Nursing & Midwifery News – September 2021

From Shane

It has been sobering developments over the past month, with the worsening daily COVID-19 case numbers despite lockdown measures being in place.

Unfortunately at the moment it looks like this will mean it is highly likely that we will be seeing more suspected and confirmed COVID cases in our hospitals.

I know that we are all feeling weary, however it is so important we remain diligent.

There are 4 things that I think we all need to have at the forefront of our minds over these coming challenging months:

1. We need to keep ourselves, our colleagues and our loved ones safe. I know that it is tiring to wear tier 3 PPE, but it is our first line protection and has held us all in good stead. We also need to be so careful and cognisant of whenever we remove our PPE – including on breaks and in tea rooms. This is when we are at our most vulnerable to this highly infectious Delta variant.
2. We need to keep our patients safe. Our patients don’t have the access to Tier 3 PPE, but we can keep them safe by having them wear a surgical mask wherever possible. Ensure we regularly screen our patients, and have the curtains drawn between patients where it is safe to do so. Have as much space and distance between our patients as much as possible. If you are nursing a patient that is suspected COVID use a bed-bath-in-a-bag instead of a shower. Otherwise, use extraction fans in bathrooms, and ensure 30 minutes between different patients using the shower.
3. Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic. We need to encourage all our our colleagues, families, friends and loved ones to get vaccinated as soon as possible. For those staff that have held off on getting vaccinated for whatever reason – I implore to you that the time to get vaccinated is now. We have set up special staff and household contact processes to help get easy and rapid access to vaccination to assist in getting #jabdone. All healthcare workers are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. For your families and loved ones, with the current level of COVID risk, the best vaccination is the one you can get now. It is not advisable to be waiting for a particular vaccine to become available. It is also so important that you get your second dose as soon as you can to be fully protected.
4. We need to take care of our own wellbeing and that of our colleagues and families. It is tough being in lockdown, and it is also such a challenging time to be working in health. A caring, kind team that looks out for each other is extremely powerful and can keep us all buoyed even on the most challenging day. Please keep an eye our for each other, and seek support if you need it.

We have got through this before, and we will again. Despite the very high COVID impact on Western Health in 2020, you all did such a remarkable job and we all learned a lot. This learning has informed updated plans, procedures and contingencies. We know what to do, we have done the work and we have the plans in place. We will do this!

Of course, the one thing that we didn’t have in 2020 is the COVID vaccine. There is light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Collectively all of us at Western Health are playing such an integral role in protecting and caring for our community – whether it is caring for the unwell, protecting the vulnerable, testing those with symptoms, contact tracing or vaccinating the West. Nursing and midwifery is at the forefront of this immense effort, and I am so incredibly proud of the role you are playing. As always you are standing tall, magnificently meeting the needs of our community when they need our skills, experience, knowledge and expertise the most. My sincere thanks and please keep safe.

Shane Crowe
Executive Director, Nursing & Midwifery

Strategic Direction 2021-23 released

On Tuesday 31 August Board Chair Robyn Batten and CEO Russell Harrison released Western Health’s Strategic Direction for 2021-23. The document outlines our new and bold strategy that builds on past achievements and continues our promising direction for the future.

Hundreds of staff have contributed to the development of this strategy last year, through surveys, focus groups, consultations and pop-ups. Thanks to everyone who shred their ideas.

At its heart, this new strategy reflects out constant commitment to our patients, people and communities in the West.

Western Health has 5 strategic directions:

01 – We partner with patients and families

Our patients and families are actively involved in their care and connected to the right services.

02 – We care for our people

Our staff and volunteers are supported, engaged and equipped to embrace a dynamic future.

03 – We deliver services for the future

Our services are expanding within and beyond hospital walls, advancing high-quality and connected care

04 – We are better together

Our respectful relationships with our community, system-wide partners and each other drive collaboration and better outcomes.

05 – We discover and learn

Our innovation, research and education inspires and benefits our patients, staff and communities, to deliver a better future.

