NSLHD News August 1

NSLHD News August 1

NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT NSLHD

Northern Sydney leading the way with arthritis research and clinical care The latest exciting research into musculoskeletal disease has been unveiled during the inaugural Northern Lights showcase. Read more on Page 4-5

Official launch for Child, Youth and Family Health website Page 7

Ryde hospital receives generous donations Page 3

Leaders in healthcare, partners in wellbeing

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Message FROM the acting Chief executive Dr Tamsin Waterhouse

message FROM the Chief executive Deb Willcox

Since my last column in this newsletter we have ended the financial year in reasonable shape and now prepare for the year ahead. It is important to acknowledge your collective efforts over the past 12 months. NSLHD is one of the highest performing districts in the state. We have made great strides in ED performance and surgery and most importantly in providing high-quality patient care. I look forward to sharing your achievements with you in more detail during the upcoming budget roadshows. The NSW budget was handed down in June and we have received our Service Delivery Agreement and Budget Allocation – both can be found on our website. The impacts we are experiencing in the health system are universal with a growing population, the success of medical technology extending the lives of our community and chronic disease. To meet these challenges the NSW Health budget this year takes a more sustainable approach. In recent weeks the executive teams across the district have been looking at further ways we can do things smarter to ensure we deliver better value to patients with our precious health dollars. This will be a long- term endeavour and one in which we will all need to be involved. This will not be a top down approach and I want to encourage everyone across the district to get involved. By working together I believe we can sustain our future so we

can continue to provide safe, high-quality patient healthcare, be innovative and grow. Improving the sustainability of our health system is not an easy task. Some initiatives may require a redesign of how we do things. We have seen from past initiatives that by providing different models of care our patients can avoid a surgical procedure or a stay in hospital. These bolder initiatives take time. Other initiatives may be small but together they can make a big difference to our sustainability. Over the coming weeks we will be providing more information on how all staff from across the district can get involved and provide suggestions on how we can reduce waste and get better value for money so our patients continue to receive great healthcare into the future. I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming budget road shows where I will be visiting as many hospitals and services as possible to celebrate your achievements and to outline the year ahead.

Deb Willcox Chief Executive Northern Sydney Local Health District

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Representatives from Icon co with Ryde Hospital staff and Gilbert Lorquet (pictured centre) from the Kolling Foundation

Ryde hospital receives generous donations from Icon Co Staff from construction

for recognising the hospitals needs and contributing to the local community. “This significant donation will go toward the purchase of two low beds and one trauma bed which will be used in our emergency department and ward 7,” she said. The Icon co project team is working on the nearby Park One development in Macquarie Park and wanted to give back to the local community.

With more than 2500 workers on site, Icon co found different ways to raise money for the hospital including staff barbecues, generous donations from subcontractors, donating spare change from on-site vending machines, as well as recycling steel scraps. Representatives from Icon Co – Park one site, included Julian Doyle (Director), Nelson Le (Project Manager) and Chris Bellemore (Operations Manager).

company Icon co dropped by to present Ryde Hospital’s general manager Heather Gough with a very generous donation of $30,000 towards new hospital equipment. The project team has been raising money since 2018. The initial target was $22,500 which has been exceeded. Heather thanked the representatives from Icon co on behalf of the staff and hospital

closing date extended for the Exceptional People Awards The closing date for the Exceptional People Awards nominations has been extended to 5pm on 9 August . People Awards webpage for more information.

We look forward to sharing the celebrations and acknowledging our finalists and winners in September. Thanks to our sponsors AMP Capital, First State Super, Ventia and Dexus for making the awards possible.

The Exceptional People Awards are a great way to acknowledge and celebrate the great work of our staff and volunteers. If you would like to submit a nomination visit the 2019 Exceptional

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CE Deb Willcox joins the musculoskeletal team involved in the first Northern Lights Research Showcase

Northern Sydney leading the way with arthritis research and clinical care

The latest exciting research into musculoskeletal disease has been unveiled during the inaugural Northern Lights showcase. Close to 200 people attended the event in the Kolling auditorium, including clinicians, researchers and many people living with arthritic pain.

forced out of the workforce prematurely.

Hunter described how healthcare is evolving from the world leading research being undertaken within the Kolling Institute and at Royal North Shore Hospital. “We have a living lab here, developing research and incorporating it directly into clinical care, and improving the lives of those living with these diseases,” David said. “We have strong interactions with scientists and researchers as well as a great knowledge about the best care for musculoskeletal conditions.” Researchers discussed the value of medication and surgery, while focusing on the long term benefits of a multi-disciplinary approach with evidence- based strategies, such as the Osteoarthritis Chronic Care Program. Researchers also confirmed new exciting stem cell technology will be trialled over the next few years, where stem cells will be

“Musculoskeletal disease is the leading cause of disability in Australia, affecting around seven million people and costing about $6 billion to the health budget,” Lyn said.

“It affects men, women and children of all ages in many

Lyn March presenting at the showcase

RNSH Head of Rheumatology Professor Lyn March addressed the event, detailing the devastating cost of the disease to individuals and the broader community, with many sufferers

different ways. Every patient will have a different journey, and in many cases, a different response to individual treatments.”

