Wide Bay Hospital & Health Service

Improving health, together

What’s Inside l Hair put the on line for a cause

l Sue steps out for RFDS

l Church joins our star effort

l 60 seconds: Graham Justins

l Training & Education update

AN innovative storage unit jointly designed by a team of Bundaberg Hospital nurses to improve ward safety, efficiency and infection control is now being adopted by hospitals across Australia.

Nurses Katrina Gregson, Lyndell Scott and Fiona Jonsen worked alongside representatives of Sterri-Matt to design the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Health Consumable Wall Organiser.

The new organisers improve access to patients and workplace safety by removing trolleys from the ward while also strengthening infection control.

“The wall organiser was designed to neatly store all PPE items required for patient care whilst complying with infection control standards,” said Kat, who is WBHHS’s Clinical Products Advisor.

“The wire design allows air to circulate over stored items and helps to prevent the build-up of dust.”

The PPE Health Consumable Wall Organiser

is now being used in hospitals across Australia, with 70 units ordered by WBHHS wards alone.

“Hospital wards are always busy, so anything that reduces the clutter of trolleys and equipment can help staff work more productively and safely,” Nurse Unit Manager Lyndell Scott said.

“Having a safer and productive workplace enables the hospital to function better and improves outcomes for our patients.”

WBHHS Chief Executive Adrian Pennington praised the nurses for their creative thinking to improve the workplace environment.

“It may seem like a small thing, but this is an example of how our teams strive to innovate and improve how we deliver healthcare to patients,” Adrian said.

“The fact this unit is being widely ordered by other hospitals is a sign that this is a design improvement that has been embraced by clinicians.”

Bundaberg Hospital nurses Rebekah Boan, Jenni Dean, Raman Kaur and Ace Antoun with one of the new wall organisers that are making their workplace safer and more efficient.

THE Bundaberg cricket community has got behind the fight against breast cancer by hosting a local Pink Stumps Day.

Cricketers and their families donned the pink gloves and caps as they hit the Salter Oval field on March 16.

McGrath Breast Care Nurses Margie Mears and Nancy Scott attended the fundraiser to promote the Wide Bay service and thank the cricketers for their support.

Hundreds of children and their parents took part in activities, including some 20/20 cricket.

Raffles, sausage sizzles and drinks were sold to raise funds.

Pink Stumps Day is an initiative that aims to bring the magic of the annual Pink Test held at the Sydney Cricket Ground to communities across the country.

The money raised goes back to supporting the work of McGrath Breast Care Nurses.

Pink Stumps Day a fundraising hit

Team’s idea leads the nation

March 1, 2017

Riding The WaveNews from across the WBHHS

TAKE a look at these fresh young faces, complete with fulsome heads of hair.

But in just over a fortnight, Tayla Axelsen and Ben Brown will have undergone quite the transformation, after taking part in the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave event on March 18, and losing their locks.

The pair, who both work in Maryborough’s Oral Health team, decided to take on the hair-razing challenge after they had people close to them undergo cancer treatment.

For admin officer Ben, 21, the inspiration was his mum, who is undergoing treatment at the moment for a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

He’s planning to get the help of his hockey club to host the shave event and is aiming to raise $2000.

“I’m just under halfway at the moment,” Ben said.

Tayla, 25, a dental assistant, is aiming to raise $10,000 and has a few fun plans up her sleeve for a fundraiser on the day of the shave.

“I’ve always wanted to do the shave, but my auntie just went through chemo and I’ve got a few friends in the same boat, so I just wanted to do it for everyone,” she said.

“I’m planning to go shiny bald.

“I’m having an open party at my place and I’ve got a friend who’s a beautician, so she’s bringing a wax pot and we’ll be encouraging people to have parts of their body waxed for charity.”

Tayla – who rides a scooter to work and is expecting her helmet to feel very different in a few weeks – also has some fundraising tins around Oral Health and other Maryborough Hospital departments.

You can support Ben and Tayla by donating on their fundraising pages:

Ben – https://tinyurl.com/hu8mmtn Tayla – https://tinyurl.com/jptag7d

Hair today, gone in not-too-distant future

Tayla Axelsen and Ben Brown are raising funds ahead of their transformation.

IT’S official! “Go Live” day for the rollout of our new risk-management system, RiskMan, will be March 27.

That means it’s crucial for line managers to enrol in training before Go Live, because all current reporting systems including PRIME and OHS handwritten incident reports will be phased out.

So far 72% of line managers have

enrolled for training.

Training dates are as follows:

Maryborough: March 7–10, March 13

Hervey Bay: March 15–16, March 20–21, March 24

Bundaberg: March 13–17

Childers, Biggenden: March 20

Mundubbera, Gayndah: March 21

Eidsvold, Monto: March 22

Gin Gin, Mt Perry: March 24

Line managers can register now through TrainStation.

