Nursing & Midwifery News – December 2023

From Shane

We have been informed that we are having our short-notice accreditation assessment next week between 4-8 December 2023, where 12 surveyors from across Australia will intensively assess Western Health against the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards. After a significant amount of work over the past 12 months, largely making up time lost during COVID – we are ready! The ongoing commitment to delivering Best Care and continuing improvement shown by our nurses and midwives, and our clinical and non-clinical colleagues is amazing and I have high confidence that this will be very apparent to the surveyors. Details of accreditation are on the Live Best Care site, including the timetable, an outline of role expectations, updates and FAQs. Please give the surveyors a warm Western Health welcome and proudly share with them how you support the delivery of Best Care each day – through making our care person-centered, safe, right and coordinated – and how we put our consumer’s first and involve and empower them during their healthcare journey.

We are finishing off 2023 with a bang by holding our Nursing & Midwifery Excellence Awards, which gives us a chance to celebrate our nurses and midwives. The caliber of the nominations received this year has been nothing short of inspirational, and I cannot wait until I can share these with you! We will be showcasing the incredible achievements and contributions of our nurses and midwives at the award ceremony that is being held on Thursday 14 December 2023 at 2-4pm in the Auditorium (WCHRE Sunshine). Please join us if you can. If you cannot be there in person, please join us via Zoom.

I am just so proud of the way our nurses and midwives have continued to shine during 2023. Our professions have consistently excelled in meeting the healthcare needs of our community and we have cared for each other, supported our colleagues and have continued to be an astonishing team. The end of the year is always a good time to reflect on the past 12 months, and you should all feel rightfully proud of everything we have been able to achieve together, including:

• Phenomenal amount of work and ongoing improvement to get sustainably ready for accreditation.
• Became a designated mental health and wellbeing service, successfully transitioning services.
• Opened the new Mental Health & Wellbeing Centre at Sunshine Hospital.
• Implemented Phase 2.1 EMR project, and advanced planning and work for upcoming implementation in maternity and Bacchus Marsh and Melton.
• Took over governance for primary care services within Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.
• Sharing our successes preventing OVA through running our first OVA International Conference.
• Continued to implement the Nursing & Midwifery Workforce Plan 2022-2026. Despite the unprecedented workforce challenges and continuing growth, nursing and midwifery workforce in a comparatively strong position. Vacancy rate hit <3%, the lowest in years. 300% growth in post-graduate program participation. 0.8% decrease in attrition. 2% increase in supplementary staff utilisation. Agency utilisation in nursing and midwifery remains very low (approx. 0.2% of worked hours) despite huge demand.
• Completed the Performance Dashboard project, introducing 43 new interactive dashboards.
• Continued to implement our Falls Improvement Plan. Falls improvement initiatives implemented and falls with injury have dropped from 7.9 to 5.4. Delirium identification continuing to improve, and now an exemplar. Portable Video Monitoring, Hybrid Mattresses, integrated falls pads all implemented.
• Continued to implement improvements in maternity, achieving sustainable improvement in PPH rates and severe perineal tear rates.
• Roster codesign project undertaken, with implementation of improvements planned for early 2024.
• Transition to Acute Care program continues to have strong interest and participation.
• Growth of our 2 year Grad+ program, including 2 free post graduate subjects. Significant increase in applications to Western Health, achieving 100% match for both nursing and midwifery.
• Increased our post-graduate nursing participation rates from around 130 per annum to around 180!
• Embedded the RUSON and RUSOM roles to support our nurses and midwives.
• Attracted the most research grants ever for nursing and midwifery, undertook a record amount of nursing and midwifery led research, and published a record number of articles.
• Continued to implement our Aboriginal Health Cultural Safety Plan for 2022-2025, winning the Victorian Public Healthcare Award in this section for the second year in a row.
• Continued a significant number of capital projects, including the new Footscray Hospital, Point Cook Community Hospital, Sunbury Community Hospital and the new Melton Hospital project.

