Registered Nurse – Drug Health Services
Rebecca is a very compassionate and respectful nurse who has a great wealth of knowledge which she is willing to share with her colleagues. She is very non-judgemental to our client in OIAD who are marginalised in the our community due to their substance dependence. She is very thorough in her work and tries to assist where possible. Rebecca is very respectful to clients and staff, especially with challenging client’s and always remains very professional in her delivery of care. Rebecca demonstrates the value safety in her work by raising any concerns and asking questions in respect to client or staff safety. Rebecca contributes to a positive workplace by always having a smile on her face despite the challenging work she has to conduct.
Patient Services Assistant – PACU/Theatre – Footscray Hospital
Mario always has a positive attitude at work. He has a very busy job and always goes about his work efficiently and with a smile on his face. Mario will chat to the patients, when appropriate, whilst transferring them to and from the wards. He is punctual, reliable, efficient and committed to his work. Mario is very professional in his interactions with both staff and patients and manages to get an enormous amount of work done on his shift. He does it all without complaint and is always pleasant to interact with. When he is away, we always notice the difference. Mario will always follow policy and procedures and safely negotiates patients throughout the hospital. His work ethic is an inspiration to others.
Physiotherapist – ICU/Allied Health Research
Kimberly supports practitioners in Allied Health to participate in the research journey. I am not within her group and yet she was generous enough to share her knowledge and time with us (Allied Health Science) to give us some ideas we could leap frog off. Kimberly was compassionate to our plight of not really knowing what to do to further the research we had done. Kimberly took a broad sense of her accountability in her research role not just for therapies but helping Western Health as a whole. Whilst she spent about 30-45 minutes with us she was still accountable to her main role by sharing her ideas and nudging us in the right direction. I have met very few people with the communication style such as Kimberly’s that is inherently engaging and respectful. If I was younger and looking at my career all over again, Kimberly would be a role model and I’d aspire to develop in the way that she has. She obviously does everything with gusto and quality. After all, not everyone gets to be the vice chair of the Victorian Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS), present at conferences across the world and have internationally renowned mentors.
Emergency Department – Sunshine Hospital
On Sunday 24th June my mother-in-law was brought to the Sunshine Hospital Emergency in an ambulance around midday. From the moment we entered the hospital every staff member we dealt with was professional, efficient, informative and compassionate. Dr Neil Long and nurse Nyree Redman introduced themselves and we were updated on my mother in law’s condition, treatment received, proposed treatment and other details. This was done in a most efficient and easy to understand manner and they were both very compassionate. Unfortunately my mother in law passed away later that evening in the emergency room. Neil and Nyree were incredibly supportive and compassionate and they went out of their way to make this terrible event as easy for us as possible. They arranged for a priest to visit our mother in law, offered us counselling and were always considerate of our needs. We know there were many more wonderful people involved in my mother in laws care that day from the Ambulance driver to the other nurses on duty. That day didn’t end well for our family but we walked away from your hospital astounded at the beautiful staff you have working for you. We can’t thank Dr Neil Long and Nyree enough for all they did for us on that day.
Program Coordinator – Adult Withdrawal Unit – Drug Health Services
Melissa redeveloped the Withdrawal Unit Group Program to provide for a more realistic, comprehensive and holistic approach to helping clients throughout their withdrawal journey. She has worked enthusiastically and tirelessly turning our ideas into reality, and the new program now includes exciting activities like a cooking group, a music therapist, group outings to the zoo and a unit bar be que. This is reflected throughout the unit and staff and clients absolutely adore her and appreciate the changes, I could not be more proud to have her as part of my team. Melissa’s work has resulted in a vastly improved withdrawal unit experience for our clients. This is reflected by her name being mentioned many times on our feedback forms from clients. Melissa worked with the team and the clients to produce a group program that sets us apart from the other withdrawal units in the state. She continues to evolve the program to ensure it stays relevant and fresh. The new group program has created a positive environment with a great vibe amongst staff and clients, which creates good therapeutic relationships and a better recovery journey.
Nursing Team Leader -Youth Community Residential Withdrawal Unit – Drug Health Services
Louise has worked tirelessly to rebuild a struggling unit into a thriving, successful and vibrant environment. She has worked closely with her team to re-establish the unit and start building a reputation as an industry leading environment where young people can detox from alcohol and other drugs to begin their recovery journey. Louise has developed and implemented an exciting and dynamic group program for the young clients and has worked to make the unit a safe, compassionate and respectful environment for the youth clients, where they feel genuinely cared for and valued as people. So often our youth clients come from such difficult circumstances and troubled backgrounds that they have received very little compassion and respect in their lives. When they come to the unit they now get to experience a place where people really care about what they need and what they think and feel. Louise demonstrated accountability by taking ownership of a unit which had a reputation on a downward spiral and turned it around into something amazing, but being open to feedback and change along this journey as relationships inside and outside of Western Health were rebuilt. She demonstrated excellence by working with the team and the clients to produce a group program which sets us apart from the other withdrawal units in the state, and by continuing to evolve the program to ensure it stays relevant and fresh. She fosters a positive working environment by making the youth withdrawal unit an engaging and rewarding place to work where staff get to make a genuine difference and get to see their ideas considered and implemented.
