Published on 2 April 2023
Edition 66: April 2023
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Helpful contacts
Employee Assistance Program: 1800 099 444
Nurse & Midwife Support: 1800 667 877
Nurse & Midwife Health Program: 03 9415 7551 or 1800 888 236
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Upcoming dates
April 2023
3 ACN Graduate Certificate Nursing Scholarship applications close
4 Memorial Service for Joy Turner (2pm Footscray Auditorium)
5 Advancing Frontline Leadership program (Group 1)
12 Advancing Frontline Leadership program (Group 1)
16 Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program (AUSCEP) applications close
18 Transforming leadership Capability program (Group 1)
20 Advancing Frontline Management program (Group 2)
26 Advancing Frontline Management program (Group 1)
28 Joy Turner Memorial Scholarship applications close
30 Nursing Trailblazer nominations closeCheck out Events for more details.
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Nursing & Midwifery Executive
Adjunct Professor Shane Crowe
Executive Director of Nursing & Midwifery
Phone: 8345 1463
Email: shane.crowe@wh.org.auProfessor Bodil Rasmussen
Chair of Nursing, Deakin University/Western Health
Phone: 8395 8163
Email: bodil.rasmussen@wh.org.auDoug Mill
Director of Nursing & Midwifery
Division: Chronic & Complex Care
Phone: 0400 807 938
Email: douglas.mill@wh.orh.auHelen Sinnott
Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Sunshine
Phone: 0435 962 716
Email: helen.sinnott@wh.org.auJo Mapes
Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Footscray
Division: Perioperative and Critical Care
Phone: 0423 302 337
Email: joanne.mapes@wh.org.auKate Renzenbrink
Director of Nursing & Midwifery Informatics (CNMIO)
Phone: 0425 772 324
Email: kate.renzenbrink@wh.org.auProfessor Linda Sweet
Chair of Midwifery, Deakin University/Western Health
Phone: 8395 1178
Email: linda.sweet@wh.org.auLisa Gatzonis
Director of Nursing & Midwifery Workforce
Phone: 9393 0127
Email: lisa.gatzonis@wh.org.auMonique Sammut
Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Sunbury
Divisions: WPHU and Clinical Support & Specialist Clinics
Phone: 0412 769 423
Email: monique.sammut@wh.org.auNicole Davies
Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Williamstown
Division: Emergency, Medicine & Access
Phone: 0435 656 190
Email: nicole.davies@wh.org.auRohan Vaughan
Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Melton
Division: Drug Health
Phone: 0434 365 769
Email: rohan.vaughan@wh.org.auRyan Dube
Director of Nursing
Senior Mental Health Clinical Lead
Division: Mental Health & Wellbeing
Phone: 0420 228 035
Email: ryan.dube@wh.org.auAdjunct Professor Tanya Farrell
Director of Maternity Services
Division: Women’s & Children’s
Phone: 0468 830 755
Email: tanya.farrell@wh.org.auVal Dibella
Acting Director of Nursing & Midwifery (Inspiring Innovation)
Phone: 0466 489 687
Email: val.dibella@wh.org.auWendy Giddings
Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Bacchus Marsh
Divisions: Aged, Cancer & Continuing Care and Bacchus Marsh & Melton
Phone: 0458 603 897
Email: wendy.giddings@wh.org.au
From Shane
To support our preparation for short-notice accreditation later this year, a focus on a Standard each fortnight has commenced. At the moment Infection Prevention is in the spotlight, with Medication Safety and Comprehensive Care to follow throughout April. I encourage you all to get involved with the activities each fortnight. The activities will include walkarounds with Q&As for front line staff, fun activities, games and quizzes. I have confidence that every nurse and midwife attends Western Health each day to deliver Best Care. The focus on each Standard will help support your knowledge, understanding and confidence of the requirements of each Standard – and so you feel ready and raring to go ahead of the assessors arriving.
I was delighted to open the Western Health Falls Collaborative last week, where we had a large group of dedicated nurses attend with the sole focus of working together to decrease the number of falls that occur at our health service. The commitment of our nurses and midwives to continually work to improve the safety and quality of care that we provide is inspirational. The Collaborative supported our Falls Champions to swap ideas, network, and share their successes and frustrations. The combined efforts of this group and all of our nurses has seen a continuing decrease in the number of falls and falls-with-injury occurring at Western Health – however we have more work to do! My sincere thanks to our Falls Champions for their amazing work – it truly does make a very real difference.
