MLHD staff newsletter August14 - Murrumbidgee Local Health District

Murrumbidgee Matters
August 2014
Inside this
issue:
Excellence Awards
Message from the
Chair
2-3
4
Acting Chief
Executive’s update
5-8
Patient Based Care
workshop
9
Staff excellence award
winners announced
The winners of the 2014 Murrumbidgee Local Health District
(MLHD) Staff Excellence Awards were announced at a
ceremony in Narrandera on 29 July.
Thirty four entries were received in the awards this year which celebrate the initiatives of staff
across the Murrumbidgee region and promote the range of quality health services provided to
local communities.
STARS shine in Griffith
11
Category winners are:
Planning for future
medical services
12
Aboriginal men’s
cancer DVD launch
13
HealthShare staff
recognised
16
Category 1: Patients as Partners
Innovative Approach to Obesity – Connecting Care in Small Rural Communities –
Ellen McMaster, Hillston
An innovative approach to caring with a patient with obesity through the Connecting Care
program in Hillston with the patient at the centre of decision-making. The patient worked closely
with the Physiotherapist and the Allied Health Assistant as a team to improve her health step-by
-step.
Farewell Carmel
Carberry
20
Helping people eat
healthy food
Category 2: Integrated Health Care
Griffith Base Hospital (GBH) Ward Sepsis Project – Dr Damien Limberger, Griffith
The aim of this project was to improve the recognition and management of patients with sepsis
at GBH through the education of clinical staff and the development of clinical treatment
pathways.
18-19
Be Well news
20
Resource pack for
Hepatitis Awareness
Week
21
Hillston MPS prototype
room open
22
Thankyou to our staff
26
Staff and LHAC
profiles
27
Sleep tips for night
workers
29
Antimicrobial
stewardship
30
Category 3: Local Solutions
Enhanced Scope of Practice Model of Care – Summa Stephens – Wagga Wagga
The Enhancing Scope of Practice (ESOP) model was designed to address nursing workforce
shortages by training Registered Nurses (RN) to work at a higher capacity within their rural
setting. The initiative enables RNs to safely assess, manage and discharge low acuity patients
who present to their facility when a doctor is not available.
Category 4: Healthy Living
Rehabilitation Master Class – Sally McMahon – Wagga Wagga
The Wagga Wagga Ambulatory Rehabilitation (WWARS) team developed an education program
for patients to improve the success of the rehabilitation treatment, including a ‘master class’ to
assist patients and their carers with treatment, self-management and independence.
Category 5: Building Partnerships
New Solutions to Old Problems – Phil Major, Junee
Junee MPS held seminars to promote new ways of providing aged care, mental health and
increase the uptake of men’s health services in the township. The seminars addressed areas of
need in the local area.
Category 6: Collaborative Team
Deconstructing, Reconstructing – from Clinical Incident to Clinical Excellence –
Sonya Bull - Narrandera
The introduction of a new system by Mental Health Drug and Alcohol (MHDA) to review clinical
incidents in a timely manner has resulted in improved management, feedback and patient
safety.
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PAGE 2
Excellence award winners
Staff Member of the Year
Wendy Skidmore, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Temora
Wendy is a quiet achiever and works hard to ensure the Temora Community receives the best safe quality care that she can
provide. The development of a resource manual was discussed at staff meetings and Wendy Skidmore expressed her interest
in developing the manual. As Wendy is a senior Clinical Nurse Specialists she had experience in working with the new staff.
Her goal for the orientation manual was to make the period of adjustment for new staff members to a new environment a more
positive experience. The manual was designed to provide guidance with ward routines, shift responsibilities, important
telephone and contact details and computer programs specific to Temora Hospital, as well as providing clinical information on
how to escalate in the event of an emergency such as a fire or disaster.
Chief Executive Awards
MLHD Strategic Direction of Skilled and Sustainable Workforce
More than just the walls: building an integrated world class rural mental health service,
Craig Martin, Mental Health Drug & Alcohol Manager Inpatient Services/ Mental Health Emergency Care Service/
Director of Nursing, Wagga Wagga
MLHD Strategic Direction of Innovative use of Information Technology
Circuit Training in Rehabilitation, Claire Lawson, Physiotherapist, Wagga Wagga Health Service
MLHD Strategic Direction of Infrastructure to Support Service Delivery
"A Ward Round Checklist Sticker Improves Patient Care"
Dr Michael Payne, Wagga Wagga Health Service
Board Awards
MLHD Strategic Direction of Improving Rural Models of Care
Shared Care Community Midwifery - A Maternity Model of Care
Pauline Hatherly, Acting Health Service Manager, Narrandera Health Service
MLHD Strategic Direction of Community and Clinician Engagement
Supporting the Disabled - Challenging Traditional Health Service Thinking
Jeff Bedford, Health Service Manager, Henty
MLHD Strategic Direction of Fostering Effective Partnerships
ICE - Initiated by Community to Empower
Toni Lake, Community Health Nurse, Barham Health Service
Acting Chief Executive Jill Ludford congratulated all winners and entrants on the high standard of entries.
“Each project has resulted in new ways of providing services aimed at improving the health of people in our local communities,”
she said. “Staff should be congratulated and acknowledged for their innovation.”
Ms Ludford said it was very exciting that the six category winners have been nominated for submission at the NSW Health
Innovation Awards in Sydney later in the year.
The 2014 MLHD Excellence Award winners and nominees pictured at the presentation ceremony in Narrandera on 29 July.
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PAGE 3
Excellence award winners
Left: Staff Member of the
Year, Wendy Skidmore of
Temora, pictured with
Board Chair Gayle
Murphy and Acting Chief
Executive Jill Ludford.
Left: Board Award
recipient Pauline
Hatherly of Narrandera,
right, with Jenny
Preece from the
Agency for Clinical
Innovation.
Right: Category 2
(Integrated Health Care)
nominees and winner, Dr
Damien Limberger of
Griffith, pictured with
Board Chair Gayle Murphy
and Acting Chief
Executive Jill Ludford.
Below: Board Award
recipients Toni Lake, Jeff
Bedford and Pauline
Hatherly with Board Chair
Gayle Murphy.
Below: Chief Executive Award winner Claire Lawson of Wagga
Wagga, second on left, pictured with Acting Chief Executive Jill
Ludford, Megan King accepting on behalf of Dr Michael Payne
and Alison Thorne accepting on behalf of Craig Martin.
Below: Category 1 (Patients as Partners)
winner Physiotherapist Ellen McMaster of
Hillston pictured with Allied Health
Assistant Tameka Cahill.
Category 5 (Building Partnerships) winner Phil Major of Junee, second
from left, with Acting Chief Executive Jill Ludford, nominee Diann
Tremain, Innes Clarke accepting on behalf of Sharlene Brown, Board
Chair Gayle Murphy and Awards coordinator Michelle Harris.
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PAGE 4
A message from the Chair
competency assessment and
authorisation to provide safe and
competent clinical care while working in
partnership with the local medical officer.
Summa Stephens, ESOP Project
Manager, Daniel McCluskie, Manager for
Policy and Practice/Project Lead are
congratulated for the work they are
doing. I also thank Susan Pearce, Chief
Nursing and Midwifery Officer NSW
Health, and Karen Cairney, Executive
Director of Nursing and Midwifery MLHD,
for their support of this wonderful
program.
Gayle Murphy
Chair MLHD Board
Quality Awards
Thank you to everyone who entered the
2014 Quality Awards. We had over 34
entries over 7 categories. The quality of
the entries continues to amaze me each
year. This year we had entries from all
areas of MLHD demonstrating that
everyone is concerned with the quality of
care we give our patients. I am now
looking forward to the Presentation
Afternoon on Tuesday 29 July.
Hansen Yuncken NSW wins Award
Whole of Hospital Program
The Fifth Newsletter for the Whole of
Hospital Program was released recently
and it was great to see that one of the
seven highlighted programs was the
MLHD Enhancing Scope of Practice
Program. This is a nursing initiative
aimed at improving access to care and
patient flow through rural Emergency
Departments. It provides Registered
Nurses with targeted education, training,
The July Board meeting was held at
Coolamon Community Health Centre.
The Board had two presentations. The
first was on planning for Stage 3 of the
Wagga Wagga Base Redevelopment
which involves ambulatory care,
community health, rehabilitation well as
an education facility for staff training and
development. The second presentation
was on ehealth NSW. MLHD is one of
six rural Local Health Districts in NSW
that have agreed to collaborate as part
of a Rural ehealth Program. This will
strengthen and integrate rural health
services, improve the rural patient
experience, enhance the rural health
workforce, enable healthy rural
communities and drive improvements in
rural.
