Message from TPCH Executive Director

Next week is TPCH Charlies Week, our annual hospital celebration where we thank our staff for all of their hard work throughout the year. We have a great line up of activities, events (and of course food), so I encourage you to get together with your colleagues, join in where you can, and have some fun.

We also have some new events including a Charlies Comedy Night on the evening of Tuesday 29 November at the Kedron Wavell Services Club which has been specially organised for staff, family and friends of TPCH. It should be a fun night (and let’s face it, we can all do with some more fun!), so don’t miss out. More information at www.tcg.org.au/comedy-night

Another new event is the Charlies Fitness Challenge as part of the Common Good Giving Day on Wednesday 30 November which our Physiotherapy Department is hosting for those staff who enjoy some hard yakka! If you’d like to register, email Alison.Gregora@health.qld.gov.au

For Giving Day, we’re aiming to raise as much money as possible to support special projects at TPCH to help older patients recover and get home sooner.

To help make the day a success, we need the support of staff. You can show your support by:

• Volunteering – The Common Good needs 30 more volunteers to join them in the Giving Day marquee outside the Café making calls to their donors. You can register as a volunteer here. If you can’t attend the full shift time, just come for as long as you can!
• Telling your friends – follow The Common Good (@The Common Good Au) on Facebook and share their posts to keep your network up to date with what’s happening and why this fundraising day is important to you.
• Fundraising or donating on the day – if you or anyone you know wishes to make a donation on Wednesday (including patients), they can either donate via www.tcggivingday.org.au or by phoning 1800 501 269.
• Having fun!   Whether it’s visiting the Christmas markets and food trucks, watching the Fitness Challenge or participating in the ward dress up competition, Giving Day is a day of celebration and fun.

And don’t forget, our annual TPCH Staff Excellence Awards is on Friday 2 December, 1 – 2 pm in the Education Centre Car Park.

You can view the full TPCH Charlies Week program below.

TPCH Charlies Week Program

Executive Update

This week I visited our Sleep Disorders Centre (SDC) in acknowledgement of the service recently marking their 40th year of operation. An impressive milestone! I met with some of the staff who were very proud to tell me about the SDC’s current activities and initiatives. These included the introduction of home sleep studies in partnership with Hospital in the Home, and collaboration with Central West Health Service to support local sleep studies for rural and remote patients. Thank you to Dr Deanne Curtin, Irene Szollosi and the ‘Dream Team‘ for taking the time to speak with me. It is evident why TPCH’s Sleep Disorders Centre is one of our state’s leading sleep services.

Well done team!

We’ve also made some aesthetic changes to the Cardiac Investigations Unit and Doctor’s Common Room. Both areas now have some specially designed frosted glass using elements of TPCH’s dedicated Indigenous artwork. These initiatives were raised through TPCH’s Building Infrastructure and Accommodation Committee with the aim to provide greater privacy for patients and staff in these areas. This is the first time the artwork has been used for glass frosting and it certainly helps create a welcoming environment for patients, staff and visitors. Thank you to local artist Elaine Chambers-Hegarty and the Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership for supporting the initiative.

FAST FACTS

Because TPCH Sleep Disorders Centre (SDC) recently celebrated its 40th  anniversary, they will be the focus of this week’s Fast Facts.

Did you know?:

• The SDC was one of the first sleep laboratories in Australia, first operating with existing Respiratory Investigations Unit staff in the hospital’s old paediatric ward.
• The Centre commenced performing 1 to 2 studies per week using paper chart recorders and overnight staff hiding behind curtains. Last year, it performed 1,700 studies, a 40% from
  15 years ago.
• The Centre sees patients with a variety of sleep related breathing disorders such as central and obstructive sleep apnoea and sleep related hypoventilation secondary to neuromuscular disorders, COPD and obesity. It also sees patients with disorders of hypersomnolence such as narcolepsy, as well as insomnia, sleep related movement disorders and parasomnias.
• The most common condition diagnosed and treated is obstructive sleep apnoea, which is estimated to affect 34% of men and 16% of women, aged between 30-70 years.
• The Centre now has a team of 50 staff including medical, nursing, scientific, psychology and administrative staff.
• The Centre operates 24/7, monitoring patients throughout the night.

It sees patients from across northern, central and south-east Queensland.

Staff Profile

This week we will profile Anaesthetic Healthcare Practitioner (AHP), Esther Gollan. In her role, Esther works alongside anaesthetists to facilitate safe delivery of anaesthetic care to patients requiring sedation or general anaesthetic. Her days start with organising anaesthetic equipment in the operating theatre for  surgical lists which can include checking machines, preparing airway equipment, setting up intravenous fluids, and ensuring the availability of required anaesthetic drugs.

Commencing work at TPCH nine years ago as a trainee AHP while completing her studies, Esther is passionate about working with and supporting the peri-operative team to provide the best possible care to patients, especially in the busy and challenging theatre environment.

When not in theatre, Esther undertakes humanitarian work, travelling and volunteering her time overseas working on an international surgical ship off the coast of Africa. Closer to home, she enjoys taking her Jack Russell for runs along the waterfront, and spending quality time laughing with friends and family.

Shout out

This week’s shout out goes to the Gastroenterology team who earlier this week, effectively managed and responded to a challenging situation involving the temporary outage of the unit’s medical gas system. All team members stepped up without hesitation by taking the necessary steps and practices to ensure the service could continue to provide safe, high quality to its patients. A great team effort!

Values in Action

In recognising values being put into action at TPCH, I would like to share some patient compliments recently received by the hospital.

The first compliment involved Krista Gyandeo-Yaxley, a new graduate registered nurse in the Cardiac Investigations Unit (CIU) as well as other nurses in the unit.  (note: relevant extracts taken from compliment)

“I was in The Prince Charles Hospital on 26 August this year and I wish to compliment all the staff I had contact with for their friendliness and, of course, their professionalism. I also wish to compliment the nurses that tended me after the Angiogram but particularly one nurse whose name was “Krista”, who went out of her way to help me. This young lady was able to explain things to me best. Krista also walked me down to the QAS Patient Transport depot and checked me in with them as she was going off duty. I think the young lady was fantastic and deserves a pay rise! Please convey my compliments and gratitude to all of the staff involved.”

Well done Krista and the CIU nursing team. You are a great asset to TPCH!

Our Physiotherapy Department also received a compliment from a patient who received treatment at TPCH several months ago. The patient phoned the hospital expressing his appreciation of all the staff who cared for him, which has allowed him to walk again and get back doing what he loves. The patient attributes his positive health to the work that was put into him by the physiotherapists during his admission, as well as the faith the staff had in him – all contributing to his recovery.  Well done physio team!

Today’s quote

“Every high performing team believes it exists for a compelling reason and that the world will be better for what it does. Its purpose is not the task or work it does but the benefit it delivers.” – Linda Hill and Kent Lineback

Tami Photinos
Executive Director