At the Falls Collaborative I was also proud to announce the Joy Turner Memorial Scholarship Program to support 5 nurses or midwives each year who are involved in local quality improvement initiatives, to attend a health-related conference. If you are actively engaged in improvement, I encourage you to apply.
A huge welcome to our Transition to Acute Care participates that commenced on our clinical wards and departments on 27 March. The program has 45 experienced nurses enrolled, who have been working in areas other than acute hospitals. Throughout the program our new colleagues will be supported to develop their confidence and competence working within the acute setting. I know that you will all be made to feel very welcome at Western Health, and I hope that this is the start of a long and fulfilling career with us.
Western Health carefully monitors the prevalence of COVID and other infectious diseases within the community via our Public Health Unit. Whilst the world outside of hospitals continues on with COVID not really being mentioned any more, unfortunately the data is telling us that we are at the start of another COVID wave. Whilst we hope that this wave is not as severe as previous waves, it is important that we take action to ensure that we are providing the safest environment possible for our staff, patients and visitors. You will have seen that we have tightened out mask settings in response, and I implore you all to ensure that you are wearing the correct mask for where you work. Whilst I know they can be uncomfortable, there is strong evidence that a correctly fitted N95 mask is the best protection against COVID. Whilst talking about protection, it is also important to keep your COVID vaccination up to date. Most of our staff will have now had had their most recent dose more than 6 months ago, so now is a good time to get a booster. Our Flu Vax campaign is commencing soon, where you will be given the opportunity to get doubled-up protection with a Flu Shot and a COVID booster.
For our nurses and midwives wanting to apply to become a Clinical Nurse/Midwife Specialist, or our Enrolled Nurses wanting to apply to become a Level 3 please keep a look out this month via internal recruitment for your opportunity to apply.
Over April a number of new dashboards will be released to support Western Health staff to understand how we are performing and to inform decision making. These new dashboards are Access & Flow (Surgical/Theatre), Delirium, Blood Management and Infection, Prevention, & Control – which will join the initial 13 Performance Dashboards that were released in February. They are full of excellent information, and I encourage you to review this data for your own ward/department regularly. They can be accessed via the Quicklinks tab on the intranet.
Finally, the Office of Research has released the dates for the Research Training Workshops for 2023. These are great opportunities for all of our budding nurse and midwife researchers to learn more about key topics related to research from experts in each field, including our own Prof Bodil Rasmussen and Prof Linda Sweet. To view the topics and book into a session please follow this link.
Shane Crowe
Executive Director, Nursing & Midwifery
Getting ready for Accreditation
The Live Best Care site is being continually updated with resources to support Western Health staff and volunteers with achieving Best Care for our patients and community. These resources will also support everyone to feel confident and comfortable for the upcoming short-notice accreditation later in 2023.
As part of Accreditation Readiness activity, a NSQHS Standard of the Fortnight initiative has been introduced.
For each Standard, each fortnight a range of activities to be implemented from the Communications and Engagement Plan, includes:
- Best Care Coordinator and Fab Five Walkarounds with Q&As for front line staff
- Best Care Carnival – short, fun activities/games, online pop quizzes for each Standard with prizes
- Spotlight on the Live Best Care site on Standard per fortnight
- Behind the scenes videos of each Standard – how each relates to a range of teams and staff and to introduce Fab 5 teams
All clinical areas/departments within each division, at each applicable campus will be visited by Best Care Coordinators within the space of a fortnight for each Standard.
Fab 5 Team Members for that Standard will also be visible around the campuses during that fortnight.
Infection Prevention:
The first standard of the fortnight was NSQHS Standard 3: Infection Prevention, which went from Monday 27 March to Friday 7 April.
To get up-to-date with accreditation readiness and Infection Prevention, read the Standard 3: Infection Prevention Bulletin March 2023. An Accreditation Readiness Fact Sheet on the Standard is also available.
What Standards are next?
Keep an eye out for the next Standards of the Fortnight throughout April, including Standard 4: Medication Safety and then Standard 5 Comprehensive Care.
Extended planned EMR downtime
At 8pm on Wednesday 26 April 2023 until 12 noon on Thursday 27 April 2023 there will be a planned EMR downtime. This downtime is to allow for the system to be prepared for the upcoming go-live of Phase 2.1 of the EMR implementation in July.
