Mental Health Monthly Newsletter – December

Mental Health Monthly Newsletter - December

• Accreditation

  Ryan Dube, Director of Nursing 

  Western Health had a very successful accreditation assessment against the eight NSQHS Standards between 4-8 December 2023.

  Our division successfully navigated every standard we were measured against and although we do not have the official report back yet, we believe there will be no recommendations directly for our division. This is a huge achievement, for which we should be rightfully proud.

  There was high praise from the surveyors about the standard of care, commitment to being person-centred, our culture of respect and teamwork and involvement and empowerment of consumers in their care.

  The surveyors commented on how it was apparent that the Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Division had brought a culture of a ‘can-do’ attitude and a willingness to integrate with a complex ‘Best Care Framework’. The short time in which this had occurred was acknowledged in light of all the other competing priorities including the implementation of the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Act.

  The surveyors also commented that they spoke to a large number of patients and consumers throughout the week, and every single one of them had positive things to say about our staff and the care that they were receiving. They spoke of the eagerness of our staff to showcase how ‘Best Care’ is delivered across our service.

  Accreditation preparation is a team sport; however, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to our quality team, Jane, Sharlin and Jenny.

  My special thanks also go to Linda and the CNCs  and CNE nursing group, for their work in  establishing robust structures to manage  Medication Safety and Reducing Restrictive Interventions. I also want to thank our Program managers for attending many accreditation meetings and putting up with multiple emails demanding pieces of work.

  This is indeed a proud moment and cause for a worthy celebration by us all.

  Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous, accreditation free new year!

• WIPU Christmas Decorations

  

  Well done to the WIPU team for their incredible Christmas Decorations, the team received an honourable mention in this year’s Western Health Department Decorations Competition.

  We’re sure your decorations are being enjoyed by consumers, families and staff this holiday season.

  That gingerbread house looks like it took a lot of effort!

• Completion of Handover of Consumers to Mercy Mental Health

  Jan Hocking, Manager BASICS, ICT, SDCP 

  As of November 20, the final phase of disaggregation with the transfer of all SW older adult consumers from both BASICS and APATT teams to Mercy Health commenced.

  Prior to this, there were a series of meetings and consultations with Mercy Health scheduled between August and November to develop a plan and a timeline on how the consumers would be transferred and to identify complex consumers who would require additional support during the handover. A plan was agreed on by both services that consumers would be handed over across a 4-week period with finalisation prior to Christmas.

  Communication with consumers, and next of kin was a priority and multi lingual letters  were distributed in person, whilst letters were sent to local GPs and nursing homes in the SW area advising of the changes and with new details for referrals.

  Although consumers had questions about the changes, none were reported to be negatively impacted by the upcoming changes.

  A staggered transfer schedule was agreed upon by managers, which progressed well with the final consumer handed over on December 13.

  Other aspects of the disaggregation inclusive of triage, bed management, and continued support have all been running smoothly and a credit to all involved from both services.

• Mental Health and Wellbeing Act Update

  Angela Eeles, MHWA Implementation Lead/Embedded Practitioner

  Thank you to everyone for your work on the implementation of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act since it’s commencement in September.

  Well done to all who have completed their mandatory training on WeLearn, and who continue to join the super sessions over Teams. These super sessions will continue in the new year and an education program will be developed in 2024.

  If you have missed any sessions, recordings and slides can be found on the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act page on Westerly, under ‘Act Training Sessions’: Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 – Westerly Staff & Volunteers Hub (wh.org.au)

  All Department of Health Mental Health and Wellbeing Act Bulletins can be found on Westerly: Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 – Westerly Staff & Volunteers Hub (wh.org.au)

  As always, if you have any questions, please contact MHWA@wh.org.au

  *Please note* this email address will be ‘closed’ from Thursday 21 December 2023 until Monday 8 January 2024. You may still send in your queries, but note that the out of office reply will be activated.

• Staff Shout-outs!

  WINNER! SMHR FOUNDERS MEDAL -CONGRATULATIONS DR CHRISTOS PANTELIS!

  Congratulations Dr Christos Pantelis for winning the Society for Mental Health Research (SMHR) Founders Medal, 2023.

  The medal is awarded to persons who, over their entire career, have made a contribution of significance to psychiatric research, and is named in honour of the four founders of S

  MHR: Professors Scott Henderson, Issy Pilowsky, Graham Burrows and Peter Beaumont.

  Dr Pantelis was nominated by peers for his outstanding contribution to schizophrenia and psychosis research.

  Dr Pantelis was handed the award by Professor Stephen Wood, President of SMHR – Society for Mental Health Research at the SMHR Conference in Perth.

  Congratulations Chris!

   

   

  PUBLISHED!

  The Fearful Mind: A Psychological Portrait of Our Most Misunderstood Emotion by Dr Alby Elias

  Congratulations Dr Alby Elias for the publication of “The Fearful Mind: A Psychological Portrait of Our Most Misunderstood Emotion”

  The book is only available in the USA at this time, but it set to be published in Australia very soon!

