Wow, what a week. We have continued to experience very high community demand resulting in us being on a Tier 3 capacity alert for an extended period. As of this morning, it is feeling a bit calmer and we are moving to a Tier 2.

It has certainly been all hands-on deck and I’m very grateful to all CKW staff for your hard work, professionalism and focus on patient care and safety. Thank you for providing kind and compassionate care through this time.

This period has allowed me to get out and about and meet some of our staff and hear their stories. Not only stories about challenges, but also amazing stories about the jobs you do and your personal drivers for coming to work each day.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit our Health Information Service in two of their areas (I think they have four sites plus we keep patient notes in an off-site area).

This team manages the coding of patient records (deciphering the handwriting in clinical records). This does not sound like the joy of my day!  However, one of the team let me know they were once involved in coding 16^th century death certificates. It’s amazing what our teams have done.

What a job! Managing and filing all those notes so that they can be found at short notice when our patients re-attend or if we need them.  On top of this they manage all requests for access to clinical records and the legal provisioning around this, as well as data reporting.  They are a truly amazing team. Thanks to Gerie who showed me around.

I also popped through our Planned Procedure Ward this week and met the team there who have quickly responded to the clinical demand we have seen and opened overnight at short notice! What a positive group who have showed such professionalism and proactivity in making this happen and enhancing the safety of our patients.

While I was there, the team showed me an issue they had with the placement of hand sanitiser requiring them to lean over the patient and be fully in the bed space to use it. Effectively, in the wrong place!

I was glad to hear when I followed up that Graham (their NUM) was progressing ‘end of bed hand hygiene’, so they can meet hand hygiene moments more easily.

It is great when people raise issues with their managers and executive so we can help fix these frustrations that can make safe patient care more challenging.

While I was visiting, I also met Peter who is a PSO in theatres (the theatre runner).  Peter showed me some of his challenges and talked to me about his enjoyment of his role. I have since learnt he frequently does 50,000 steps a day. I want to be on his team for the step challenge coming up!

Finally, I had the opportunity to stop in on 4D and learn about their volunteer program. The volunteers come and spend time with patients on certain days doing a range of things such as talking, hand-rubs, crochet or taking small walks. Unfortunately,  the volunteers escaped my camera so I look forward to meeting them soon!  I did have a chance to meet Jan (who has been acting as the NUM since January),  and some of the amazing team. We talked about the Eat, Walk, Engage program and how they have worked through some difficult discharges and complex patients.  I loved their library, what a happy team!

Supporting Hospital United for Sick Kids (HUSK)

I was very proud to represent Caboolture Hospital at the launch of the 2024 Hospitals United for Sick Kids (HUSK) national campaign on Tuesday morning.

Funds raised in Queensland from this national campaign will go to The Common Good, which supports Caboolture Hospital and The Prince Charles Hospital to fund new equipment and patient care initiatives.

The event began with a pizza making event for children which provided a great photo opportunity and of course lots of pizza to enjoy! We also hosted an official opening of the improvements in the Caboolture Hospital Paediatric Ward.

The highlight for me was to thank the people behind the initiative – Hospitals United for Sick Kids, Coles Group, The Common Good, The Murphy Foundation and The Caboolture Hospital Auxiliary (Bruna and Joy in particular).

The event demonstrated the strength and value of community, especially when it works together to support the needs of those in need. As CEO of The Common Good, Steve Francia, said “Look at the different teams here today, all bought together for the sake of a common good”.

Find more details about the HUSK campaign.

Ward 2A and 3A changes for air-conditioning upgrades

Our facilities team has identified that air-conditioning units on Wards 2A and 3A require ducting upgrades. For a four-week period, starting Tuesday 23 April, we will temporarily move Ward 2A to the former Ward 4A, so the upgrade work on level 2 can be undertaken as quickly and safely as possible.

Tuesday 23 April will be a significant day, which will include moving patients. This will be a complex process that needs to be done in a careful and considered way. It will mean an increased workload for many of our staff on that day, so please be mindful of this and support colleagues in any way you can.

In early June, we will also move Ward 3A to the former Ward 4A space to allow for similar air-conditioning repairs, this time over four weeks, returning home to level 3 in late June.

CKW Acting Director of Operations David Thompson and a large CKW multi-disciplinary team have been meeting regularly over the past few weeks to develop a very detailed planning process. This planning will ensure that everything runs smoothly and ensures the ongoing safety for staff, patients and the community. I really appreciate your patience and support while we undertake these important upgrade works.

Welcome Sam Schefe – Acting CKW Nursing and Midwifery Director

“What a welcome I have experienced here at the Caboolture Hospital.

We have been sitting at Tier 3 Capacity level for the entirety of my tenure and hitting records in the amount patients occupying beds.

Despite the hospital capacity issues, I have been welcomed by friendly faces and have witnessed real resilience and teamwork from our staff to prioritise safe and quality care to our community.

I can’t help but already feel proud to be a member of the CKW team and be so impressed by the efforts of staff in all the various areas to ensure the right care is provided at the right time at the right place.

By the time you are reading this I am sure that all your efforts to prioritise safe and quality patient care will result in a lowering of our capacity status.

I am very much looking forward to the next three months here at CKW and commit to having a visible presence on the floor by visiting at least one clinical area each day.

Thank you for living and upholding the Metro North Values – see you on the wards.”

Welcome Kylie Sykes – Acting Assistant Nursing Director Paediatrics

I am very excited to be part of the Caboolture team and am looking forward to working collaboratively with staff to support the care of our paediatric population and their families.

In my first few days I have felt very welcomed by all the friendly people I have met, thank you! There are some exciting opportunities ahead in the paediatric space and I’m looking forward to embarking on this journey with the team.

Staff flu vaccination program starts Monday!

It’s that time of year again. CKW Flu vaccinations kick off Monday! Annual influenza vaccination is the best way to protect against severe disease and complications from influenza. In 2024, all Queenslanders aged 6 months and over can receive free influenza vaccination.

The clinics will be available at Caboolture Hospital from Monday (15 April). Kilcoy and Woodford start with a fixed clinic in Ward 3A for the first few weeks. Bring your Medicare card! If you have already had you vaccination at your GP or pharmacy, please let us know.

Please check QHEPS for more details and give the flu the flick!

Staff PPE update

The March 2024 CKW Staff Policy, Procedure and Protocol Update is available on QHEPS. Please familiarise yourself with the changes, particularly those that relate to your work area.

Thank you to everyone who contributed recently to ensure our procedures, SAC1 and SAC2 incidents and recommendations, which were finalised by the end of March deadline.

We’re now updating all our work unit instructions and guidelines, as well as SAC 3 and SAC 4 incidents and recommendations.

It’s important work to ensure that CKW continues to operate in an environment that prioritises learning and safety, which is what our community expects.

Get your 10,000 Steps Teams

Queensland Health is hosting a 10,000 Steps Challenge from Monday 29 April to Friday 31 May 2024.

Metro North HHS will be competing against the other HHS and QAS with a leaderboard to encourage healthy competition and keep track of how many steps each team has accumulated. Let’s put our best foot forward! Get your CKW teams ready now. It’s a great initiative that encourages all of us to be more active.  Find out more.

Oh I am looking forward to this … I need to get a team together!

Karlene.