I sincerely thank you all for your hard work and commitment to deliver outstanding care to our patients/consumers/women through the year – each of you has been phenomenal!

I wish you and your families a very happy and safe festive season. For those of you that have well deserved leave, I hope you enjoy the time with your loved ones. For those of you that are working through the festive season, my sincere thanks and genuine appreciation.

I look forward to working with you all in 2024!

Shane Crowe
Executive Director, Nursing & Midwifery

Accreditation next week: we are ready!!

Western Health will be undergoing our short-notice accreditation assessment next week between 4-8 December 2023. Further information is available on the Live Best Care site accreditation page.

12 surveyors from across Australia will intensively assess Western Health against the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, and most (if not all) of our clinical areas will be visited by at least 1 surveyor at some stage over the course of this week.

Each surveyor will be supported by one of our Directors of Nursing & Midwifery who will ensure that they surveyors get to each of their visits and have all the information they require to make an informed assessment. Where there are pre-planned visits to areas from the timetable, we are sending calendar invitations to those areas affected so that they have transparency, as well as to subject matter experts that can support each visit.

Well done to everyone for all the hard work undertaken in building a ‘business as usual’ (BAU) approach to compliance against the NSQHS Standards.

Please give the surveyors a Western Health welcome, and share with them how you support the delivery of Best Care each day – through making our care person-centered, safe, right and coordinated – and how we put our consumer’s first and involve and empower them during their healthcare journey.

Time to trim the wards

The Nursing and Midwifery Directorate are delighted to invite wards and multi-disciplinary departments to enter the most anticipated event of the year: Western Health’s annual Christmas Decorating Competition!

To take part in the competition please refer to the entry notification. We encourage you to embrace your team’s creativity, decorate your department whilst enjoying some team comradery.

Prizes:

• 1^st Prize $500
• 2^nd Prize $200
• 3^rd Prize: $100

Entries Close: 5pm, Friday 8 December 2023

Winners Announced: Friday 15 December 2023

Criteria for Judging:

• Relevance to Christmas
• Creativity
• Theme
• Involvement of Patients
• Incorporation of Best Care into the decorations
• Sustainability

To enter:

Please email your request to enter the Christmas Decoration Competition and your photos / videos to Kellie Tyson by email kellie.tyson@wh.org.au

The rules:

As with all good competitions, there are some rules and guidelines. Therefore, we are asking that the following be adhered to:

• Please do not place yourself or others at risk when hanging decorations.
• Decorations or items used for the fixation of decorations must not cause any damage to hospital buildings or property. It is recommended that Blu-tac or items from the 3M Command Adhesive range (or similar products) be used to fixate decorations.
• Upon completion of the Christmas season all decorations and fixations must be completely removed.
• Emergency equipment must be kept free of decoration, fire doors, fire detectors, fire / smoke detectors, fire hoses etc. Decorations must not be placed in front, beside or over any air scrubbers, air inlets and outlets.
• Decorations must be kept away from high-risk areas within the zones, including donning and doffing areas.
• For COVID streaming zones, decorations should be cleanable and a ‘less is more’ approach within a single area of the department is encouraged.
• To avoid any fire hazards and power overloading wards are not to include decorations which require a power source (this unfortunately includes lights).
• Judges decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
• Please be kind to the environment and consider the materials used for your decorations.
• Decorations should not be placed in positions where they will be touched by multiple hands
• Decorations should not include organic materials including leaves or branches

Post graduate scholarships for 2024

Western Health continues to partner with respected Victorian Universities to offer a variety of postgraduate programs for nurses interested in developing their knowledge and skills in specialty nursing practice.

Opportunities include:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Clinical Nursing (Adult Acute Care) in extensive specialties including Cardiac Care, Critical Care, Emergency, Perioperative and Paediatrics.
• Post Graduate study with the Australian Catholic University (ACU) in various specialties, including Correctional Health, Gerontological Nursing, Medical Nursing, Renal Nursing and Surgical Nursing.
• Master of Nursing (any speciality)

Undertaking post-graduate education with Western Health offers a combination of employment and study, increasing your opportunities to integrate theoretical knowledge into clinical practice by being employed in the specialty area being studied.

