson, Research Midwife at Northern Health, was selected for a prestigious MACH Track fellowship. She is one of only eight innovators who have been given this honour, which will allow her to combine postgraduate research training and clinical work.

MACH Track is a structured, mentored and fully funded career development program created for exceptional research-minded health practitioners, pursuing post-registration clinical training or career development in any of the ten health services affiliated to MACH.

The program seeks to develop the future leaders of healthcare innovation by offering an opportunity to integrate pre-PhD, PhD and initial post-PhD research training with completion of vocational training of the highest standard.

This program will enable Eleanor to continue her research with Kate Chaouki, Clinical Midwife Consultant, focused on partnering with consumers and community stakeholders through co-design to optimise abortion care in Melbourne’s north. Eleanor also had a top 10 abstract at Northern Health Research Week 2023 for part of this research.

“I want to acknowledge and thank my colleagues, supervisors, the Northern Executive team and MACH for their guidance and support of this research. I feel very lucky and grateful to have been able to undertake the MACH Health Service Research (MacHSR) Fellowship last year and now be part of the 2024 MACH-Trak Cohort. It was exciting to meet the other MACH-Trak trainees that are from a range of different clinical backgrounds at our Orientation in November and learn more about their areas of interest,” she said.

Honorary Associate Professor Laura Bignell, the inaugural MACH-Track Co-Director for Midwifery, says she is delighted to welcome the first midwife to the program.

“I’m thrilled we have our first midwife joining the 2024 MACH-Track cohort, who has the opportunity to bring research breakthroughs to the clinical frontline.”

“It’s a testament to the reputation of the MACH program, which offers excellent support to health professionals looking to combine a clinical and research career. Eleanor is an exceptional midwife, who has already done great things in the MacHSR Program, and I wish her and all the cohort every success as they begin their impressive research projects.”

Earlier this year, in June 2023, Dr Sanjeevan Muruganandan, Respiratory Physician at Northern Health, was awarded the 2023 MacHSR fellowship for his work on malignant pleural effusion (MPE) – fluid around the lung caused by cancer.

“MPE care is a neglected area and there is a lot of variation in care. My vision is to transform MPE care by using innovative, digitally enabled models to move MPE care from hospital to home. The MacHSR Fellowship will enhance my knowledge, research and leadership skills,” he said.

For more information about opportunities for supported research training, please visit: https://machaustralia.org/future-leaders/mach-track/ and https://machaustralia.org/machsr/ or you can email Eleanor Johnson at eleanor.johnson@nh.org.au

This morning, Northern Health virtually hosted the annual Length of Service Awards for 2023.

More than 470 staff were recognised for achieving between 10 and 50 years of service, with many of our staff providing service since the days of PANCH. Combined, these staff have contributed to more than 6,600 years of service to Northern Health.

More than 220 staff watched on as their colleagues celebrated significant milestones. The ceremony also featured a series of fun throwback videos that highlighted major events of each year.

Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive, opened the ceremony by acknowledging the large number of staff working across Northern Health.

“It is great to see how our health service has continued to grow, with the inclusion of Kilmore District Health staff who joined us as part of the voluntary amalgamation on 1 November 2023, expanding the range of services we provide to the communities of Melbourne’s northern suburbs,” he said.

Two staff members have been with Northern Health the longest, celebrating 40 and 50 years of service. Kerrin Camen, Clinical Nurse Specialist, celebrated 40 years of service, while Liuba Vulic, PSA, celebrated 50 years.

Siva Sivarajah and Debra Bourne, Chief Operating Officer, presented Kerrin and Liuba with their awards. Both Liuba and Kerrin reflected on their many years of service.

“I can’t believe it, 50 years. I love my job, I love the people who I work with. It is so important to stick together and be nice to each other. Every job can be hard sometimes, but I believe that tomorrow will be a better day – start every day fresh,” Liuba said.

“I am so happy with the people I work with. I see beauty in every person I work with.”

For Kerrin, she said she felt very proud to reach 40 years.

“In theatre, my favourite memories are the caesarean patients. It’s just beautiful and amazes me that you can make a little baby… It’s such a satisfying job because at the end of the day, you feel like you have made a difference.”

Members of the Executive team presented the awards for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35-year recipients. Wanda Stelmach, Chief Medical Officer, also celebrated reaching 30 years of service at Northern Health in 2023.