  Read more about the book HERE:

   

  ASN NURSE DIRECTOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM – CONGRATULATIONS MONIKA JHALLI!

  Each year the Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery sponsors a small number of emerging leaders that display both high performance and high potential to attend the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) Nurse Director Leadership Program (previously called the Mid-Career Nurse Leadership program).

  In recognition of her high performance in leading the nursing team in Unit 3, the nursing leadership team nominated
  Monika Jhalli to participate in this program in 2024.

  On behalf of the leadership team, I am pleased to announce that she will be attending this fully funded program, which runs for 6 months. The program is highly regarded amongst nursing colleagues and prepares recipients for great nursing leadership in the near future.

  Monika is highly respected by nursing and MDT colleagues, as is known as a passionate advocate for excellent patient care and staff welfare.

  Congratulations Monika for this well-deserved nomination!

• 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence 2023

  Zanetta Hartley, Specialist Family Violence Advisor 

  Each year, Respect Victoria hosts ‘Walk Against Family Violence’, where thousands of Victorians come together to help create a future where we are all safe, equal, and respected.

  On Friday 24 November, staff across the Mental Health and Wellbeing Services participated in a Sunshine Walk against Family Violence.

  The team walked up Hampshire Road, stopped at a café, and discussed gender inequality and family violence along the way.

  The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a global campaign led annually by UN Women. It runs every year from 25 November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to 10 December (Human Rights Day).

  During the 16 Days of Activism, communities around the world join the call to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.

  Raising awareness for gender-based violence goes beyond 16 days, and there are still ways you can show your support year-round.

  Respect Victoria Tool kit:

  There are Posters in different languages, email signatures, and more at Respect Victoria, that you can post in tea-rooms or on noticeboards.

  Orange Door and Child Protection Posters:

  Newly developed Western Health: Orange Door and Child Protection Poster have been circulated. Ensure these are printed out and placed around the workspace or contact zanetta.hartley@wh.org.au for a copy.

  WeLearn MARAM Mental Health e-Learns:

  Complete your MARAM training via WeLearn. Mental health staff can access online modules on Information Sharing and Brief and Intermediate MARAM family violence training for mental health specialist.

  Respect is …

  Complete a ‘Respect is…’ A4 Card, write down what respect means to you and your team and then stick them up on display and take a photo. These cards can be found attached to this email, printed out in the kitchen at Harvester clinic or by contacting Zanetta: zanetta.hartley@wh.org.au

  Safe + Equal Community Event Calendar:

  Find out about external community events via the Safe + Equal Community Calendar and on the City of Melton Website.

   

  

• Burnside PARC Garden Refresh

  The Burnside PARC program is delivered through a partnership between Western Health and Wellways Australia. Western Health provides clinical management around symptoms and treatment, with Wellways providing psychosocial support and interventions in the form of psychoeducation, community linkages and supporting consumers’ recovery goals.

  On Friday December 15, Bunnings Warehouse Volunteers made their way to Burnside PARC to do a whole garden refresh.

  Volunteers from Bunnings Caroline Springs, Broadmeadows, Tarneit, and Taylors Lakes, and store support workers from head office, dismantled the old vegetable gardens, and completely redid the space. Putting together new beds, herb boxes, and garden furniture that can also be used for family members who come to visit.

  “It was a brilliant combined effort from the Western Health and Wellways teams” – Liam Burke, Manager –Burnside PARC, Western Health.
  

  Joel Casemore, Program Manager Wellways, wrote to Bunnings to ask for their assistance with the re-vamp.

  “We’ve been looking at ways to get this uplift done for quite some time now, so I reached out to Bunnings explaining the work we do at Wellways and why we’d like some help with the space.

  The veggie gardens were completely overgrown, the beds are raised, and the sleepers were all rotten, making it a health and safety issue.” Joel said.

  “Up until last year, this space was used by Wellways and MIND, growing vegetables that would be tended to by participants and staff. We’d utilise the vegetables that we grew, which is a good way to give participants education around growing vegetables and the health benefits, as well as just being outside doing a little bit of gentle work. It’s a really worthwhile space, and it’s a shame that it hasn’t been utilised.

  We had a gardening group once a week, on a Saturday, so we intend to go back to a group activity like this. Wellways staff will take the participants out there, do a bit weeding, maybe pick some vegetables. I’d like to change that around a little bit and have maybe two sessions a week, where we can do a ‘paddock to table’ model; having a garden group and then cooking group. See what can we cook today with what was being grown out there, and educate our participants on healthy eating.

  Wellways focuses on psychosocial support for participants and, we’d like to encourage people to outdoors and to do some gentle kind of exercise, whether that be walking or gardening, being out there and being close to the land.