Cook – Adult Community Residential Withdrawal Unit – Drug Health Services
Olive works hard to provide the AOD clients, many of whom are malnourished or have an extremely poor nutritional history, with a varied and balanced diet during their stay to help re-engage them with eating properly for health. Due to the open plan design of the unit Olive is actually the most accessible of all the staff members, and she uses this high profile to go beyond her role as a cook to provide a compassionate ear to the clients, allowing them to be heard and acknowledged. This also allows Olive to feedback important information to the clinical staff which may have otherwise been missed as our clients open up differently to different types of staff members. She demonstrates accountability by working with the clients and staff to understand what the clients need and what they will eat, taking on feedback, and creating an end product which consistently meets this goal. Olive works with individual clients to understand their dietary needs or particular dislikes and produces dishes which ensure everyone is taken care of fairly. She demonstrates excellence in her role by working hard day-in and day-out to consistently produce amazing food on a limited budget. In addition to this Olive has worked with management and the Group Coordinator to introduce a cooking group for the clients. Olive enthusiastically volunteered for this role and is using it to teach our clients important life skills which they can take home and use to better care for themselves. The unit kitchen has to be run as per Maribyrnong Council commercial kitchen standards. Olive brings her years of commercial experience into our environment to ensure the food is safely produced and we pass the council inspections with flying colours. Olive fosters a positive workplace by engaging with the clients and staff to create a positive kitchen space in the unit where everyone is welcome and encouraged to learn and achieve. In particular; on the 80 or so client feedback forms completed in the first 2 quarters of this year Olive’s name and her cooking was mentioned positively on almost every single feedback form (including the ones with complaints about other things!).
Environmental Supervisor – Williamstown Hospital
On a daily basis Michael consistently displays the Western Health values. He is dedicated to being the best person he can be and provides ongoing support to all departments at Williamstown Hospital. He is an excellent support for the environmental services, nursing and administrative teams. No task is too difficult and he will always follow a job through with a ‘can do’ attitude. Michaels professionalism, pleasant demeanour and likeable personality has not only been noticed by staff, visitors also frequently comment on his positive energy, enthusiasm and easy going nature. He will always go above and beyond his employment duties and this is a demonstration of his hard work ethic. He is a very respectful person who thinks about the impact his communications and actions may have on the other person. During his absence while on annual leave we missed his shining personality, his attention to detail and we even missed his singing! The support Michael provides to The Williamstown team is invaluable.
Head of Unit – Respiratory & Sleep Disorders Medicine
Dr Southcott has been working to establish additional general respiratory and specialist clinics for a number of years. As Head of Unit she is responsible for the triaging of referrals to the Respiratory Outpatient Clinics, thus being aware of the extensive waiting lists and long delays for patients. Dr Southcott has tackled this issue head on, by seeking to increase the number of clinics and establish sub-specialty clinics. This requires an enormous amount of diligent research, preparation of business cases and relentless lobbying. She never gives up and once one clinic is established she starts again on the next pressing area where there is a need to improve services. Preparing a business case and lobbying for approval is time consuming, requires prolonged and sustained effort and a strong commitment to the betterment of patient care. There are many obstacles and hurdles to establishing a new service and it has taken a number of years, but the Respiratory Unit at Western Health now provides an extensive and comprehensive outpatient service for the benefit of the general community and for referring medical colleagues. Dr Southcott is the driving force behind these achievements. She recognised the gaps in follow-up care, the lack of opportunity to timely medical assessment and the need to reduce wait time and improve access. The addition of new outpatient clinics established in the following specialty care areas, such as Asthma, Pulmonary Vascular Disease, Interstitial Lung Diseases, Rapid Review Clinics, Lung Oncology and an extra Sleep Clinic have all contributed to significant improvements in access for patients and referring doctors.
Supervisors – Kitchen – Sunshine Hospital
Varun and Irene’s role is to supervise the Food Services team to ensure patients are provided with nutrition according to diet requirements. They consistently work to the highest standards of care and always puts patient care and the patient experience first. They are very dedicated to their role and will always go the extra mile for the department, including being ‘hands on’ when needed. Varun and Irene encourage their team to look for ways to improve our services and consistently demonstrate respect when dealing with patients and staff. They provide a positive and supportive work environment for their staff and encourage a team effort in all that they do.
