Melanie Dubbelde, Acting Executive Director

TPCH and Metro North have been experiencing a sustained increased demand on our services over the past few weeks.  A big thanks must go to the entire TPCH team for their collaboration and teamwork which has enabled us to meet the demands and continue to provide safe care to our patients. Everyone has certainly come together which has demonstrated the importance of teamwork in achieving great outcomes for our patients and supporting one another at the same time.

Promoting teamwork and good culture are especially important as we welcome new staff to our hospital. This week we provided orientation to 105 new medical registrars who form part of a cohort of almost 200 new doctors commencing at TPCH this year. Approximately 50 nursing graduates have also started at the hospital since December with more planned to begin in the coming months. With so many new staff joining our team and new faces around the wards and corridors, it is a good reminder to consider the role we each play in conveying to new staff members what TPCH is about.

Maintaining respect and compassion for each other, and a high level of integrity towards doing the right thing and being accountable for our actions, are essential components of building high performing teams. This application of the values ultimately translates to improved care for our patients which is our major goal in health care.

As we go about our daily work, I encourage staff to think about how our day-to-day conduct can help build confidence and trust among our patients, visitors and each other and lead to more positive outcomes and experiences for everyone.

Health equity

Part of our journey towards achieving health equity is about how we create a culturally appropriate environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples so they feel safe, comfortable and respected when visiting TPCH.

As individual staff members, we need to ask ourselves how can we contribute to this environment on a daily basis? One simple way is through the delivery of an Acknowledgement of Country at organisational meetings.  An Acknowledgement of Country allows any individual to pay respects to the Traditional Owners of the lands they are meeting on. The Acknowledgement of Country also extends to any attendees who are joining remotely. There is no specific script for an Acknowledgement of Country, however it is important to include the Traditional Owners (be specific where possible, if you don’t know the Traditional Owners you can acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands in general), Elders past and present, acknowledge emerging leaders and ensure you include all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people present.

If you are delivering an Acknowledgement of Country, it is encouraged that you personalise it to include some of your own learnings about the Traditional Owners – were they river or saltwater people? What was their totem? Is there a plant or tree that is important to the local culture? What language group do the Traditional Owners belong to?

Executive update

Smoking ceremony

In highlighting our commitment to health equity at TPCH, members of our Executive team attended a Smoking Ceremony hosted by the Multiplex team who are constructing the new multi-storey car park at TPCH. The Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony was performed by Shannon Ruska, a descendant of the Yuggera, Turrbal, Nunukul, Gorenpul/Cooperoo, and Yugembir peoples,and Johnno on didgeridoo, and was attended by Aunty Deb Nagas. Other staff members from Metro North, TPCH and St Vincent’s were also in attendance.

Importantly, this was an opportunity for TPCH Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service Team to let the Multiplex team know about the health services the team provide to Mob in the hospital, including support, safe spaces and sense of community in an effort to address health equity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Also this week, members of our Executive team had the opportunity to visit RAMS (Rapid Assessment for Medical Services), EMU (Early-Assessment Medical Unit), DUIT (Day Unit Investigation and Therapy) and the Rapid Access Clinic within our Internal Medicine Service (IMS). Assistant Nursing Director IMS, Kate Jakeman gave us a guided tour of the areas, explaining the varying models of care adopted by each service and the important role they play in patient flow, providing more timely care, and hospital avoidance. A big thanks to Kate for taking the time to show us around, especially during such a busy period.

Celebrating culture

This year, TPCH is planning to host a series of celebratory cultural events in recognition of the great multicultural workforce we have here at TPCH, with one in five staff members and patients who use our services from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Staff feedback received at last year’s Charlies Week Staff Wellness Day event told us that staff are keen to acknowledge diversity and inclusivity at TPCH through regular activities and events.