A new microsite provides you with access to the document which includes our strategy, directions and driving factors; together with a video summarising the strategic directions.

Virtual Pop-up sessions are being offered in September, and are an opportunity for anyone in Western Health to understand more about the vision, the initiatives and discuss how the strategy can help in your day to day work.

Be Tea Room Savvy

Our healthcare workers are Western Health’s most precious resource – we are an industry of people caring for people. So we really need to protect our people.

Our Tier 3 PPE and vaccination does protect us, but we always need to be really mindful of the places where we are taking our PPE off. Usually this is to eat and drink and within the tea room.

This is when we are most exposed, but there are some things that we can do to decrease the risk:

• Go on staggered breaks – we know it is nice to see the whole team, but if one of you is COVID-19 positive without knowing it, this takes out the entire team.
• When planning breaks, keep in mind that a room is generally considered ‘infected’ for 30 minutes after a person that is COVID-19 positive leaves – so staggering times or venues can stop other members of the tam being furloughed.
• Outside is your friend! Where possible and weather permitting, take your breaks outside in the fresh air. This significantly drops the risk of being exposed to COVID-19.
• If you do need to use the tea room, please socially distance.
• Put your PPE back on as soon as you have finished eating and drinking.
• Complete the tea room log or use the QR codes. It is impossible to remember the exact times you took your break, so this can help contact tracing and may keep you from being unnecessarily furloughed.
• Shared food is a big no-no.

PPE is Paramount

PPE is our first line of defense against COVID-19. As we have moved to all of our clinical and public facing staff wearing Tier 3 PPE, including N95 masks and eye protection, it is timely to provide some important reminders:

Fit testing:

We encourage all staff to get fit tested as soon as you can. Fit testing can be booked as follows:

• Footscray Hospital Fit-testing bookings: Footscray appointments
• Sunshine Hospital Fit-testing bookings: Sunshine appointments

Please check these links regularly as appointments are booked out quickly. Thanks for your patience as the team continues to upload new appointments.

Please also visit the QRG section of the microsite and look for the Fit-testing QRGs:

• Respiratory Protection Program Fit Testing Guideline,
• P2/N95 Mask Fit Testing Information for Staff,
• P2/N95 Mask Fit Checking Escalation Process for Staff.

Fit checking:

A reminder to always fit check your N95 mask when you are donning. A N95 mask only provides protection if it is fitted properly and there is a seal.

The COVID microsite has a QRG to remind you of the principles of correctly undertaking a fit check. Remember to:

• Gently inhale. When you breathe in, the mask should draw in slightly towards the face and collapse.
• Gently exhale. The mask should fill up with air. It is important at this stage that there is NO air leakage around the edges of the mask – use your hands to feel any air leaking.

Facial hair (including a one- or two-day beard growth) will impair the ability to create an adequate seal. Males with facial hair should clean shave or not provide care to patients requiring N95 masks due to the high risk of these infectious pathogens. If unable to shave they may need to be reassigned care.

If you have not achieved a successful seal as instructed above, it is important that you seek advice or have someone assist you with fitting and checking your mask. An incorrectly fitted mask will not provide you with the intended level of protection from airborne infectious diseases.

Eye protection:

As well as masks, face shields can help trap infectious droplets and prevent them from spreading to others. This is called “source control”. Full face shields have been distributed to all Western Health staff as part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The eye protection offered by full face shields or safety goggles is one component of standard precautions.

Full face shields protect our mucous membranes (eyes, nose and mouth) from infectious droplets. They also act as a physical barrier, preventing us from touching our mucous membranes with contaminated hands as well as protecting the front of the surgical mask. Please refer to the Full Face Shield QRG for more information.

Staff who do not tolerate wearing a full face shield, can wear safety goggles instead.

Staff are reminded that hand hygiene is an important part of protecting themselves from COVID-19. Perform hand hygiene before and after touching your full face shield.

COVID-19 Vaccination - our way out of this pandemic

It has been a busy time in the COVID Vaccination Hub over the past month, with the service expanding and a number of changes.