It was great to see the new mental
health unit win a professional excellence
building award as it acknowledges the
work done by the project teams in
ensuring even in designing a building
Gayle Murphy
“patient care” is at the centre. MLHD was
MLHD Board Chair
given an opportunity to take the care of
those patients with a mental illness into
the 21st century and look at new models
of care.
Farewell to Bernie Thomas from Culcairn
LHAC
I was delighted to attend a morning tea
with the Culcairn LHAC when members
honoured Bernie Thomas for his many
years of service to the Culcairn Health
Service. Bernie has been a long-serving
member for 20 years and David Gilmore,
Chair of the LHAC, attributed Bernie’s
commitment as one reason why Culcairn
has such a good health service. The
morning tea was also a good opportunity
for another community member who was
interested in joining the LHAC to come
along and meet present members.
Board Meeting
Medical Services Planning Day
I was fortunate to open the Medical
Services Planning Day recently held in
Wagga. Well over 60 participants heard
presentations on areas such as the
Stroke Unit at Wagga Wagga Base,
Critical Care and Trauma, Pharmacy
Services and Telehealth. The day ended
with an opportunity to discuss the
Surgical Services Plan and how to move
it forward. The first two presentations on
the program were around stroke and
trauma, which are two programs that
have been acknowledged by the NSW
Health Agency of Clinical Initiation Pillar
as working well in Wagga. Thank you to
Kathleen Atkinson, Director of Medical
Services and her staff for planning such
a valuable day and also to everyone who
were part of the presentations.
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Acting Chief Executive’s update
MLHD RECOVERY PLAN
Last week the MLHD Board and Executive Team endorsed the MLHD Recovery Plan.
The executive team has developed a range of strategies to ensure the future sustainability
of the MLHD. The Recovery Plan focuses on lifting performance with improved system wide
changes including new fit-for-purpose service models and realigning capacity to be able to
deliver the MLHD Board’s Strategic Plan. This will mean adjusting our priorities and ways of
working in our hospital and community services. Decisions made by clinicians about clinical
care is the biggest cost driver in our system and reducing unwarranted clinical variation and
excessive lengths of stay compared to our peers, are key elements of quality improvement.
Changes to the way we work will require efficient management structures and working in
partnership with other service providers.
The Board and our Executive Directors are each committed to communicating and
implementing these actions with staff and our communities.
The Recovery Plan aims to position MLHD to achieve the service obligations and
performance requirements outlined in the Annual Service Agreement with the Secretary,
NSW Health.
The Recovery Plan will promote accountability to Government and the community, and will
be staged over three years (2014/15 – 2016/17):



Jill Ludford,
Year One – focus on robust planning for future service delivery and implementation
Acting Chief Executive
of immediate efficiency strategies;
MLHD
Year Two – focus on implementation of the system wide recovery actions; and
Year Three – focus on consolidation of improvements.
The Recovery Plan is grouped into six priority areas for action:
STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Each year we continue to be impressed with the quality of entries received in the MLHD Excellence Awards. The
Awards provide a unique opportunity to recognise the innovation and the outstanding work of our staff. The
diverse range of health care projects received this year clearly demonstrates our staff’s commitment to MLHD’s
vision to be a quality provider of rural health care, recognising the total health care needs of individuals, patients
and communities. I would like to extend my congratulations to all entrants, who strive to improve the care they
provide to their communities every day, and particularly the six category winners who will now go on to represent
MLHD at the NSW Health Innovation Awards in Sydney later in the year. This is a great achievement and I wish
you all the best for success.
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PAGE 6
Acting Chief Executive’s update
GRIFFITH ‘STARS’
By all accounts a wonderful night was had by all at the Griffith masked ball for the inaugural STAR (Staff Thanks
and Recognition) awards to recognise our dedicated staff at Griffith Health Service. The night was described as
full of positive energy from the moment people walked in the door and there was much excitement leading up to
the announcement of the award winners. I would like to congratulate Dr Jayachandran Narayanan, Staff Surgical
Specialist (Clinical Award), Roslyn Ward, Hospital Assistant (Non-Clinical Award) and Stephanie Star, Chief
Physiotherapist (Public Award) and all other staff who were nominated by their peers and members of the
community. I also congratulate the STAR committee for this initiative which gives well-deserved public
acknowledgement to the fine work carried out by Griffith staff every day for their community. (See the photos and
story on page 11)
WWHS SERVICE PLAN
Planning for the proposed Wagga Wagga Health Service (WWHS) Stage 3 Redevelopment is well underway.
Stage 3 will bring to fruition the benefits of the overall hospital redevelopment for the delivery of contemporary,
well-integrated health services for the people of Wagga Wagga and the wider service catchment area.
AECOM has been appointed as the lead design team to undertake planning, in consultation with local staff,
clinicians and management. A number of consultation sessions and User Group meetings have been held to
identify key clinical priorities. I thank all who have been involved to date for their input and sharing of ideas.
A Services Statement for the delivery of Ambulatory Care, Primary and Community Health Services and Nonacute Inpatient services has been developed. The document proposes the collocation of a suite of non-acute
inpatient, ambulatory and community health care services on the WWHS campus, to promote integration of
healthcare service delivery; and to maximise the opportunity to address current service gaps through enhanced
relationships with primary care and NGO service providers. The document focuses on strategies and initiatives to
address these challenges through sustainable development of community, ambulatory and non-acute models of
care that will be responsive to the changing demands and health needs of the community.
The Services Statement will soon be available at the MLHD website for review and feedback.
MPS PROGRAM STAGE 5
Planning for Multi-Purpose Service (MPS) Program Stage 5 has commenced, with Health Infrastructure
developing a strategic program business case to demonstrate the evidence base and benefits of continued
investment in the MPS model of healthcare in NSW.
Six facilities within MLHD have been identified for consideration: Barham, Culcairn, Holbrook, Murrumburrah
Harden, Tocumwal and Tumbarumba.
Multi-Purpose Services bring together hospital and community health services under one roof and are a
partnership between the State and Federal Governments. MPS’s integrate emergency services, low level acute
services, community health and aged care services in small rural communities to improve the viability of services.
There are now more than 60 MPS facilities in NSW, including 13 located in MLHD. This will soon increase with the
opening of the newest MPS in MLHD in Hillston next year.
There are several steps involved in moving towards an MPS, the first of which is to develop a Service Plan.
Service Plans provide the information required to assess how existing health services meet the needs of the
community. A Service Plan will outline future service recommendations, including those in partnership with other
providers. It provides an opportunity to match services to the health needs of the community. On site
consultations with key stakeholders to inform planning have been completed. Local staff, Local Health Advisory
Councils, Local Government, aged care facilities, GP services and Medicare Locals have been consulted as key
stakeholders in this process.
Once the draft Service Plans are complete they will go through a review process prior to being submitted to the
NSW Ministry of Health and the Commonwealth to be assessed against other proposals within the State-wide
MPS program.The Barham Services Plan has been finalised and is available on the MLHD website.
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PAGE 7
Acting Chief Executive’s update
ABORIGINAL MEN’S HEALTH DVD LAUNCH
I had the pleasure of launching an Aboriginal men’s cancer DVD in Wagga Wagga during NAIDOC Week in July.
The launch was the culmination of a several year project as part of grant funding received by MLHD and
SNSWLHD from the Cancer Institute of NSW and Cancer Australia for “Furthering Aboriginal Health & Cancer
Services – Working Together” The project has been about improving access to cancer services for Aboriginal
people. In 2011, Working Together was awarded the NSW Cancer Services Award for Excellence in the Provision
of Cancer Services. The DVD tells the story of an Aboriginal man who contracts cancer and his journey while
seeking medical advice and treatment. As the story unfolds we hear from nursing, allied health and medical
professionals about the process of cancer treatment, what to expect, where to go for support and the importance
of early detection and treatment. It also addresses some of the myths about cancer and issues Aboriginal men
confront as they make decisions to prioritise their health. I congratulate the MLHD Aboriginal Health Team who
worked with their counterparts in NSWLHD, Victoria Jones from Cancer Services, Charles Sturt University,
Australian Catholic University, the Cancer Institute of NSW and Cancer Australia on this wonderful initiative which
is already helping more Aboriginal people to be more informed about cancer and their general health and
wellbeing. (See story and photo on page 12)
PACS/RIS IMPLEMENTATION
Meetings have been held with the Wagga and Griffith Clinicians to provide updates on the Picture Archive
Communication System (PACS) and Radiology Information System (RIS)/RIS and the Enterprise Imaging
Repository (EIR). Hospitals who have PACS/RIS can share digital radiology images within the LHD. While this is a
vast improvement on the days of printing film, the goal is to have medical imaging studies accessible across LHD
boundaries. The solution is centralised medical imaging data store called the EIR.
