message from the chief executive - nsw ministry of … west in focus...will have an additional 70...

The Far West Local Health District Newsletter Edition 6, Vol 6, JUNE 2016

Message from the Chief Executive

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The new financial year has commenced and we managed to meet most of our performance requirements for 2015/16. This requires everyone doing a pretty good job every day, so thank you for your efforts over the past year.

The Innovation Awards provided an opportunity to showcase efforts by people across the LHD to improve the way we do things, and particularly to improve the services we provide to consumers. The Midwifery Group Practice team won the top award, but more importantly highlighted the importance of providing our services in a way that consumers want them. The real benefit of the program has been that we will have an additional 70 giving birth in Broken Hill, rather than travelling away. Congratulations also to staff who have clocked up 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years with the LHD. Finally congratulations to Heidi Drenkhahn who won the Staff Member of the Year Award, the Fleet and Stores team who won Team of the Year, and Zoe Tonkin who won the Collaborative Leader of the Year Award.

The 20 teams participating in the Get Healthy Challenge appear to be building momentum, getting healthier and enjoying the competition. Even if you have not joined a team, it’s a good time to think about what you might do to improve

your health, particularly as the cold and flu season gets into full swing.

At its June meeting the Board approved commencement of consultations for a new draft strategic plan. The draft plan was generated from a workshop involving the Board and Executive in March. Over the next two months we will be running workshops across the LHD to get your input, as well as providing opportunities on-line to make comments and give suggestions. The Plan will be in place until 2021, so please take the opportunity to influence where we head.

Congratulations to the Dareton team on their poster at the Essentials of Care Showcase and the work done to improve outreach clinics.

Back in Broken Hill, a new CT Scanner is being installed. Thanks to everyone for their tolerance while this occurs and services are disrupted, I’m sure the new machine will improve the service we provide and support clinicians in their work.

We have our Service Agreement with the NSW Ministry of Health for 2016/17. Over the next week or so we will complete analysis of the Service Agreement and then final budgets will be issued for all cost center managers.

— Stuart Riley, Chief Executive

Innovation Awards

— Pages 2-4


PAGE 2

Danielle Toigo and Thea Ritchie presented the BH Midwifery Group Practice project and accepted the

Judges Award be behalf of the Team in the Maternity Unit.

Excellence celebrated at Innovation Awards

2016 Innovation and Staff Recognition Awards

The District celebrated the 2016 Innovation and Staff Recognition Awards on Friday, 24 June with a record 11 finalists vying for the coveted Judges Award.

A full room witnessed the Midwifery Group Practice standing out to win the top honour and ‘Cocoa Bean to Chocolate’ following up the judges awarding a Commendation.

The ACI was won by ‘PleDG-ED: It’s Worth the Wait’ and ‘Ivanhoe Upright’ awarded the ACI Commendation.

We also celebrated excellence in customer service within the organisation and long service awards ranging from 10 to 40 years with health!

The Director of Clinical Governance, Ms Zandra Corey, was full of praise for the entrants and finalists in this year’s awards:

“From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate, the title of the project which received the judges highly commended award, epitomises the evolution of the Innovation Awards ceremony for our District. “Each year this ceremony continues to highlight more of the projects undertaken across the District to improve patient safety and deliver high quality services. “These projects are usually undertaken by staff in addition to their normal roles and reflect a passion for delivering great care which is inspiring. At the Awards ceremony, we had the opportunity to celebrate a record number of The Finalists presented their project on the day (from left) Denise McCallum (Unbreaking the Hill), Sarah Farrell

(Healthy Smiles for School), Melissa Welsh (PleDG-ED: It’s Worth the Wait), Vanessa Smith (Healthy Mind Healthy Body), Cary Rogers (MH First Aid), Kelly Dart (RAMing Home the Message), Liz Martin (MH First Aid), Briana Bartley

(From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate), Zoe Tonkin (One In The Bed) and Danielle Toigo and Thea Ritchie (BHMGP). Continued next page

ABOVE: ACI Award winner Mel Welsh (left) for ‘PleDG-ED: It’s Worth the Wait’ and Briana Bartley, Judges

Award Commendation winner for ‘From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate: Transforming the Broken Hill M&M’.

LEFT: Kadee Jones (right) was presented the ACI Commendation for ’Upright Ivanhoe’ by Jenny Preece, Rural Health Manager, Agency for Clinical Innovation.

The team recognised most frequently from Studer staff rounding was the Stores/Fleet Department, represented at the Awards by Cameron Stanley, Anthony Farquhar and (far right) Adrian Winter. The Collaborative Leader of the Year was presented to Patient Flow Manager and

Discharge Planner, Zoe Tonkin (left) and Staff Member of the Year was presented to Heidi Drenkhahn, Community Dietitian.

LEFT: The person recognised most frequently from Studer staff rounding was Emma Clynch, Human Resources.

BELOW: The Collaborative

Team of the Year was presented to

Palliative Care Team, represented

by Rebekah Zanette, Rebecca Dalwood and Mel

Cumming.

project finalists (11) who showcased a competitive field of innovation.