  Gardening works the same way as gentle kind of exercise would, getting the endorphins going, and it helps with recovery. Gives participants something they can tend to and make their own, and then particularly if we can support them to produce a dish out of what they’ve grown, then even better.”

  Casey, Activities Organiser at Bunnings Caroline Springs had to reach out to other stores to get the job done.

  “We received an email from Joel about the project, I came out, and had a look, and given it was such a big job, I made it an area job and asked multiple stores and store support to come and help.

  “The area includes the four garden beds and then a grassy area (this will take some time to grow in), some cafe settings where people can just sit down and relax. We have also donated a barbecue as well.

  We’ve planted herbs; basil, coriander, mint, and parsley in the trugs. We’ve got a peach tree, some shrubs and also coloured hanging pots to add some colour. We’ve got tomatoes, capsicums, lettuce, strawberries, we’ll have corn, onion, and some other veggies, so the consumers can take ownership, and this will be their little safe space.

  We didn’t think we’d get it done in one day, but the team have been working like trojans, so we should get it done.”

  Thank you to Bunnings for your hard work, the team (and consumers) cannot wait to use this new area!

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• Division Spotlight: Social Work

  This month, we take a look at our social work division within the Mental Health and Wellbeing Services here at Western Health.

  What is social work?

  Social work in mental health is a specialised field that focuses on promoting the wellbeing and mental health of individuals by addressing various influencing psychosocial factors, including housing, finances, relationships, legal matters, and other issues affecting their overall quality of life, working holistically to support the people involved in an individual’s care.

  The social work team:
  Our social work team comprises of more than 40 employees and includes individuals dedicated to social work roles such as:

  • Bed-setting services, in the Sunshine Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre,
  • Specialised social work positions at our long-term rehabilitation unit (AMHRU) and the community-based rehabilitation unit in St. Albans (CCU),
  • Case managers, and intake and crisis interventions teams based in Melton and Sunshine (Harvester clinic). Each of the community teams caters for the needs of over 300 consumers and carers living in Brimbank and Melton area,
  • Social workers, working alongside Wellways recovery workers at Burnside PARC, another community-based, short-term rehab used in a step-up/step-down capacity preventing or reducing hospital admissions,
  • The Emergency Mental Health department at Sunshine Hospital. Assisting with assessment of acute mental health presentations at the Emergency Department,
  • Social work within the HOPE team, a newly created initiative assisting consumers and their families in the critical period of the aftermath of the suicidal attempt, helping to create better coping responses and support networks,
  • Aged Psychiatry and the social work team that has joined us from the Older Adult Mental Health Unit and the Western APATT Aged Psychiatry Assessment and Treatment Team,
  • Women’s PARC and Women’s Inpatient Unit (WIPU). These are some of the latest additions to our service, catering specifically to the needs of women. Social workers employed in these services are dedicated to work that is trauma-orientated and work systemically with women with extensive experiences of trauma, involvement of Child Protection services, all while navigating a range of psychosocial issues such as homelessness, family violence, and interpersonal challenges.

  Some of our social workers are also employed in non-clinical roles, such as project managers, discharge coordinators, and Mental Health Tribunal Coordinators assisting with the implementation of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022.

  If you are interested in finding out more about what we do and our scope of work, or are interested in upcoming employment opportunities, please do not hesitate to reach out to Patricia Toczek (Chief Social Worker at Mental Health Division of Western health) at Patricia.Toczek@wh.org.au.

  

   

• Porting Of Mobile Phones – Commencing January 8

  Malcolm Naidoo, Digital Technology Services

  Beginning January 8, DTS have organised for the remaining RMH Telstra Mobile Phones to be ported/transferred across to WH Optus Network.

  Cost Centre Managers will have received a new Optus SIM card, and will be handing them out to their team. If you have a mobile phone on the RMH network, but have not received a new SIM card, please contact your manager.

  The activation of new SIM cards is scheduled to commence from January 8, 2024. Instructions on how to switch over the SIM cards are provided in a QRG: Mobile-Porting-QRG-Final.pdf (wh.org.au)

  You will receive a calendar invite from Malcolm.Naidoo@wh.org.au to inform you of the week you are due to be ported across. Please keep in mind that the porting will occur anytime between Monday – Thursday, 8-5pm for your given week.

  If you are currently using a mobile phone on the RMH network, it is crucial to keep both your phone and new SIM card with you from January 8 to January 31. This will ensure you can promptly switch your SIM cards as soon as you receive the advised notification, even if you are out of the office or on leave.

  You can also find the QRG on Westerly – under “M” – Mobile Porting QRG QRG’S – Westerly Staff & Volunteers Hub (wh.org.au)

  Support and Contacts:

  For issues, contact DTS Service Desk at 8345 6777.

  Future mobile support via Service Desk number or online service desk portal.

  In Case of Doubt:

  Phone: 03 8345 6777

  Email: servicedesk@wh.org.au

  Portal: http://servicedesk.wh.org.au