The EIR is a centralised store of medical imaging studies received from public hospitals across the State. This
means that irrespective of which public hospital a patient visits, the appropriate clinical staff will have immediate
access to their previous and current x-rays, scans and reports. Using PACS/RIS, images are available at the click
of a button. The establishment of EIR will not only provide clinicians with a more comprehensive picture of the
patient’s condition and medical history, but assist them to make a faster and more accurate diagnosis and
treatment plan, leading to better patient outcomes.
Roll-out dates for MLHD are:
Super User Training
Go Live—Wagga
Go Live—Deniliquin and Griffith
Go Live—Cootamundra, Young and Junee
Go Live– Leeton, Narrandera and Hay
Go Live—Tumut, Gundagai and Tumbarumba
Go Live—Temora and West Wyalong
Go Live– Corowa and Finley
Go Live– all RIS only sites
17 September
29 September
13 October
27 October
3 November
10 November
17 November
23 November
30 November
PHU GOES MOBILE
Congratulations to the Public Health team on the launch of their new mobile
phone app this month. A feature of the app will be public health warnings and
alerts when an event may be occurring. The app will mean the PHU can
reach people at risk immediately in event of air quality, boil water alerts,
infectious disease warnings or influenza outbreaks. There is also a direct link
to the Public Health Unit web page. The app covers both Murrumbidgee and
Southern NSW Local Health Districts. A great innovation to help keep our
communities informed – well done to all involved.
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Acting Chief Executive’s update
NURSING & MIDWIFERY APPOINTMENTS
I am very pleased to welcome three new senior nursing staff to MLHD.
Rola Tawbe, right, has been appointed to the position of Deputy Director
of Nursing and Midwifery at Wagga Wagga Health Service and brings with her
more than 16 years nursing experience in metropolitan, rural and remote
healthcare facilities. For the last 10 years, Rola has worked in senior nurse
management roles including Director of Nursing at Balmain Hospital, Deputy
Director of Nursing & Midwifery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Nurse
Manager, Clinical Practice, Sydney Local Health District. Most recently, Rola
worked as a Director of Nursing and Midwifery in a remote facility in Western
Australia, responsible for inpatient and outpatient services including Primary
Health Care and developing strong community partnerships with external
agencies as well as managing the Ambulance Service in the East Kimberley
Region. Rola also brings a strong background in statewide project
management and leadership having worked in the NSW Ministry of Health as
well as playing a lead role in the commissioning of the Chris O’Brien Cancer
Centre, Lifehouse. In her new role, Rola will be responsible for the operational
day to day coordination and management of the nursing and midwifery service
and will provide support, direction and leadership to nursing and midwifery staff
at Wagga Wagga Health Service. Rola will focus on strengthening the service
and enhancing models of care as well as building a sustainable nursing and
midwifery workforce. Rola can be contacted on phone 6938 6623, mobile
0467711528 or via email: [email protected]
In Hay, Julie Kirk, right, has been appointed to the Nurse Manager position for
Hay Health Service. A nurse and midwife for more than 30 years, Julie has
worked in rural and remote areas for the past 15 years, including Ivanhoe,
Tenterfield, Lighting Ridge, Goodooga and Tibooburra. Julie was also the
manager of clinical services for a large indigenous health organisation in
Brisbane. For the past three years she has worked for an international health
organisation in a managerial position at Curtin Detention Centre in WA, Manus
Island in PNG and more recently in Tianjin in Northern China. Julie said she is
looking forward to bringing her experience to the Hay Health Service and
general community. Her interest lies with improving health service delivery and
working alongside government and non-government services. I would also like
to take this opportunity to thank Pam Bates and Belinda Downey for acting in
the role of Nurse Manager in Hay in recent months while recruitment to this
position was finalised. Julie can be contacted on telephone 6990 8700 or by
email.
Teresa Walton, right, has commenced in the role of Nurse Educator for
the Nursing & Midwifery Directorate. Teresa has extensive experience in both
nurse education and management, having managed small health services,
including MPS sites, and aged care services in Western Australia, Victoria and
more recently in NSW. She brings significant education experience to the role
having worked in both the University and TAFE sectors, including Riverina
Institute of TAFE. Most recently Teresa has been acting in the Nurse Educator
position, responsible for finalising the recruitment of the new graduate
Registered Nurses who commenced with MLHD during 2014 and overseeing
their progress. While in this position Teresa has trained to become an OASV
assessor and will continue to work closely with the MLHD Student Clinical
Placement Coordinator. As part of her new role she will provide professional
support for Clinical Nurse/Midwife Educators. I am sure you will join me in
welcoming Teresa to the Nursing & Midwifery team. Teresa can be contacted
on 6933 9125 and 0437 615 498 or via
email: [email protected]
PAGE 8
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PAGE 9
Improving patient based care
Director of Patient Based Care for the Clinical
Excellence Commission (CEC), Dr Karen
Luxford, travelled to Wagga Wagga on 23 July
to lead a seminar for MLHD clinicians.
More than 100 staff attended the seminar aimed at challenging
clinical leaders in identifying what is required to truly deliver
‘patient based care’
The CEC is working with Local Health Districts across NSW to
implement the Partnering with Patients program to include
patients and family as care team members and improve
consumer engagement to promote safety and quality in health
care.
Dr Karen Luxford, CEC.
Director Clinical Governance Ken Hampson said the purpose of
the day was to help build staff capabilities to further improve
patient care.
“The day was enhanced greatly by input from patients and
feedback on things we did well, things we could improve and
small things we could do better everyday,” he said.
“Many of these ideas can easily be incorporated into our
handover processes and we will further look into Essentials Of
Care with Nursing and Midwifery to see how we can use this
process to work smarter in improving patient focused care.”
Ken said an overwhelming message was that we need to work on
how we communicate to improve our interactions with patients
and families.
Dr Karen Luxford, left, pictured with guest
speaker, patient Steve Henderson, and his
wife Mandy.
“Another great positive from the day was a reassurance that our
staff want to do better in providing good care and improved
communication with patients and families,” he said.
For a copy of the CEC Patient Based Care brochure, see:
http://www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/__documents/programs/partnering-withpatients/cec_patient_based_care_challenge_dl_brochure_web.pdf
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PAGE 10
PERSON CENTRED CARE
What is it?
How can we achieve it?
Person centred care is trea ng people as
individuals, respec ng their rights as a person,
building mutual trust and understanding and
developing therapeu c rela onships. Therefore it is
about working together with our pa ents to
achieve sa sfac on with care and a feeling of
wellbeing. As healthcare professionals we have an
expecta on that people should receive care that
reflects these principles. The promo on of person‐
centredness in prac ce has the capacity to make a
posi ve difference to the care experience for
pa ents and staff.\
In your prac ce, do you as a health professional...
What does it look like in pracƟce?
 Encourage people to raise concerns/ques ons
and requests?
 Involve your pa ents/families/carers in
organising their care?
 Communicate to pa ents when you will be
returning to offer care?
 Involve pa ents/families/ carers in handover
where possible and appropriate?
 Invite involvement of the pa ent/family /carers
by the use of words and ac ons that invite
involvement?
Improving the pa ent experience is not just about
 Promote posi ve staff and pa ent rela onships
providing good clinical care, it is also about
with all healthcare staff?
providing care with kindness and compassion.
According to the NSW Health Plan towards 2021
 Do you take the opportunity to reflect on your
person centred care is being respec ul and
own values and beliefs and have mutual respect
compassionate – pa ents and staff are treated with
for your pa ents and colleagues?
care, compassion and dignity. It is showing respect
to the pa ent and their needs. Person centred care
asks us as health professionals to work in
For more informaƟon
partnership with the pa ent to develop care and
treatment based on their needs and wants.
Contact:
We do this by providing informa on, educa on and
opportunity that will enhance the pa ent’s ability
to problem solve and make decisions for
themselves, with the support of the trea ng team.