Please visit the EMR Downtime Procedures page on the Digital Health site for more information, including:
- Downtime Quick Reference Guides
- EMR Business Continuity Plan
A reminder that as a nurse or midwife, when the EMR goes down you must:
- Seek direction from the nurse or midwife in-charge
- Commence documenting using Downtime packs:
- Downtime MAR for medications and Bag By Bag infusions that are currently running
- All high risk or Continuous infusions should be on paper infusion chart
- Progress Notes for all other documentation requirements (Some areas may use specialty forms)
- Review the Downtime MAR for any future orders for hydration. If there are, liaise with Medical Officer to cancel on Downtime MAR as per Business Continuity Plan and order on paper infusion chart
- Place ‘Patient on Paper’ signs above the bed
- To ensure safe medication management during EMR downtime:
- You must sign (not tick) medications on the Downtime MAR
- Administration of scheduled medications must be initialed
- Administration of PRN medications must be initialed with dose and time administered
- Once-only medications appear under scheduled medications. Initial administration with the time
- administered
- New medications are not to be charted on the downtime MAR: these are to be prescribed onto the relevant paper medication or infusion chart.
- Any new medications are to be faxed to Pharmacy using Medication Request cover sheet, and copy of NIMC if applicable. NEVER photo copy the Downtime MAR
- If unsure of any medication/infusion orders, ask for Medical Officer to review order. If still unsure, cross out
downtime MAR and go to paper order
Alert over new Warfarin packaging
Please see attached Medication Safety Alert from VicTag highlighting availability of warfarin (Coumadin and Marevan) in new packaging similar to multiple other medication by the manufacturer Mylan/Viatris.
Both brands of warfarin, in all strengths, are now being supplied to multiple health services (and community pharmacies) in identical blue bottles. Many other medicines manufactured by Mylan/Viatris are already supplied in identical blue bottles. As warfarin is a known high risk medicine, the new blue packaging is a risk for selection errors and therefore medication and dose errors by pharmacy and nursing staff. Patients taking warfarin at home are also at increased risk of a selection or dosing error. These errors have the potential to result in a severe or fatal outcome.
Western Health has not transitioned over to the new packaging yet, however patients may be using their own stock with new packaging at home. Healthcare professionals are requested to carefully review when taking medication histories and provide patient and carers education on similar packaging where appropriate.
As an APINCH medication –it is recommended to always take extra care when administering warfarin. Concerns regarding the new packaging have been raised at a state level with the manufacturer and relevant stakeholders through various professional groups.
BLS - a change is coming.....
A change is coming within the Basic Life Support (BLS) space!
BLS is a mandatory competency for all Clinical Staff, and it’s time to change how we train for BLS.
In the coming months mandatory annual BLS training will move to an online competency for all existing staff. This will be completed annually. If staff have 2 unsuccessful online attempts, they will need to attend a face-to-face assessment.
New staff will be required to complete a face-to-face assessment as well as the online pre-learning content.
Western Health will continue to deliver a variety of resuscitation training programs incorporating the hands-on practical skills. Staff who prefer face-to-face competency assessment will be able to continue to receive this.
New defibrillators:
Additionally, there has recently been a new fleet of Defibrillators distributed across the organisation.
Philips were successful in the tender process, and training and changeover of defibrillators has begun at the Sunshine Hospital, with Footscray, Williamstown, Bacchus Marsh, Melton and Sunbury to follow shortly after.
The Resuscitation Education team will be reaching out to clinical areas to arrange and provide training and education to staff.
Please reach out via email Whs-resuseducation@wh.org.au if you have any questions.
Vale Joy Turner
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart to share the news that Joy Turner passed away unexpectedly on the evening of 14 March 2023.
Despite not working here anymore, Joy was very well known and loved at Western Health from her time as one of our Directors of Nursing & Midwifery from 2014 until 2020. During this time, she provided significant leadership to the nursing workforce, was a strong advocate for our patients and staff, and mentored many people to support their development. She was an amazing person and developed friendships and close links with many of our people.
Only recently, Joy returned to Western Health as an independent consultant to lead the establishment of an Automated Dispensing Solution across the organisation, and so many were excited to be working with her again.
Joy’s impact on Western Health has been long-lasting, particularly within the Nursing & Midwifery directorate and our nursing teams more broadly. Joy was amiable, energetic and compassionate and for those of us who were lucky enough to work closely with her, mischievous, humorous and kind.
There is a memorial service being held on Tuesday 4 April at 2pm in the Footscray Auditorium to celebrate her life and the impact she had on us at Western Health. All are welcome.
This is heartbreaking news and I want to remind all staff that support is available during this difficult time. The Western Health community is tightly knit and the death of a colleague can have a deep personal impact. If you or your colleagues need additional support, please contact the Pastoral Care team or the Employee Assistance Program (Caraniche) on 1800 099 444.
Our deepest condolences and thoughts are with Joy’s family and friends.