The Western COVID Vaccination Hub has now administered over 620,000 vaccines to the community, and with the opening of our additional sites and additional cubicles we are just getting busier – currently vaccinating over 8,000 people per day.

New sites:

After opening Australia’s first drive thru COVID-19 vaccination centre in Melton, Western Health expanded this innovative new model opening the latest drive thru COVID-19 vaccination centre at Eagle Stadium in Wyndham (pictured right).

We have also opened a new high volume sit-down vaccination centre at Wyndham in Eagle Stadium too in the past month.

Recently a pop-up site was established in the Islamic Centre in Newport to provide enhanced access to vaccination for our Muslim community.

Western Health staff and family priority access vaccination:

A reminder that the Pfizer vaccine is available for first dose for all health care workers irrespective of age.

On Monday 6 September Western Health launched a dedicated process to facilitate easier access to staff, volunteers and the family and household contacts of our staff.

Priority access appointments will be available for staff and their household members Monday to Sunday from 0800 to 1530.

To be eligible for priority access, staff and their household members must:

• Be eligible for vaccination in accordance with the eligibility criteria defined by the Australian Government
• Be over 12 years of age
• Share a household with a Western Health staff member with an active employee number

Booking must be made via the Western Health COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline: 8345 0661 (Monday to Friday 0800 – 1630)

Western Health staff must make the appointment for themselves and/or their household members

A booking confirmation will be sent via email, and staff must present staff identification at time of vaccination.

Household members must provide:

• Confirmation booking email
• Evidence of same residence as staff member e.g. Driver’s Licence or rate notice

Staff and household contacts will be given access to a priority queue.

Household members will be eligible for the vaccine specified as per the Commonwealth Government guidelines.

Were you vaccinated elsewhere?

There is increasing discussion that COVID-19 vaccination may become mandatory for health care workers. This has already occurred in NSW.

Western Health is closely monitoring the vaccination uptake of our staff, however if you have been vaccinated elsewhere we may not have your records up to date.

If you have been vaccinated at your GP or a non-Western Health centre, or have yet to get vaccinated or are intending to not get vaccinated at this time please complete this quick survey as soon as possible.

If you have been vaccinated elsewhere, it will ask you to upload a copy of your COVID-19 immunisation certificate (available via myGov) as evidence.

This survey will also be sent to staff who are currently listed as not being vaccinated via a text message.

It is important that we have an accurate and complete picture of which Western Health staff have received the COVID-19 vaccine. When you complete the survey, if you declare that they have been vaccinated elsewhere, your records will be updated.

Moderna vaccine:

On 9 August 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), granted provisional approval for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in individuals 18 years of age and older. Along with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is the preferred vaccine for people aged 18-59 years and pregnant women.

It is recommended that the vaccine is given in 2 doses administered 28-42 days apart (4-6 weeks).

On 2 September 2021, it was announced that when the vaccine is available the state-run vaccination centres will administer the Moderna vaccine dosage intervals at 6 weeks.

AstraZeneca timing change:

In order to ensure as many Victorians are fully vaccinated as soon as possible, a change has been made to the interval between AstraZeneca doses.

Effective from 2 September 2021, the interval between Dose 1 and Dose 2 of AstraZeneca vaccine will reduce from 12 weeks to 6 weeks.  This will apply both to people making new AstraZeneca bookings, and those with existing Dose 2 bookings.

This change applies only to state-run vaccination centres.  A 12 week interval may continue to be applied to primary care GPs and pharmacies offering AstraZeneca.

Priority Patient vaccination:

On Monday 6 September Western Health launched a new Priority Patient vaccination process.

Patients aged 12 years and over who have an underlying medical condition or pregnant women are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Western Health acknowledges the importance of these patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccination in a timely and safe manner.

The establishment of a priority patient access model of care will enable a more efficient delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Western Health clinicians can follow this process to assist in counselling patients regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and support priority patient access to vaccination at one of our Western Health COVID-19 Vaccination Hubs.