Volunteer – Sunshine Hospital
Krystyna is a well-known, highly valued volunteer at Western Health and models the CARES values in everything that she does. She is patient centred and a great advocate for bridging the gap between the patient and health care professionals. Krystyna is a highly valued member of the Western Health Quiet Hospital working party, enabling patients to provide feedback without feeling pressured or without influencing their responses. Krystyna is always open to helping where she is able to, often going above and beyond what is expected of her. For example, she will attend meetings for the Quiet Hospital working party on days she is not scheduled to work, completes excel spreadsheets for data collection for the working party and contributes ideas on how to improve things. Krystyna has an approachable and friendly demeanour, is very supportive and caring towards patients and is always respectful of their privacy.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
From my first day at rehab Kerrie and Helen treated me with respect and compassion. Their instruction was positive yet caring and the exercises were carried out with close attention to safety and comfort. I am sure the service would be of great advantage to many more ex-cardiac patients as I have benefited greatly from it. I have a better understanding of my condition through the lectures provided and the nurses and physio’s were a great source of information for me. I have enjoyed every session of my rehab and am sure the other people attending would join me in saying “Thank you Kerry and Helen”.
Hospital Medical Officer – ENT/3 East – Footscray Hospital
Ahmed was the first doctor to respond to a code blue on Ward 3East on Good Friday. From the moment he walked in the room, he was calm and encouraging towards staff, provided guidance and ensured patient and staff safety. He provided staff with positive and productive reinforcement during the code which made staff feel comfortable and safe. Afterwards he provided a debrief for all staff involved, which provided an opportunity for staff to talk about the event and for our efforts to be praised. He went above and beyond his role as a HMO to ensure all staff were okay. As a staff member on 3 East, from day one he has been approachable, caring and friendly to all staff. He always goes above and beyond to help out his team members.
Cleaner – Sunshine Outpatients
On 12 April 2017, the outpatients area was subject to a burglary during business hours. An individual gained entry into the area and proceeded to take a clinician’s handbag. Bill noticed the person leaving the area and thought they looked out of place. He checked with occupants to see if anything was missing. A clinician noticed that their handbag was missing and left the building to chase the person down Furlong Road. Bill was concerned for the safety of the clinician and followed her to make sure she was safe. The person was eventually apprehended by police and it was determined that they had taken items from a number of locations in the neighbourhood. Bill’s alertness resulted in the theft being detected early enough for action to be taken by the police. His selfless act of following the clinician to ensure their safety is to be commended as is his demonstrated high level of compassion and concern for his workmates.
Women’s and Children’s Immunisation Services Manager – Sunshine Hospital
Suzie co-ordinated the establishment of the Women’s and Children’s Immunisation Services Clinic at Sunshine in response to a need for access to infant and children immunisation services and maternal vaccinations, in line with the Australian National Immunisation Strategy. Suzie identified that non eligible patients would benefit from access to this service. Rather than turn this group away or refer to another health service, she scoped the possibility of providing services to this patient group from the clinic, thereby promoting equity of access to immunisation services and improving immunisation coverage for high risk population groups. She ensured that the key stakeholders in Pharmacy were advised of the clinic in a timely manner and regularly followed up progress of supply set up to ensure that everything was in place by the set go live date. Suzie ensured that key pharmacy staff were involved in a timely manner, so that medication supply chain set up and storage were able to be finalised using current resources by the due deadline. She ensured that the refrigeration monitoring system was in place and sufficiently tested prior to go live date, to ensure that cold chain items were appropriately stored. Suzie has ensured that the service provided addresses the current need for immunisation services in the west and is in line with our best care framework and industry standards.
Dietitian – Oncology and Upper GI Surgery
Jasmine continuously demonstrates commitment to excellence in patient care through her willingness to take on new roles and learn new skills, as well as doing her absolute best to provide best care day to day on the wards. This includes strongly advocating for the nutrition and wellbeing of her patients. Jasmine is also involved in quality projects aiming to improve the care of her patients in the Oncology setting. Jasmine fosters a Positive Workplace at Western Health through her fantastic attitude to work, and always being an active and positive contributor to the team.