Michelle Fenwick, Executive Director, People and Culture, closed the ceremony by congratulating all staff on another year of providing care to the community.

“I am proud to be part of an organisation with such a rich history, and whose staff are so dedicated, passionate and hard working,” she said.

“Congratulations on providing another year of care to our growing Northern Health community, and we look forward to continuing the same level of exceptional care in 2024.”

Congratulations to all our recipients today!

Click here to watch the full ceremony.

Featured image L-R: Michelle Fenwick, Executive Director, People and Culture, Kerrin Camen, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Liuba Vulic, PSA and Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive.

#WeAreNorthern

Meet Carolyn Baker, Chief Legal Officer (CLO), Northern Health.

Q: Carolyn, could I start with your coffee order please?

What a great, quintessentially Melbourne question. I will start with an espresso please then follow up with a flat white thank you.

Q: Tell us about your new role at Northern Health.

I’m the Chief Legal Officer here at Northern Health. The role is head of legal and accountable for managing legal risk for the health service. Practically speaking I don’t do this alone, my best work is done through our team of great lawyers. There are generally two parts to running a legal function, the reactive and the proactive. The first is 70-80 per cent of what we do – responding to requests or situations as they occur, whether they are contract matters, consumer related matters or FOI. In this space, having clear and effective operational protocols and processes is key, to ensure we are responsive and constructive and always prioritising the most critical legal risks. The second aspect is using our knowledge and experience to identify ways to proactively reduce legal risk through process change, education etc. In my first few months as Chief Legal Officer, my focus has been on listening to feedback and working with the team to design our operational protocols. These will be on the Legal page of the Intranet very soon.

Q: Briefly, can you tell us of your roles and career prior to Northern Health? Have you always wanted to work in healthcare?

I’m a lawyer by training and in the last 10 years my practice has broadened to a mix of General Counsel / CLO and Corporate Services (HR, risk, safety and sustainability). The Northern Health CLO role, being a single function, is a fun return to my GC roots, in a completely new industry. I joined Northern Health because I find complex environments interesting. Also, I have always been curious about healthcare as I have several relatives in clinical professions.

Q: Your first impressions of Northern Health?

It’s big! The size of the health service, in people terms, is hard to get my head around. People have been very welcoming and patient, which I really appreciate.

Q: How do you unwind from work?

Daily meditation is my thing, I swear by it. Also, I use my commute in the car to listen to podcasts and relaxing music. In the morning it’s usually business stuff, in the afternoon some classical music or running podcasts.

Q: What is something that most people would not know about you?

Most people I work with don’t know that my second job is as a musician. I am a classically trained mezzo-soprano and work freelance as a church singer.

Q: What is your favorite holiday destination?

There are so many! The destinations I have been to that I reflect on most often, are San Sebastian, Spain and Luang Prabang, Laos. Eating, exploring and relaxing.

Earlier today, Northern Health hosted the 2022-23 Northern Health Annual Meeting.

Held virtually, the Northern Health Board and Executive were joined by members of our local community, including consumers, partners, volunteers, and of course, our wonderful staff, to hear about the health service’s highlights and achievements from the 2022-23 financial year.

Jennifer Williams AM, Board Chair, opened the meeting, acknowledging that, although we have many exciting projects and developments on the horizon in 2024, today was about looking back at 2022-23, and some of the highlights during this time.

“Following from the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system, Northern Health became a designated mental health service on 1 July 2022,” said Ms Williams.

“Our Australian-first, Virtual Emergency Department became a state-wide service, and was renamed the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department.”

“We also had productive discussions with Kilmore District Health about a voluntary amalgamation, which would see significant benefits to the Northern and Kilmore communities. This was effectuated in the current financial year, and I look forward to sharing more about this work next year.”

Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive, reflected on the operational achievements.

“While we continue to treat COVID-19 patients, we have worked hard to integrate this care into our normal health services and have seen a return to some level of business as usual,” said Mr Sivarajah.

“Delays to our elective surgeries were necessary for us to prioritise care for COVID-19 patients. However, we have been able to increase elective surgery over the past year, performing 20,287 procedures – the highest number since 2020. As a result, our wait list is almost back to where it was before the pandemic.”

“In the past financial year, we admitted 114,224 patients to hospital, conducted 254,397 specialist appointments and assisted with the birth of 3,252 babies,” Mr Sivarajah said.