Priority patient access will be available for eligible patient Monday to Sunday from 0800 to 1530.

Priority Patient Access Eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccination
Patients eligible for priority patient access must be:

• 12 years and older with an underlying medical condition or significant disability and their caregivers; including NDIS participants
• Pregnant women
• A Western Health patient with a medical unit record number
• In the Phase 1B of the Australian Government Health Guidelines for priority vaccination

General principles of Priority Patient Access

• Clinician’s providing ambulatory and inpatient care are responsible for identifying eligible patients within their program areas that require vaccination.
• The informed consent must be obtained on the day of vaccination. If eligible individuals are not able to consent for themselves then a Next of Kin or Power of Attorney is required to attend with the patient on the day of vaccination.
• Patients will receive the vaccine they are eligible for according to the Department of Health recommendations at the time.

Boosters:

There is increasing discussions in the media and amongst healthcare professionals about the evidence coming out that COVID vaccination boosters may be needed. The latest recommendations from Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) states that additional or booster doses beyond the two-dose course are not currently recommended. Data on the real-world effectiveness and duration of protection from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines is emerging, including against current and emerging strains (variants) of COVID-19 and will inform future recommendations regarding the need for and timing of booster doses.

In the same way that the influenza vaccines are modified to protect against newly circulating strains each season, COVID-19 vaccines may in future be adapted to protect against SARS-CoV-2 variant strains.

At the moment the priority is to ensure that the maximum number of Australians get their initial vaccination, and whilst the ATAGI recommendations state that boosters are not recommended, it is not yet possible to administer COVID vaccine boosters.

Changes to eligibility:

From Monday 30 August all State vaccination centres have expanded access to the Pfizer vaccine for all individuals aged 16-39 years. All people in this age range can book appointment to get vaccinated via the online portal or call centre on 1800 675 398.

This means that:

• Victorians aged 16-59 years are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine
• Anyone aged 18-59 is able to choose to receive either Pfizer or AstraZeneca (AZ)
• People aged 18-39 who are due for their second dose (having already had one AZ) will be offered AZ.
• People aged 60 and over will continue to receive AstraZeneca.

VCE vaccination:

From Tuesday 7 September to Sunday 19 September a blitz will run to support final year secondary school students, year 11 students doing VCE Unit 3 and 4 subjects and staff required to supervise on-site examinations to get vaccinated before exams start.

The eligible students and staff will be required to book an appointment.  A dedicated hotline will be set up for final year students, teachers and exam supervisors to book an appointment. This is the only way they will be able to access an appointment as part of the blitz. The details of this hotline will be shared with students, parents and school staff. Appointments were opened on Monday 6 September for Year 12 students and from Wednesday 8 September for Year 11 students sitting Year 12 exams (unit 3 and 4 exams).

Anyone eligible to participate in the blitz that already has a COVID-19 vaccination booked at a state vaccination centre will be able to cancel their existing appointment at the time of booking an appointment as part of the blitz if they wish to bring forward their vaccination.

Sotrovimab approved:

Australians with COVID-19 who are at risk of hospitalisation will now have access to an additional antibody treatment, as the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recently announced it has granted provisional approval for sotrovimab to be used in Australia.

The Australian Government secured an initial allocation of over 7,700 doses of the novel monoclonal antibody treatment sotrovimab and a first shipment is already in the country.

The sotrovimab treatment requires a single dose to be administered through an intravenous (IV) infusion in a health care facility and has been shown to reduce hospitalisation or death by 79 per cent in adults with mild to moderate COVID-19, who are at risk of developing severe COVID-19.

This is not a vaccine, but rather an agent that reduces the burden of disease for people that have COVID-19 and are at high risk of becoming seriously unwell. Sotrovimab will provide further options to protect vulnerable Australians at risk of developing severe COVID-19, however, not all Australians with COVID-19 will need to access the treatment.