After graduating, you are eligible to receive a higher qualification allowance.

Recognition of prior learning is possible for nurses who have completed post registration studies in some clinical specialties. These nurses may be eligible for credit of up to 50 percent of the program.

Scholarship Applications
Western Health and the Department of Health offer generous scholarships to support post-graduate education for nurses. Applications​ close 14 December 2023. Scholarships are only available to Western Health Staff.

• 2024 Nursing and Midwifery Postgraduate Scholarship – Application
• Scholarship Checklist
• Guidelines – Postgraduate scholarships for nurses and midwives

Specific scholarships are also available for First Nations nurses and midwives who wish to undertake post-graduate study. Applications close 31 March 2024. If you are considering applying please contact Debra.Broomfield@wh.org.au 

• 2024 Aboriginal Nursing Midwifery Postgraduate Scholarships

EN to RN scholarships for 2024

Western Health and the Department of Health offer generous scholarships to support EN to RN Transition. This scholarship enables ENs who are employed in a public health service to undertake a relevant qualification to convert their diploma to a degree and gain registration as a RN.

Eligible ENs will be supported via scholarships to start their studies in 2024. It will support ENs to complete a 2-year transition course – a transition from diploma to degree – that leads to registration as a RN.

The full scholarship of $11,000 will be provided to eligible candidates over 4 years of both study and employment as follows:

• $2,500 a year for 2 years of study
• $3,000 a year for 2 years of employment, once study is completed and while employed in a Victorian public health service.

Scholarship Applications
Scholarships to support EN to RN Transition for 2024 are now open. Applications close on 14 December 2023.

• EN to RN Transition – Application

Your Healthcare Journey booklet

The Consumer partnership team in consultation with our consumers has developed a new Your Healthcare Journey consumer information booklet.  The target audience for this booklet is all overnight inpatients.  The booklet is be available to consumers in hard copy or electronically via a QR code, and is currently being translated into our top 5 languages for each campus (7 languages in total) via the QR code.

On admission, every consumer staying overnight should be offered the booklet electronically or via hard copy if requested.

The booklet covers important information, including:

• their rights and responsibilities
• making decisions together
• Communicating with us
• Providing feedback
• Identification
• Medication safety
• Preventing blood clots
• Preventing bed sores (pressure injuries)
• Preventing falls
• Preventing infection
• Delirium
• Changes in your condition
• Your nutrition
• Carers’ rights and responsibilities
• Leaving hospital
• Your information
• Partner with Us
• Western Health Foundation

For further hard copy booklets can be requested via email consumers@wh.org.au

Please click on the image (right) to view the booklet. It is available on the Consumer Information Library.

Our new Chair of Nursing announced

Following Professor Bodil Rasmussen’s recent decision to step down from the Chair of Nursing role, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Rochelle Wynne as our new Chair of Nursing in the Western Health-Deakin University Partnership.

Rochelle has previously been the Professor of Nursing and Director of the Western Sydney Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre at the Western Sydney Local Health District and Western Sydney University. In this position Rochelle headed the nurse-led and midwifery-led research program and innovative practice improvement across the largest and most culturally diverse health district in New South Wales. Not dissimilar to Western Health, Western Sydney Local Health District was undergoing rapid expansion to meet the needs of a growing and diverse population. Rochelle’s leadership capabilities enabled her to foster a culture of collaboration and she doubled the nurse-led and midwife-led research outputs. Her own program of research in cardiovascular conditions led to the development of key local, national and international interdisciplinary collaborations.

Rochelle is also the Editor in Chief of the Contemporary Nurse Journal and an Honorary Professor of Nursing at University of Wollongong. She has been successfully awarded multiple grants, has actively published book chapters, original research and commentary in peer reviewed journals. She is also committed to ongoing professional development, supervising PhD, Masters and Honours students. Rochelle has recently worked at the Royal Melbourne Hospital as a Clinical Nurse Consultant within Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Rochelle is excited about the opportunity to contribute to Western Health’s vision, to enhance its reputation as a leader in research and innovation, and to work with the partnership team to further enrich our research program.