Senior Social Worker – Team Leader – Cancer Services
Jessica goes above and beyond to provide consistent, positive, strategic and broad thinking leadership both within Social Work and Cancer Services. Together with a colleague, Jessica has worked to establish an interdisciplinary screening model within the Sunshine Hospital Radiation Therapy Centre whereby a patient is screened for all issues by the first allied health staff they see. This has resulted in upskilling of the team, a more cohesive work group and most importantly, patients do not need to wait to be seen by each individual clinician in order to be flagged as requiring particular care. Jessica demonstrates ‘Excellence’ through her high level professionalism and role modelling for staff. She is a leader who thinks broadly and strategically about her team, colleagues and patients, always seeking ways to improve, develop and explore efficiencies. Stakeholders often comment on Jessica’s strong clinical and leadership role within Cancer Services and Social Work highlighting her excellent profile and working relationships within the organisation. Jessica has demonstrated the ability to utilise the strengths of team members and facilitate opportunities, through project development and grant applications. She has taken lead and initiative in Social Work Data through the ability to identify gaps and implementing sustainable improvement processes which have included education, training and ongoing monitoring, to strengthen the Social Work profile. Jessica is able to apply leadership across all areas, supports her peers to grow and develop and is regarded as a ‘go to’ person. She demonstrates exceptional communication skills, is committed to delivering patient centred care and is genuine and authentic in her delivery of service.
Team Leader – Data Management Training & Support (SACS) – Community Based Rehabilitation
Kerry was involved in the implementation of iPM within Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR). Kerry had to learn from the beginning how iPM worked and the requirements and processes needed for both the collection of statistics for DHHS and the provision of best quality of care to patients. Whilst going through this process, all staff at CBR needed to be trained on how to use the various clinics, diaries, caseloads etc. Kerry was on hand and provided training manuals to help ease the way. During the busier times with administration making future appointments for patients Kerry was hands on to assist in any way possible. iPM is used by all services within Western Health and reports are generated for DHHS. Kerry is aware of the importance of the DHHS reports and what they mean for our service and she ensures everyone is aware of the errors we receive and supports the staff in correcting them. Kerry was always respectful to the staff and was able to listen to the problems and issues that would arise from using a new system. She continually demonstrated a high level of excellence during this process and always made sure the staff understood the need for change and how to use the system. Kerry would often check in with staff about any issues they were having with the new processes or any other OH&S issues which may impact on their health. Kerry has always demonstrated a positive attitude toward her work and has gone above and beyond to make sure the changes went smoothly. She still continues to check in with any issues that may arise.
Food Services Assistant – Footscray Hospital
Patricia has a can do attitude and leads the team from the front when filling in for the Supervisor’s role. She is a calm, composed, result orientated person who has never let us down when it comes to getting the job done. Patricia is team player and is always prepared to assist colleagues in any way that she can. She always ensures that the job is done no matter what the situation is and she does this in a calm and professional manner. Patricia is responsible for training some of our new staff and is a role model to all. She ensures staff follow safety procedures and that the work place is free of hazards. Patricia always ensures that she communicates respectfully and treats all staff fairly and equitably.
Care Coordinator – IRS – Williamstown Hospital
Pauline coordinates the referrals of services for our patients across the three inpatient wards here at Williamstown to ensure that these services are in place ready for when the patient is discharged. She is a “safety net” to ensure that everything is in place, particularly when it is busy and there is an unexpected discharge home from the ward. Pauline is very compassionate, chatting with our patients as a whole and looking out for any additional services that may be required. She always makes herself available to all staff, sharing her knowledge and following through on her referrals from start to finish. Pauline communicates exceptionally well with all members of the team and is willing to help staff understand new processes. She is a highly respected member of the team but is also well regarded across the entire site.
Physiotherapist, Senior Clinician/Team Leader – Paediatrics – Children’s Allied Health Service
Tracey is a role model to her peers. She has a depth of knowledge and experience that is necessary to lead a highly specialised team in paediatric physiotherapy. She demonstrates a highly compassionate nature, a strong understanding of child and family centred care, the ability to support and connect with the broader multidisciplinary team and an ongoing commitment to continuing education for service improvement. Tracey consistently strives for best and coordinated care for her patients and models a flexible approach. She looks out for the well being of her team and colleagues and provides support whilst facilitating the growth and development of others. Tracey consistently works towards providing the best service possible by improving coordination of services. She has the ability to communicate respectfully and effectively in both formal and informal situations and discuss complex concepts in multidisciplinary forums with varied audiences. Tracey has a high level of skill in handling babies, infants and young children with complex neuro-developmental presentations. She shares her knowledge generously with her peers and assists parents to help their children develop and understand their difficulties. Tracey is a longstanding and highly respected member of the Physiotherapy Department and the Children’s Allied Health Service who always carries out her role to the best of her ability and is an asset to Western Health.
Plant Maintenance Operator – Engineering Sunshine Hospital
Brad provided invaluable support to the JKWCH project team during the relocation of several staff during 2016 and 2017. He assisted the team with moving equipment and furniture and some minor building works. Brad always went over and above what was expected of him and was always ready and willing to help us achieve the outcomes we required with a smile. Brad always met deadlines and would often call back after the works were complete to see if everything was okay.