Joy Turner Memorial Scholarships
With the support of Joy Turner’s family, Western Health are proud to announce the Joy Turner Memorial Scholarship Program.
Every year, this program will financially support five of our frontline nurses/midwives who are involved in local quality improvement initiatives, to attend a health-related conference.
Western Health recognise our bedside nurses and midwives are critical members of the healthcare team, and their involvement in quality improvement initiatives is essential to improve patient outcomes, reduce errors, and enhance overall patient experience.
Nurses and midwives are often in the best position to identify areas that need improvement and develop innovative solutions. Nurse/midwife-led quality improvement initiatives have been proven to increase patient satisfaction, reduce healthcare costs, and improve the overall quality of care.
The involvement of bedside nurses and midwives in quality improvement initiatives is crucial to drive meaningful change and continuously improve patient outcomes.
Eligibility:
The Joy Turner Memorial Scholarship Program is open to all frontline nurses/midwives employed at Western Health who have played an active role leading a quality improvement initiative within their ward.
Applicants must provide evidence of the quality improvement initiative, together with a letter of recommendation from their ward manager.
Scholarship Award:
Every year, a scholarship will be awarded (up to $2,000 each) to five front line nurses/midwives to reduce the cost burden related to attending a health-related conference.
The funds will be reimbursed directly to the scholarship recipient once confirmation of conference registration and payment has been received. The scholarship recipient will be responsible for making their own arrangements to attend the conference.
Application process:
Please complete the application form and return it and supporting documentation to NursingMidwiferyLeadershipPrograms@wh.org.au. Applications for will close on Friday 28 April 2023.
Get COVID boosted ahead of winter
Maintaining up-to-date vaccination against COVID continues to be an integral defence to protect us against this disease. Boosters are important to maintain this protection.
With the prevalence of COVID cases in the community, maintaining our immunity is especially important for people who work in high-risk areas like healthcare.
Western Health would like to offer all eligible staff a COVID booster dose for winter protection. Staff who have not had a booster or COVID infection in the last six months are eligible.
As of Monday 20 March, the staff COVID vaccination service will operating from the Plaster Room Pod 2, Ground Floor, Adult Specialist Clinic, Sunshine Hospital. This is by appointment only at the following times:
- Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays (not Thursdays) from 8-11.30am and 12.30-3.30pm.
This service will run for four weeks only. From the 17 April, boosters will only be available Wednesdays at Sunshine Hospital from 8-11.30am and 12.30-3.30pm.
The service has supplies of both the Pfizer Bivalent BA.4/BA.5 mRNA vaccine, or the Novavax vaccine for those who are unable to receive a mRNA-based vaccine. Please bring your Medicare card to your booking – no Medicare card, no vaccination.
Please use the QR code right to make your appointment.
Western Health at the Nursing & Health Expo
The Western Health team were at the Nursing & Health Expo flying the flag at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on Saturday 1 April.
The Expo is an excellent place to connect with potential new recruits and nursing and midwifery students who are deciding where they would like to undertake their Graduate Program. The Expo is jampacked with exhibitors, including hospitals, health services, educational institutions, and speciality nursing groups sharing information with the attendees on nursing and midwifery career opportunities.
Western Health team were highly visible, with our nurses in green an our midwives in purple. Our booth was incredibly popular, and our recent graduate program participants were in high demand talking about their own experiences. Our Educators were also popular sharing their expertise, guidance and advice.
A huge thanks to all of our staff that were involved in the Expo for their time and passion promoting that West is Best!
EMR Phase 2.1 Training
With only a few months until the July EMR Phase 2.1 Go-Live, here is an overview of the training requirements for Nursing and Midwifery staff. The start of EMR Phase 2.1 training is an important stage of this vital project, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone learning the enhanced EMR workflows.
When does EMR Phase 2.1 WeLearn training start?
Staff training for the new EMR Phase 2.1 functionality will be available online in WeLearn from Monday 3rd April 2023.
Who needs to complete WeLearn training?
- All Nursing and Midwifery staff who work in the EMR Phase 2.1 key clinical areas will need to complete online WeLearn training.
The EMR Phase 2.1 key clinical areas are:
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- Cancer Services
- Emergency Medicine and Access
- ICU and Critical Care
- Perioperative and Anaesthesia
- Specialist Clinics (including Community clinical documentation)
- Women’s and Children’s
- Staff who currently use the EMR (outside the EMR Phase 2.1 key clinical areas) will have access to new EMR functionality with the Go-Live and so may also need to complete online WeLearn lessons.