It is expected that sotrovimab will be targeted for the treatment of Australians over 55 years old who have COVID-19 and also have one or more of the following risk factors for disease progression –  diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, lung disease and moderate to severe asthma.

Vaccination remains the most important and safest way for Australians to protect themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19.

Nursing & Midwifery Research Grants 2021

Western Health is committed to providing Best Care to our community. Underpinning Western Health’s world-class clinical care is our commitment to research and education. One key initiative of the Strategic Directions 2021-2023 is to “build stronger connections between and amongst researchers, educators, clinical leaders and frontline staff, through multidisciplinary projects, learning and innovation”. This is achieved by fostering curiosity and supporting staff to lead and participate in research.

The Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery is seeking applications from Western Health staff for grant funding to undertake dedicated nursing and/or midwifery research. It is envisaged that up to $20,000 per grant will be awarded this year for disbursement in 2022; one for nursing and one for midwifery related projects. This is an exciting opportunity for nurses and midwifes to be innovative, lead dedicated nursing or midwifery research and contribute to an improvement in practice and better patient outcomes.

Terms of grant

All research must comply with Western Health’s Research ethics and governance policy, and with the National Health and Medical Research Council statement. Ethics approval must be gained before the commencement of any research.

Support

Nurses and midwives are invited to seek support and advice from the Chair of Nursing, Professor Bodil Rasmussen Bodil.Rasmussen@wh.org.au or the Chair of Midwifery, Professor Linda Sweet Linda.Sweet@wh.org.au, and their teams.

Application guidelines

Applications of no more than 2,000 words are invited and must include the following:

• Research team details
• Aims and significance of proposed study
• Background/literature review
• Method including research design, interventions (if any) and analysis plan
• Timeline
• Budget

Selection criteria

The following criteria will be used to ass applications:

• Value to Western Health: Will the proposed study add value to Western Health and improve Best Care?
• Research team: Do the team have sufficient skills and expertise to undertake the proposed study?
• Study justification and aim: Has a research gap been justified and is the aim important and achievable?
• Research Plan: Is the study design feasible and appropriate to meet the aims and research question?
• Feasibility: Are the goals concrete and achievable? Are there sufficient resources to undertake the study?

Submission

Applications must be submitted by email to WHDeakinPartnership@wh.org.au

Applications will close Friday 15^th October and the successful applicants will be announced in the Nursing and Midwifery session of Western Health Research and Best Care Week on Thursday 28 October 2021.

R U really OK? Day

Do you know how the people in your world are really going? R U OK Day is being held on 9 September 2021.

Got a feeling that someone you know or care about it isn’t behaving as they normally would? Perhaps they seem out of sorts? More agitated or withdrawn? Or they’re just not themselves. Trust that gut instinct and act on it. Learn more about the signs and when it’s time to ask R U OK? here.

Life’s ups and downs happen to all of us. So chances are someone you know might be struggling. Your genuine support can make a difference whatever they are facing, big or small.

So, don’t wait until someone’s visibly distressed or in crisis. Make a moment meaningful and ask them how they’re really going.

By starting a conversation and commenting on the changes you’ve noticed, you could help that family member, friend or workmate open up. If they say they are not ok, you can follow the recommended conversation steps to show them they’re supported and help them find strategies to better manage the load:

Be ready

•  Are you in a good headspace?
•  Are you willing to genuinely listen?
•  Have you set aside the time you might need?

Be prepared

• Remember that you won’t have all the answers (and that’s OK).
• It can be difficult for people to talk about personal struggles and they might be emotional, embarrassed or upset.

Pick your moment

• Have you chosen somewhere relatively private where you’ll both be comfortable to chat?
• When is a good time for them to have a meaningful chat?
• If they don’t have time when you first approach them, arrange another time for the conversation.
• It might be more comfortable for the person to be side-by-side with you (e.g. walking together or sitting in the car) rather than face-to-face.

Once they’ve opened up, encourage them to access support or to do something that might lighten the load. You don’t have to have the answers or be able to offer professional health advice, but you can help them consider the next steps and actions they can take to manage their situation.