Rheumatology clinician researcher Professor David

(continued on next page)

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injected into problem areas to alleviate pain.

The national Arthritis Biospecimens Bank - A3BC - is also being set up to identify the right treatments for patients, as well as the causes for arthritis and possible cures. The inaugural Northern Lights showcase is a part of a series highlighting the remarkable

advances in research and innovation across the Northern Sydney Local Health District.

Innovative new IT system being piloted An innovative new IT system being piloted will allow sharing of a patient’s information between a private hospital and district services for the first time in NSW. Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) in partnership with Northern Beaches Hospital and eHealth NSW have commissioned the Health Information Exchange (HIE). The HIE allows staff working within the District and Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) to share the history of care provided to patients with Northern Beaches Hospital. This new system is being piloted for six weeks by a selected group of clinicians to allow the project team to further test the new system and gather feedback. Simon Hill, Director Information Communications and Technology for NSLHD and CCLHD said the HIE was the first IT system of its kind and the result of many months of hard work from staff. In the short term however, there’ll be a greater focus on community education, including the use of regular text messages to help patients manage their conditions.

The next event will be held in the coming months.

“This is a ground-breaking and innovative new IT system that has been developed to enable the two different patient record systems to talk to each other so clinicians can easily get to the patient’s medical information,” he said. “Normally when a patient transfers between a public and private hospital the patient takes their medical records with them or they are sent manually. “When piloting of the new system is complete and it becomes operational, it will be a huge benefit to patients and health staff who will have access to the medical records in real-time enabling safer and seamless care for patients.

“A big thank you to all staff who have helped to progress the project to this point, and to those participating in the pilot.” The new HIE system is expected to be available to all staff who use the Electronic Medical Record (eMR) when the pilot has been completed around the end of September. The Project Team will be providing further updates as the pilot progresses, before making the HIE available to all users. In the meantime, the established manual processes for transferring information between the hospitals will continue.

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RNSH staff attempting the Weetbix challenge in the main foyer

World Head and Neck Cancer Day July 27 RNSH clinicians and staff came together to help raise awareness about head and neck cancer by holding a Weetbix challenge in the main foyer of the hospital. Patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer often develop dry mouth - a sensation often described as eating dry Weetbix. Representatives from various departments across the hospital were there to answer questions

from staff, patients and visitors.

Did you know there are more than 17,000 Australians with head and neck cancer? Each year nearly 5000 people are newly diagnosed.

It only takes a minute to donate life Hospitals across the district have been participating in

another person who hasn’t joined the register. Held every year, DonateLife Week is a key event that highlights the benefits that organ and tissue donation has for transplant recipients and their families in Australia. It is quick and easy to become a registered organ and tissue donor at donatelife.gov.au, all you need is your Medicare card and a spare minute.

Everyone should talk about organ and tissue donation. Your family needs to know your wishes to be a donor but also encourage your family and friends, colleagues and neighbours to register too. There are about 1400 Australians on the waitlist for a life-saving transplant, and a further 11,000 people on dialysis. To find out more information visit donatelife.gov.au.

DonateLife’s registration race to see how many people sign up to the national organ donor register. As part of Donate Life Week (28 July–4 August), hospital departments are competing to see who can sign up the most to boost the national register that can save lives. With this year’s theme focused on “Plus One’’, the aim is for every registered donor to find

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People Matter at NSLHD Thank you to all the staff who took the time to complete the People Matter Employee Survey. The survey closed on 28 June 2019. Northern Sydney Local Health District achieved a participation rate of 38 per cent overall. Congratulations to our two team winners who have earned a major prize of $5000 to spend on culture improvement initiatives arising from this year’s survey results: • Information Communications and Technology (ICT) – for the highest participation rate • Mona Vale Hospital – for the most improved participation rate For updates on results and further information about the survey, and initiatives implemented as a result of your feedback, please visit the Staff Engagement page on the intranet.

Staff from ICT and Child, Youth and Family Health Service with consumer representative Emma Cushing (second from the right)

Official launch for new Child, Youth and Family Health website

The Child Youth Family Health Service (CYFHS) new website has received thousands of visits since its soft launch in early June. Kim Field, Director Primary and Community Health recently officially launched the website at a staff afternoon tea and took the opportunity to thank all staff and consumers involved in making the website a reality. The website brings 13 services together to create a central resource hub for parents and families.

possible without district-wide collaboration. “A special thanks to the Information Communications and Technology (ICT) team and all other services across the district who made this project such a success,” she said. “This project wouldn’t have been possible without your expertise and dedication.” You can visit the new website by visiting www.nslhd.health. nsw.gov.au/CYFH. Theteam encourages all staff to recommend it to patients, family and friends.

Kim said the two-year project would not have been

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

We know our staff do amazing things and we want to hear about it. Share your news, achievements and events with your District colleagues. Contact our team on 9463 1722 or email [email protected] to submit your news.

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You’re invited to the launch of Northern Sydney Local Health District’s

Workplace Giving Program Join us as we welcome our charity partner Dignity to the district and find out how you can help them support people in need.

Monday 5 August 2019, from 1pm-2pm Royal North Shore Hospital foyer

To find out more about Dignity, visit dignity.org.au