Training crucial as official launch date for RiskMan set

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News from across the WBHHS

FIRST-HAND knowledge of what the Royal Flying Doctor Service does for Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service patients has led Gayndah Hospital Director of Nursing Sue Coward to join the 2017 RFDS Outback Adventure.

The Outback Adventure is a fundraising effort for the RFDS, which will see participants walk 100km of the Larapinta Trail in Central Australia.

“I’m taking on this challenge because I’ve always wanted to acknowledge the great work that the RFDS does for patients from Gayndah and throughout rural Australia,” Sue said.

“As facility manager of a rural hospital I’ve been involved in many tarmac handovers to the RFDS, transferring patients in need of urgent medical care.

“Last financial year alone we had 55 patients who required emergency medical transport by the RFDS to or from Gayndah Hospital.

“I hope people can show their support for the RFDS’s amazing work by making a donation.”

The RFDS Outback Adventure will take place in June and Sue is busy preparing, training and fundraising in the lead-up.

An Everyday Hero page has been set up

where people can donate to the cause: https://rfds-outbackadventure-2017.everydayhero.com/au/rfds-larapinta-trail

Sue will be hosting a local Gayndah fundraising walk for the RFDS on International Women’s Day on March 8, leaving from Gayndah Hospital at 6am. Anyone is welcome to participate.

Sue puts feet on ground for flying heroes

Gayndah Hospital Director of Nursing Sue Coward is set to join the 2017 RFDS Outback Adventure.

THE nation-leading Fraser Coast Kidney Club, which helps anyone associated with kidney or related diseases, has received high praise from Kidney Health Australia while making a donation to the Hervey Bay Hospital Renal Unit.

Kidney Health Australia chief executive officer Mikaela Stafrace was on hand when two renal patients who recently passed away were honoured by the donation of a stand, urn, crockery and other equipment by the kidney group.

The donation was made on the same day as a meeting between Mikaela and the local group to discuss its future.

“This group is a brilliant example of people who live with kidney disease coming together,” Mikaela said.

“It’s important that patients’ voices are heard and supported and they provide that very vehicle.

“There are groups like this around the country but this is the gold standard, here on the Fraser Coast.”

Fraser Coast Kidney Club secretary Del Dash said the group had been running in various formats for 18 years.

Kidney group gets vote of confidence from chief

The presentation of the donation to the Renal Unit.

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News from across the WBHHS

A BUNDABERG church group is helping Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service to reach its goal of weaving 10,000 stars for a nationwide anti-violence project.

A team of women of all ages from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held a weaving session on Saturday, February 18 so members of their congregation could support the One Million Stars to End Violence campaign.

Nursing Director of Projects Norma Stanley was there to show the ladies how to weave the stars, aided by Clinical Design CNC Chris Ilett and Director of Communications Christina Ongley.

Norma also delivered a short talk about various forms of family violence and abuse, as well as options for people who needed help.

“It was a really great afternoon. There were at least 40 women there, busily weaving stars as a symbol of standing up against violence,” Norma said.

“They enjoyed it so much they’ve decided to put on another session, and a number of the members took away ribbon to make more stars at home.

“It was also an important way to open

up discussion. It was clear there were a number of people in the room who had either experienced violence previously or who knew people in that situation – and that’s partly what these group sessions are there to do.”

WBHHS has so far woven almost 7000 stars with the help of staff contributing in their own time and individuals and groups in the community.

The stars will contribute to an enormous

public art installation as part of next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

If you’re interested in joining the project or need to send in your stars, contact Norma Stanley on 4303 8854 or norma.stanley@health.qld.gov.au.

The church group will host another morning tea and weaving session on Friday, March 3, from 11.30am.

Church shines light on our star effort

Norma Stanley with participants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints weaving session to support the 10,000 Stars project.

CHRISTMAS may be 10 months away, but that hasn’t stopped Bundaberg Hospital’s CHIP team from planning ahead for what they’ll do to support their community.

Last year, for the first time, the CHIP team decided to give the best possible Christmas to two local families in need, through the NewsMail’s “Adopt a Family” appeal.

Clinical Nurse Barbara Fulton said the group wanted to focus on families affected by domestic and

family violence, liaising with Edon Place and Phoenix House in the process.

“We sponsored two families – a grandmother, grandfather and their five-year-old granddaughter, and then a mother with four children aged 6, 8, 10 and 12,” Barbara said.

“The CHIP staff felt that this was a better idea than Secret Santa and were very happy to ensure that these families were going to have a great Christmas. We as a team are going to continue this theme for this Christmas as well.”

