| AUG 2014 JUL 09 AUTUMN
Pomegranate Hospitality I Compassion I Respect I Justice I Excellence
St John of God in Mt Lawley St John of God Health Care received final approvals in April for the transfer of Mercy Hospital Mount Lawley from MercyCare and on May 5, 2014 will take over the dayto-day running of the 77 year old hospital in Perth’s eastern suburbs. Approval was granted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the Catholic Church and other regulatory bodies and the hospital has been granted a new license by the Western Australian Health Department. The hospital has changed its name to St John of God Mt Lawley so it can be identified as part of the St John of God Health Care group of hospitals which in Perth also includes; Subiaco, Murdoch and soon to be Midland Public and Midland Private hospitals. With the Mt Lawley Hospital the group's bed count in the state's capital will be 2,300. It is a stipulation of the transfer in ownership that the hospital must relinquish references to Mercy in its name. The hospital has remained open throughout the transition and services have been uninterrupted. Continued care for patients, their treating doctors and caregivers has been of utmost importance. Chris Hanna has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer for St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital after 10 years as Director of Nursing and Midwifery at St John of God Subiaco Hospital. Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Michael Stanford, was excited to welcome a well-established and reputed hospital into the
St John of God family and to continue the legacy of Catholic care started by the Sisters of Mercy. Michael said the immediate focus was on considerately integrating new systems and processes so that caregivers and doctors at the hospital were introduced to the new way of doing things as quickly and smoothly as possible. Michael encouraged caregivers who were new to the organisation to lean on colleagues from across St John of God Health Care who were very willing to help them through the transition. “The next task should be exciting for all of us as it’s about continuing to update and refurbish some of the existing equipment and facilities. “Our investment in the hospital will focus on rehabilitation and we also intend to grow obstetrics, medicine and surgery in an integrated way with our existing Perth metropolitan hospitals.
Pictured: St John of God Mt Lawley – proud of its heritage and excited about its future.
PERINATAL CARE
The only specialist mother and baby inpatient service in NSW has expanded to help more families.
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OUR VISION
Q&A with the Chair of Trustees on the publication of Our Vision 2015 – 2019
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Leading the way in posttraumatic stress disorder at Richmond.
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“We have a long-term plan of capital investment for the future of St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital and continuing a tradition of outstanding patient-centred care.”
www.sjog.org.au
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GROUP UPDATE Every minute of every day our caregivers are identifying needs, responding to problems and developing strategies for the way forward. We have a long held objective of subsidiarity – decisions being made at the lowest level capable of making them – and a general approach of local accountability within an overall framework. This year, 2014, marks the 25th anniversary of the Sisters of St John of God decision to bring together all their healthcare activities under one governance structure, St John of God Health Care Inc. Since 1989 St John of God Health Care has sought to operate under common strategic frameworks to guide local decision making. The Trustees, Board and senior executive group have always tried to bring the benefits of a large organisation to individual Divisions without the dysfunction that can arise from scale. In 2001 the Trustees published the first Our Vision document, for 2001 – 2005, in which for the first time our Vision, Mission and Values were formalised, key result areas declared, guiding principles outlined and clear outcomes defined. This year marks the
third revision of the document with the Trustees recently completing Our Vision 2015 – 2019. In this edition of Pomegranate the Chair of Trustees, Eva Skira, outlines some of the key changes in Trustee thinking and expectation. Following a 12 month process of scenario planning I am delighted to advise that the Board and Trustees have approved a Strategic Priorities 2015 – 2019 document which helps to amplify and fulfil the Trustees' objectives as well as to deal with our likely context in the next five years. I look forward to meeting with all Divisional senior leadership teams to explain the background to the Strategic Priorities and the implication of the stretch targets we seek to achieve by 2019.
My last thought in this Group Update is to express my excitement and hope with regard to the integration of the Mercy Mount Lawley Hospital into the St John of God Health Care group. The hospital, to be known as St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital, will join our group on May 5, 2014. It has a great reputation in women’s health services over many years in addition to medical and surgical services and, in recent years, specialist rehabilitation services. Pleasingly it also offers two key public patient services under contract to the State; older person rehabilitation and psychogeriatric care. St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital is our 14th hospital, taking us to 2,300 beds, bringing more than 600 caregivers and enabling us to provide coordinated clinical and education services across four hospitals in the northern and eastern suburbs of Perth, including Subiaco and Midland Public and Private Hospitals.
