Message from the Acting Executive Director

It’s been another busy week with the hospital moving into MN-wide Tier 3 capacity. I acknowledge everyone’s commitment towards working together to ensure we can manage the current high demands on our services, while continuing to provide high quality care to our patients.

Interestingly, Monday was QAS’s busiest day ever with the service recording 4,028 triple zero calls across the state. This record number was reflected through the 517 acute cases seen across Metro North and a subsequent high level of acuity at TPCH.

Despite increased demands on our services, TPCH did a stellar job in managing the flow of patients through the hospital, with a special mention going to the emergency department who saw 360 presentations that day while still successfully meeting key flow performance targets.

Good patient flow is also supported through the use of alternative models of care including virtual ward, community care options supported through Community and Oral Health and transit lounge.

Patient flow is a whole-of-hospital effort and requires collaboration between many teams to ensure our patients receive the right care in the right place, at the right time. I thank everyone for their excellent efforts in caring for our patients.

Staff may be aware that there has been further media coverage of our transplant services this week which may have caused some concerns among our TPCH community. I appreciate that staff may have been contacted or approached directly by patients regarding their safety at the hospital as a result of this coverage. I encourage you to share these Frequently Asked Questions which contain relevant information about the issue.

I would like to reiterate that our transplant program continues to run at full capacity and currently has patients on the active waiting list for both heart and lung transplants. We are extremely proud of the work our transplant teams do in supporting patients through all stages of this clinically complex journey.

We are working with our transplant patients and consumers, and taking every step to ensure they are safe in the community and while in our care. Further to this, we are actively engaging patients in the heart transplant service to ensure they are kept well informed about their care in a timely way.

The full reviews of the two patient cases relating to this issue are currently in their final stages, with outcomes expected in the coming weeks. I thank everyone for their ongoing support and commitment to caring for our patients.

Staff Information Session – TPCH Expansion Project

Staff are invited to attend a Staff Information Session about TPCH’s $360 million Expansion Project which will result in the development of services and additional bed capacity at TPCH from 2027. This will be one of a number of sessions about major infrastructure projects occurring on TPCH campus to keep staff informed about upcoming changes.

Staff will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback.

Date: Thursday 7 March
Time: 2.30 – 3pm
Where: Via Teams

Join here

FAST FACTS

This week we will profile the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) and Day Surgery Unit.

Did you know?

• 

  PACU team

  The Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) and Day Surgery Unit (DSU) staff support and provide specialised care for patients through their surgical journey during the immediate pre and post-operative phases of their care. In 2023 this care was provided to over 9,200 patients having elective and emergency surgery at TPCH.

• PACU and DSU consists three main geographical areas:
  • Day Surgery Unit where patients are admitted on the morning of their surgery
  • Stage 1 recovery where patients are admitted immediately following surgery.
  • Stage 2 and 3 recovery where patients ‘step down’ as they progress through their surgical journey prior to either going home or being transferred to their inpatient beds on the surgery wards.
• The Unit consists of a multidisciplinary team including surgeons, anaesthetists, anaesthetic technicians, radiographers, nurses and administration staff.
• Day surgery is staffed from 6am to ensure patients arriving for their surgeries are admitted in time for the surgery commencing.
• During busy periods, PACU can be opened up as an eight-bed ward caring for post operative surgical patients who require an overnight stay.
• Nursing staff in PACU are specially trained in skills such as airway management. They are experienced in recovering a variety of specialty surgeries including cardiac, thoracic, general, urology, vascular, orthopaedic, endoscopy, medical imaging and procedural services

Staff profile

This week we will profile our new Manager Projects and Building Services, Craig Denham.

Joining TPCH just three weeks ago from his previous role of Facilities Manager for the Northwest Hospital and Health Service in Mount Isa, Craig is responsible for managing the new minor work and building services for TPCH.

He enjoys the variety that comes with the management of projects and being able to see the end results for the facility. He is especially excited to join TPCH at a time when there is so much infrastructure development being planned for the hospital.

Craig values hard work, teamwork, commitment, respect and has a passion for achieving the desired outcomes for departments across TPCH.

Outside of work, Craig enjoys spending precious time with his five grandchildren, playing golf. fishing and escaping with his wife in their caravan. Welcome to TPCH Craig!

Shout out

This week’s shout out goes to the Rahul Raj and Kai Elmas from Food Services who recently hosted a special breakfast for the Food Services team to show their appreciation for the team’s hard work during the past few weeks with the increased hospital activity. Meals were served for the morning and afternoon shift staff so no one missed out. There were lots of smiles from the staff who greatly appreciated the gesture. A well-deserved reward for a very hardworking team who play an important role in creating a positive experience for our patients. Well done!

Closing thought

One thought that resonates with me through both my professional and personal life is:

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” (Winston Churchill)

Take the time to focus on how you make a life.

Regards,

Melanie.