“We also acknowledged the staff who have been recognised by our colleagues and consumers as consistently excelling in their roles. It was a privilege to be part of a ceremony which recognises our emerging leaders in patient safety and quality and to honour the individuals and teams who contribute to making the Far West LHD a great place to work.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the next lot of innovative projects and staff nominations in 2017.”

From previous page


Collaborative Leader of the Year nominations were: Zoe Tonkin, Zandra Corey and Melissa Welsh.

Collaborative Team of the Year nominations were: OWWL Program, MHDA Team, ALO's Team, Maintenance Team, Palliative Care Team, Fleet Team, Dareton Team and Cardiopolmonary Rehab Team.

Staff Member of the Year nominations were: Heidi Drenkhahn, Kathryn Morrison, Paige Nash, Sandra Turley, Michelle Donnelly, Annette Walker, Jo Condon, Brendan Hedger, Briana Bartley, Melissa Cumming, Jackie Ballard, Melissa Welsh, Sandra Potter, Jane Cain, Kathryn Wallace, Jayne Langran, Sue Cooper, Liz Buffon, Anita Erlandsen, Karen Gleeson, Annette Keenan, Lorraine Nitschke, Rose Pauwels, Kylie Briggs, Carrie Barlow, Marg Murphy, Robert Richie and Brenda Brennan.

Staff members recognised 3 or more times: Alice Burgess, Briana Bartley, Bronte McDonald, Caroline Clemens, Cary Rogers, Coral Bennett, Corina Kemp, Dallas Seager, Emma Clynch, Hannah Downing, Helen Hayes, James Jewell, Jane Cain, Karen Chrisakis, Karen Kemp, Karen Winter, Ken Barnett, Kishen Bundhoo, Liz Martin, Marc De Lore, Melissa Welsh, Ron Clements, Ruth Martin, Sherree Tester, Susan Piesto, Verina Crawford and Zani Corey.

Teams recognised during Rounding: Bio Med, Catering Department, Allied Health Cleaning, Clinical Nurse Educators, Dean Winders Contracting, Dialysis, Executive Assistant, Finance, Laundry Staff, Maintenance Department, Medical Services, Medical Ward, Mental Health Community, MHDA Senior Staff, MHDA, OBU Staff, Occupational Therapy, Palliative Care, Pathology Staff, Pay Office, PSAs, Speech Pathology, Stores/Fleet Department, Cleaning and Travel Booking Staff. Special mention to: Speech Pathology, Biotech and Travel Booking.

Employee Recognition Awards for years of dedicated service were also presented to a number of employees from across the District.

Long Service Awards for 10 years of service: Debra Talbot, Vicki Lehman, Gail Purtill, Michelle Cherry, Amanda Tripcony, Joseph Kervin, Ann Marie Hannan, Sandra Kileen, Dawn Evans, Leesa Murphy, Katrina Wilkinson, Sheryl Rowlands, Morgan

Morris, Tina McLaren, Paula Boundy, Rebecca Hatch, Kylie Briggs, Geraldine Casey, Marissa Zaknich, Amarjit Singh. Long Service Awards for 20 years of service: Michele McKee, Bronwyn Helene, Heather Williams, Lorraine Nitschke, Barbara Turner, Robin Franklin, Linda Gusling, Margaret Welsh, Wendy Clarke, Karen Paul, Gavin Lloyd and Linda Williams. Long Service Awards for 30 years of service: Anne Thomas, Meredith Tracey, Josephine Licul, Ben Stellini, Karen Grose, Trevor Dawson, Paula Williams, Cheryle Ray and Karen Behsmann. Long Service Awards for 40 years of service: Jan Pearce, Margaret Graham,

Paul Robinson and Eleanore Williamson.

Employee Recognition Awards were also presented but unfortunately not everyone could be in attendance at the ceremony. Those present included (from left) Josephine Licul, Debra Talbot, Paula Boundy,Sandra Kileen,

Barbara Turner, Karen Grose, Sheryl Rowlands, Morgan Morris, Eleanore Williamson and Karen Behsman.


Verina Crawford gave the Acknowledgement of Country.

MC was local ABC Broadcaster Andrew Schmidt

Service to health recognised

Liz Martin and Cary Rogers — Mental Health First Aid

Judging the Awards were Professor David Lyle and CGU

Director Zandra Corey

Vanessa Smith — Healthy Mind Healthy Body

Sarah Farrell — Healthy Smiles for School

Denise McCallum — Unbreaking the Hill


PAGE 5

The Broken Hill Health Service held a hand sanitising relay in the hospital foyer on the 3 June to raise awareness of correct hand hygiene practices.

It proved to be a fun initiative to get a very important message across to all involved.

Approximately 84 participants were involved including nurses, doctors, allied health, cleaners, kitchen and laundry staff as well as some visitors and volunteers.

Kathy Morrison, Prue Muscat and Dale

Sutton

Hand Hygiene Relay organiser Karen

Kemp with CGU Director Zandra Corey

Peter McDonald, Caroline Clemens and Briana

Bartley help out with catering duties!

