Published on 8 March 2024

Mental Health Monthly February 2024

Jolene Geh, Divisional Director Mental Health and Wellbeing Services

As Melbourne Swifties said good-bye to TayTay and we bid farewell to the summer months, it is time for us to pause and to reflect on the strides made within Mental Health and Wellbeing Services. Throughout this season, we have witnessed significant progress with the Sunshine Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre opening to the 44 beds which were hoping to achieve by June 2024. We are ahead of schedule and striving to fully open all 52 beds as soon as possible. We have recently welcomed our 2024 intake of allied health and nursing graduates.

Our inaugural Western Health intake of 1st year Psychiatric Registrars has commenced and we are delighted to welcome them! Entry to our training program has been highly competitive and sought after, which is a great indication of the regard in which we are held.

It only has been 8 months since WH has become a designated mental health service and the progress we have made stands as a testament to the dedication and tireless efforts of our staff who have all work so diligently to provide high quality care and support to our consumers and families. As we move forward let us continue to work towards the development of a more resilient mental health landscape in Victoria.

Staff have also received information regarding Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Division being granted read-only EMR access for clinicians in relevant services. Please note that if you received an email advising you have been auto-enrolled into the EMR View-Only WeLearn course, you are required complete this training as soon as possible – it is an expectation this training is completed before access is granted.

 Key advantages of obtaining EMR 2.1 view-only access include:

  • Access to EMH clinical notes in real-time (no delay in waiting for scanning into BOSSNet)
  • View real-time consumer movements and updates
  • View consumer allergies and alerts
  • View referral requests within Western Health (e.g., Pharmacy, Cardiology, Allied Health)
  • Reduce administrative demand on staff and avoid any potential delays to consumer care

This is an important step in commencing the introduction of EMR into our division and we look forward to expanding the use of read-only EMR into our provision of Best Care.

  • Health Information Managers Update

    MHWC and Sunshine Unit 4 eProgress Note Go-Live

    The implementation of direct-entry eProgress notes in BOSSNet replaces handwritten notes in BOSSnet and will enable staff across Western Health to have immediate access to our clinical documentation.

    On Thursday 1 February 2024 the Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre Unit 2 and Unit 3 teams commenced direct entry into BOSSnet for all progress notes, including Medical Review, Allied Health, and Clinical Review total care progress notes.  This means that from February, all Adult teams in the

    Mental Health and Wellbeing Service are now documenting progress notes electronically into either BOSSnet (or the EMR for EMH and Consultation Liaison Psychiatry).

    This successful go-live was subsequently followed by Sunshine Unit 4’s (SAPMHU) go-live on Monday 4 March 2024.

    In the case of a BOSSnet outage, staff will revert back to the hard copy total care progress notes. In these instances the hard copy progress notes should be scanned ASAP to ensure the flow of clinical documents within the record.

    For further information or queries, please contact the MWAMHS – Health Information Managers at MWAMHS-HealthInformationManagers@mh.org.au

    Some new Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) have been created by HIMs to assist staff with the following:

  • Mental Health and Wellbeing Services: EMR Discovery Project

    The Digital Health team has launched an EMR discovery project for Western Health’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Services, marking a significant step towards enhancing patient care.

    Building a robust and patient-centred EMR system for mental health requires a deep understanding of existing workflows, challenges, and opportunities. That’s why we’re embarking on a comprehensive discovery phase that will involve extensive research, data analysis, and most importantly, the invaluable insights and guidance of Western Health’s staff involved in Mental Health and Wellbeing.

    Richard Wu, Project Manager Digital Health (Mental Health)

     

  • Equally Well Framework for specialist mental health services 

    This framework came into practice in 2019.  The framework provides evidence that the gap between physical health and mental health needs to be addressed in mental health services.

    The framework is designed around eight (8) priority areas and has a number of contributors from mental health services across the state, as well as specialist areas of mental health.

    1. Support to quit or reduce smoking
    2. Improving metabolic health (weight and diet)
    3. Improving metabolic health (physical activity and fitness)
    4. Reducing alcohol and substance use
    5. Sexual and reproductive health and blood borne viruses
    6. Medication optimisation
    7. Dental and oral health
    8. Reducing falls

    Western Health is committed to providing Best Care for our consumers and as a result, David Syfret, MHWS Registrar and Ramesh Subramaniam MHWS Nurse Practitioner CT Central, are leading the relaunch of the Equally Well committee alongside Ryan Dube DON MHWS and other MHWS Nurse Practitioners and MHWS Medical staff. The committee will relaunch this framework within our division to address priority areas across our mental health sites and units.

    Physical health referrals for Mental Health and Wellbeing Services consumers are now more easily accessible across Western Health which will further optimise care for physical and mental health needs.