Some good options might include talking to family, a trusted friend, their doctor or another appropriate health professional. You can also suggest they think about what’s worked for them or helped in the past when they’ve felt this way or faced similar challenges.
Things that help them relax or bring them joy might include going for a walk, seeing a movie, watching or playing some sport etc.

Don’t forget to check back in on them.

Are they really OK? Ask them today. Your conversation could change a life.

If they are ok, that person will know you’re someone who cares enough to ask.

Grad+ virtual roadshow

Western Health has recently had the most applications in our history for our new graduate program Grad+ for 2022.

This is really positive with more and more nurses and midwives wanting to come and join the team.

Over the coming weeks the Education team will be conducting a number of virtual webinars with final year nursing and midwifery students to let them know more details of our new Grad+ program. We think that we’re onto a winner, and that this will get even more people interested in starting their career at Western Health.

The new program will be a 2 year program, that will include 4 rotations, with the second year including more rotations into specialty areas. The program also includes 2 free Western Health post-graduate subjects that are accredited with 5 universities focusing on advanced clinical assessment, pathophysiology and clinical leadership.

The programs is the first of its type, as far as we are aware, and has been specifically designed to:
The anticipated benefits of the Nursing & Midwifery Grad+ Program are:

• Offer an entry to practice program that provides wider experience to different clinical specialties, to create well-rounded nurses and midwives with diverse experience in their early career years.
• Support our nurses and midwives to be able to have broader experiences and options available to them prior to choosing their preferred specialty
• Embed a culture of life-long learning through supporting the continuation of formal education into the early career years
• Make post-graduate education more accessible and affordable for our nurses and midwives
• Increase participation rates in post-graduate education, by offering 2 free subjects as part of their early career years.

Enhance Western Health’s status of an employer of choice for newly graduated nurses and midwives.

Our Midwives Supporting Shepparton

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Shepparton left Goulburn Valley Health in a difficult position, with over 500 staff furloughed!

Of course, babies don’t stop being born in a pandemic and Goulburn valley Health really needed additional midwives to help them to be able to continue to safely provide maternity services.

Western Health is so proud of 2 of our midwives Erin Simpson and Georgina Vandenberg (pictured far left and middle) that selflessly volunteered to travel up to Shepparton and work with their Goulburn Valley Health colleagues to help them get through this tough time. Erin and Georgina stated that “it’s been wonderful to help out the local community” and were pleased to “have the opportunity to give a little back”.

They represented Western Health beautifully and really made a huge difference. Sincere thanks to Erin and Georgina – you’re both superstars!

Enterprise Agreement 2020-24 update

Grade 5 and over:

The 2020-2024 enterprise agreement contains a provision aimed at transitioning the classification for nurses and midwives historically at Grade 5 or above.

The reason for this is that over time the classifications for these nurses and midwives have become less transparent and the use of bed numbers of these roles was not considered contemporary. The use of bed numbers as a mechanism for setting sub-grades, has been replaced for Nurse/Midwife Managers at Grade 5, 6 and 7. In each case the new enterprise agreement lists each campus in a table, the column in which your campus is named determines your sub-grade – either 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 7A or 7B. For Western Health our sites are listed as:

• Footscray Hospital – 8A
• Sunshine Hospital – 8A
• Williamstown Hospital – 8C
• Bacchus March Hospital – 8C
• Sunbury Hospital – 8C
• Melton Health – not classified
• Hazeldean – 7B

Prior to December 2021 Western Health will assess each position that meets the Nurse/Midwife Manager 5 and above definition above against the Nurse/Midwife Manager 5 and above descriptors and will provide the outcome of this assessment to each affected employee in writing.

If the assessment results in a:

• higher grade than currently applies, the higher grade will apply to you from the first full pay period on or after 1 December 2020; or

lower grade than currently applies, you will be maintained at your current grade.