This will be determined by the following three questions. Staff who answer yes to any of the following three questions will need to complete the associated lesson.
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- Do you need to review patient information in ED?
- Do your patients require enteral feeds?
- Do you need to complete passports to surgery?
The estimated time it will take to complete WeLearn training will be noted on each training package.
The WeLearn package does not need to be completed in the one session- your progress will be saved and you can return to it at a later time.
When can we practice in the EMR practice environment?
Practicing what has been learnt in training is really important to help increase your understanding and confidence using the EMR. You will have access to the EMR practice environment via the EMR Super Users for your area. As Super Users complete their training, they will be given an EMR practice environment login, suggested practice activities and a plan for sharing the login with their team.
The EMR practice environment is not linked to the live EMR system used in everyday work, and the patients in the practice environment are test ones, not real. The EMR practice environment is refreshed every night so the test patients are re-set for more practice the next day.
More information
Further information on EMR Phase 2.1 training is available in this short video and on the Digital Health information site including:
- Steps to follow to access training
- How to access further support or book a classroom training session
For queries about EMR Phase 2.1 training please contact WHS-EMRTrainers@wh.org.au
Nursing Trailblazer nominations closing soon
Nominations for the 2023 Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers are now open. To nominate yourself or an innovative colleague please complete the nomination form. Nominations will close on Sunday 30 April 2023.
About the award:
The only award of its kind in Australia, the Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers (Trailblazers Award) recognises nurse leaders and innovators who lead the way to transform our health and aged care systems by impacting costs, improving quality of care and enhancing consumer satisfaction. The award acknowledges nurse-led innovations and models of care which significantly improve health outcomes for the Australian community through evidence-based processes.
Founded by the Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt MP in 2019, the Trailblazers Award is administered by the Australian College of Nursing (ACN). The award is designed to acknowledge that nursing has the solutions to many of the problems that plague the Australian health and aged care systems. This prestigious award is bestowed upon an innovative and outstanding nurse who has demonstrated leadership to bring new thinking to a wide range of health care challenges.
Nomination criteria:
The nomination and selection process in line with the following selection criteria:
- Significant contribution to the nursing profession and better health outcomes of Australian community
- Innovative work of nurses and the holistic and integrated philosophy underlying nursing care
- Demonstrated innovative intervention or excellent model of care that resolved a problem in the delivery of health care or an unmet health need of a population.
Nominate now:
Nominees can self-nominate or be nominated by either their peers or health consumers. Nominations for the 2023 Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers are now open.
Nominate now
ACN scholarship applications closing soon
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is committed to supporting nurses to advance their skills and scope of practice, feel connected, and be empowered to recognise their value as healthcare leaders.
Applications for the ACN Foundation scholarships, grants and awards are now open.
Graduate Certificate Nursing Scholarships
20 scholarships available to members and non-members undertake one of the ACN Graduate Certificate courses listed below. Five scholarships are available to First Nations nurses and five are available to nurses working in rural and remote areas of Australia.
- Cancer Nursing
- Community and Primary Health Care Nursing
- Critical Care Nursing
- Digital Health
- Leadership and Management
- Orthopaedic Nursing
- Perioperative Nursing
Applications close at 11:59pm on Monday 3 April 2023.
PROBAAT Trial
In early March, Western Health began using Cooks Catheter Cervical Ripening Balloon’s for outpatients as a method of inducing labour, alongside prostaglandin, artificially breaking the waters, or Oxytocin.
Antenatal patients who require an induction of labour after 37 weeks gestation, and meet the inclusion criteria, will now have their cervical balloon catheter inserted in MAC and can then return home. They’ll need to return to the hospital 12 hours later to have the balloon removed for the next stage of the induction process.
The Obstetric and Midwifery team at Western Health believes the balloon catheter will provide an improved patient experience, with eligible antenatal patients able to return to the comfort of the homes rather than remain an inpatient on our postnatal wards.
Western Health is taking part in in the Monash Health PROBAAT Trial, a multi-centre observational study across 12 sites in Australia. The trials’ primary focus is the effectiveness of home induction with a balloon catheter measured by vaginal birth outcomes. Secondary to that, data collected will inform the research team about neonatal and maternal safety, labour and delivery outcomes, economic analysis and maternal satisfaction.
We will conduct satisfaction surveys with inpatients and outpatients undergoing cervical ripening so that we evaluate how this change is impacting our patients. Education is now underway across maternity services and we will continue to update staff of any additional changes as the roll out is launched.