    Linda Mora, Area Senior Nurse Consultant

  • SMHWC Unit 2 Cooking Group

    Missing authentic home cooking can be a common sentiment, especially when you’re away from home or unable to enjoy meals prepared by loved ones. There’s something special about the flavours, warmth, and nostalgia associated with homemade dishes that commercial or restaurant food often can’t replicate.

    Consumer Sinda was recently admitted to SMHWC Unit 2 and informed staff she was missing her home cooking and went into great detail about the type of food she was missing. Supported by Unit 2 staff, a cooking group was held for Sinda to share her favourite recipes. The group prepared a delicious menu of South Indian rice with yoghurt, Roti, Puoori (type of deep-fried bread), Potato curry (vegan), Butter chicken and Tomato relish.

    Sinda was the head chef on the day and organised staff and consumer with detailed precision to achieve a feast of flavours for all to enjoy!

    Sinda’s reflections on the day: “Very happy day for me to share my recipes and I really appreciated how we all come together to help each other, it was my best day to cook and eat together” 

  • WalkWest2024

    A well-loved community event honouring the western suburbs, including our locals, our businesses and our hospitals.

    In 2024, WalkWest donations will help Western Health purchase two extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines. ECMO machines provide temporary support to patients with life-threatening heart and lung conditions, allowing them to rest and recover while the machine warms and oxygenates their blood. The funds you raise will help make this state-of-the-art equipment available in the west.

    When: Sunday 7 April 2024 from 8am-1pm
    Where: Footscray Park, Maribyrnong River

    This year it’s going to be bigger and better than ever, with 2km, 5km and 10km group walks and runs, plus loads of entertainment and activities for the whole family – including the dog!

    All welcome – sign up today as an individual or team.

    Use staff discount code: STAFF24

    For more information, email the Western Health Foundation at foundation@wh.org.au

  • Centre for Mental Health Learning

    Free training events for people working in Area Mental Health Services and a number of training opportunities for lived experience staff and for working with families/carers.

    Click the link below to see the calendar of upcoming events

    Calendar of Training Events for Area Mental Health & Wellbeing Services

     

     

  • Harvester Private Consulting Suites is expanding and looking for new clinicians to join the practice!

    If you’re a psychiatrist, allied health professional or nurse interested in working in private practice we are keen to have you join us. The practice provides referrals with a diverse range of presentations and full admin support.

    Please email Practice Manager, Sashi Neelya sashi.neelya@wh.org.au for a confidential discussion or additional information.

  • Sunshine Hospital Black Start Tuesday 19 March 2024

    Upcoming site wide interruption to all light/power at Sunshine Hospital (including Joan Kirner & SMHWC) on Tuesday 19 March commencing at 11:00pm.

    A site wide memo will be distributed in the week leading up to the date to remind all staff of the impending works.

  • Hamilton Centre Opioid Pharmacotherapy Survey

    The Hamilton Centre is Victoria’s new Statewide Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The Hamilton Centre functions to improve outcomes for Victorians affected by co-occurring mental illness and substance use or addiction through specialist clinical services, workforce education and training and best practice research.

    You are invited to take part in this research project – ‘Hamilton Centre Opioid Pharmacotherapy Survey’.

    The purpose of this study is to understand how opioid pharmacotherapy is provided to clients within Victoria’s Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services and identify areas or services requiring additional educational support or resources.

    We are looking for participants with different levels of experience and working in a variety of practice settings, including regional and metropolitan and inpatient and community settings, from across Victoria.

    The survey will be open until 5pm Friday 5th April 2024.

    For further information about this project, you can contact the researchers via email (shalini.arunogiri@monash.edu or alice.frank@easternhealth.org.au).

  • Reminder: Your Experience of Service (YES) survey and the Mental Health Carer Experience Survey (CES) in 2024

    The YES and CES are national instruments that measure the experiences of consumers, and families, carers, and supporters engaged with clinical mental health services. These surveys reflect the priorities of the Fourth National Mental Health Plan and provide valuable data and insights to help services identify improvement opportunities.

    A reminder to all MHWS staff to actively promote the surveys and provide support and encouragement for our consumers and carers to complete the surveys by the closing dates below.

    Your Experience of Service (YES) survey

    Open: 1 February 2024

    Close: 30 April 2024

     

    Mental Health Carer Experience Survey (CES)

    Open: 18 March 2024

    Close: 29 April 2024

  • Upcoming FaPMI Zoo Trip – 10 April

    Please promote our April School holiday to all members of our current registered client’s families.

    This Family Day Out is a collaboration with Melbourne Health (IW) and Mercy Health (SW) FaPMI programs. The day includes:

              • Free Melbourne Zoo entry
              • Free transportation from Melton Health and Harvester clinic
              • Free lunch (unless family members have special dietary requirements)

    Please note – We can NOW take on current consumers who may not be registered with Western Health MH&WB service at the time of the Outing – Wednesday 10th April 2024

    Please contact Anh-Thu Nguyen, FaPMI Co-Ordinator for further information or to register anhthu.nguyen@wh.org.au

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