Staff from all over the hospital were joined by visitors and volunteers in the relay

Hand Hygiene Relay fun!


PAGE 6

From left: Heidi Ogden (Sexual Assault Worker), Sherree Tester (IVPRS Manager), Hannah Downing (Sexual Assault Worker) and Angela Harvey (OOHC Coordinator/Child Wellbeing Coordinator).

This year the Integrated Violence Prevention Response Service (IVPRS) assisted in the delivery of the annual Love Bites program. Love Bites is a nationally accredited Domestic and Family Violence and Sexual Assault educational program.

The program was run at both Willyama High School and Broken Hill High School.

Students participated in a one day workshop co-facilitated by local services including Health, Warra Warra Legal Service, Far West Legal Service, Police, Centrelink, Mission Australia, Centacare, Staying Home Leaving Violence as well as

being supported by School Counsellors, Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers and Teaching staff. Both high schools were very accommodating and supportive of the program.

The program is run yearly in an effort to increase awareness within our local community about the important topics of Domestic and Family Violence and Sexual Assault. The program was developed because the statistics tell us that one in three girls and one in six to eight boys will experience unwanted sexual experiences before they turn 18 and 1 in 3 young people have experienced some form of violence in their own relationships. Year 10 students who are aged between 15 and 17 are identified as a key age group to learn about healthy and unhealthy relationships and the importance of sexual safety and consent.

During the workshop students were able to use key learnings from the sessions to develop artworks reflecting the messages they had taken on board. The facilitators were impressed by the standard of the art works and the powerful

messages that were portrayed. Part of the follow up of this program is to sew the artworks together and create a banner that can be used to promote healthy relationships and a stand against violence within our community.

The Integrated Violence Prevention Response Service found assisting with the coordination and the delivery of the program extremely rewarding and are keen to support the programs delivery in years to come. A big thank you to everyone involved in the successful delivery of Love Bites in 2016.

Love Bites taking a stand against violence in our community


PAGE 7

Midwife adventures for Chelsea in Africa!

Midwife Chelsea Anderson recently spent time in Tanzania volunteering in a busy labour and birth ward.

Chelsea volunteered through Projects Abroad and worked in a health centre which had 160 births in April.

She certainly encountered a very different maternity environment in Tanzania and a variety of practices done differently. Her observations included:

The ward is one big open hall-like room with antenatal beds on the left and postnatal

beds on the right. Occasionally if it was busy there'd be two mums and two babies in the one bed; no one ever complained or thought this was unusual. There was no other choice.

The 'midwives' all learn on the job. The majority are EN's and a few RN's worked

there. 'Medical attendants' are like PSA's, but they sometimes do births too!

The women are genuinely beautiful and grateful for any care they receive.

The family bring in clean water, tea and meals for the women, most women stay

overnight before heading home to their tribe.

Each baby co-sleeps with their

mother, and are wrapped in, their own 'khangas' (beautifully printed fabrics which double as baby's identification).

Record keeping and paperwork in

general is very poorly kept - no such thing as audits or competencies!

Labour care is bare minimum - one

fetal heart per shift and once per assessment; no 15 minutely fetal hearts in labour (or 5minutely in second stage) like best practice recommends.

Neonatal resuscitation is not

understood or practiced correctly.

Although every baby is given an

APGAR score or 8 and 9, there were 160 births in the month of April. Busiest shift I had was 7 births in a day, although one night had 15 births! Two 'midwives' per shift, two birth beds, if they're both full the woman births in her 'ward' bed.

“I learned to

give labour and birth care (and write birth notes) in my very basic Swahili language!

Congratulations Chelsea on your fantastic volunteering trip to Tanzania.

We hope that one day you achieve your goal of returning to Africa to teach midwifery

care. Chelsea with Enrolled Nurse Brenda and Student Midwife Habiba

The Ngarenaro Heath Centre birth room.

ABOVE: Chelsea with mother Gift and baby Hassana.

BELOW: Projects Abroad volunteers with Dr Kivuyo

(centre).


PAGE 8

ABC focus on Pam Lord

and BH Health Service There was quite a lot of interest from

consumers and staff as Jenia Ratcliffe filmed

Mrs Pam Lord (both pictured below) on her

hospital visiting duties for an ABC Open

Documentary to be aired later this year.

It was astonishing to see the amount of work

and technical detail that has to be considered

and the time and skill needed to capture the

required footage before Jenia can edit the hours

of film into the completed piece of work.

The project has included a number of

interviews and accompanying Mrs Lord during

her visits. The patience and help from staff in

the hospital —particularly Medical Ward — has

been very welcome and appreciated by all

involved.

The Open ABC documentary will result in an

interesting and worthwhile piece of work

showcasing one of Broken Hill’s favourite people

and her dedication to the Broken Hill Hospital.

Get Healthy FWLHD: 20 teams, 1 Challenge. Be the healthiest you can be! Over the past eight weeks, teams have been competing to become

healthier. Educational sessions, food intake and weight loss are a part of this. Over the course of the first eight weeks of the program, teams have lost a total of 88.55kgs

This equates to a massive 37.91 BMI points and much healthier staff to better serve our patients and clients.