Rochelle will commence on 29 January 2024. Please join me on congratulating and welcoming her to Western Health and the Western Health-Deakin University Partnership.

Also, please join me in acknowledging the amazing legacy that will be left by our outgoing Chair of Nursing Professor Bodil Rasmussen, and I thank her for her remarkable tenure and supporting a smooth transition.

National Nursing Workforce Strategy consultation extended

The Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department), Safer Care Victoria and the Victorian Department of Health would like to thank you for your interest in development of the National Nursing Workforce Strategy.

Consultation on the National Nursing Workforce Strategy is currently open and has now been extended and will close 20 December 2023.

We invite you to share your views on nursing workforce issues and opportunities for improvement via one of our consultation methods. This consultation has been designed to gather comprehensive and diverse perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders, including administrators, nurses, nursing students, educators, and policymakers.

There are four ways you can participate:

• By attending a workshop or webinar
• By uploading a short video
• By making a written submission
• By completing a short 10-minute Online Survey

Please visit the Department’s Consultation Hub to participate.

A National Nursing Workforce Strategy Consultation Paper has been developed and provides relevant information about Australia’s nursing workforce, and offers questions to help consider what the Strategy might address into the future. This can be found on the Consultation Hub.

Please email nursepolicy@health.gov.au if you have any questions.

International Day of People with Disability

The International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) was recently celebrated on 3 December.

Congrats to the Best Care Award recipients

The Best Care Awards were bestowed on Friday 10 November 2023, and the competition for the awards was exceptionally high with the judges commenting on the high quality and diverse nature of the submissions.

Congratulations to the recipients of the following awards:

• Safe Care Award:

Summer Chambers, Mei Lee, Spania Khun and Kate Law from New Born Services received the Safe Care Award for Project LINEZ: A Quality Improvement project aimed at reducing CLABSI to zero in newborn services. Having identified that our Newborn Central Line Associated Bacterial Infection was approximately twice the national average the team took action. Firstly, looking at the processes involved and areas of high risk the team drew up procedures to minimise the risk as part of their safety bundle. This was implemented with their team and coupled with vigilance and monitoring.

• Person Centered Care Award:

Rebecca Fewster, Phong Tran, Claire Burrows, Raheela Datoo, Chris Weiers, Mary De Gori, Matthew Thorpe, Abi Davis, Rachel Kropman and Richard Grygiel received the Person-Centered Care Award for ERAS – Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. ERAS prioritises person-centred care, by tailoring surgical optimisation by ensuring that patients are helped across all aspects of care prior to surgery. Through the tailoring of the care provided for hip and knee replacement the ERAS team has been able to reduce the length of stay in hospital by 1.5 days on average, while reducing readmission rates. Delivering safe and patient centred care.

• Coordinated Care Award:

Ainslee Senz, Elizabeth Borowik, Renie Lloyd and Doriana Andreou from the Footscray Emergency Department received the Coordinated Care Award for Footscray Short Stay Unit Flow. The Short Stay Unit (SSU) is crucial in achieving the flow required to see new patients in a timely manner. The team identified two interventions to implement in the unit – capping the number of patients admitted to the SSU and allowing better flow by defining criteria for direct admission. By implementing these changes, the unit was able to see measurable improvement in the way the SSU ran, as well as positive impacts on the whole of the ED.

• Right Care Award:

Sarah Saxionis and Chelsea Baxter from Occupational Therapy received the Right Care Award for Improving Outcomes for Acute Inpatient Orthopaedic Patients. In this project it was identified that patients regularly had to wait 24-72 hours for equipment delivery to ensure that they were able to return safely home – time that was delaying discharge. Using the IHI Model for Improvement (which Western Health has adopted), Sarah and Chelsea were able to implement a number of small PDSA cycles to ensure the right OT equipment was available to the consumer when needed. As a consequence, the patients have been able to go home sooner.