Nursing Scholarships

The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) recently released a variety of scholarship and funding opportunities that are now open for applications. Read below to find out how you can receive funding to progress your nursing career.

Immunisation for Healthcare Professionals – Commonwealth Funded Places:
The Australian Government has funded a limited number of places for Registered Nurses to complete the ACN’s Immunisation for Health Practitioners course free of charge. This opportunity has been made available to support the national COVID-19 pandemic response, the vaccination rollout and the broader health system by increasing the nurse immuniser workforce beyond the pandemic.

Be quick, as places are limited and will be allocated to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.

To view the eligibility criteria and register your interest in receiving a Commonwealth funded place head to ACN’s website.

Post-graduate Scholarship for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses:
In collaboration with HESTA, ACN is offering two Graduate Certificate Scholarships for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander nurses to complete an ACN Graduate Certificate in Aged Care Nursing or Leadership and Management.

Applications close at 11:59pm AEDT on Monday 11 October 2021. You can find out more information by visiting the application form

Undergraduate Scholarship for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students:
With thanks to the Australian Government Department of Health, scholarships are now available for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students who will study or intend to study entry-level health courses in 2022, through the Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship Scheme. Additional places for mental health related studies have also been made available for this year’s intake!

Applications close at 11:59pm AEDT on Monday 11 October 2021. Visit ACN’s website to find out more about the scholarship scheme, or spread the word by sharing this flyer with people in your network who would be interested in applying.

Thanks Bev and Olga!

A huge thank you to to 2 of our theatre nurses Beverly Howard and Olga Learoyd on their fantastic contribution to Western Health over the past 46 years.

Olga commenced at Western General in 1975 commencing with 7 years in the ICU, then a short stint in midwifery, returning to ICU for a stint and then transferring to the children’s ward, following which she eventually moved to theatre in 1985. The feedback from all of the team members in theatre is that Olga is an extremely valued and skilled member of the Anaesthesia and Post Anaesthesia Recovery team.  Diligently keeping updated with the latest evidence base and technology changes, always acting as an advocate for her patients and who consistently shows care and compassion to her patients and fellow staff members.

Beverly commenced in 1966, however soon after started a family. Such were the times that this forced her to resign due to no maternity leave cover. Returning in 1975 and a testament to her leadership qualities, Beverly soon progressed to the Theatre Charge Nurse.   Specialising in the peri-operative scrub and scout role especially the areas of ENT and Colorectal she is renowned for her attention to detail and the ‘go to’ person for many specialty questions in this field.  Beverly is a highly valued colleague and mentor to many of our current staff and the high standards of patient care that she has set are being passed on to generation after generation of specialty theatre nurses.

Sincere congratulations on this enormous achievement and for the wonderful positive impact you have both had on thousands of patients, carers and our staff during this time.

Benchmarking Best Care

The latest benchmark reports from the Health Roundtable that go up to March 2021 show how our delivery of Best Care compares to other health services across Australasia.

In our continuing series looking at nursing and midwifery key performance indicators, this month we will look at how we perform in the area of pressure injuries.

Pressure Injuries:

Sunshine Hospital

Pressure Injuries per 10,000 episodes of care at Sunshine Hospital remains in the lower end of amber, and nudging green when compared to our peers. This is a great result.

There is a slight trending upwards, so we will need to keep an eye on this.

Well done to our Sunshine Hospital teams for continuing to prevent pressure injuries in our patients.

Footscray Hospital

The past 6 months has been extremely positive for Footscray Hospital. You will see that 9 months ago our results for pressure injuries per 10,000 episodes were really concerning. Similar to falls, Footscray teams have been able to achieve an incredible 65% reduction!

We have gone from being red when compared to our peers, to being in the lower half of amber – this is wonderful for our patients and demonstrates how everyone’s efforts are making a huge difference!

Congratulations to our Footscray teams for this marked improvement and commitment to Best Care.