We take away the power imbalance between the
pa ent and health provider that can be evidenced
by documen ng such terms as “non‐compliant”
“lack of understanding” and see them as partners in
goal se ng and planning.
Essen als of Care Coordinators:
Delivering better health for rural people
Kerry Sandral ‐ 0409 385 334
Michelle Kosorok ‐ 0408 832 145
Nicci Porter ‐ 0477 757 092
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PAGE 11
Stars shine in Griffith
The stars were shining in Griffith in July at a masked ball
for the inaugural Health Service staff recognition awards.
The night was organised by the Staff Thanks and Recognition (STAR) Committee to celebrate the great work that is done by staff
at Griffith Health Service every day.
STAR Committee Chair Andrea Jordan said it was important to recognise that in the busy world of hospital life, every person
contributes in their own way to the fantastic care of each and every patient.
“We know he work we do is of a high standard and that the community appreciates what we do. We also know that as colleagues
we appreciate each other but it is not very often that we truly take the time to say thank you to each other in a meaningful and
genuine way,” Andrea said.
More than 100 votes were received from all over the health service and from community members in the three award categories:
Clinical (nominated by peers), Non-Clinical (nominated by peers) and a Public Award in any category (nominated by the
community).
The recipients were:
Clinical Award—Dr Jayachandran Narayanan, Staff Surgical
Specialist
Non-Clinical Award– Roslyn Ward, Hospital Assistant
Public Award—Stephanie Star, Chief Physiotherapist
Other staff who received nominations were:
Clinical: Janet Vlasic, Bev Nolan and the Hospital in the Home Team,
Helen See, Cheryl Rooks and Marrie Mott.
Non-Clinical: Maryanne Robertson, Jack Draskovic, Carlie Hall, Mary
Vardanega and Michelle Bordignon
Above: Public Award winner Stephanie Star and
Clinical Award winner Dr Jayachandran Narayanan.
Public (including clinical and non-clinical staff): Kate Delac, Stephanie
Star, Allesha Hukins, Karen Bertacco and Kelli Greenaway.
Above: Roman Harris, Stephanie Star,
Ellen McMaster, Veronica Pellizzer,
Holly Turnell, Rebecca Bloomfield,
Joe Crisafulli, Janet Vlasic and
Carlie Hall.
Above: The STAR committee: Natalie Woods,
Kaylene Gazzola, Belinda Rand, Michelle Fall,
Carlie Hall, Andrea Jordan and Kelli Greenaway.
Right: Natalie Woods and Skye Vagg.
Above: Julie Henderson,
Frank Cotroneo and Kim Burgess.
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PAGE 12
Planning for future medical services
The future of medical services in MLHD was
discussed by more than 50 clinicians and
managers at a medical services planning
day in Wagga Wagga on 16 July.
Executive Director Medical Services Dr Kathleen Atkinson said it
was a great opportunity to bring clinical staff and managers
together to get their thoughts and input into the future direction
“This was a great opportunity to turn the new Surgical Services
Plan into a living document and make it happen,” Dr Atkinson
said.
Topics included:

Stroke services

Critical care and trauma

Pharmacy services and the responsible use of antibiotics

Telehealth

Surgical Services Plan implementation
Speakers included Neurologist and Medical Director of the Wagga
Wagga Health Service (WWHS) Acute Stroke Unit Dr Martin
Jude, MLHD Director Critical Care Dr Trish Sacassan Whelan,
WWHS Acting Chief Pharmacist Kate Woods, WWHS Emergency
Department Director Dr Shane Curran and Griffith Base Hospital
Director of Surgery Dr Narayanan Jayachandran.
Dr Martin Jude, above, provides an update on
stroke services.
Dr Kathleen Atkinson, left, welcomes
attendees to the medical services planning
day.
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Early screening keeps
you dreaming
PAGE 13
Handy hints from
Staff Scheduling
General Recruitment Update
New online questionnaire in
eRecruit application
An Aboriginal Men’s Cancer DVD was launched
in Wagga Wagga in July as part of NAIDOC
Week celebrations.
The DVD, titled Early Screening Keeps You Dreaming, was an outcome of a
project between MLHD and SNSWLHD to improve access to cancer
services for Aboriginal people.
With grant funding from the Cancer Institute of NSW and Cancer Australia,
the LHDs have worked together on a project “Furthering Aboriginal Health &
Cancer Services – Working Together”. In 2011 Working Together was
awarded the NSW Cancer Services Award for Excellence in the Provision of
Cancer Services. The project consulted broadly with local Aboriginal
communities and a key concern identified as the health of Aboriginal men.
“Aboriginal men seek diagnosis and treatment of cancer at a late stage of
illness and this may result in poor outcomes,” said Director Integrated Care
and Partnerships Sarah Tobias.
Over two years, a Men’s DVD Working group (comprising male Aboriginal
Health Education Officers and Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officers)
consulted broadly with community, colleagues, specialists, cancer workers
and services to discuss a range of ideas about how to encourage Aboriginal
men to access early cancer screenings.
Overall, the outcomes from the Working Together project have been farreaching, Ms Tobias said.
“More Aboriginal people are informed about cancer and are accessing
cancer services and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health workers are
engaged in variety of collaborative community based health initiatives which
have the potential to facilitate the development of long term collegial
relationships between cancer services and Aboriginal health,” she said.
Photo: Launch day—back - Amy Cottom, Sharon Connolly, Kelly Paton,
Diann Tremain, Neville Simpson, Alison Simpson and Matt Olson. Front—
Jayla Nix, Sarah Tobias, Sheila Cross, Len Connolly, Victoria Jones and
Maxine Honeysett.
A recent update to eRecruit is the
inclusion of the Model Health
Declaration, Consent for Employment
Related Checks and the Drugs of
Addiction (S8) Authority form in the
eRecruit online application form. If the
applicant has completed the
questionnaire on-line, paper forms are
not required however applicants are
reminded to check their responses to
ensure that no false statements have
been made as once submitted they
cannot be changed. If an existing
employee makes an error on the
electronic form and there is currently
hard copy evidence of compliance with
all background checks and screening
processes then the hard copy forms will
take precedence.
Recruitment—40 working day
processing
To ensure our LHD’s compliance to the
Ministry of Health’s requirement to
complete all recruitment actions within
the allocated 40 day timeframe all
recruitment actions such as advertising,
interviewing and finalising a selection
committee report for a recommended
applicant needs to be completed within
this period. This process is required for
both NEW and EXISTING
employees. Any delays in this process
can delay the commencement of a much
needed new staff member and in some
instances result in over or
underpayments for existing staff. So
remember the 3 steps:
A Identify vacancy and advertise = 20
days
R Interview and make your
recommendation = 10 days
C Recruitment Team process
documentation and send out contract =
10 days
Any queries regarding general
recruitment can be directed to the
Recruitment Team on 6023 7160 or
email
[email protected].
gov.au
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PAGE 14
Experiencing healthcare in the bush
By Caleb Teh, Alyce Finch and
Michaela Cashman
For last three years, MLHD has hosted Australian
College of Health Service Management Graduate
Management Trainees. The program offers
graduates the opportunity to develop the skills,
capabilities and knowledge required to commence a
career in managing the challenges and complexities
of health service delivery across NSW. One
component of the two-year program is a Rural Study
Tour to visit rural health facilities and speak with key
staff about the challenges of providing health
services in a rural or remote setting. This year 22 the
trainees visited MLHD from 11 to 13 July.
Our first day involved a six hour bus trip from
Sydney to Wagga Wagga to hear from Maurice
Ahern, Director of Finance and Performance, who
educated the trainees about the funding and benefits
of Multi-Purpose Services (MPS). We also heard from Richard McClelland, Director of Executive Services, who was “very
interesting, got a good snapshot of the whole LHD and how things work at the executive level”. He also spoke to some of the
recent achievements of MLHD, and offered some sage advice to the group. I don’t believe any one went back to work and
didn’t read their Service Level Agreement.
Gayle Murphy, MLHD Board Chair, spoke to us on the role of the MLHD board and her passion to meet the challenge of
providing community-focused healthcare to everyone in the community. Lastly, Setchen Brimson, Community Engagement
Manager, expounded on the role of the Local Health Advisory Committee (LHAC), which enables community members to
inform and advocate service planning for health services.
We settled in for a pub dinner at West Wyalong’s Metro Hotel (our bus driver, Jack, was asked by the locals if we were lost…)
and were up early the next morning to tour the West Wyalong Health Service with Pamela Bates, Health Service Manager.