My thanks to everyone who submitted a nomination for these awards, it is fantastic to see the ongoing commitment to continual improvement occurring so strongly at Western Health.

My thanks also to the Best Care Governance & Support team for organising the awards and the judges for their time.

All projects submitted for the awards are available to view on the Improvement Project Showcase on the Live Best Care Site.

Western Health Learning Academy launched

Western Health Learning Academy was launched on 24 November 2023, providing an exciting opportunity to further your current career or pursue an alternative career path at Western Health.   

The Learning Academy provides opportunities to explore your education and learning aspirations, from traineeships and VET courses to undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary degrees.  No matter where you currently work at Western Health, or your current position, the Learning Academy can provide support to reach your career potential.

There is lots of interest and for further information you can go to the Education and Learning page on the Intranet.

AICED update

The AICED Program commenced roll-out on 9 October 2023 to our adult inpatient wards, to support the delivery and documentation of Comprehensive Care.

The new Comprehensive care IPOC reflects patients’ care needs based on assessment “AICED”:

To support the implementation:

• a poster has been developed on A-E assessment (poster attached)
• an A.I.C.E.D module has been launched on WeLearn, which has been individualised for knowledge and skill level.

Prize recipients:

Congratulations to Ward 1B who were the winners of the first pizza lunch for their participation in this program and the Best Care for their patients.

Congratulations to the winners of the first 2 weekly quizzes – who have received 2 movie tickets each:

• Week 1 – Margaret Pennisi
• Week 2 – Finley Wakemen

Our Inspiring People

The Inspire Awards 2023 ceremony was held on 15 November 2023, and a huge number of nurses and midwives were recognised and received an award.

Congratulations of these individuals and teams that make a real difference to their colleagues, patients and the wider community through the delivery of Best Care and always epitomising Western Health’s values and commitment to a positive workplace culture.

Individual awards:

• Amy Walsh (CNC Cancer Services)
• Abraham Legaspi (Nurse Educator SHED)
• Eric Mihelcic (Nurse Practitioner SHED)
• Andrea Altas (Western@Home)
• Andrea Locke – (NUM, Ward GC and DMU)
• Anita Lavcanski (HITH Liaison)
• Anita Capicchiano (Dialysis)
• Beth Mazzarella (Midwifery Group Practice)
• Breanna Poncezek (Ward 1A)
• Mia Hristovski (ANUM Ward 1A)
• Madj Rustom (WeLearn team)
• Chris Raguz (Nurse Educator)
• Samantha Law (Nurse Educator)
• Claire Russell (CNS Ward 1 West)
• Susan Borstner (ANUM Ward 1 West)
• Fiona Grimaldi (CNC Palliative Care)
• Grace Crowe (Mental Health Transition Project)
• Helen Sinnott (Previous DONM)
• Jessica Robertson (NUM Ward 1B)
• Daniel Cassar (RN Ward 1B)
• Karessa Bergue (SNAP Coordinator)
• Kristen Robinson (NUM, DPU)
• Leanor Galang (NUM Transit Lounge)
• Lisa McGee (Research Nurse)
• Phuong Hoang (RN Pool)
• Kylie Van Rooyen (NUM Ward 3B)
• Laurinda Ndenzako (ANUM Ward 3B)
• Mary Atanasoska (NUM Adult Specialist Clinics)
• Melissa McGuffle (AOD)
• Michelle Gomez (AUM Footscray ICU)
• Nicole McNally (NUM Ward 2 East)
• Marina Miravalles (RN Ward 2A)
• Monica Lamb (RN Ward 2A)
• Rholand Tubban (RN Ward 2A)
• Shiny Joyce (CNS Ward 2A)
• Prof Bodil Rasmussen (Chair of Nursing)
• Sarah Hall (Senior Care Coordinator)
• Judy Patterson (Perinatal Loss Coordinator)

