It’s good to be back at TPCH after spending some relaxing time in the beautiful New Zealand. It was a great opportunity to refresh and reset for the busy months ahead. Here is one of the many photos I took during my scenic ventures through the South island – Lake Tekapo. Absolutely stunning!

A big thanks to Alanna Geary for covering the Executive Director role while I was on leave. Alanna said she was very impressed by the team at TPCH, so well done everyone on keeping up the great work as always.

Disappointingly I didn’t have the chance to get out and about this week for our regular Executive walkaround. I’m still catching up after my three weeks of leave, (and am still in a bit of holiday mode!), so look forward to resuming my visits to areas from next week. Rest assured, my holiday mode will be well and truly over by then!

In preparation for the upcoming winter flu season, TPCH Staff Flu Vaccination Program will run from Wednesday 26 April to 7 July 2023.  Vaccinations will be available through the Infection Control office or via the mobile trolley for clinical areas. More details to come shortly so watch this space.

Easter – changed Cafe trading hours

During the upcoming Easter period, the Café for the Common Good (main Café only) will now be open from Saturday 8 April until Monday 10 April inclusive, with restricted trading hours of 8am to 3pm on these days. Please note that the Café will be closed on Good Friday.

During its changed hours of operation, the main Café will provide full coffee as well as hot and cold food services. Café staff will also oversee the fresh food vending machines to ensure they are adequately stocked.

St Vincent’s Private Northside Hospital’s Zouki Cafe will also be open from 8am to 5pm daily over the entire Easter period, Friday 7 to Monday 10 April inclusive, and TPCH staff are welcome to purchase food and coffee from there if they wish to.

Moving forward, we will be working closely with The Common Good in relation to food arrangements during key public holiday periods to ensure that staff, patients and visitors continue to be well supported during these times.

FAST FACTS

This week we will profile the Heart Lung Outpatient Department.

Did you know?:

• The Heart Lung Outpatient Department sees a diverse cohort of patients including:

–       General thoracics
–       Lung transplant
–       General cardiology
–       Heart Failure
–       Heart Transplant
–       Sleep Disorders
–       Electrophysiology
–       Transplant Dermatology patients
–       Adult Congenital Heart Disease
–       Percutaneous valves
–       Pulmonary Hypertension
–       Lung Lesion patients
–       Cardiology research clinics
–       Thoracic research clinics

• The Department sees 4000 – 5000 patients every month
• Patients come from all over Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australian and even offshore including Papua New Guinea
• The Department has 32 consultation rooms all equipped with telehealth
• It receives over 2500 referrals each month
• Heart Lung Outpatients has specialised nursing staff with extensive knowledge to help care for the many patients who attend appointments
• It works in conjunction with Cardiac Investigations Unit, Respiratory Investigations Unit, Medical Imaging and Pathology
• The Department is assisted by many wonderful volunteers.

Staff Profile

Today we will profile TPCH’s Manager Ambulatory and Outpatient Services, Sharyn Trappett.

In this newly established role, Sharyn is responsible for coordinating and managing outpatient operations to support the delivery of high quality, safe and timely patient-centred care. With TPCH having over 200,000 outpatient attendances each year, Sharyn’s role will provide important governance and oversight to the busy service, maintaining a strong focus on improving service design and delivery to ensure the best outcome for the patient.

Having previously held a number of managerial roles within Metro North across the areas of private practice and revenue services, Sharyn is passionate about working with stakeholders to support the delivery of effective and coordinated patient care services.

Outside of work, Sharyn enjoys spending time at the beach, and at coffee shops with her family and friends.

NEW – Charlies Research Scene

Today we will launch our new ‘Charlies Research Scene’ as a regular inclusion in my weekly message, to keep you informed about some of the great and special research work that goes on at TPCH.

Each month, we will update you on the results of research studies that will make a difference to TPCH patients and staff, as well as let you know of any new research that has started in the hospital. Our research study of the month is featured below.

Patient aggression in intensive care: A qualitative study of staff experiences.

Australian Critical Care (AUST CRIT CARE), Jan2023; 36(1): 77-83. (7p)
Sue Patterson, Dylan Flaws, Jiville Latu, Irene Doo, Oystein Tronstad.

This study reports that workplace violence (abuse, assaults, threats and harassment) towards ICU staff is common, but little is known about how it affects staff. All ICU staff interviewed in this study experienced physical and/or verbal aggression in the care of patients and described feeling under skilled in how to effectively engage with ICU patients with pre-existing mental illness who present with self-harm.

It is proposed that improvements in physical environment, further education in trauma informed care and specific skills training could improve staff safety, patient care and reduce workplace violence. Further information can be obtained from the authors.

TPCH Research Council is alive and well. The Council represents all areas of the hospital involved in research and advises the Executive Leadership team of what is happening in that space. The Council recently held a Planning and Strategy Workshop which explored what could be achieved for research at TPCH during the next five years. We look forward to hearing about the progress in upcoming updates.

I invite you to read the recently released Metro North Health Research Strategy 2023 – 2027 which acknowledges the significant role that researchers and those who support and enable them, play in advancing health care and improving patient outcomes.

Shout out

Today’s shout goes to Director Thoracic Medicine, Professor Ian Yang who has been awarded the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand 50th Anniversary Medal for Education and Training, in recognition of his outstanding contribution and sustained excellence in respiratory education and training.

In further recognition of his longstanding contribution to respiratory medicine, Prof Yang was also recently announced the 2023 Lung Health Legend Award winner by Lung Foundation Australia. This award acknowledges individuals who have made a positive impact on the lives of Australians living with or impacted by lung disease or lung cancer.

Accompanying his clinical work, Prof Yang leads a research team studying gene-environmental interaction in COPD, asthma, lung cancer, smoking cessation and air pollution, and approaches to improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases. Other significant positions he holds include Head of the University of Queensland Northside Clinical Unit, Co-Chair of the national COPD-X Guidelines Committee of Lung Foundation Australia; and Co-Chair of the Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners Chronic Disease Theme. Congratulations Ian, some very well deserved accolades!

Today’s quote

“Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer.” – Rick Pitino

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and happy Easter.

Tami.