Here, we saw firsthand some of the challenges that rural health services face and some of the innovative solutions employed to
meet those challenges. Of significant interest was the need for nursing staff to have extended scopes of practice and the use of
telehealth in the emergency department. While here we experienced first-hand the experiences of a patient who travelled over
an hour each way for dialysis three times a week with his wife. Only one of us was brave enough to feel the hum of the fistula!
Back on the coach for 1.5 hours, we travelled to Junee for some down time and a tour of Junee’s Licorice and Chocolate
Factory, certainly those who have visited would know that no-one walked away hungry. Afterward, we toured the Junee MPS
with Phil Major, Health Service Manager ,who was gracious in answering our many questions after hearing so much on the
MPS model on the prior day. Phil provided some invaluable insight into his own career as well some of the challenges facing
the MPS and its staff. One trainee commented “he gave me some good advice which I will incorporate into the way I shape
myself as a manager”
We spent the night in Wagga Wagga, playing ten-pin bowling followed by an unforgettable trip to the ‘Vic’ for karaoke. We were
up early as we visited Murrumbidgee Medicare Local and heard from several members of their executive team on the
extensive and varied population that the Medicare Local’s service. We noted the value of strong partnerships the Medicare
Local is building, such as the ‘Head Space’ initiative and equipping General Practitioners with evidence-based practice and
referral options and criteria.
On our final leg we had a candid talk from A/Chief Executive Jill Ludford, who spoke of her experiences in management and
leadership and what a typical day looks like for her as the Chief Executive. One trainee commented “This was a fantastic
experience to gain the perspective of the MLHD from the A/ CE's eyes was really beneficial” and “a very down to earth talk”.
Finally, we toured Wagga Wagga Base Hospital with Irene Hing, Executive Manager – Redevelopment, where we learned of
the challenge of being a base hospital (all roads lead to Wagga) and saw the exciting groundwork of the hospital’s
redevelopment.
It was an excellent three days that provided invaluable face-to-face exposure to the complexities of providing a rural health
service which include; the sheer distance between facilities, providing health services in sparsely populated areas and
attracting and retaining a skilled workforce. We would like to sincerely thank everyone we spoke to for their openness in
sharing their experiences and willingness to speak to us. Also a big thankyou to Richard McClelland, the co-ordinator of the
ACHSM program in MLHD who assisted the trainees in organising this event. The tour has definitely given us a greater
appreciation and understanding for the differences in rural versus metropolitan healthcare delivery, and hopefully encouraged a
few amongst us to consider a ‘tree change’.
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PAGE 15
Rural eHealth appointment
Welcome to Moe Fares as one of two Program Managers who will
support Murrumbidgee and Southern NSW Local Health Districts as
part of the Rural eHealth program.
“Moe brings to our organisation a strong background in project
management with his most recent experience being the delivery of
rural Tele-Health programs for Victoria Health,” said Acting Chief
Information Officer Chris O’Neil.
“Moe will be responsible for communicating, implementing and
delivering clinical, corporate and infrastructure projects related to the
Rural eHealth Program,” Chris said.
The Rural eHealth program is a $48 million dollar thee year program of
works involving eHealth NSW in collaboration with six rural Local
Health Districts (LHDs).
Priorities are to strengthen and integrate rural health services, improve
the rural patient experience, enhance the rural health workforce,
enable healthy rural communities and drive improvements in rural
eHealth. The six LHDs involved include Northern NSW, Mid North
Coast, Western NSW, Far West, Southern NSW and Murrumbidgee
LHDs.
Moe Fares, Program Manager, Rural eHealth
Thanks for a job well done
I would like to express my appreciation for all who took part in the
eMR Go-Live at Deniliquin, including Gina who staffed the SWSD
so we could continue to maintain our high level of service offered
to our existing eMR sites.
The go-live went extremely smoothly with very few issues
reported. Local eMR support staff will remain on site for the next
few weeks to ensure Deniliquin is provided with adequate support
as they continue the transition to eMR 1.
Special thanks to Kerry, Paul and Laine from eHealth – the
benefit of extra support staff was most welcomed and Paul and
Laine are a pleasure to work with.
Assistance from our ISU Operational staff, especially Helen and
Maria was exceptional.
To all in Application Support, well done and thank you.
Penny Symons
Application Support Manager | Information Services
Left: The morning of eMR Go-Live at Corowa ED.
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PAGE 16
Long-serving HealthShare staff recognised
HealthShare NSW held inaugural Service Recognition Awards from 21 to 27 July
to celebrate the years of service their staff had dedicated to the NSW public
sector.
About 1,500 staff received awards at more than 150 presentations held across the state including Hay, Leeton and
Wagga Wagga in MLHD.
“Recognising employees for their service is an excellent way for HealthShare NSW to show its staff that ongoing
dedication and contribution to the organisation is highly valued. These presentations are a chance for celebration and
reflection, and provide the opportunity to acknowledge the
importance of their work and achievements,” said Chief
Executive HealthShare NSW Conrad Groenewald.
Congratulations to Hay Health Service—one of three
finalists in the Staff Excellence Award in Customer
Service for HealthShare NSW. Pictured left to right
are Nurse Manager Julie Kirk, Kerry O’Donnell, Phillip
Plant, Christine May and Laurren Simpson, HSS
Facility Team Leader.
Nine HealthShare NSW Food and Hotel Services
staff members were recognised in Leeton for over
217 years of combined service. Back row - Shirley
Quinn, Helen Herbert, Rhonda McWhinnie, Janice
Bailey, Elaine Odgers. Front Row – Mayor Paul
Maytom Leanne Pitt, Heather Richey, Shirley Rose
and Maree Frew.
Wagga Wagga Base Hospital long service award
celebrations: (from left) catering supervisor Helen
McKenzie, Des Hulme (32 years, hotel services)
Julie Rynehart, (34 years, food services), hotel
services supervisor Michael Slack, Vicki Kay (22
years, food services), Christine Stuart (20 years, food
services) and food and hotel services site manager
Mike Osling.
Photo courtesy of The Daily Advertiser.
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PAGE 17
Goodbye and good luck Carmel
Staff at Gundagai and Tumut Health Services farewelled Carmel Carberry who
retired in July after a 20 year career at Gundagai Hospital.
Carmel has enjoyed a long and satisfying career as a Registered Nurse.
Her career began as a student Nurse at The Mercy Hospital in Albury in a time when Registered Nurses were trained in
the hospitals and the course took four years. The Mater Hospital in North Sydney was her next step undertaking her
midwifery training before returning to Cootamundra to work as a midwife at The Mercy Hospital.
Carmel married a local chap and moved to an isolated rural area to work with her husband on the farm and raise their five
children.
Carmel’s nursing career recommenced in 1989 when she was successful in her application for the position as the Day
Care supervisor at Gundagai Community Health. The group produced sufficient craft, sewing and cooking to support an
annual street stall, raising funds to maintain the needed materials to support the activities of the group.
From this position Carmel moved into the generalist community nurse role. During the next few years this position
transitioned into a combined role of Aged Care Assessment and Pulmonary Rehabilitation/ Asthma Education.
Carmel now covered an area from Gundagai to Khancoban and spent much of her time travelling to faraway places. She
often laments about the places she has seen and the roads she has driven in order to get there. Her colleagues often
wonder why she never learnt to change a tyre, a skill she often needed to know.
During her years as a member of the ACAT team Carmel came into contact with many elderly clients who faced the often
daunting task of deciding how they would cope as they aged. This was not always an easy task and was often fraught
with high emotions and family trauma.
Carmel told her colleagues at her farewell, “that being able to assist people through these difficult decisions was a
privilege and provided her with an enormous amount of professional and personal satisfaction.”
Carmel completed her tasks at Gundagai Health Service on 24 July.
A High Tea, pictured below, was held to mark the occasion and her many colleagues joined to wish her a long and happy
retirement. Carmel plans to spend many years enjoying the company of her children and grandchildren.
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PAGE 18
Helping people eat
healthy food
MLHD is a key stakeholder in the Wagga District Food Group and
is represented by Health Promotion Manager Christine May:
Formed in 2012, The Wagga District Food Group has a mission to provide access to healthy food for people in need.
This is a key action in addressing food insecurity, one of the key social determinants of health.