Team awards:

• Custodial Health Transition team
• Wilim Berrbang
• Ward 2A and Wilim Berrbang
• Sunshine Acute Aged Care
• Ward 3 East
• Sunshine ED Alcohol and other Drugs team
• Ward 1A
• Ward 3 East multidisciplinary team
• Footscray ICU
• Radiology Breast Care team
• Footscray Transit Lounge team

Chief Executive’s Positive Workplace Award:

• Christine Pirotta (Nurse Education Coordinator)

Congratulations also to our colleagues from other disciplines and roles that were also recognised with an Inspire Award. It is a team effort to deliver Best Care to the community and you all do amazing work!

COVID AIRBORNE study

Testing positive to COVID-19 is not fun, but there is an opportunity to be financially remunerated whilst making an important contribution to medical science.

If you, or any family/friends/acquaintances happen to test positive for COVID-19, you can volunteer to participate in the AIRBORNE Study.

Volunteer participants must be enrolled and commence the study within 72 hours of the first positive rapid antigen test (RATs) or PCR test. Participants would be asked to attend Sunshine Hospital. The first visit will take approx. 90 mins, and then we would ask the participant to return for shorter follow-up visits (approx. 45 mins) for at least another 3 visits over the first 1-2 weeks of illness. During these visits, the research team would  supervise you performing activities such as coughing, speaking or simple activities (such as stepping up and down on a simple step) whilst in a room with a specialized viral detection device.  The study aims to measure how much SARS CoV2 virus is expelled into the air by an infected person on different days over their illness.

We will provide free parking (we have a dedicated car park space arranged), and participants will be remunerated for their time with gift vouchers of up to $300 to show our appreciation for their time and contribution to research.

Volunteers need to text/call the research hotline no. 0421 684 985 to seek further information, or email directly to samantha.bates@wh.org.au.

Hybrid Mattress Trial

Following a joint collaboration with biomedical engineering and the Nursing & Midwifery directorate, both Ward 1 West and Rehabilitation Ward have transitioned to a full fleet of Hybrid Mattresses.  As a result, staff in both of these areas will not need to replace standard mattresses with air mattresses for patients with a moderate to high risk of developing a pressure injury. Only patients at very severe risk of a pressure injury will need to be considered for an air mattress. These mattresses are not hire mattresses and have been purchased by Western Health.

There are many benefits to using dynamic (powered) hybrid mattresses in the hospital setting including patient preference, firm mattress edges support safer patient transfers from bed to chair and vice versa (as opposed to air mattresses), improved timeliness of pressure injury prevention and less exposure to OHS risks for staff. There is also a huge reduction in time spent coordinating, facilitating and cleaning for nursing and environmental staff and a significant reduction in alarms.

Hybrid mattresses rarely alarm and are simple to troubleshoot. They have foam inlay so are suitable as static or dynamic function and ensures that our patients will never be lying on hard surface/bed frame, click on the link for more information Invacare Soft form Premier Active 2 – YouTube.  Additionally the noise reduction promotes a ‘quiet hospital’, an important strategy in delirium prevention and BOC management. Financially, we also expect to see a signification reduction in hire costs for both wards.

Over the next 3-4 months, it is important that these mattresses and beds remain in their home wards, and they don’t ‘exchange’ beds with other wards or theatre. This means that any patient being admitted or transferred to Rehab or 1 West will need to be transferred onto one of their beds on arrival, and the PSA will have to return the dirty bed to the sending ward/unit for cleaning.

In March 2024 a formal review will be conducted specifically assessing hire expenditure in both 1 West and Rehab, wear and tear of mattresses and pumps, review of patient pressure injury rates in both areas and a biomedical engineering review of any maintenance issues.  This evaluation will help determine the financial viability and future expansion of hybrid mattresses throughout Western Health – so stay tuned!

Annual General Meeting 2023

On behalf of the Board Chair, Ms Robyn Batten, the Board of Directors and Executive, you are invited to attend the Western Health Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 19 December 2023 at 3.30pm.