Teams have taken a huge 35,862,688 steps as part of the GCC; this is a massive 22,952 km on our virtual tour of the world.

Great work by all of our teams; keep up the great work! Pictured below are some of the Get Healthy teams taking part in the

challenge.

FWLHD is Getting Healthy

X-Storated Team

Absolutely Flab-u-Less at an early morning training session

Seven Dead Winners in a team huddle

Menopausal Muffin Tops Laughter Group


PAGE 9

How to Beat Hurry Sickness - Overcoming

Constant Panic and Rush Always rushing? You can slow down and still be effective.

"I'm too busy to read this!" you say. Don't worry; it won't take up much of your time, just a few minutes. "But I can't," you say. "I'm running late." So off you rush, half-walking, half-running. You attend a meeting. After a couple of minutes you realise

you're double-booked, so you apologise and dash off to join a phone conference. While you're on the phone, you check your calendar and reply to emails. You also respond to a few text messages. When you get home you juggle cooking a meal, helping with homework and putting the kids to bed. And then…you do it all again tomorrow.

Does this sense of being always "on the go" seem familiar? If so, you might be suffering from hurry sickness. What Is Hurry Sickness?

Two Cardiologists (Friedman and Rosenman) coined the term "hurry sickness" after noticing that many of their patients suffered from a "harrying sense of time urgency." They defined it as "a continuous struggle and unremitting attempt to accomplish or achieve more and more things or participate in more and more events in less and less time." People with hurry sickness, think, talk and act fast. They multitask and rush against the clock. They feel pressured to get things done and get flustered by any sign of a problem. What Causes Hurry Sickness?

Hurry-sick people are conscientious and work hard, but struggle to acknowledge their limits. They usually commit to more than they have time for. Hurry-sick people remain constantly "switched on." Concerns about how it might look to take time off, or to say no to a task, makes it difficult to disconnect and slow down. It's easy to get used to this cycle of panic and even accept it, though it is causing harm. What Are the Consequences of Hurry Sickness?

Being busy might be seen as a virtue but when it tips over into hurry sickness, the consequences can be severe. You can lose sight of the "big picture” when you aren’t able to stop and think. Errors can creep into your work, you become less effective and the quality of your work drops.

It also increases your body's output of the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause long-term health problems. Your mind stays locked in a state of overstimulation, making you tired, anxious and prone to irritability, but unable to relax. It can affect your personal relationships, too.

Action-oriented strategies Think about why you're being asked to do something. You

can politely say no to tasks that fall outside your job description, those which other people are better qualified to do, or those which you don't have time for. You'll then have space to do a better job on the things that really matter.

Be more assertive. Learn how to give clear feedback , and

to avoid taking on tasks that should be delegated to others.

Stop multitasking. Don’t spread yourself too thinly. Either

you won't work to the best of your ability, or you won't ever complete anything. Calmly focus on one thing at a time. You'll do a better job and be in less of a rush.

Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise. Prioritisation is a crucial

survival skill for getting through pressured times. It brings order to chaos, creates calmness and space, and reduces stress. Plan an order of work. Focus on the essential and set aside – or quietly drop – the trivial.

Improve your time management. There are only 24 hours

in a day. Good time management allows you to put them to the smartest possible use by getting more done in less time .Switch focus from activities to results, from hurriedness to effectiveness, give dedicated, uninterrupted time to the tasks that matter. You can then target your attention where it's most needed.

How to Overcome Hurry Sickness Acceptance-oriented strategies Slow down. Learn to relax. We all need time to stop and think, to

regain our perspective, and take stock of our tasks. Taking regular breaks, just to "stretch your legs," can help you to slow down and collect your thoughts. Relaxation techniques and meditation are practical tools for finding peace amid chaos.

Stop and take a holiday. Switching off can be tough when you're

used to being "on the go," but the benefits can be great. A week or two of fun and relaxation will reduce your anxiety and allow you to reassess your priorities.

Seek support from your manager, colleagues and family. Working

with a strong support base and finding allies is a great way to share concerns and responsibilities, and to stop "busyness" becoming "hurriedness."

Emotionally oriented strategies Stay positive. It's easy to get into a cycle of negative thinking when

you're overloaded and rushing. Working with a positive outlook can help you to feel equal to the challenges that face you, and motivated to tackle them.

Set realistic expectations. Try using affirmations, cognitive

restructuring , and success programming to boost your positivity.

Manage your self-control. Emotions run high when we're working

against the clock, so managing them is important. Managing anger, showing patience, and using emotional intelligence can help.

In Summary: Hurry sickness is a mixture of anxiety and continual feelings of urgency. Its symptoms include high stress levels, declining quality of work, tiredness, and eventually serious health problems.

To avoid hurry sickness:

Be assertive when deciding which tasks

to take on.

Avoid multitasking.

Prioritize your workload.

Work on your time management.

Slow down or even stop for a while.

Build a network of support for yourself.