Other key stakeholders are Murrumbidgee Medicare Local, who auspice the group and also provide funding for a parttime project officer, Charles Sturt University, Uniting Care NSWACT, Red Cross Murray Riverina, St Vincent de Paul
Society, Wagga Wagga City Council, Mount Austin High School, Wagga Demonstration Gardens, Oz Harvest REAP and
Multicultural Council Wagga Wagga.
Making itself known
Wagga Mayor Rod Kendall made the group officially known to the community at a recent public launch. Westpac
Regional Manager Bernie Sandral handed over a cheque for $10,000 to Susan Lockwood, Principal of Mt Austin High
School (MAHS). The money is to support the “Grow and Give“ partnership project between the Group and the school.
Under the project leadership of Scott Callaghan, Agriculture Head Teacher at MAHS, the school produces food for its
own school agriculture, food and nutrition program as well to food relief agencies in the community. The funds will be
used to expand the garden and buy much needed garden resources.
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PAGE 19
The work ahead
Much work has started on the three year Strategic Plan to realise the Group’s mission,
including:
Growing partnerships and capacity by
Employing a part-time project officer to support the members to implement the strategic plan
Organisations contributing financial and human resources
Utilising student placements to complete priority projects
Working together to seek grant funding
Growing evidence by
Mapping of local Food Relief Options and
Assessing the supply of nutritious food via food relief
Assessing opportunities for retail fresh food recovery
Conducting Market Basket Surveys and mapping local Food Deserts
Undertaking a needs assessment on Food Security action for vulnerable women
Growing collaborative action by
Launching the local district Gardening Guide and Seasonal Calendar
Supporting Mt Austin High School’s “Grow and Give” initiative
Launching ‘Wagga Food Help Map’ posters and pamphlets
Focus on priorities
The WDFG is in the process of establishing working parties to focus action in each of our priority areas. We look forward
to sharing our plans for the future and being inspired by the efforts of others.
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PAGE 20
Wellbeing news...
By Sam Fraser, Wellbeing Manager
What’s been happening in July?
National Diabetes Awareness Week was recognised between 13 and 19 July and MLHD sites held a variety of interesting
activities including: diabetes cooking demonstrations as well as eat healthy lunches, morning and afternoon teas. This was a
great opportunity for staff to come together and share a healthy plate of homemade goodies while catching up. Well done to
the great HERO’s who organised activities. It was also great to hear that staff accessed the diabetes friendly recipes on ‘An
Apple a Day’ page on StaffNet. We hope they were yum!
It is important to continue to recognise that Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia with:




280 Australians developing diabetes every day
The total number Australians with diabetes and pre-diabetes estimated at 3.2 million
Over 100,000 Australians have developed diabetes in the past year and almost 1.1 million Australians
currently have diagnosed diabetes
Up to 58% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented in the high risk (pre-diabetes) population?
(source: Diabetes Australia)
Facilities getting on board with healthy eating: Dietitians Karen Bardney and Rebecca Blomfield presenting a
healthy cooking demonstration at Griffith Base Hospital & the team at Deniliquin Mental Health was sharing a Healthy Lunch.
What’s coming up?
August
Between 3 and 10 August we will be promoting ‘Healthy Bones Action Week.’ For the last 20 years, Dairy Australia has been
educating Australians on bone health and osteoporosis. For 2014, the theme is “Stronger Together” and we are
calling on mothers, daughters, colleagues and friends to take three simple actions to protect their bones. So we
set the challenge for staff to: Have milk, cheese and yoghurt for calcium each day, do some weight bearing
exercise and get some safe sunshine for vitamin D. Check out the BeWell page on StaffNet for lots more
information.
September
During September we will celebrate all the wonderful women working within MLHD, as part of Women’s Health Week.
Between 1 and 5 September BeWell will be encouraging our female staff take some
time to focus on their physical, social and psychological health. Our them will be
Confidence – learn, think, do, in-line with the Jean Hailes Women’s Health Week
program (www.jeanhailes.org.au). We will be challenging all of our wonderful women
to ‘make a health appointment’ during September. Lots more information will be
provided shortly about the activities provided during Women’s Health Week.
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PAGE 21
Resource pack for Hepatitis Week
A resource pack for people at risk of Hepatitis C was produced by MLHD with a
grant received for Hepatitis Awareness Week.
World Hepatitis Day is held on 28 July each year to provide an international focus for people living with viral hepatitis.
The goal in 2014 is to raise awareness and highlight the importance of testing, treatments and regular liver assessment for
affected people.
The HIV/AIDS and Related Programs (HARP) Unit received a NSW Hepatitis Awareness Week 2014 community grant from
Hepatitis NSW which allowed the Unit to produce a resource pack to distribute to people at risk of Hepatitis C. This project
expanded on an existing proposal of a ‘shower pack’ developed by HARP Aboriginal Worker Sharyn Medway.
HARP Manager Alison Nikitas said the proposal comprised of two main elements: the development of a ‘shower pack’ and the
utilisation of community networks to offer health promotion and education on Hepatitis C.
“Aboriginal people, young people at risk and people exiting from the justice system are targeted by this initiative to increase
awareness of Hepatitis C prevention in the Aboriginal community and other priority populations and to encourage behaviour
change around the reduction of sharing personal items and injecting equipment,” Alison said.
The shower pack, pictured above, has personal items in a wet pack which include a disposal razor, toothbrush, toothpaste and
soap, in addition to a range of printed resource on hepatitis and services available in MLHD. The packs will be distributed during
education sessions, Hepatitis Awareness Week 2014 events and in conjunction with partners working with the priority
populations.
During the week events to raise awareness and to distribute the shower packs were conducted in Albury and Wagga Wagga:
Wagga Wagga



28 July- 4 August: Health Liver display at Wagga Wagga City Library with free resources
29 July 10.00am: “Love your liver” Morning Tea and Education session- Edel Quinn Homeless Men’s Service
Distribution of Health Care Worker resources and Hepatitis C and B flip charts for health care workers to GP practices in
Wagga
Albury




Monday 28 July to Monday 4 August: Information display at the Albury Library and Museum
Tuesday July 29: An information morning tea at Albury Community Health Centre with Mark Healy HCV Advocate as guest
speaker. Refreshments and healthy snacks were served and a discussion on diet and ways to maintain the health of your
liver will be the key topics of the morning with the shower packs distributed.
Health Promotion Officer in attendance the Library Museum Information display on Wednesday 30 July
Hepatitis C Information distributed during the month to local GPs, dentists, emergency services and other health care and
community organisations.
What is a community Hepatitis C Advocate?
Read an interview with the Murrumbidgee C-Me Advocate, Hepatitis NSW, Mark Healey, by clicking this link on StaffNet:
http://staffnet.mlhd.gsahs.net/population/pophealth/HealthProtection/File/Links%20Health%20General%20-%20Links(2).pdf
Mark comments on topics such as the big misconceptions about Hep C that exist in the community and talks about his own
journey with Hep C.
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PAGE 22
Prototype room open for inspection at Hillston
Progress on the new $12.4 million
Hillston Multi Purpose Service (MPS)
continues with the concrete slabs,
underground plumbing, framework and
roof trusses being erected.
An aged care prototype room has been set up to check
serviceability of the room and to view the fixtures.
Health Service Manager Patricia Tyrrell-Clarke said staff
comments are very favourable with a few minor adjustments
identified immediately.
“This is an exciting time for patients, residents, staff and the
broader community as they can see the daily progress and HSS staff looking at the prototype room:
Melissa Jennings, Julie Allen and Glenyes Henderson.
the building taking shape,” she said.
Ms Tyrrell-Clarke said it was pleasing to report the build phase of the project is progressing on time.
“Currently we are having a fresh look at work
practices with an emphasis on person- centred
care, consulting with residents and families to gain
their input,” Ms Tyrrell-Clarke said.
“We are now at the stage of choosing furniture,
fittings and fixtures – colours, fabrics and textures
to give rooms a calm and appealing ambience,
while maintaining a homely and practical health
care environment.”
Planning is well advanced for the transition to the
new building to ensure it is as seamless as
possible for residents, patients and staff.
The $12.4 million project is joint-funded by the
NSW Government and the Australian Government
contributing under its Health and Hospitals Fund
(HHF) Program.
The new Hillston MPS prototype room.
Do you have a photo or story idea for Murrumbidgee Matters?
Your contributions are welcome by
the second Friday of each month to
the Editor, Sally Druitt:
[email protected]
or call 6933 9181.