Priority Primary Care Centers now open
Priority Primary Care Centres partner with nearby hospital emergency departments. They provide free care for people with conditions that require urgent attention but not an emergency response. This includes conditions like mild infections and burns, suspected fractures or broken bones. They also offer pathology and imaging services.
The centres help Victorians who need urgent care get help faster, while keeping our busy emergency departments free for those in critical, life-threatening situations.
They operate seven days a week, accepting walk-ups, referrals and pre-booked appointments. The Victorian Government has funded the operation of these services through to the end of 2023.
There will be 25 Priority Primary Care Centres opening progressively. The following centres have been opened to support Western Health Emergency Departments:
- Sunshine Priority Primary Care Centre (supporting Sunshine Hospital)
Opening hours: 8am-10pm Monday-Sunday
Location: 421 Ballarat Road, Sunshine
Bookings via phone: (03) 8539 2772 or
Website: - Maribyrnong Priority Primary Care Centre (supporting Footscray Hospital)
Opening hours: 9am-10pm, Monday-Sunday
Location: G01B/31 Edgewater Boulevard, Maribyrnong VIC 3032
Bookings via phone: (03) 9317 1717 or
Website:
WeLearn Course for in-charge Nurses and Midwives
There is a new learning package available that has been specifically designed for Nurses and Midwives that are doing in-charge shifts in their departments.
It aims to give you a head start on requesting and managing Western Health’s supplementary staffing to ensure that your ward has the nurses and midwives it needs to deliver patient best-care.
It contains lessons regarding setting up a HeWS in-charge account and requesting staff based on activity. It also illustrates what is required of you when you have these staff on your ward. Use the link below or enter through WeLearn portal.
Course: Supplementary Staffing for the In-Charge Nurse/Midwife (wh.org.au)
My Health Record app launched
The Australian Digital Health Agency has launched its first consumer mobile application, which enables users to access information stored under My Health Record. The app, called ‘My Health’ is available from iOS and Android app stores.
From the home screen users can access information including medicines history, pathology results, COVID-19 test results, vaccination status and upcoming immunisations.
The app also provides access to allergies and reactions information, hospital discharge summaries, advance care planning documents and records for children under 14 and any other records with authorised access.
DHA says that 75% of interactions between the system and users occurred on mobile devices, so the app is empowering consumers by providing access to health information via quality devices and apps is a hallmark of a modern health system.
New Online Supplementary Staffing Orientation Checklist and Performance Feedback
In an attempt to reduce environmental impact and to contain accurate data, both the Orientation Checklist and the Performance Feedback forms that we use for Western Health’s supplementary staffing are moving online. To make accessing these online forms easier we are supplying two different QR codes.
Please note a QR sheet (A4 laminated) will be located in all departmental areas that use Pool, Bank or Agency Staffing.
The new procedure for Supplementary Staffing Orientation and Performance Feedback is being rolled out on Monday 3 April, 2023. Please commence using these codes after this date.
Become a clinical entrepreneur
Applications are open from 15 March – 16 April for the second intake of the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program (AUSCEP) pilot.
The program is looking for talented and driven health professionals who have ambitions to change healthcare for the better.
AUSCEP aims to support the Australian health workforce to develop and scale its most innovative ideas for the benefit of patients, by providing commercial knowledge, expertise, a supportive and safe network, and permission to innovate. AUSCEP will be a ‘mobile incubator’ targeted at clinicians with innovative ideas. It will be run for two cohorts consecutively for a duration of 12 months each. The Pilot Program will have similarities to incubators, in delivering relevant educational, skills development, technical advice, mentorship, and
networking experiences.
The program is supported by the Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) initiative, powered by MTPConnect, made possible by the Medical Research Future Fund.
The AUSCEP pilot program will initially be delivered across WA, Victoria, and NSW and should it prove successful, aims to roll out nationally.
Objectives:
- deliver benefits for participating health systems by enabling their staff to translate and commercialise innovations that solve key system challenges
- equip healthcare professionals with the skills to translate their ideas and innovations into solutions with impact
- drive the development of solutions that will be used by patients and healthcare providers, both in Australia and around the world, to address key challenges
- help to effect cultural change within the health system by encouraging entrepreneurialism and innovation
- retain talented staff who might otherwise leave to pursue entrepreneurial ambitions.
Learn more:
AUSCEP builds the commercialisation skills and networks of Australia’s healthcare workforce to accelerate clinician-led innovation. The benefit of this program is that eligible participants must have an innovative idea that solves an unmet need which will be used as a test case and developed during the course. More details and eligibility criteria can be found on the website.