Dr Michael Stanford Group Chief Executive Officer
ON TIME ON BUDGET Western Australian Health Minister, Dr Kim Hames, was happy to announce that St John of God Midland Public Hospital was half way to completion in March and on schedule to open in 2015.
Dr Hames toured the site with local dignitaries and television cameras in tow to mark the milestone. Health Minister Kim Hames said the public hospital, a key component of the State Government’s $7 billion investment in health infrastructure across Western Australia, was progressing well, on time and on budget. Visitors can now see the recently completed emergency department mock treatment bay and paediatric assessment area that is expected to treat 55,000 patients in its first year of operation. Visit the website midlandhospitals.org.au to view a new time lapse video that captures the progress of construction of the new hospitals. Pictured: (l to r) Member for Forrestfield Nathan Morton, WA Minister for Health Dr Kim Hames, Director of Nursing Jeffrey Williams tour the proposed emergency department treatment bays.
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Perinatal care in home-like unit The only specialist mother and baby inpatient service for perinatal care in New South Wales has expanded with the opening of a new centre earlier this year to help more families through the often difficult period of establishing an attachment with their newborn child. St John of God Burwood Hospital is admitting mothers with their babies into a new 12 bed unit. It has increased the existing service’s bed capacity and created accommodation akin to the home with an open living environment, kitchen and lounge. The unit incorporates a number of therapeutic models to help the recovery of mothers with a perinatal mental health disorder or illness, while facilitating the development of the relationship between mother and baby. Inherent in the treatment approach is a strong philosophy of helping mothers and infants develop a secure attachment. Specialist care and intervention during this critical period has been proven to improve the health of mothers, their ability to nurture their child as well as the health and wellbeing of the child throughout life. While in hospital, Burwood caregivers help mothers and babies with sleep, feeding and
settling issues. Both parents learn new skills that will support them in the care of their baby. Mothers can participate in group sessions in cognitive behavioural therapy, attachment, anxiety management, mindfulness, mothercraft, relaxation, art therapy as well as couples groups.
Carol was one of the first patients to be admitted with her newborn baby to the new facilities for mothers and babies at St John of God Burwood Hospital. Carol credits the caregivers at the hospital for her, “incredible journey to being a much stronger and happier person. “I am grateful for this opportunity and my husband is also very grateful – although he was sceptical when I first arrived,” Carol said. “The sessions, both group and with Professor Austin, have been extremely helpful and insightful. All the nurses have been helpful and professional and fun. The handovers were exceptional, I never had to explain myself more than once.
The critical role of dads is not forgotten. They are encouraged to stay overnight in the hospital to support their partners, while siblings and family members are welcome to visit and feel comfortable in the homelike setting. The new mother and baby unit was part of a $16 million redevelopment of St John of God Burwood Hospital that included the refurbishment of all private hospital rooms, upgrades to inpatient therapy room, modernisation of the nurses’ stations and conference facilities and extra lounge and sitting rooms to enhance recovery. The front entrance and reception has been upgraded and a new chapel built. Pictured: Journalist and Patron of the 'beyondblue' Perinatal Mental Health Program, Jessica Rowe (second from the right) officially opened the new mother and baby unit on March 11, 2013. Jessica is pictured with (l-r) Executive Director Eastern Hospitals, Tracey Burton, St John of God Health Care, University of New South Wales Chair and Director Perinatal and Women’s Mental Health Unit, Prof Marie-Paule Austin and Chief Executive Officer Burwood Hospital, June Mattner.
“Thank you for a truly wonderful opportunity.” 3
JOBS AT MIDLAND St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals have launched an extensive recruitment campaign, with more than 1,000 jobs on offer. The campaign will run for up to 18 months as St John of God Health Care’s first major public hospital and the Midland Private Hospital gear up to open in November 2015. Phase one will target St John of God Health Care caregivers and staff at the existing government-run Swan District Hospital who want to secure their future career path in the brand new hospital. Chief Executive Officer Ian Anderson said the campaign had started now because it was important to give St John of God caregivers the opportunity to step up to a new challenge and to allow Swan District Hospital staff to make informed choices about their future. “Most Swan District Hospital staff members who accept a job can remain in their current roles, allowing them to care for their local patients right up until the Swan District Hospital closes,” Ian said. “We hope that many people from within both organisations will decide to join us and become part of the new St John of God Midland team. “We are keen to start local and employ people who know and understand their community best.” The next phase of recruitment will kick off later in 2014 when the search will be widened to help meet the huge recruitment requirements of a 367 bed hospital. Find out more at www.midlandhospitals.org.au/ careers.