Paediatric Speech Pathologist – Special Care Nursery & Children’s Allied Health
Rachel is a creative clinician who has a holistic approach to patient care. She is naturally innovative and comes up with novel and effective solutions to problems. She is compassionate, experienced in developmental care of babies and infants with complex needs and always sees the child in the context of their family and cultural context. She has been instrumental in the establishment of the ‘Fun with Food’ group program for toddlers and pre-schoolers and their families who benefit from peer support and well as new experiences in a supported group setting with multidisciplinary input. Rachel has worked hard to improve the experience and development of baby’s with feeding difficulties. She encourages others to intervene early and proactively so as to promote optimal child development. Rachel also has a focus on supporting families and empowering them to develop the skills to be able to best support their child. She is highly skilful when working with families with diverse social, cultural, language, mental health and trauma histories. Rachel is a champion of evidence based practise in the work that she undertakes and she models a high standard of professionalism to her peers, students and staff. Rachel is a friendly, caring and approachable team member who looks out for the wellbeing of her peers and is a highly valued team member.
Volunteer – Opportunity Shop – Sunshine Hospital
Tommy is in his second year of a Bachelor of Science at Melbourne University and volunteers every Tuesday in the opportunity shop. He started doing this as an additional shift during his break between semesters but continued to do the shift weekly as he really enjoys the company of the other volunteers working there and their sense of community. Tommy is a kind and compassionate person who is always willing to help others. He assists one of our older volunteers to her vehicle every week after their shift together to ensure that she is safe and he was there to provide support to one of our volunteers at a time when she was under great personal stress. Tommy is reliable and the other volunteers on Tuesday can trust that he will be there to support them in any way he can. Tommy openly shows respect for others and demonstrates this by opening the door for visitors to the shop, showing impeccable manners and communicating in a kind and considerate manner. Tommy shows consideration and acknowledges all different needs that his fellow volunteer team members may have in the way that he communicates with them. The approach that Tommy takes to his volunteering role is one that we would like to model across the program.
Occupational Therapist / Senior Clinician – Aged Care – Sunshine Hospital
Karen has supported the Copperfield College Partnership for 5 years consecutively. This has involved mentoring year 11 students, giving them direction, ongoing feedback and providing education in dementia and the issues related to an aged person being in hospital. Karen has completed this additional task with great enthusiasm and commitment. She has been a great role model to the students whilst encouraging them to come to her with their own ideas. The projects within Sub-Acute would not have been able to occur if it hadn’t been for Karen’s involvement. Karen provides education in many different ways to the students who all came from different backgrounds, different learning capabilities and different abilities. She shows compassion to those students who need additional support if they feel overwhelmed with the hospital environment or the tasks allocated to them within their peer group. She ensures that the students are accountable for their own work and the deadlines set for them. She also makes herself accountable by ensuring that she is available so that projects can be completed on time. Karen clearly indicates to the students the level of outcome expected and will send back projects to the students if they are not up to the standard that could be utilised on the ward. She has instilled in the students that the project outcome has to be safe for the patients and staff to use on the ward. Karen sets the scene when students are visiting the wards that Sunshine Hospital is a safe place to work, it is inclusive and shows empathy to its patients and families. She communicates about the patients respectfully and role models the behaviour that is expected on the ward.
Sub Acute and Aged Care Services
Rebecca and Marianne have embraced the Positive Workplace strategy whole heartedly in their division and have worked extremely hard to engage their employees and ensure everyone in the sub-acute division hears about and understands EMPOWIR. They have understood the impact negative behaviours in the workplace can have on colleagues and patient outcomes and have worked hard to work around the rosters of their employees, scheduling EMPOWIR briefings to cover as many employees as possible. They have committed to getting the message to all sub-acute employees that EMPOWIR and the Positive Workplace strategies are all about respect for all. They have demonstrated excellence through their persistence to ensure every staff member in sub-acute and aged care is aware of EMPOWIR and through ongoing support and encouragement for positive workplace behaviours to flourish. Rebecca and Marianne have been role models for their division, providing leadership, promoting accountability and empowering their employees to feel safe and supported in speaking up for a positive workplace. They are both totally committed to creating positive workplaces right throughout the whole division of sub-acute and aged care.
Allied Health Assistant – Ground Floor Sub Acute -Sunshine Hospital
Debra always treats patients with a positive and caring attitude. She has had several people take the time to write her a compliment or thank you for her individual approach. Patients and families comment on her happy manner and how she brightens their day. She treats every person with care and concern and will immediately let the team know if concerns are raised. She ensures that she undertakes all training in a timely manner and requests clarification if ever unsure. Debra treats each person as an individual regardless of gender, age, religion, cultural background or how that person chooses to identify themselves. She will seek additional training and education where available if a learning need is identified and remains positive and approachable regardless of the situation at hand.