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PAGE 23
Workshops helping kids to move more
About 300 children across the region
are more active thanks to a series of
movement workshops run by MLHD.
By Brendan Pearson, Health Promotion Coordinator
The Health Promotion team was busy delivering
Fundamental Movement Skill (FMS) workshops in Tumut,
Deniliquin, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Temora and
Cootamundra during the first half of 2014.
Around 300 school and early childhood education and
care staff have participated in this series of workshops.
The aim of the workshops was twofold. We wanted to
provide extra time for teachers to experience fundamental
movement skills; their importance and tips for teaching
and secondly, we wanted to link up early childhood
educators and school teachers. The linking up will help
ensure continuity in the development of fundamental movement skills when children transition from early childhood
services to school.
We know that if we can engage kids in fun games and activities from an early age, they will develop lifelong skills to
enjoy physical activity in various forms. Physical activity is such a vital part of healthy living and is something that needs
to be nurtured, not only by teachers and educators in schools and early childhood education services, but by parents
and the wider community.
Tumut was the first workshop location this year and Tumut
Preschool has drawn inspiration from the workshop and
swiftly integrated this focus into their program. As part of
their end of term activities they invited all families to
participate in fun and structured physical activity play with
their children.
The preschool set up three activity stations on the day. A
sack race encouraged the use of jumping skills, a Knock
‘em down station, which required the overarm throwing
skill, and a station for rolling down the hill, where parents
engaged actively and had fun with their children! The
families are now drawing on this experience and enjoying
simple fun activities at home.
These were some of the comments from the Tumut
Preschool community after their day:
Parents: “Fun, great games, a nice to see environment”;
“Fun afternoon, children are having a great day. Great idea involving parents”; “Great fun to get involved in the kids
games”
“Children: “I liked the sack races cause its so much fun jumping”; “I liked doing the hokey pokey with dad and Addy”;“I
liked the sack race, cause I won”; “I liked the roley poley down the hill”
Staff: “It was a great afternoon. It was fantastic to see so much parent support and participation. The children were so
excited when their parents versed them in all the different games. So much fun was had by all”
The FMS workshops support the broader healthy eating and physical activity programs in schools and early childhood
education services. The Live Life Well at School and Munch and Move program aim to improve healthy eating practices
in children and get children more active, more often.
A second round of workshops will occur in August and reach groups of teachers and educators in smaller towns such as
West Wyalong, Gundagai and Lake Cargelligo as these towns often find it difficult to access professional development
at a distance.
For more information refer to the health promotion section of MLHD website: www.mlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/
keepinghealthy/health-promotion or contact the Healthy Promotion Healthy Weight Coordinator, Brendan Pearson, on
telephone 6080 8911 or email [email protected]
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Disasters are all in a day’s
work for Denise
Disaster Manager Denise Garner recently
reached her 20 year milestone with
MLHD. Denise looks back on her career
as she celebrates this achievement:
“I recall my childhood being full of adults telling me I would
make a good nurse so it felt like a natural progression to
head to university straight out of high school. After
graduating from Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga,
in 1994 I commenced a postgraduate year at Griffith Base
Hospital on 11 July. Griffith had an excellent postgraduate
program that allowed new graduates to experience all
areas of nursing and mine started in children’s ward. Of
course a vomiting 9 month old was generous enough to
share a gastro bug and for just a moment I wondered
about my career choice.
I formed great friendships and completed an Acute Care –
Rural and Remote Course with The College of Nursing
before moving to Wagga Wagga in 1999. I secured
employment at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital (WWBH)
and worked on the relieving roster before deciding my
place was in the Emergency Department (ED) where I
gained a position in 2001. It was during my interview that I
revealed I had read the WWBH Disaster Plan from cover
to cover and on employment was offered an opportunity to
enhance my knowledge in this area. During my time in the
ED I was deployed in a Health Response Team for the
City to Surf in Sydney and was involved in the
Thunderstorm Asthma event that impacted Wagga Wagga
in November 2004.
After taking on the Disaster Management position in 2008,
I undertook numerous studies in Emergency Management
that were of huge benefit during the H1N1 influenza
pandemic, traffic accidents, infrastructure failures, bush
fires, hazmats, storms and floods. Some of these events
included multiple facility evacuations and significant
response requirements for the Health Service including
activating the District Health Service Emergency
Operation Centre. It is a credit to staff across the Health
Service that these events were managed with minimal
disruption to normal service delivery.
A great many people have helped to shape my career
path over the past 20 years. I look forward to working with
each one of them and many more dedicated personnel
who choose to work in Health over the next 20 years.”
Denise Garner, left, is congratulated on her 20th
anniversary with MLHD by Director of Nursing &
Midwifery Karen Cairney.
PAGE 24
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PAGE 25
Report on Australia’s health
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has recently released its
document Australia’s Health 2014. This is a great resource of national
statistics on major health issues for the Australian population as well as
summarising trends, looking at where we have improved and where we
could do better.
The report is available both online and as a downloadable pdf file
www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129547205 .
There is also a very good visual/graphical summary document called
Australia’s Health 2014 - in brief www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?
id=60129547206.
Report blurb: Australia’s health 2014 is the 14th biennial health report of
the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. This edition combines
analytical feature articles on highly topical health issues with short
statistical snapshots in the following areas: Understanding health and
illness; The Australian health system; How healthy are we?; Leading types
of ill health; Health behaviours and risks; Health through your life;
Indigenous health; Preventing and treating ill health; Indicators of
Australia’s health.
Visit by Miss Wagga entrants
Yathong Lodge is fortunate to have been nominated by a patient’s family member and selected as a beneficiary for the
Miss Wagga Wagga Quest. Two of the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest entrants Adriana Lions and Sarah Moon visited
Yathong Lodge recently and shared morning tea with staff and patients. To stay up-to-date on all Miss Wagga Wagga
events, please ‘like’ the Miss Wagga Wagga Facebook page or check The Daily Advertiser. The more people who attend
and support the entrants the more funds they raise on behalf of the benefactors. Yathong Lodge has requested funds
raised to assist in purchasing new lounge chairs for patient use. Pictured left are Georgina Iverach, Violet McKinty and
Sarah Moon (Miss Wagga Wagga Quest Entrant) and right Adriana Lions (Miss Wagga Wagga Quest Entrant) and Lorna
Robinson.
MLHD AUGU ST 20 14
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PAGE 26
Barham Hospital Staff,
Dear Charlotte, Sally, Michael and all
the nursing staff. I wish to thank you
for your wonderful skilled dedication
in caring for me during my recent
stay. I have often been reminded that
after 15 years living in beautiful
Barham that I am not yet a local. When
I was transferred from the previous dark
place to our hospital, I immediately felt
welcome and that continued during my
entire stay.
I cannot thank each of you enough for
helping me go down the path to
recovery, which continues to this day. I
believe that each of you is fine example
of your noble profession.
I will not forget you.
My very best wishes to you and your
families,
Geoff Hodgson.
Do you have a photo or story idea for
Murrumbidgee Matters?
Contributions are welcome by
the second Friday of each month to
the Editor, Sally Druitt:
[email protected]
or call 6933 9181.
MLHD AUGU ST 20 14
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Local Health
Advisory Committee
profile
Kate Alexander
Leeton LHAC Chair
My name is Katherine (Kate) Alexander. I have been married to Ian
since 1969 and have three children and eight grandchildren.
I am a retired Psychologist. I worked with the NSW Department of
Education since 1968, being first a French and Latin teacher, then
changing over to School Counselling and working all over the
Riverina, loving my work with young people and adolescents. I
retired in 2011, occasionally venturing back into the schools when
counsellors take leave.
In my spare time, I bred and trained Shetland Ponies, Arabians and
Australian Ponies, and then discovered Italian Greyhounds, and
have been breeding iggies for 24 years.
I love music and play piano and the ukulele. My next goal is to learn
to play the bagpipes!
PAGE 27
Staff profile
Jessie O’Maley
Manager - Travel & Fleet
Services
The best thing about my job is: The
people
In my role I: find every day is a rewarding
challenge
When I’m not at work I would prefer to be:
watching movies
My favourite music is: anything Pink
My favourite movie is: Anne of Green
Gables
It’s not fashionable but… I love wearing
PJs during the day
I became aware of LHAC more than 10 years ago, and went to
meetings at Narrandera. I wanted to be involved in LHAC mainly to
represent Youth Mental Health and try to gain more support for
families. More recently, I joined Leeton LHAC with my friend Pat, still
wanting to represent the people of our community. Our family has
had very positive experiences from our hospital visits and I feel we
need to celebrate the tremendous work of our medical personnel
and work towards getting the best possible hospital system for our
rural community.