Pastoral care reaches out A priority for St John of God Health Care is to have professional, competent pastoral practitioners within its hospitals to support the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of patients as well as to offer its expertise in pastoral services to a wider community. Pastoral care gives expression to the group’s commitment to holistic care and is recognition of the spiritual dimension in every person. Group Coordinator Pastoral Care and Palliative Services, Eleanor Roderick, said pastoral practitioners were professionally trained to relate to patients and their families. “They seek to clarify their spiritual needs in the midst of life events, such as illness, suffering, disability, birth and death. “Practitioners enable people to work through issues and restore integrity and peace, which can assist with their healing and recovery,” Eleanor said. At a recent Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) graduation ceremony at St John of God Bunbury Hospital, 80 people gathered in the chapel to see seven pastoral interns graduate from a training program that included one St John of God caregiver and six community representatives. Acting level one CPE Supervisor Pat Kelly co-facilitated the Bunbury program and said
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CPE training provided a framework for achieving pastoral identity and competencies. “With a good supervisory CPE formation in place, St John of God Health Care caregivers and people from the wider regional community – who have the possibility and capability to work in pastoral care – are given guidance and support. “As a ministry of the Catholic Church, providing an education program to a wider community connects us across dioceses and across denominations,” Pat said. “Providing opportunities to attend a program hosted by St John of God Bunbury has helped to reinforce that connection as we equip the laity to carry on the works begun by the religious.” Pictured: Bunbury CPE training graduates for 2013 Melanie Tan-Noonan (Music Teacher at Bunbury Catholic College), Judy Wheeldon (Nurse Unit Manager , Bethinie Fields) , Sonia Hiscox (Pastoral Associate St John Of God Bunbury), Marian Aarts (Special Minister attending Bunbury Regional Hospital), Marisa Wessells (Practice Manager for general surgeon), Gabriel Coetzee (Volunteer Street Chaplain), Sr Maureen O’Connor (Pinjarra Parish Catholic administrator), Fr Tony Chiera Vicar General Catholic Diocese representing the Catholic Bishop of Bunbury The Most Revd. Gerard Houlahan (front row) Association of Clinical Pastoral Education in Western Australia Inc. Supervisors of the Program Pat Kelly (Acting Level one) and Rev John Hewitson (Acting Level 3).
Murdoch opens medical centre The completion of St John of God Murdoch Hospital’s new Wexford Medical Centre was made official with a blessing by the Most Reverend Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB DD, Archbishop of Perth, and a smoking ceremony and welcome to country performed by the Reverend Sealin Garlett. Murdoch Hospital Chief Executive Officer John Fogarty, together with Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Michael Stanford and Chair of Murdoch Medical Advisory Committee Dr Peter Bremner, spoke about how the Centre will help usher in a new era of health care delivery for Perth’s largest health precinct. The Centre has 70 consulting suites as well as radiology, pathology, a cafe and retail space and was purposely built adjacent to the new Fiona Stanley Hospital, public transport on Barry Marshall Parade, the existing Murdoch Medical Clinic and St John of God Murdoch Hospital’s main building. The Medical Centre is named after Wexford, a port city south of Dublin Ireland, which was the founding place of the Sisters of St John of God. In 1895 the Sisters left Wexford to start their healing mission in Western Australia. Pictured, right: At the official opening of Murdoch’s Wexford Medical Centre Archbishop of Perth Timothy Costelloe and Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Michael Stanford. Above: The new Wexford Medical Centre has 70 consulting suites and is convenient to St John of God Murdoch Hospital and the new Fiona Stanley Public Hospital. 5
Connecting via social media Still some way short of the influence that Pope Francis commands on Twitter – with 12 million followers of his accounts in nine different languages – St John of God Health Care’s presence and engagement online is growing. The St John of God Health Care corporate page on LinkedIn has more than doubled its followers in 12 months – from 954 on April 1, 2013 to in excess of 2,000 today. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional online network, connecting people in all professions and at every stage of their careers. When LinkedIn connections ‘like’, share or comment on updates, the audience of those updates grows. The biggest audience for a St John of God Health Care LinkedIn update was more than 8,000 when Murdoch’s Emergency Department was named number one private emergency department by patients – this resulted in nearly 100 clicks or interactions. Social media is an easy way for people to find out more about St John of God Health Care and will be an important dimension to recruiting thousands of new caregivers in the coming years. In addition to the main Twitter account, a new jobs account went live in January – www.twitter.com/sjog_jobs – quickly attracting