Keep a positive outlook.

Adapted from https://www.mindtools.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Type-Behavior-Heart-Meyer-Friedman/dp/0394480112?ie=UTF8&keywords=type%20a%20behavior%20and%20your%20heart&qid=1461671249&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

https://www.mindtools.com/


PAGE 10

Consumers and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinicians at the Child & Family Health Centre have been working in small groups using art materials to encourage self expression.

The group has been working with our volunteer Artist in Residence, Mia Vaux. These sessions (held during Term 2) have been very well received and we plan to continue in Term 3.

From left: Mia Vaux (Artist in Residence), Rayshell Harkin-Allen and Leonie Wainwright (CAMHS

Clinicians).

Artist in Residence very popular at Child and Family Health Centre

Congratulations to Jodie Miller, Senior Clinician JIRT (Joint Investigation Response Team), who has been selected for the NSW Leadership Academy.

The Leadership Academy, an initiative of the NSW Public Service Commission, supports selected representatives from all state government departments to develop leadership capabilities and prepare for senior roles in the NSW Public

Service. As one of only 18 participants in the Academy,

Jodie will receive individualised coaching, attend workshops and have the opportunity to deal with real workplace issues supported by skilled and experienced management experts.

Jodie said she hoped to gain significant growth professionally and personally by participating in the Academy. “I hope to increase my skills and capabilities required to transition to higher leadership roles required working in the public service,” she said. “I see this opportunity as inclusive and value based leadership that will enable me to develop, lead and influence others to deliver positive outcomes for community.”

Jodie added it will enable her to build relationships and peer networks across the Public Service sector. “The design of the program also focuses on leadership and operating more effectively in current and future environments. It will help me enhance planning and innovation in delivering health services to the Far West.”

The Far West LHD has identified the need to for succession planning and developing its current and future leadership capabilities by offering many opportunities to staff. This is only one program of many that will give the Far West LHD strong leaders that are driven to deliver better results to customer and community needs.

Mr Bill Brown, a very experienced MH manager, will be undertaking the role of Team Leader, Dareton Community MHDA Team for six months. During this time Bill will explore options to enhance links with Mildura MH services as well as taking on the team leader role.

Bill replaces Ms Kathy Thompson who finished up after 6 years service. Kathy was an energetic and passionate leader of her team – I’m sure you will join me in wishing her every success in the future.

Ms Leah Wilkinson, RN, has responded to an EOI for the position of Recovery Coordinator, based in the Far West Mental Health Recovery Centre where Leah will work closely with the Neami team to continue the excellent work of Taryn Banks, NUM. Leah has been immersed in training and learning the ways of the Recovery Centre and the NGO since starting the role in May.

Ms Jodie Miller is participating in the Academy (see story at left) and is required to manage staff and learn about different aspects of the organisation. To help achieve this, Jodie will take on a part time role in MHDA and work alongside the General Manager BHHS regularly and participate in Exec level meetings.

Ms Sylvia Clottu has taken up the role of Child Protection Counsellor in MHDA. Ms Clottu joins the Integrated Violence Prevention Response (IVPR) Team, initially in a part time capacity. Her experience and enthusiasm for this work is a real bonus for the LHD.

Jodie Miller

MHDA staffing changes Jodie part of Leadership Academy


PAGE 11

Medical Services welcomes the newest cohort of JMOs on rotation from Concord and

welcomes back our Home Hospital Interns Elizabeth and Yvette after their 10-week rotation at

Concord in Sydney.

We have a busy week planned for the newest group continuing our lunchtime orientation

sessions for their first week. This will help them become familiar with our Health Service and

what it’s really like working in a remote community.

The group are happy and excited about the term in Broken Hill both working at the hospital,

the RFDS and seeing the sights of our wonderful city.

Our newest group of

JMOs (from left): Amy

Kitajima, Nilanthy

Vigneswaran, Joshua

Sung, Alan Woo, Rajvi

Shah and Simren Kaur.

(Seated): Yvette Etherden

Elizabeth Richardson and

Richard Smith

Newest group of JMOs join Far West Medical Services team

EVALUATION FORM Did you attend the Health Innovation and Staff Recognition Awards on Friday 24 June 2016?

CGU would really appreciate any feedback you have about the event.

An evaluation form for this purpose can be obtained by contacting Helen Hayes in CGU

on 8080 1580.

The LHD’s new portable marque for use in official outdoor events and activities has been getting some use in the District.

The marquee easily identifies the District whilst providing shade and protection from outdoor extremes. It is relatively easy to erect but does require 2-3 people to carry the bags it comes in. Instructions are included with the kit. Anyone wishing to use the marque can contact Branko Licul on 8080 1402 or 0411 119 592 or [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


PAGE 12

Broken Hill is hosting the NSW State Palliative

Care Conference on 13-15 October this year?

Palliative Care NSW is partnering with FWLHD Palliative Care Services and other sponsors to host the biennial state conference in Broken Hill. The theme is “Transforming our Landscape” with local, state, national and international guest speakers presenting on a range of holistic, palliative care topics.