Celebrating Maternity Magnificence

On 31 August 2021 Shane Crowe (EDONM), Wendy Watson (Divisional Director) and Sue Sweeney (Director of Midwifery Practice) met with the maternity teams on the Birthing Unit in Joan Kirner Women’s & Children’s to celebrate their recent success as Safer Care Victoria’s winners of the Better Births for Women Collaborative.

The SUPPORT Project aimed to improve outcomes for women by reducing the severity and occurrence of perineal tears during birth. The rates of severe perineal trauma involving the anal sphincter were perceived to be unacceptably high.

Women having their first birth vaginally in Victoria are four times more likely to experience a severe perineal laceration (third- or fourth-degree tear) compared to those having a subsequent birth vaginally. Whilst severe perineal trauma (SPT) is not possible to prevent entirely, the likelihood can be reduced by employing appropriate labour management and care standards. Some of the evidence based interventions incorporated by Western Health through the SUPPORT project include:

• Warm perineal compresses,
• hands on technique,
• slow controlled birth of the head,
• correct episiotomy angle,
• genito-anal exam on all women post a vaginal birth,
• grading of perineal tears with two clinicians,
• consumer engagement with birth planning decisions, and
• documentation of intervention on the Perineal Care, Assessment and Management Form.

Western Health received the best results within the Better Birth Collaborative which is an incredible achievement showcasing the team’s commitment to Best Care and improving birthing outcomes for the women and families of the West.

They were able to achieve an overall decrease in severe perineal tears by 48%, and a decrease in severe perineal tears with normal vaginal births by an incredible 69%! Well done team!!

Emerging Evidence

The Western Health Library Service is a great source for locating the latest nursing and midwifery related evidence based practice and research. The COVID-19 articles below are available open access.

• Quality of care was not compromised during the COVID-19 pandemic at a level-1 trauma centre. ANZ Journal of Surgery.2021: August 17 Full text (Australian)
• Barriers to learning a new technology to go online among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.2021: August  Full text
• Palliative care and COVID-19 in the Australian context: a review of patients with COVID-19 referred to palliative care. Australian Health Review. 2021: August 27 Full text (Australian)
• 1-year outcomes in hospital survivors with COVID-19: a longitudinal cohort study. Lancet.2021: August 28 Full text
• Failures of quarantine systems for preventing COVID-19 outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand. Med J Aust. 2021: September 1 Full Text (Australian)
• Acute Coronary Syndrome in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reduced Cases and Increased Ischaemic Time. Heart, Lung Cir. 2021: Aug 24 Full Text  (Australian)
• Coping strategies adopted by Australian frontline health workers to address psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2021: Aug 20 Full Text  (Australian)
• Healthcare Professional Presenteeism during a COVID-19 Outbreak in an Australian Rural Healthcare Environment: A Case Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021: Aug 6 Full Text  (Australian)
• The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic for families of infants involved with Child Protection Services for maltreatment concerns. Health Soc Care Community. 2021: Aug 25 Full Text (Australian)

New eBook Titles

Breastfeeding: a Guide for the Medical Profession. 9^th ed. Elsevier, 2022
Written and edited by leading physicians, Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, 9th Edition, offers comprehensive, dependable information and guidance in this multifaceted field. The book covers everything from basic data on the anatomical, physiological, biochemical, nutritional, immunological, and psychological aspects of human lactation, to the problems of clinical management of breastfeeding. Helps the reader make appropriate drug recommendations, treat conditions associated with breastfeeding, and provide thoughtful guidance to the breastfeeding mother according to her circumstances, problems, and lifestyle. Included are numerous charts and tables throughout, with an emphasis on the scientific, chemical, and physiological underpinnings of breastfeeding.

Critical Care Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! 5^th ed. Wolters Kluwer, 2021.
This friendly, fully illustrated guide offers clear, concise direction on treating numerous acute and life-threatening issues. Absorb current best practices on critical care basics and specialized areas such as advanced life support measures, multisystem trauma, and treating specialized needs.

Please note: these eBook title links (on-site) should take you seamlessly to the full text of the eBook. Off-site or home access requires 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.