As advised in today’s Metro North COVID-19 Vidcast, Metro North will move to Tier 3 from 7am, Tuesday 26 April. This change will result in more planned care and some face-to-face training and meetings. Further specific details of what Tier 3 means for our service delivery will be provided in the Metro North Incident Controller’s message early next week.

With this transition in our COVID-19 response, and with the cooler weather approaching, we can expect increasing demands on our services in the coming weeks and months. In short, it will be very busy for quite a while!  I appreciate this current environment is challenging, and know that everyone is working together and doing their best to ensure we can continue to provide great care to our patients. So thank you!

COVID-19 frontline staff debrief sessions

In addition to department or workgroup specific debriefing sessions, frontline staff are invited to attend professional group sessions via Teams.

If you have provided feedback through the debrief survey or your workgroup session, you do not need to attend these sessions unless you would like to provide further feedback.

Click the link to join your session.

Medical Staff

• Join on Teams next Wednesday 27 April 2022 – 7.15 am

Nursing Staff

• Join on Teams next Wednesday 27 April – 2.00 pm

Allied Health Staff

• Join on Teams on Wednesday 4 May – Midday

Administration, Patient Support Services, Food Services, BEMS, and Facility Services Staff

• Join on Teams Wednesday 4 May – 2.30 pm

Staff Flu Vaccination Program

Tuesday 26 April is the official launch of our 2022 Health Care Worker Influenza Vaccination Program.

To get your vaccination:

• Visit the Infection Management Service office on Level 3, Clinical Sciences Building, Monday to Friday, 7am – 4pm
  OR
• Access the mobile trolley going out to clinical areas.  If you wish to book the mobile trolley for a specific date and time, phone 3139 4894.

Note: over 65 vaccinations will not be available from mobile trolley, only the Infection Control Office.

Tips – getting ready to be vaccinated:

1. Bring your Medicare Card
2. Wear short sleeve shirt/clothing
3. Make sure you have had something to eat and drink recently
4. You are feeling well.

For any queries phone the Infection Management Service on 3139 5866.

Executive visits

This week, I had the opportunity with our Director of Nursing, Cherie Franks to visit the Rapid Access Medical Surgical (RAMS) Unit, Early-assessment Medical Unit (EMU) and Day Unit for Investigation and Therapy (DUIT) which are part of our Internal Medicine Service. These areas play a key role in supporting the care and flow of patients admitted directly from the community, so it was great to see them in action, particularly during such a busy period.

Also this week, we had a visit from Metro North’s new Acting Chief Operating Officer, Jane Hancock whom we took on a tour of TPCH Mental Health and the Adult Emergency Department. Jane was particularly interested in understanding the business of these areas, patient flow and speaking with staff. She is keen to return to TPCH to visit other areas, so we look forward to having Jane back at another time.

Emergency Department staff update

Please be advised that Dr Neil Grant will relinguish his role of Medical Director Emergency Department from 6 May 2022, and will take up the role of full time Senior Medical Officer within the department.

Dr Andrew Spiller will assume the role of Acting Medical Director, Emergency Department for a six-month period from next Tuesday 26 April while a formal recruitment process for this position is underway. Dr Spiller has a wealth of experience within Emergency Medicine, currently based at Logan Hospital as Deputy Director Workforce and as a Visiting Medical Officer at Greenslopes Private Hospital. He has previously worked as a General Practitioner and a Medical Officer for the Royal Australian Navy and spent time working in Emergency Medicine in Iceland.

Please join me in welcoming Dr Spiller to TPCH and thanking Dr Grant for his dedication, extensive service and leadership to TPCH Emergency Department during a very challenging period.

Staff Profile

This week we will profile Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Consultant, Sue Mannion.

In this role, Sue works as part of the Palliative Care Consultation team which, along with a registrar and consultant, see patients under the care of other treating teams who are experiencing various symptoms related to their life limiting illness including cancer and chronic disease. A key focus of Sue’s role is to assist the treating teams to optimise a patient’s symptoms, to improve their overall quality of life, and give them ongoing support upon discharge through linkage to community services.

Having been in the role for 12 years, Sue has previously worked in a diverse range of areas such as mental health, extended care, and various other hospital and community settings. Sue understands and values the need for individualised patient care, and believes it is essential to take the time to understand patients and what they value most in life, to help them achieve their goals and wishes for their care, such as returning home to their loved ones.

Outside of work, Sue enjoys playing and snuggling with her two doggies, Poppy and Sophie.

Celebrating our achievements

I am pleased to launch our TPCH 2021 Year in Review. This report provides a snapshot of our hospital’s key achievements from last calendar year, and highlights the excellent work done by TPCH services in supporting the health of our patients. I acknowledge that there are many other achievements across our services that are not included in this report, but equally need to be acknowledged. As Executive Director, I am keen to advocate and promote TPCH’s services and achievements at every opportunity, so will be producing this snapshot on an annual basis moving forward. I will also be submitting the report to the Metro North Executive and Board.

Read TPCH Year in Review 2021

Vale Dr Gus Galea

I wish to let everyone know of the recent passing of former TPCH cardiologist, Dr Gus Galea. Dr Galea was one of Australia’s first cardiologists, and the first Cardiologist to establish services in Queensland. In 1956, after training in London at the National Heart Hospital he returned to Brisbane where he worked as a staff physician at the Brisbane General (later RBWH) and then the Children’s Hospital (now QCH). His association with TPCH began in 1961 whereby along with his friend Dr Graeme Neilson, he established the first cardiology service at the Chermside Chest Hospital, which later became TPCH. This association continued right up until his retirement in 2018.

Dr Galea was a great mentor, role model, supporter and an incredibly astute clinician. His extensive knowledge of adult congenital heart disease was the result of over 60 years lived experience as a clinician, which he continued to bring to TPCH’s cardiology team right into his ninth decade. He will be remembered and honoured by those who had the absolute privilege and pleasure of working with such a high calibre clinician and individual.

Dr Galea’s funeral will be held on Wednesday 27 April, 12.30 pm, at Somerville’s Funeral Chapel, 129 Nerang-Broadbeach Road, Nerang.  The service will also be livestreamed on the Funeral Chapel’s website.

ANZAC Day

On Monday, 25 April 2022 we celebrate ANZAC Day, a national day of solidarity which marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australia and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

On this special public holiday, we pause to honour the many courageous men and women who fought for our country in the past, present and future, as well those staff who support our country’s military efforts today.

The Last Post will be played over the hospital PA system at 9am, which will be heard in the operating theatres and the catheter lab. We apologise in advance for any disruption.

Lest we forget.

Today’s quote

‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.” – Laurence Binyon

Tami Photinos
Executive Director