Grade 3 Physiotherapist – Footscray 3B – GEM and Rehab
Candice provided ongoing support and leadership on a very busy ward through times of change. She provided ongoing support to junior physiotherapists and allied health assistants, carrying a clinical caseload in addition to several non-clinical tasks and responsibilities. Candice provides patient centred care and advocates for better communication with family members. She demonstrated excellence when she completed a quality improvement project on the Amputee Service and won best Poster at Research Week. Candice promotes an environment where physiotherapists can approach her with concerns or queries about therapeutic benefits vs risks to patient’s safety when attempting to provide best care. Candice always comes to work with a smile on her face and has a ‘can do’ attitude.
Head of Unit – Gynaecology – Sunshine Hospital
Rupert has improved processes to ensure that patients are offered the most appropriate gynaecology outpatient appointments. This included developing access criteria, a triage process and ensuring communication with the patients and referrers. This is significate as it allows more patients to move through the system, providing more timely access and reduced wait times. Rupert has also been very generous with his time, sharing this approach with other WH services ensuring that the organisation benefits from this very important initiative. This initiative reflects Rupert’s dedication and commitment to the provision of patient centred care.
Registered Nurse – Ward 3B, Footscray Hospital
Tamara developed an initiative on her ward that highlighted the need for team work and compassion. The initiative ‘Love Me Loud’ is driven by the team and recognises the importance of mental health and wellbeing through the organisation of multiple events aimed at increasing morale and camaraderie. Events included Pancake Days, R U OK? Day, staff massages and casual clothing days. Tamara demonstrated compassion by highlighting the need to support her colleagues in their wellbeing and by developing an initiative that helps recognise the great work that they do. Tamara developed a strategy that is currently not in use at Western Health. She developed multiple ideas and engaged with many stakeholders to ensure that her proposal was valid and responsive to the needs of her colleagues. ‘Love Me Loud’ will not only help with team morale and camaraderie but will also assist in improving staff wellbeing and mental health. This initiative has created a sense of teamwork and inclusion that has been driven by the members of the team. The team have embraced the initiative and all of the events have so far a massive success.
Acute Aged Care / GEM – Sunshine Hospital
The 2A nursing team continue to provide high quality and safe care to all their patients whilst also setting an example for the nursing students that come onto their ward. They create an open environment filled with learning opportunities and a safe and respectful environment that fosters learning.
The following feedback was received from the most recent students through the ward:
“An excellent team of nursing staff (including the nurse in charge) ensuring effective and efficient nursing care”
“They helped and taught me patiently with due respect, treating me like one of them”
“ 2A was a very positive environment and the staff were always helpful and provided guidance when we needed it”
“The preceptors, staff and buddy nurses were all extremely welcoming, approachable, friendly and supportive – genuinely helpful”
“The ward staff on 2A are such a fabulous and supportive team. I have gained an incredible amount of experience and knowledge by working with them.”
Sunshine Hospital
On Friday 28th July 2017, Food Services at Sunshine had a situation arise where the fridges malfunctioned and food needed to be probed, quarantined and disposed of. Suppliers needed to be contacted to replace items needed for service and wards and departments were all notified to try to minimise the patient disruption. All Food Services staff demonstrated the WH values during this situation and dealt with the issues at hand with a positive and professional manner. They remained respectful of each other throughout the disruption to routine, communicated in a positive manner and worked together as a team to achieve the best possible outcome, ensuring that all patients were given the correct nutrition for their needs.
Drug Health Services – Sara Davies, Katrina Dimech, Lisa Payne, Jenny Menzies & Renee Jennings
The Women’s Day Rehabilitation Program transitioned from a residential rehabilitation program to a day program. They improved the experience of others by developing a new format for the program to meet the needs of women experiencing problematic substance use. They provide high standards of care at all times and regularly receive positive feedback from clients regarding their treatment. This team have attended Body Image Positivity training, LGBTI competency and network with the Aboriginal Health team in order to ensure that they establish a more inclusive and welcoming program. They established a Connections Group for women to remain connected with the program and introduced new groups including a Domestic Violence group, a Harm Minimisation group, a Sleep Hygiene Group and engaged external presenters. The team role model behaviour to the women participating in the program and established program rules with input from clients to promote a positive work environment. They ensure ongoing improvement of the team culture by communicating openly and respectfully.
Sunshine Hospital – Annette Cuschieri, Anne O’Brien, Isilda Riley, Ruby-Anne Barrett, Hung Ly & Rachael Chandler
The Outpatient Specialist Clinics Administration Team consistently provide friendly, kind and helpful assistance to consumers in clinic as well as staff across a number of disciplines. Often consumers can be distressed and the admin team do their best to be compassionate and respectful at all times. The team remain productive, calm and professional particularly when it is a large and busy clinic, improving the experience of consumers. They assist in streamlining the consumer experience, provide outstanding care and service and are positive and productive. This team communicate respectfully in all situations and recognise and respect diversity. They demonstrate excellence through their high standards of work and by working cooperatively with others across the system and different specialities.