Check out the conference program on the Palliative Care NSW website and see what wonderful speakers we have.

Health professionals who are involved in caring for patients requiring palliative or end of life care are invited to register via the NSW Palliative Care website https://palliativecarensw.org.au.

This is a unique opportunity to attend a state conference in your own backyard!

Cancer Exercise classes

Recent research has shown that physical exercise can be helpful in the treatment for people diagnosed with cancer. The Far West Cancer Service, based at the Broken Hill Hospital has recently joined with the YMCA in Broken Hill to offer fitness classes to cancer patients.

The first group commenced recently under the instruction of Marisa Webb from the YMCA. Marisa is assisted by students from the Occupational Therapy team.

Sandra Turley, Cancer Care Coordinator said she has been heartened by the response from the participants and the enthusiastic and professional support provided by the YMCA.

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

June was National Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. The Far West Cancer Service and the Dietitians combined to operate a number of community information stalls at various venues around the city .

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia. However if bowel cancer is found early up to 90% of cases can be successfully treated.

Having a bowel screen every two years is a great way to stay strong and healthy for yourself, for your family and for your community. The test saves lives - often there are no obvious signs that you have bowel cancer and it can occur in people who have no family history.

A bowel screening test is easy to do and can be done in the privacy of your own home It’s important for everyone to regularly screen for bowel cancer, and is recommended every two years.

The Australian Government sends eligible people aged 50 to 74 a free bowel screening test kit in the mail. By 2020, people in this age group will receive a test kit every two years..

The screening kit includes a simple instruction sheet that guides you through the sampling process. If you would like help to understand the instructions talk to family members, your health professional or

contact the Test Helpline on 1800 738 365.

The kits can be purchased from Pharmacies or you can request a test when visiting your GP.

Being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a high- fibre diet may

help protect against bowel cancer.

Congratulations to Balranald school student Tearra Charles (pictured) who has been named 2016 School Based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year for the Riverina Region.

The Year 12 student was a finalist in the Riverina NSW State Training Awards, along with fellow student Samantha Renfrey. Both are enrolled as School Based Apprenticeship and Trainees (SBATS) with the Far West LHD and both complete their on-the-job training at the Balranald MPS. Tearra is completing a Certificate III in Health Services – Nursing Assistance with the Far West Local Health District.

Balranald Central School currently has four SBATS students working at the Balranald MPS.

“This was a fantastic achievement for Tearra and Samantha to be finalists in the Riverina NSW State Training Awards and a credit to them for their hard work and commitment as SBATs students,” said Mr Timothy O'Neill, Manager Nursing Leadership & Workforce Development, Far West LHD.

Tearra now has the opportunity to interview for the NSW state award. These interviews will be conducted in July. We wish her the best of luck!

TAFE Award for Tearra

https://palliativecarensw.org.au


PAGE 13

New to this year’s Staff Recognition awards was the introduction of consumer nominated staff and teams. The high number of consumer nominations was great to see.

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life — Muhammad Ali

Did you know?

Respiratory rate is the earliest

indicator that a patient is starting to deteriorate. The patient’s respiratory rate

might be going up or it might be going

down, but either way, it is an early warning sign of distress and an early indicator of deterioration.


PAGE 14

D’oh! Gremlins struck in

the last edition of Far West In Focus targeting our story about the new Tibooburra Health Service morgue.

Pictured cutting the ribbon at the refurbished morgue with CE Stuart Riley was relieving HSM Julie Brown, not Helen Wilson.

And it was Julie Brown who wrote the story about Tibooburra’s unwanted snake visitor, not Vivienne Fazulla.

My apologies for these errors and I hope they didn’t inconvenience anyone too much!

— Editor

One of the District’s properties in Broken Hill had a bit of a backyard blitz this month! After some extensive work renovating the inside of the property, attention turned to the

outside. In consultation with Shaun (BHHS gardener) and the tenant it was decided the back yard needed a spruce up. The area was levelled and debris removed and new lawn, irrigation and parklands mulch was installed. The end results are fantastic, we wish to thank Shaun and Silverlea Services for their help with the project.

Landscaping transformed District property

Dareton at Essentials of Care Showcase Staff from Dareton Primary Health have attended the Essentials of Care Showcase in

Sydney after their project was accepted for a poster presentation. EOC facilitator from Dareton, Anita

Erlandsen and HSM Trish Algate travelled to Sydney to participate in the showcase and learn about other projects being done around the state.

The Dareton project was about improving safety at remote outreach clinics and was the culmination of over six months of work with the team implementing and managing change to the way the immunisation clinics were run.

The clinics are now staffed by two accredited nurse immunisers, have mobile tablets to ensure access to all records, and have identified roles for each of the immunisers so everyone is clear on what happens if there is an emergency.

Anita Erlandsen and Trish Algate

pictured with their poster at the

Essentials of Care Showcase in

Sydney.

Annual Promotional Plan


PAGE 15

June was all about Standard 2: Partnering with consumers. You may have noticed managers rounding with patients throughout June. We will compile the results of the rounding and share what our patients have been telling us in the August FWIF.