Join us online to hear from Robyn Batten about the year that was and from Chief Executive Russell Harrison about what’s ahead for Western Health.

You can join the virtual AGM at the scheduled time via this link.

A recording of the AGM will be available on the Western Health website at the conclusion of the event.

Victorian Public Healthcare Awards 2023

Congratulation to our Babaneek Booboop Program for winning the Excellence in Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing award at the recent Victorian Public Healthcare Awards for their remarkable work with First Nations children.

The Babaneek Booboop Program promotes the health and developmental outcomes of First Nations children in Melbourne’s Western suburbs. Establishing and tapping into strong networks, it’s supported more than 350 children and their families in their engagement with child health and promoted cultural safety in health. It’s seen more than 97 percent of participants complete Maternal and Child Health key ages and stages assessments. It’s also led to significant uptake of oral health, audiology, optometry, and NDIS referrals.

Congratulations also to our Perioperative and Critical Care Division who were finalists for the same-day discharge initiative for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy and hernia repair surgery.

Benchmarking Best Care

The latest benchmark reports from the Health Roundtable that go up to June 2023 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 falls. The following data looks at the rate of falls that result in an intracranial haemorrhage, fractured neck or femur or other fractures.

Falls:

Pleasingly over the past 2 quarters our falls with serious injury have dropped, and we are currently amber when compared to our peers.

Over the past 12 months, unfortunately Western Health is performing poorly in this indicator, so continued focus and effort is required in this area.

The continuing efforts of our Falls Champions implementing the actions from the Falls Improvement Plan is essential to keeping this heading in the right direction.

We can do this!

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

• P2-N95 mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic-experiences and perceptions of nurses who suffered adverse effects. Infection, Disease & Health. 2023: November. Full Text Western Health Author
• Sick sink syndrome: a cautionary tale on the impact of sustainability and climate resilience measures in a newly constructed hospital. Infection, Disease & Health. 2023: November. Full Text Western Health Author
• Engaging culturally diverse fathers in maternal and family healthcare: experiences and perspectives of healthcare professionals. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. 2023: October. Full Text Western Health Author
• Health literacy among fathers and fathers-to-be: a multi-country, cross-sectional survey. Health Promotion International. 2023: October. Full Text Western Health Author
• A survey of Australian women’s digital media usage in pregnancy and labour and birth. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2023: September. Full Text Western Health Author

New Nursing/Midwifery eBooks

• Mastering precepting. 3rd ed. Sigma Theta Tau International 2023. (EBSCO eBook Guide)
  Written for staff nurses and other care providers, managers, and educators, this third edition of Mastering Precepting teaches preceptors both the science and art of precepting and empowers them to seek the support they need to be effective. For managers, it emphasizes the importance of providing preceptors with positive and supportive experiences. For educators, it provides the information and knowledge required to develop and improve preceptor programs. View other library print and eBook Preceptorship and Mentoring titles
  
• A concise guide to continuity of care in midwifery. Routledge, 2021 (Taylor & Francis eBook Guide)
  This book is a vital companion to students and qualified midwives as continuity of care is integrated into midwifery education and services. A practical, easy-to-read guide to practising caseload midwifery, this book outlines the contemporary political and professional context for midwifery care, different models of care, and the evidence and outcomes associated with continuity of carer. It discusses the real-life concerns, challenges and opportunities of working closely with women throughout their pregnancy and birth, covering key issues such as risk assessment, consent, boundaries, time management, documentation, communication, burnout and decision-making.

View all recently added print and eBook catalogue titles

Accessing the Library at Work
Eligible staff can access electronic Intranet library resources from any networked PC or device connected to Wi-Fi   network without the need to login.

Accessing the Library Remotely (off-site access)
When accessing electronic resources through the library website from offsite you will automatically be asked to enter your library membership number and surname. Library Membership is free and can be completed online. Please email the library if you experience issues.

For more information please contact the Western Health library team