“Northern Health experienced substantial growth, a trend which we expect to continue over the next few years. We are committed to investing back into our services, infrastructure and staff, so we can continue to meet the growing and diverse needs of our community.”

Basil Ireland, Chief Financial Officer, presented the Financial Report, which included an operating surplus of $0.4m. This is in comparison to an operating surplus of 0.1m in the previous financial year.

Mr Sivarajah was also proud to acknowledge the hard work of all staff at Northern Health.

“We are grateful to each of our staff for their continued support and commitment to Northern Health. Our values of safe, kind and together continue to underpin the work of our staff, and has been the driving force behind our achievements,” said Mr Sivarajah.

“2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year, and I am proud of what we, as an organisation, have achieved to keep our community safe and healthy.”

Featured image: Basil Ireland, Chief Financial Officer, Jennifer Williams AM, Board Chair and Siva Sivarajah, Chief Executive.

You can watch the full Annual Meeting here.

Read more about Northern Healths highlights and Achievements in the Northern Health Annual Report here.

Watch the below video to see some of the highlights from 2022-23.

 

 

Twas a few weeks before Christmas,

for our Northern Health Volunteers,

They gathered at Casa, warmed by the cheer.

Full of good food and acknowledging each friend,

Taking a moment to reflect at year-end.

 

This Christmas, let our gratitude sing,

For the love and care you all bring,

To volunteers, our hearts enfold,

You’re more precious than purest gold.

 

In corridors where care and kindness dwell,

Amid the season’s merry swell,

There shine some stars that brightly gleam,

The volunteers, a cherished team.

 

With hearts as warm as crackling fires,

You give your time, your love, desires,

In our health service’s gentle embrace,

You bring a smile to every face.

 

The greatest present, only realised by a few

Is the gift you give to yourself…by volunteering… a happier you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the lead up to the Short Notice Assessment in 2024, Northern Health will be undergoing a Mock Survey this week on 13 , 14  and 15  December, 2023.

The purpose of the Mock Survey is to gauge our level of preparedness and identify any gaps to be addressed in preparation for the actual survey in 2024.

Who will conduct the Mock Survey?

The Mock Survey will be carried out by Governance Plus, led by Sandy Thomson, who conducted our previous Mock Survey in 2019 and 2021. Sandy is a lead surveyor with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) and will be accompanied by Kylie Kreusser.

How will it work?

This has been planned as a Short Notice Assessment to reflect the way we will be surveyed in the first half of 2024. This will provide a view of how well we are meeting the actions in the National Standards.

What is the timetable for the Mock Survey?

Day 1: Wednesday afternoon, 13 December, 2023

• One consultant will visit Broadmeadows Hospital and one Mental Health community site.
• One consultant will visit Bundoora Centre and one Mental Health community site.

Day 2: Thursday, 14 December 2023 and
Day 3: Friday morning, 15 December 2023

• Both surveyors will be at Northern Hospital Epping.

• The surveyors will spend the majority of their time in the clinical environment.
  This will include talking with staff and patients, and observing that our practices meet the requirements as outlined in the National Standards.

Short Notice Accreditation Assessments and Action Cards Procedure

A new procedure has been developed that outlines Northern Health’s preparation for mandatory short notice accreditation assessments as part of the Australian Health Service Safety and Quality Accreditation (AHSSQA) Scheme for Australian hospitals.

In this procedure, there is a list of Action Cards (on page 6) that have been prepared for specific roles in the organisation and this will assist with the planning and preparedness of the Short Notice Assessment.

• Short Notice Accreditation Assessments and Action Cards procedure

For more information, including the Mock Survey Timetable and the PowerPoint presentation from The Window session on Monday, 11 December, click here.

Northern Health Pharmacy staff recently attended the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) Medicines Management National Conference 2023 in Cairns.

The event is Australia’s largest scientific pharmacy conference, in which an impressive number of our pharmacy staff attended and submitted abstracts to present during the conference.

Jeff Khoshaba, Education, Research and Development Lead and Pharmacist, attended the conference. He said the event featured an inspiring range of presentation from students to senior management leaders and was a great place to share experiences and knowledge.

“It really was motivating to be in the midst of hundreds of hospital pharmacists and technicians from across the country who are passionate about their profession and their input into healthcare,” Mr Khoshaba said.