Celebrating Williamstown Hospital nurses
A new exhibition celebrating the contribution and camaraderie of local nurses is on display at Williamstown Library’s Heritage Room.
Proud to be a Nurse pays tribute to the trainee nurses at Williamstown Hospital and their immeasurable contribution to healthcare in our community – from 1900 all the way through to present day.
Curated by former local and Williamstown Hospital nurse Wendy Cavanagh, the exhibition explores photos, uniforms and personal collectables from a group who forged an incredible bond in the early days of their careers. The exhibition includes themed displays, such as an ANZAC section, as well as personal histories.
Wendy, who graduated as a trainee nurse in 1974, was inspired to put the collection together after attending her first past trainee nurses’ reunion in 2018. She believed the stories and photos shared that day should not be lost to history. She tracked down several former nurses and interviewed them to document their stories.
Visitors to the exhibition can explore photos from private collections and search among the hundreds of names indexed on the interactive table.
The exhibition is free to enter, and is being held in the Williamstown Library Heritage Room, 104 Ferguson Street, Williamstown until Thursday 27 April 2023.
Benchmarking Best Care
The latest benchmark reports from the Health Roundtable that go up to September 2022 show how our delivery of Best Care compares to other health services across Australasia.
Let’s look at how we perform in the area of delirium.
Delirium:
Sunshine Hospital
The rates of delirium at Sunshine Hospital is in the green when compared to our peers, and keeping consistently low and dropping. This is a fantastic result.
Well done to our Sunshine Hospital teams.
Footscray Hospital
Rates of delirium at Footscray Hospital have dropped from red to amber in the past quarter, but do still remain high.
Footscray Hospital has a lot of surgical activity, and 50% of surgical patients can be effected by delirium unless we put active steps in place to prevent it wherever possible. We can do this through frequent reorientation, early and recurrent mobilisation, pain management, adequate nutrition and hydration, reducing sensory impairments, and ensuring proper sleep patterns. If you need any support, please contact Sharon Collard (CNC Delirium and Cognitive Health).
Bacchus Marsh Hospital
The rates of delirium at Bacchus Marsh Hospital has been consistently green over an extended period. This is a fantastic result.
Well done to our Bacchus Marsh Hospital teams.
International Recruitment Guide - Nursing and Midwifery
Recruitment of international nurses is an important component of our Nursing & Midwifery Workforce strategy over the next few years. As a rapidly expanding health service providing to the ever-growing western corridor of metropolitan Melbourne, Western Health is tackling unparalleled workforce demand and associated supply requirements. Pre-existing nurse shortages and resource limitations have been exposed and amplified by the pandemic with the reality of capacity shortages, skill-mix, training, and workforce distribution being felt across the health sector.
With the increasing supply of nurses who are prepared and equipped to migrate post pandemic, and Victorian Government Immigration support package access, recruitment of Internationally Qualified Nurses and Midwives (IQNM) across the organisation is critical.
The Nursing and Midwifery International Recruitment Guide for Unit Managers, aims to assist local hiring managers (Unit Managers and Ops managers) with the entire process and also highlights the contact people needed to assist in the process.
The guide is located at:
As a group we need to be hiring and sponsoring Internationally Qualified Nurses and Midwives with an eye to the future.
Educational Opportunities
Resuscitation Mandatory Competencies:
Sessions have recommenced. In the first instance, you can arrange an assessment with your local instructor or educator. Resus educators are contacting managers to arrange local sessions for individual teams. Dedicated sessions for Bank and Pool Staff along with sessions for Nursing and Medical staff are available on Welearn. You can locate sessions by clicking on this link: Course: Basic Life Support (BLS) (wh.org.au)
Invasive Lines & Cannulation:
Dates for Bank-Pool Nursing staff, Ward Nursing staff, Radiology, and Medical staff available soon.
Adult Deteriorating Patient (non-obstetric):
Learning how to recognise and escalate patient deterioration is now here at Western Health. The Education and Learning Department have developed a new and improved Welearn course, designed to guide and support early recognition and escalation for a patient deteriorating within WH. I encourage all staff to complete the course and once completed, book in for a face-to-face study day to further improve and practice newly developed skills.
