As we enter the new financial year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their efforts in continuing to support the delivery of high quality care to our patients, especially with the recent transition to Tier 2 in our Acute Respiratory Illness Response Plan. We know the demands on our services are extremely high and have been at this level for quite some time. We appreciate this environment is challenging for the entire team, and everyone is doing their best.

Our Executive team is constantly advocating on behalf of TPCH services to ensure they are as well supported as possible to care for the patients who come here. As a hospital, we have done well in terms of our performance by exceeding activity targets. In basic terms, this means more patients have received the care they need, which is something we should all be proud of. Unfortunately, we did not meet our long wait targets in outpatients, so this will be a key priority for the upcoming year.

Executive Update

NAIDOC Week

This week is national NAIDOC Week when we celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To celebrate the week, members of TPCH Executive and First Nations Health Service participated in a special NAIDOC Elders luncheon hosted by Metro North Health’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Team. The event was an opportunity for Metro North Health to thank the Elders for their support and contributions. Thank you to Assistant Nursing Director, Kirsty Leo and Cultural Capability Officer, Rebeckah Mooney from our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service for representing TPCH at the luncheon, and for presenting at this week’s Grand Rounds which I had the pleasure to attend yesterday.

I also attended this week’s NAIDOC and Health Equity Vidcast hosted by Metro North Chief Executive, Jackie Hanson; Executive Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Metro North, Sherry Holzapfel; and special guest speaker, Edward Monais, Director of Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships. A very interesting session!

Thank you to Donation Specialist Nurse, Emma Graham who presented me with a Donate Life NAIDOC week T-shirt in the lead up to Donate Life Week, which starts at the end of this month.

Ward visits

Due to Tier 2 restrictions, I have not been out and about as much as normal, but still had the chance to visit a couple of areas. (Unfortunately with no selfies though!) These included the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, where I viewed two new outpatient clinic rooms which will allow the Centre to see more patients. I also popped into the Cognitive Assessment and Management (CAM) Unit where I spoke briefly with Acting Nurse Unit Manager, Vijay Pillay and members of the Social Work team about their current work in caring for some of our most vulnerable patients. Keep up the great work team!

Temporary Executive appointment

From Monday 17 July, I will be acting in the Metro North Chief Operating Officer role for a four-week period while Jane Hancock backfills the Metro North Chief Executive role. An EOI has been put out to backfill TPCH Executive Director role for this period. I will provide further details next week.

FAST FACTS

This week, we’ll profile Ward 1F.

Did you know?

• Ward 1F is a 30-bed specialist acute medical ward managing six consultant medical teams.
• It has a four-bed Close Observation Unit (COU) to provide additional nursing support to patients experiencing acute delirium/confusion as part of their admission.
• Approximately 250 patients are seen each month, with an average length of stay of 3.3 days.
• The ward’s multidisciplinary team comprises physiotherapists, occupational therapist, speech pathologists, dietitians, discharge coordinator and social workers who assist with complex patient discharge care planning.
• The ward supports the Eat Walk and Engage, a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary program that improves care for older people in hospital. The program significantly reduces delirium and promotes recovery in acute care wards through optimal
  nutrition and hydration, early and regular mobility, and engagement in meaningful cognitive and social activities.

Staff profile

As it’s NAIDOC Week, we will profile First Nations Nurse Navigator – Working Together to Connect Care, Emergency Department, Kitty Synot.

Kitty, who is a proud Wamba Wamba Aboriginal woman, is responsible for navigating First Nations adult and paediatric patients with complex needs through the emergency department (ED), ensuring they receive clinical care that is respectful, dignified and culturally safe. This includes patients who frequently present to the ED with complex physical and psychosocial needs such as homelessness, mental health and child safety involvement.

Having worked primarily in emergency nursing for the last decade, Kitty is passionate about the health and cultural safety of First Nations people, especially in EDs. She enjoys making a difference to vulnerable patients, improving primary health and social connections in the community, and being a point of contact for youth at risk of poor health outcomes.

Outside of work, Kitty enjoys spending time with her family and dog, and getting out and about in her caravan when she can.

Shout out

This week’s shout out goes to our Adult Intensive Care Service for the following compliment they received from a patient’s relative, highlighting the team’s wonderful compassion and care.

“Thank you so much for caring for our dad while he was in the intensive care unit.  It truly means a lot to us that he had such wonderful people with him when he died. We were able to spend a lot of time with him during his time at The Prince Charles Hospital and could only do so because everyone here did their best to allow us to. While we weren’t able to bring him home with us, we will always be grateful that when he passed he was comfortable and had human connection through your wonderful nurses that held his hands for us. Thank you again.”

The other shout out goes to Clinical Nurse, Susan Traves from heart and lung ambulatory services who cares for patients with a variety of cardiac and thoracic conditions in an outpatient setting. Sue was featured on the Metro North Health Facebook page this week.

Today’s quote

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot

Tami.