Barbara encouraged other units to think about what causes they could support this Christmas.

“There were a lot of good things done last year, including the ‘It’s in the Bag’ campaign. A number of other colleagues supported that last Christmas, and we just think it’s great when staff members give back to their own communities,” she said.

The CHIP team with their hampers.

Team is dreaming of happy Christmas

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News from across the WBHHS

Your role? Chief Management Accountant.

How long have you been with WBHHS? Fourteen years with WBHHS and 25 years with Queensland Health.

How do you describe what you do? I supervise the management accounting unit and provide support to the Chief Finance Officer of the HHS. We look to assist cost centre managers with internal management of their budgets and internal performance management reporting.

What’s best about your job? The interaction with different team members from within the Health Service and seeing how we can contribute to delivering good-quality healthcare to the community.

When you’re not at work, you are… Doing anything that ends in an “ing” (camping, fishing, reading, biking, swimming and golfing).

Tell us something people may not know about you. I am a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Accountants, I have a teaching diploma, I am a Justice of the Peace and I once got some poetry published in a medical journal. It was about a doctor friend who was about to have a vasectomy.

What can’t you do without? My Weber Q.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Annual boys’ fishing trip to Fraser Island.

WBHHS clinicians might be accustomed to saving lives, but last year employees from across the spectrum helped to save even more lives – through blood donations.

Members of WBHHS’s Red25 team made 139 donations throughout 2016, helping to save more than 400 lives.

WBHHS also won a statewide award in last year’s Health Services Blood Challenge, and this year we’re encouraging even more staff to take part in the event, which runs from April 1 to June 30.

To take part, go to www.donateblood.com.au to do a simple eligibility test and book a donation. To register for WBHHS’s Red25 team, go to www.donateblood.com.au/red25 and sign up for the team, “Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service”.

Budgets, barbies, biking a big part of life for Graham

60 se

conds with ...

Graham Justins

What’s OnMarch 5–11: Kidney Health Week

March 8: International Women’s Day

March 9: World Kidney Day

March 12-18: World Glaucoma Week

March 16: National Close the Gap Day

March 16-19: World’s Greatest Shave

WBHHS Chief Management Accountant Graham Justins.

Joke of the dayTHEY’VE just found a gene for shyness. They would have found it earlier but it was hiding behind a couple of other genes.

Staff giving in blood

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Education, Training & Research Update

In a new initiative for the health service, Cultural Capability Facilitator John Corowa will be bringing the Cultural Practice Program to your lunch room.

Over the past two years the Cultural Practice Program has been extremely well attended by many HHS staff, who have taken the time out of their busy workday to learn more about closing the healthcare gap for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

To help HHS staff make an even bigger difference, morning teas will be arranged across the district to meet John and the Aboriginal Health Workers in each region.

John is hoping morning tea will provide an informal opportunity to connect with health workers and understand their role in assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

“We’ve had some lively discussions during training and this is a further extension to help our staff understand some of the simple strategies they can use to make hospital stays more culturally appropriate,” John said.

“It’s also a great opportunity to meet the Aboriginal Health Workers and understand their role.

“The discharge against medical advice (DAMA) rate is very high for Indigenous patients.

“We’re hoping that by spending time over a cuppa we can reduce the DAMA rate and provide better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.”

If you would like to arrange a morning tea in your workplace with the Cultural Capability Team, contact John on 4184 1834.

Stay up to date on pressure injuriesALTHOUGH pressure injuries have a higher incidence in the elderly or individuals affected by ill health, major trauma or neurological loss, they can affect anyone, anytime, at any age.

Co-morbidities such as malnutrition and mobility loss further increase the risk of pressure-injury development.

Education on preventing pressure injuries is available online via TrainStation.

All nurses are registered for this training and it is essential for them to complete it in order to meet our organisational target.

To complete this online module, access it through TrainStation via the Start Now menu or at https://trainstation.learnflex.com.au. ‘Pressure Injury Prevention and Management Online’ will appear as Current Training, if not already completed. Click on ‘Launch’ link to get started.

Contact usPhone: 4150 2280 Fax: 4150 2289 Email: WBHHS-Trainstation@health.qld.gov.au

Cultural Capability Facilitator John Corowa is coming to a lunch room near you.

John to deliver cultural capability over a cuppa

Use Internet ExplorerREMEMBER to use Internet Explorer to access TrainStation, especially when on a Queensland Health computer.

This browser provides users with a smooth interactive experience in the system.

Need further assistance with TrainStation? Email WBHHS-trainstation@health.qld.gov.au and the friendly team will be happy to assist you with your inquiries.

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