Renal Research Unit – Sunshine Hospital Natalie Lumsden, Jason Bennier, Ameena Jabbar & Monika Loskot
The Renal Research team are dedicated to their patients, ensuring that their best interests are put first by fully informing them about trials without bias and giving them sufficient time to consider their participation. ‘Patients first’ is valued, promoted and carried out by the team, ensuring patient needs are accommodated, patients are listened to and their choice regarding participation in clinical research is respected. The team show respect for patients by ensuring that they are fully informed of the commitments, including any risks and potential benefits of being involved in a clinical trial. They carry out duties in a professional manner, maintaining patient safety as a priority and providing clear communications about trials to all stakeholders (patients, sponsor, and relevant staff). The team maintain patient safety by working closely with the Principal Investigator of the study to monitor patients and to promptly report adverse effects. They are a productive team as demonstrated by the 400 % increase in clinical trials over the last 12 months. They promote a positive workplace by open and regular communication, great team work and sharing expertise and resources to deal with any barriers.
A patient’s family had the following to say about the care that this team provided to their father:
“My father had a stroke on 9 June 2017 and discharged himself home the next day against medical advice due to his fear and anxiety of hospitals. I called the ward as he wasn’t managing well and needed therapy. Liz Mackey sprang into action and told me that she would make some enquires and establish a care plan for my father, all the while negotiating time zones, as I live in Perth. My father refused to go to hospital that night, so one evening whilst her son was at Karate lessons, Liz arranged for my father to be admitted directly to the ward at 8 am the next day. On the ward, my father was treated with the utmost care from your staff on Ward 3E. The exceptional service from Rashminder Singh, the Nurse Unit Manager, Liz Mackey and the staff who thoroughly assessed him was outstanding. I would like to recognise the dedication, care and support that Liz and the Stroke Team and Rashminder gave and offered to my father. I am just blown away how your team and particularly Liz turned a not so nice story into a fairy-tale. I would like to personally take the opportunity on behalf of our family and thank your Team’s hard work and dedication for alleviating the anxiety and sadness of my father’s stroke event by giving us hope and a care plan that will provide the support and recovery he truly deserves.”
Krystina Tsatsoulis, Shaji Pope, Daniella Riitano, Nargis Tawafi, Janelle Reyes, Mike Udorly & Jennifer Comerford
During a very busy winter the Social Work team demonstrated the ability to ensure timely interventions for patients, when workloads were increasing. They demonstrated support to each other by sharing the work load, flexing across units and even other sites to support safe and timely discharges for patients. They did all of this and still remained positive and supportive of each other. They are efficient in the work that they complete and are respected by their allied health, medical and nursing peers. Together they are committed to staff well-being through team building activities and regularly checking in with each other and assisting with patient workloads to ensure fairness and equity. They have a ‘can do’ attitude and are always happy to help and support their fellow colleagues. Each team member brings a wealth and range of experiences which complement each other within the team and also provide strong clinical skill set to ensure patient focused care. They demonstrate advocacy for patients as well as recognising the demands and need of the hospital ensuring timely patient focused care. They are solution focused, display a positive attitude, are committed to ‘Best Outcomes’ for patients and are passionate about their role as a Social Worker. The team itself are a diverse group of people that come from various backgrounds and life experiences, which is a strength that helps foster an environment of respect. They are an incredibly supportive team who care for each other and work on the principal that as a TEAM- Together Everyone Achieves More!
Radiographers – MRI Department
The Sunshine MRI Department includes services provided to paediatric patients ranging from days old to 16 years of age. Most of the younger paediatric population require a General Anaesthetic in order to undergo an MRI scan due to the requirement to keep still for long periods of time and for the anxiety and fear they can experience from being in an unfamiliar environment with a very noisy piece of medical equipment. Some of the patients aged 7 – 12 are potentially suitable for a scan without an anaesthetic however the experience can be overwhelming for them, which often leads to an scan under anaesthetic. Tony, Jennifer and Phung have demonstrated their compassion, dedication and commitment to patient care by identifying this area in the MRI service which could be improved. Their initiative led them to establish and undertake a project that aimed to increase the success rate of this paediatric population being able to undergo an MRI scan without the need for a General Anaesthetic. They designed and hand-made a model MRI scanner that had a magnetic bore, MRI sounds that could be chosen by the participant, a moving table, and Lego people that our paediatric patients could be introduced to, and play with prior to their MRI scan. The model was meticulously planned via ‘blueprint’ designs, built from Paper Mache and painted to represent the actual MRI scanner. This entire project was undertaken in their own time. The significance of reducing just one patient from proceeding to a General Anaesthetic for an MRI scan not only improves the experience for the patient and their family, but also results in increased availability of MRI for other patients as hours due to the time saved between the two types of examinations. The model MRI scanner has been popular among this age group of patients and Tony, Jennifer & Phung have received extremely positive feedback from patients, parents as well as their colleagues who continue to benefit from this well thought out and executed project. Tony, Jennifer and Phung are hardworking and valued members of the MRI Team and there is no doubt that their project has prevented the need for an anaesthetic for some of our young patients which is a significant clinical outcome.