You may recall May was about Standard 3: Preventing and Controlling Healthcare

Associated Infections.

Our May audit results are shown below.

Because we didn’t do so well with our audit results for invasive devices, we are focusing on this again

in July. Let’s improve our invasive devices infection prevention and control audit results in July.

http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/accreditation-and-the-nsqhs-standards/


PAGE 16

Earlier this year, Broken Hill Hospital’s Allied Health Department Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) received a grant from HETI to partake in workplace shadowing.

On 14 June Physiotherapist Siobhan Finnegan, Occupational Therapist Sanet von Benecke and Speech Pathologist Gabrielle Scanlon travelled to Adelaide to observe how The Women’s and Children’s Hospital MDT ran for a total of four days.

“It was really great to have the opportunity to observe how SA Health structures their interdisciplinary practise. I think that all clinicians will be able to incorporate aspects gathered from each discipline to modify and enhance how BHHS MDT currently operates,” said Ms Scanlon.

From left: Occupational Therapist Sanet von Benecke, Physiotherapist Siobhan Finnegan, Women’s and Children’s Child Development Unit Co-

Ordinator Sarah Hill and Speech Pathologist Gabrielle Scanlon.

Allied Health MDT venture to SA

The diagnostic phase is now over and with the help of the Steering Committee and data collected we were able to identify and prioritise our top 5 issues.

Kim Morley, Amy Milgate and Geraldine Casey attended the solution design and implementation workshop with the Agency of Clinical Innovation on 23 and 24 May in Sydney.

We learnt a lot of techniques on designing solutions that will best support our issues.

Your ideas and feedback is crucial for this process. We

will be involving you where best and really looking for your ideas in order to develop, design and test the best solution for each issue.

We aim to have designed our solutions by 30 June, for our top 5 issues ready for the Implementation phase!

If you have any thoughts, ideas or would like to participate, we would love to hear from you! Contact Kim Morley: [email protected] or Amy Milgate: [email protected]

Intensive Care Service Model — Where are we up to?

Our Aim is: To improve the

Intensive Care Services at the

Broken Hill Health Service to provide safe, appropriate

and efficient care in a collaborative approach for

patients as close to home as possible.




PAGE 17

The Wentworth Health Service recorded a 73% engagement rate for the recent YourSay survey.

YourSay was viewed by staff as a way for them to ‘be heard’ about their views on being part of the health service and to be a part of positive change.

A prize was on offer for staff members completing the survey and Joy Casson (pictured) was the delighted winner!

Deidre Cocking presented patient Mary Kelly,

winner of the Patient Section, with her prize and

(below) to Junior Section winner Aysha Burton.

Wentworth Health

Service held a Hand

Hygiene competition for

June as a great way to

bring hand hygiene to

everybody’s attention with

the flue season fast

approaching.

The main message, of

course, being that hand

hygiene is the best defence

against infectious diseases

such as flu and gastro, and

many more.

Competition sections

were for staff and

volunteer, patients and

juniors. It was also decided

to add a sub junior for the

younger children.

Young Ruby McLure was thrilled with her prize. She

is the grand daughter of staff member Kathleen Judd

and Margo Renowden presented the prize.

Wentworth embrace Hand Hygiene

promotion

YourSay smiles at Wentworth

The new CT Scanner for Broken Hill Health Service has been delivered and is currently being installed. The new scanner (total

cost $800,000) boasts the latest technology which will be safer and faster for patients and staff and give improved diagnostic

capability. Installation is expected to be complete by 11 July.


PAGE 18

Committed to caring for patients with cognitive impairment

Jane Cain (Clinical Nurse Specialist - Aged Care Services Emergency Team) and Alyce Craker (Carer Support Program Manager) recently held an awareness display in the hospital foyer. The theme of the day was “Caring for Cognitive Impairment”.

Cognitive impairment (such as delirium or dementia), is a common condition experienced by people in hospital. It is often not detected, or is dismissed or misdiagnosed. People with cognitive impairment in hospital are at significantly increased risk of adverse events and preventable complications. Harm can be minimised if cognitive impairment is identified early and risks are acted upon.

The Caring for Cognitive Impairment campaign is about improving our knowledge and care practices to provide better outcomes for patients and their loved ones, hospitals and staff, thereby reducing the risk of harm in hospitals.

Jane said that the day was a great success. There was lots of interest from both staff and members of the community. Approximately 70 people stopped to chat, ask questions, take some pamphlets or just take a yummy home-made cookie! There was a lot of interest in Dementia, the Confused Hospitalised Older Persons (CHOPs) program, the Sunflower Communication tool and Carer Support agencies that are available in Broken Hill. People also enquired about the Ruby Red socks and Falls-Prevention programs.

Jane said staff can show their commitment to the campaign by individually signing up on www.cognitivecare.gov.au and learning about dementia, delirium and a better way to care for this vulnerable population.

Jane Cain (ASET CNS) and Alyce Craker (Carer Support).

The LHD’s Patient Family Support (PFS) volunteers will be easily recognisable in their role thanks to a generous donation of new shirts.