The first celebration for 2024 will be the Lunar New Year where staff will be able to enjoy a variety of food specials through The Café of the Common Good from tomorrow, Saturday 10 February (start of the New Year) to Friday 16 February. You may have already seen the colourful decorations inside the main Café!

If you are keen to help plan and have input to TPCH’s cultural celebrations, we would like to hear from you. Please email: TPCH-StaffCouncil@health.qld.gov.au

Infrastructure update

Building 14 decant planning continues

Planning and preparation for the decant of Building 14 continues, with staff being encouraged to look at opportunities to declutter their workspace ahead of the move. Decluttering will help each team to make the most of their new space and ultimately create a more efficient and productive work environment in their new office accommodation. TPCH Expansion Project team are also continuing to consult with teams to identify a co-location strategy to determine optimal office design. The final design will then be provided to the contractors to enable manufacturing of the new modular buildings to commence in March 2024.

Site establishment for the Crisis Stabilisation Facility and changes to Endoscopy Unit
car park

The delivery of the new Crisis Stabilisation Facility (CSF) is underway with the offsite fabrication of the modular building commencing last month. The CSF is scheduled to be delivered to site from mid May and will be located on the at grade car park adjacent to the Endoscopy Unit.

This month, on site establishment works will occur from 21 February commencing with the installation of site fencing and permanent closure of the small Endoscopy Unit car park to make way for the new facility.  Patients and delivery vehicles will still be able to access the undercroft area for drop offs and pick ups.

The building contractors will also set up a site compound for their workers and this will be temporarily located on the green space adjacent to the footpath near Wallace Street. This green space will be remediated at the completion of works. The duress call system located along the footpath between TPCH and the St Vincent’s staff car park will still be accessible.

Civil works will commence in March. Staff will be kept updated as work progresses. More information is available on QHEPS Infrastructure Planning Activities | The Prince Charles Hospital (health.qld.gov.au)

FAST FACTS

Members of the Thoracic Ward team

This week we will profile the Thoracic Ward.

Did you know?

• Thoracic Ward is a 34-bed specialist acute respiratory medical ward, managing six consultant medical teams.
• The Ward has a 6-bed Thoracic Close Observation Unit (TCOU) to provide additional nursing support to patients requiring acute respiratory care.
• Thoracic Ward and TCOU provide care to approximately 180 thoracic program patients every month.
• The ward multidisciplinary team comprises a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, dietitians, discharge coordinator and social workers to assist with sometimes complex patient discharge planning.
• Thoracic Ward is an Eat/Walk/Engage ward, focusing on restoring the improved recovery of patients through nutrition, mobility and social interaction.

Staff profile

Today we will profile Telecommunications Administration Officer, Craig Lewis. As a switchboard operator, Craig is responsible for handling emergency calls, monitoring fire alarm mimic panels and duress alarms, managing on-call rosters and providing support and empathy to grieving family members during distressing situations.

Previously working for the aviation industry as a cabin crew member and then an on-board manager for Emirates Airline, Craig values speed and efficiency in his work. He holds a high level of respect for all the hardworking staff throughout the hospital and is passionate about helping and supporting the caring people of TPCH.

In his spare time Craig is a keen traveller, having visited over 85 countries. He enjoys playing with his dogs Lady Victoria Pugleston (Pug) and Raya (French Mastiff) and likes board games.

Shout out

This week’s shout out goes to Perry Judd, Director of Allied Health and Dr David Wood, Clinical Director of Paediatric Emergency Department, who are preparing to participate in the Chain Reaction Challenge – a national cycling event riding 1,000 kilometres over 7 days and raising funds for children’s charities, including the hospital’s Children’s Services through The Common Good. To kickstart their fundraising efforts, Perry and David will demonstrate their peddling prowess next Thursday, February 15, during the staff happy hour from 2 pm to 3 pm at the Café for The Common Good. 

Staff are invited to come down and show their support by helping them achieve their $6,000 fundraising target. To find out more go to: Perry Judd and David Wood.

Melanie.