Grade 1 Nuclear Medicine Technologist – Medical Imaging
Emily is a wonderful advocate and champion for “Best Care” at Western Health and always does everything she can to improve the patient experience in whatever way she can. A great example of this is when Emily was attending to a patient who expressed his concern about his lack of knowledge and understanding of his medical condition and treatment options. Emily listened to his concerns and while she could not provide him the information he needed she explained his rights to information, advised him to go back and talk to his Doctor and went to the patient information centre to collect relevant materials, including a feedback form with contact details for the patient representative and a brochure on the Patient Information Centre. Emily worked with another technologist to put together a comprehensive presentation on “Radiology CARES”, with particular focus on the patient experience and the importance on the use of interpreters for Medical Imaging to ensure that the patient understands what will happen during their scan. She educated the booking staff about the importance of having an interpreter and this is now well embedded in the booking process for Medical Imaging. In addition, Emily noted that many patients from Vietnamese background were presenting to Nuclear Medicine for radioactive iodine therapy. Brochures explaining the treatment and possible side-effects as well as important radiation safety information were only available in English. Emily took the initiative in contacting language services to translate these into Vietnamese and we are now able to provide this important information about this specialised treatment to our Vietnamese patients. Emily also educates patients on what to wear when they attend the hospital for Nuclear Medicine scans. Many of our breast cancer patients have regular bone scans and CT scans on the same day. These scans require all items of clothing with metal to be removed. To improve their experience, rather than having to change into a hospital gown, she advises our patients on what they can and can’t wear so that they can remain in their own clothes. If Emily notices a situation where the two scans are booked on separate days she will work with our CT colleagues so they can be done on the same day. Emily does things like this everyday and is an exceptional role model of “Best Care” and “Patient-Centred Care”.
Continence Nurse Consultant / Team Leader – SACS Continence Service
Jo inspires her team and those around her in other roles and services at WH to achieve the best they can and to always consider our patients with respect and empathy. She is a truly inspiring leader who can always see the positive side of things. She goes out of her way to accommodate the many needs of the patients attending the continence service who are often distressed with highly bothersome and embarrassing symptoms. She is empathetic, knowledgeable and is very skilful and innovative in planning care for them. Jo meets the standards of care in an exemplary manner remaining positive, and encouraging others to adapt to the many changes we are exposed to in our job. Her communication with both patients and staff always indicates a high level of respect irrelevant of situation. Her high standard of work and keeping the Continence service working at a high level is achieved through inspiring those around her and her willingness to engage to solve problems. Jo has been involved in the initiation of inter-departmental collaboration, particularly with Urology and Urogynaecology. This was evident in her leadership in organizing promotional activities during World Continence Week, where she implemented a lecture series from each profession across all Western Health sites. As a result, the Western Continence Service won the Continence Foundation of Australia World Continence Week Health Promotion Competition. Jo is always equally supportive to all of her work colleagues and strongly encourages them all to be the very best practitioner they can be. She is a compassionate caring team leader who always goes the extra mile for her staff and patients. Nothing is ever too much trouble. A patient’s relative said “Jo has been looking after my mother for a number of years now and has helped her with a number of very difficult issues. She always knows what to do and understands how to care for her patients.”
Clinical Nurse Specialist – Ward 2 East
While I was attending to a patient on 2 East in a 4-bed room there was a thunderous crash coming from the opposite bed followed by screaming and then verbal profanities. Both my patient and I were totally startled by this. I was unable to leave my patient as I was mid way through a procedure. What transpired next, made me feel extremely proud of a Western Health colleague. I heard Freda Pace, who was the Nurse-in-Charge, discreetly request a Code Grey to be called. Freda then, probably without even realising, fully embraced the Western Health CARES values to diffuse a very challenging episode of patient care. Freda showed great compassion listening to the patient’s concerns about his extreme pain, allowing him to speak his mind and assuring him that she would assist him by managing his analgesia in a timely fashion. Freda was extremely respectful towards this patient, staying calm, in control and speaking “with him” not “at him” in a professional and courteous manner. Freda radiated excellence in her approach to diffusing a very disturbing and challenging situation. Her concern about this patient’s safety was evident when she asked him if he was still considering self-harm. I know, for Freda, this is “all in a day’s work”. But for me, it provided a great sense of pride. Well done Freda. You are a credit to the organisation.