My favourite pastime is: spending time
with family and friends
Our LHAC is still in the beginning stage and we are working towards
just getting the community aware of our members and what we can
do to represent their needs. I am proud of the start we have made in
improving the signage around the hospital grounds.
My happiest moment was: Getting
married
From what I can gather, our community is very happy with the work
being done by the Health Department but we must remain alert to
areas of improvement, especially in access to specialist services.
The key message I would like to get across to our community is - if
there is a problem, let us know so we can work positively towards
fixing it - if you are pleased with the work of our medical personnel,
let us know!
My earliest memory is: when I was about
3 running down the street with my dad
holding my hand pulling me along laughing
I wish I had: a money tree
The hardest thing I’ve ever done is: Move
to Wagga
If I wasn’t me I’d like to be… OPRAH
I’m always asked: questions about
Smartpool
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PAGE 28
Work Health and Safety
Winter Focus
SLEEPING TIPS FOR NIGHT
DUTY WORKERS
Being on night duty isn’t easy because it involves working against your body’s
natural rhythm. You need to be active and alert at night when your body is designed to sleep — and need to sleep in the day when you’re wired to be awake.
It is important for night duty workers to get as close to the average amount of
required daily sleep as possible. The quality of day sleep will not be the same as night sleep. It is lighter than night sleep,
and is more likely to be disturbed by noise.
The following tips may help avoid unwanted disruptions while trying to sleep during the day:
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Soundproof the room where possible or use ear plugs,
Make the bedroom as dark and quiet as possible. Use heavy dark curtains/blinds or use a sleeping eye mask,
Most people sleep better when the room is cool. Consider using an air conditioner or fan in summer,
Ask family members to be as quiet as possible. Family members can use headphones for the television and radio if
necessary,
Turn off telephone ringer and answering machine speaker,
Try relaxing between work and bed. Some shift workers prefer to go straight to bed, while others find it better to
read or watch television first,
Don’t drink too much liquid before going to bed,
Allow at least seven hours in bed. Rest without sleep is still beneficial for your body,
Avoid coffee in the last few hours prior to sleeping,
Alcohol contrary to popular belief does not promote sleep. Instead it lowers the quality of sleep and overloads and
stimulates the bladder,
Don’t go to bed feeling hungry: have a light snack or meal before going to bed,
Avoid vigorous exercise before sleep as it is stimulating and raises your body temperature,
Have a short sleep before your first night shift,
If coming off night shifts, have a short sleep and go to bed earlier that night.
References:
Fatigue Prevention in the workplace Edition No.1 June 2008 WorkSafe Victoria and WorkCover NSW.
http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/hazards/fatigue/shift-work/index.htm#tips Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
Fatigue Management Procedure. 16/11/2012. NSW Government Transport Roads & Maritime Service Code of Practice
Working Hours May 2010- SafeWork South Australia
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PAGE 29
Antimicrobial Stewardship
Act now for tomorrow
Why focus on Antimicrobial Stewardship?
The development of antibiotics is one of the great triumphs of modern medicine and antibiotic availability has facilitated
many of medicine’s advances. The inexhaustible availability of antibiotics has been taken for granted and antibiotics are
now an endangered species faced with extinction. A return to a “pre-antibiotic era” would take us into an uncertain future
of untreatable infections.
The time to act is now!
Antimicrobials are currently used inappropriately in medicine, animal health and agriculture. As a result, antimicrobial
resistance is increasing to dangerous levels worldwide, and there are serious concerns regarding the future effectiveness
of current antimicrobials and the lack of new antibiotics in development.
Key findings of WHO Antimicrobial Resistance Report describes the surveillance results as a ‘cause for high concern’,
with resistance to last-resort antimicrobials now found in all regions of the world(1). Australia is recognised as one of the
highest users of antimicrobial agents in the developed world(2). Australian-tracked resistance data(3) confirms the
presence of antimicrobial resistance or reduced antibiotic susceptibility to five of the seven bacteria highlighted by WHO
as being of international concern(4). Murrumbidgee Local Health District is not immune to infections with multi-drug
resistant organisms.
Antimicrobial Resistance is not just a future possibility — ‘It is happening right now in every region
of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country(1).
What is Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS)?
Antimicrobial stewardship is an effort to change cultural and behavioural attitudes towards antibiotic use. Antimicrobial
Stewardship Programs improve quality use of antimicrobials. This means:

Using antimicrobials only when needed - avoiding use where there is no evidence of benefit.
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Selecting antimicrobials wisely - using narrow spectrum therapy where possible, keeping broader-spectrums
agents in reserve.
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Using safe and effective doses - using correct doses and limiting duration to what is needed according to
evidence.
What is our approach?
We are currently raising awareness of antimicrobials prescribing issues – highlighting both misuse, and appropriate use
through post prescribing review, surveillance of antimicrobial usage, benchmarking and monitoring resistance patterns.
Secondly, we are implementing some defined interventions that will improve accessibility of resources for medical and
nursing staff. These interventions include providing guidelines for:
Intravenous to oral step down.
Antimicrobial surgical prophylaxis.
An overarching antimicrobial prescribing guideline based on a traffic light system. The traffic light system has THREE
groups of antimicrobials “Un restricted” GREEN Antimicrobials, “Restricted” ORANGE Antimicrobials”, and “HighlyRestricted” RED Antimicrobials.
We are also introducing an electronic Antimicrobial Stewardship sYstem called eASY to assist prescribing decisions.
What is eASY?
eASY is an antimicrobial stewardship approval program developed in Northern Sydney Local Health District. It is an
intranet based decision support system aimed to improve antimicrobial prescribing and monitor antimicrobial utilisation.
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PAGE 30
The program enables:
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Increased communication between physicians, pharmacists and antimicrobial stewardship physicians
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Provision of prospective and retrospective feedback to prescribers
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Rapid access to restricted antimicrobial agents and administration, while simultaneously involving the AMS
pharmacist and consultant to review appropriateness
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Availability of local resistance patterns of key pathogens to support antibiotic prescribing, and allowing monitoring
for any resistance changes.
Where is eASY going to be introduced?
The electronic Antimicrobial Stewardship sYstem will be implemented in Wagga Wagga and Griffith Base Hospital in
September this year with a staged roll out to district facilities. Clinicians in the base hospitals will seek approval when
prescribing restricted antimicrobials from a local Antimicrobial Stewardship Approval Physician. Antimicrobials will be
designated into a “traffic light” colour reflecting the level of approval required.
Is this about blocking access to antibiotics?
No. Access and the timely administration of antimicrobials is critical to the safety and quality of patient care, which is
the focus of an AMS program. The introduction of an electronic antimicrobial approval system will not delay initiation of
antimicrobial therapy. Our goal is to guide clinicians towards optimal, evidence-based practice.
How can I get involved?
BECOME A RESISTANCE FIGHTER!!
We are calling on the staff in MLHD to help fight global antibiotic resistance by supporting antimicrobial stewardship.
You can help tackle antimicrobial resistance by:
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Practising hand hygiene and promoting infection control.
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Prescribing antibiotics only when they are needed including the right regimen, dose, duration, and route of
administration to treat the infection.
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Referring to the Australian Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotics and culture results whenever possible whilst
prescribing.
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De-escalating therapy as soon as it is appropriate to do so.
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Identifying patients for intravenous to oral step down
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Encourage your patients to join the fight by only using antibiotics when they have been prescribed, always
completing the course and never using antibiotics that have been prescribed for someone else.
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Educate your patients about why antibiotics aren’t always the answer
How do I find out some more information?
To find out more information on Antimicrobial Stewardship and eASY contact Cindy Patterson, Antimicrobial Stewardship
Project Officer or Kate Woods, Acting District pharmacist.
References:
World Health Organization. WHO's report on antibiotic resistance reveals serious, worldwide threat to public health.
Geneva: WHO, 2014 (accessed 10 June 2014).
McKenzie D RMDMC. Antimicrobial stewardship: what's it all about? Australian Prescriber 2013;36:116–20
World Health Organization. Antimicrobial resistance: global report on surveillance. Geneva: WHO, 2014 (accessed 28
May 2014).
World Health Organization. Antimicrobial resistance: global report on surveillance – Summary. Geneva: WHO, 2014.