Fisher and Paykel Respiratory Support training:
RSVP to: education.australia@fphcare.com.au
- Infant & Paediatric Respiratory Support: Wednesday 10 May 2023 – WCHRE Auditorium: 9.00am to 3.00pm
- Adult Respiratory Support: Friday 14 July 2023 – WCHRE Auditorium: 9.00am to 3.00pm
- Infant Respiratory Support: Friday 1 September 2023 – WCHRE Auditorium: 9.00am to 3.00pm
- Adult & Paediatric Respiratory Support: Wednesday 4 October 2023 – WCHRE Lecture Theatre: 9.00am to 1.00pm
Education and Learning upcoming events:
- 20/03/2023: VAC Therapy Study Day
- 21/03/2023: CVAD Workshop
- 23/03/2023: Infection Prevention Study Day
- 27/03/2023: Tracheostomy Study Day
- 29/03/2023: Bookings are open for PIVC at Sunshine via the Welearn Module
- 04/04/2023: Heart Failure Study Day
- 14/04/2023: ALS1 training
- 20/04/2023: Microsoft Excel Introduction
- 20/04/2023: Microsoft Excel Intermediate
- 21/04/2023: Mental Health First Aid
- 26/04/2023: Night Duty: Deteriorating Patient
- 28/04/2023: Mental Health First Aid
- 03/05/2023: Cognitive Study Day
- 18/05/2023: Renal Study Day
- 19/05/2023: Mental Health First Aid
- 26/05/2023: Mental Health First Aid
- 30/05/2023: Bank/Pool Study Day
- 14/07/2023: Adult Respiratory Support (External enrolment)
- 05/09/2023: Cognitive Study Day
- 21/09/2023: Infection Prevention Study Day
- 27/10/2023: Mental Health First Aid
- 03/11/2023: Mental Health First Aid
More courses click here: Courses and Inservices (westernhealth.org.au)
Course Enrolment/Inquiries:
- WeLearn Helpdesk Email: welearn@wh.org.au
- WeLearn Enrolment link: welearn@wh.org.au
Emerging Evidence
The Western Health Library Service is a great source for locating the latest nursing and midwifery related evidence-based practice and research.
Latest articles of interest:
- Patient-centered care experiences of first-generation, south Asian migrants with chronic diseases living in high-income, western countries: systematic review. Patient Preference and Adherence. 2023: February Full Text Western Health Author
- Examining the transformation of midwifery education in Australia to inform future directions: An integrative review. Women and Birth. 2023: March Full Text Western Health Author
- Effectiveness of transition programs on new graduate nurses’ clinical competence, job satisfaction and perceptions of support: A mixed‐methods study. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2023: April. Full Text Western Health Author
- Job satisfaction and symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout: A survey of Australian and New Zealand intensive care research coordinators. Australian Critical Care. 2023: January Request Article Western Health Author
- Survey of intensive care unit staff views on a newly introduced reusable isolation gown. Australian Health Review. 2023: January. Full Text Western Health Author
- Rural maternity and media discourse analysis: Framing new narratives. Australian Journal of Rural Health. 2023: March. Full Text Western Health Author
New Nursing/Midwifery eBook Titles:
- The handbook of strategic 360 feedback. Oxford University Press, 2019. OUP eBook Guide
This volume is the definitive work on strategic 360 feedback, an approach to performance management that is characterized by: (1) having content derived from the organization’s strategy and values; (2) creating data that is sufficiently reliable and valid to be used for decision making; (3) integration with talent management and development systems; and (4) being inclusive of all candidates for assessment. Featuring 30 chapters from leading practitioners in the field, the volume is organized into four major sections: 360 for Decision Making; 360 for Development, Methodology, and Measurement; Organizational Applications; and Critical and Emerging Topics. - D.I.V.E.R.S.I.T.Y: a guide to working with diversity and developing cultural sensitivity. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2023. Proquest eBook Guide
D – Decide to be a Culturally Sensitive Practitioner
I – Invite people to talk about their cultures, values, beliefs, and experiences
V- Value their history, individuality and differences
E – Explore the client’s realities, show curiosity
R – Reflect upon information and knowledge received
S – Scrutinise yourself
I – Identify strategies to aid your work
T – Train yourself to treat people, children, and families individually
Y – Yield to culturally sensitive practice. Encouraging you to do more than just talk about racism, this simple practice tool provides easily achievable steps and practical guidance to empower you and your colleagues tackle racism and discrimination in practice.
View other feedback/appraisal print and eBook catalogue titles.
Library Training:
The library team provide custom training on EndNote, Covidence, systematic review searching, database searching, Current awareness and more. Why not Book a Librarian at a time and day that is suitable for you and a Western Health librarian will contact you to discuss your needs.
Off-site or home access to the library eBook titles, require free library membership. If you are not a member you can Join Online. For more information Click on our FAQ page.
Visit the library’s Intranet website, or ring the library to speak with a Librarian: 8395 8036 or 8345 6655. Working from home? Visit the Library Internet site.