“We can truly say Northern Health shone, with fantastic feedback and commentary from conference attendees. The conference was inspiring and a great opportunity to gather knowledge and share innovative ideas from hospital pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from across the country.”

Twelve pharmacy staff presented at the event, showcasing research projects, pharmacy services and quality improvement activities:

• Aaron Hoey (Oral Presentation):  Home is Where the Heart is – Does a Virtual Ward Improve Prescribing Practices?
• Cynthia Donarelli (Poster Presentation): MedPass – a ticket to dietitian prescribing oral nutritional supplements.
• Danni Miatke (Poster Presentation): ‘Off-Sides’: Management of complex Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacterial infections in an ‘Aminoglycoside free’ hospital.
• Emma Burnet (Poster Presentation): Should we risk it? A VTE Risk Screening and Anticoagulation Prescribing Audit.
• Gina Georges (Poster Presentation): Slipping Up on Sliding Scales.
• Nikayla Van Krieken (Poster Presentation):  Allergy Alert! Evaluation of the communication of new allergies post-discharge.
• Andrew Leake (Poster Presentation): Spinning Silver into Gold: An Evaluation of an IBD Pharmacy Technician-Led Subcutaneous Biologic Delivery Service.
• Nivein Yenis (Poster Presentation): Right under your nose. Pharmacy support in the implementation of a novel randomised controlled trial.
• Angela Given (Poster Presentation): Old tools – new tricks? iGuidance as a decision support tool in prescribing COVID-19 antivirals.
• Jeff Khoshaba (Poster Presentation): Shining the research idea light brighter.
• Alexandra Brown (Poster Presentation): The Virtual Reality of Medication Error Reduction Through Multidisciplinary Teamwork.
• Alexandra Brown (Poster Presentation): A Virtual Patient Experience.

“As the Education, Research and Development Lead Pharmacist I attended the conference to support our Northern Health presenters, scope innovative ideas and gain insight into education, development and research in hospital pharmacy departments across the country,” Mr Khoshaba said.

“The conference theme was about finding ‘Space to grow’ and was an excellent opportunity to reflect on pharmacy practice over the years and collaborate with colleagues from across the country to establish ideas on growing the pharmacy profession and optimising medication management for our patients at Northern Health.”

Featured image: Pharmacy staff at the conference.

#WeAreNorthern

Meet Navneet Gill, Translations Coordinator, Transcultural and Language Services (TALS), Northern Health.

Q: What is your coffee order?

A: Mostly a tea addict, in my veins you’ll find more tea than blood. However, when I go for a coffee, it’s cappuccino and extra hot for me, please! I also love Turkish coffee, one which is exclusively made and served by my colleagues at TALS.

Q: Tell us about your journey at Northern Health?

A: I started working at Northern Health in 2017 as an interpreter and translator and have not looked back since. We have a wonderful team here at TALS that I am so proud of. Our days as interpreters can quickly go from sad to happy, and vice versa.  As in, soon after you might have delivered sad news of someone not making it through the night, you might be interpreting in the maternity ward, welcoming a newborn into this world. It all happens in one day. Apart from many other insights, this role has made me appreciate life, family and friendships even more.

Q: What does your new role at TALS entail?

A: My new role as a Translations Coordinator involves liaising with various stakeholders, assessing the documents, mostly information brochures, that are requested for translations, assisting Stefania Zen, our Education and Engagement Manager in delivering trainings, along with facilitating the interpreting student’s practicum. The Northern Health catchment area is highly diverse, one appointment in every five is with an interpreter. If we want to provide patient centric care, along with keeping the Northern Health values of safe, kind and together intact, then the role that we play cannot be underestimated.

Q: Tell us something not many people know about you?

A: That I am a people’s person. I keep people above everything else. Another thing people might not know about me, is that being a mum to boys, I am exploring new things I never did in my life before, like going to the Formula 1 races. It’s fun to watch 20 race drivers drive around in circles for hours!

Q: Favourite destination to travel?

A: Favourite destination is India. Besides my unfinished exploration of Himalayas, my bucket list is full of some places of historical importance like Varanasi (one of the oldest living cities in the world), Bodh Gaya and others. Although not sure how much my broken ankle would allow me to climb, I’m a mountain girl at heart!

I would also like to go around Australia some day on a caravan too. I would not feel like a complete Aussie till I do this.