The volunteers were thrilled to receive their new blue polo shirts courtesy of local businesswoman Carrie Oakley.

The PFS Team will be easily recognised in the Broken Hill Hospital emergency department when they are called out to assist family, carers or loved ones of critically ill patients. Their new blue polos embroidered with their team name will be a welcomed sight for staff and families who need their assistance.

“After the success and feedback I received after donating the Hot Pink Polos for the Dementia/Delirium and Palliative Care volunteers it was an easy decision to offer to get similar polos for the PFS Team,” said Ms Carrie Oakley.

“I think the PFS Staff Volunteers do an excellent job and I was happy to donate the shirts for them.”

The Far West LHD and Broken Hill Health Service is very appreciative to Ms Oakley for her generous donation.

Carrie Oakley (centre) was pleased to present the new shirts to Far West LHD staff members Karen Kemp and Tim O’Neil, who are two of

the PFS Team volunteers.

PFS Team stand out in new shirts

The District is joining in with NAIDOC Week celebrations with a barbecue at BH Health Service on Tuesday, 5 July

starting at 11.30am. It will be held in the courtyard adjoining the Aboriginal Community Room.

The District is also part of community NAIDOC celebrations including the flag raising ceremony on

Monday, 4 July at BH Civic Centre at 10.30am and the Family Fun Day in Stuart Park on 7 July from 10am to

3pm. A great day of family fun is in order!

LHD joins in NAIDOC Week

http://www.cognitivecare.gov.au


PAGE 19

Innovation Month starts on Monday and runs until 31 July 2016. The theme for Innovation Month 2016 is Disrupt • Develop • Display

and continues to showcase and discuss innovation in the Australian Public Service (APS).

It’s about mobilising the public service to be an exemplar for innovation by becoming ‘more innovative in how we deliver services.’ An updated calendar of events is now available on the Public Sector Innovation Net-work's website.

There are opportunities for public servants at the state and district level to get involved and see what is happening at the Commonwealth level.

This year, for the first time, Asia Pacific’s premier healthcare conference will convene in Sydney, 12-14 September 2016. The APAC Forum is one of the largest health improvement conferences in the world and it’s hailed as the best.

Providing a unique platform to improve the health and wellbeing of our population, APAC Forum unites global thought leaders, frontline teams, colleagues and contemporaries to inspire every person working in health, stimulate cross-sectorial and multi-disciplinary dialogue, nurture knowledge transfer, design and share best practice, and enable every delegate to become a catalyst for change.

The Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) and Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) are proud to be joint Gold Sponsors of this event.

For more information or to register please visit the APAC Forum website: http://koawatea.co.nz/apac-forum/

Travelling in the

District The stores department often have mail

and other items waiting to be delivered to our facilities Balranald, Dareton, Wentworth, Ivanhoe, White Cliffs, Tibooburra and Menindee.

Did you know that stores have a designated container in their department for each site where you can drop of mail, forms, posters, recognitions cards or appreciation gifts for staff working in our remote sites?

For this reason it is important that if any Far West employees are travelling in the LHD that they go to Stores and see if there are any items in the containers that can be picked up and delivered.

If you are planning on travelling out to the Lower Western Sector facilities could you please contact stores department prior to leaving and enquire if there are any stores deliveries you could collect to transport to the sites.

This would assist the Health Service Managers immensely and cut down on delays they incur in receiving items that they require.

— Dale Sutton, District DONM and General Manager,

Lower Western Sector.

http://govspace.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8849ab9f8edc38cab3ebce1f3&id=1559cf6bb1&e=1f7a6052f9

http://govspace.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8849ab9f8edc38cab3ebce1f3&id=1559cf6bb1&e=1f7a6052f9

http://koawatea.co.nz/apac-forum/

http://koawatea.co.nz/apac-forum/


PAGE 20

Policy Watch — PDs available on MOH internet The following documents have been published on the NSW Ministry of Health internet site http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies. These documents are official NSW Health policy. Compliance with Policy Directives is mandatory.

Thank you for telling us

how we’re doing Thank you from HealthShare NSW! There were 1,450

responses to the HealthShare NSW Customer Survey this year, where you told us how you think we are doing in providing our services to you.

The 2016 results show that there has been an improvement in your satisfaction with HealthShare NSW over the last two years.

These results are now being used to help HealthShare NSW to continue to drive improvements.

You can view the overall HealthShare NSW results and individual service area results, on the HealthShare NSW intranet: http://intranet.hss.health.nsw.gov.au/about/healthshare/cscg/customer-service/2016-customer-value-survey

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies


http://intranet.hss.health.nsw.gov.au/about/healthshare/cscg/customer-service/2016-customer-value-survey




PAGE 21 Submissions for Far West In Focus can be sent to [email protected]

The newsletter can be found on the Far West LHD website at www.fwlhd.health.nsw.gov.au

Policy Watch — PDs available on MOH internet The following documents have been published on the NSW Ministry of Health internet site http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies. These documents are official NSW Health policy. Compliance with Policy Directives is mandatory.



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