150 followers who now receive regular updates about employment opportunities. Hundreds of visits have been made to the St John of God Health Care website via Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook in the same period but the real value of social media is through engagement with online communities. Geelong Mayor, Darryn Lyons ‘re-tweeted’ to his one million followers about St John of God Geelong Hospital’s recruitment night. The hospital was expecting a healthy turnout for the event but ended up having to accommodate more than 300 attendees interested in becoming caregivers. While social media certainly wasn’t the only factor in the big turnout, the audience engaged through LinkedIn and Twitter undoubtedly played a part. Who knows how many would have turned out if the messages had been re-tweeted by @pontifex? To connect to St John of God Health Care social media accounts visit www.sjog.org.au/contactus.
CONNECT WITH US @sjog_healthcare linkedin.com/company/st-john-of-god-health-care
RECRUITING IN IRELAND In a unique recruitment campaign, St John of God Health Care is looking overseas to Ireland in a bid to entice Irish nurses and midwives to move to Perth and take up vacancies at St John of God Health Care hospitals, particularly Midland and Murdoch. The international campaign will help meet the demand for 1,500 new St John of God Health Care caregivers in the next two years. Director of Workforce Rita Maguire said while the aim was to recruit locally wherever possible, a predicted shortfall of nursing resources had triggered the international search. Difficult economic times in Ireland have forced nursing cuts, an embargo on recruitment in the Irish public health system and a private hospital recently went into liquidation.
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Rita said St John of God Health Care would provide a secure career pathway for Irish nurses who were unable to find suitable work at home. “Our high quality hospitals and the investment we are making to further develop private health care in Australia should certainly be alluring to international nurses. “Coupled with the lifestyle choice of living in Australia, one of the sunniest places in the world, it certainly presents a great opportunity.”
Rita said she would be delighted if Irish nurses and midwives already working within St John of God would encourage their colleagues in Ireland to submit an application via the careers page on the St John of God website: www.sjog.org.au/careers/
Our Vision 2015 – 2019 Q & A with Eva Skira The Trustees of St John of God Health Care have published a new Our Vision document that will guide the organisation and its caregivers in continuing the healing mission of Jesus Christ from 2015 to 2019. Pomegranate posed questions to Chair of Trustees, Eva Skira, when the Our Vision 2015 – 2019 was published and her answers address how the document was changed and its impact on caregivers and the group’s service delivery. What is the purpose of the Our Vision document? The Trustees’ intention is to set high level indicators for the kind of organisation St John of God Health Care should be. To do this they have drawn on the example of Jesus in his teachings and his healing, the traditions of the past as demonstrated by the founding organisations, principally the Sisters of St John of God, and the fact that St John of God Health Care is a vital part of the Catholic Church’s mission. It clearly articulates for all caregivers the overarching purpose of the St John of God
Health Care Ministry, its guiding principles and what we propose the organisation and its service might look like five years from now. Our Vision 2015 – 2019 is what we, as the Trustees of our Ministry, want the organisation to look like, be focussed on and doing in its continuation of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. However it should not be considered a prescriptive guide; there must be room for flexibility as to how Our Vision will be realised. What are the changes to Our Vision for 2015 – 2019? As an organisation we are moving into a time when, generally, the Sisters are no longer a visible presence in our work places, they no longer participate in the governance of the ministry and furthermore the majority of our caregivers have not worked directly with the Sisters. This obvious connection to the faith basis of our work and indeed to the Catholic Church needs to be expressed in different ways. We have placed an increased emphasis on these issues.
We have extensively revised the principle of Formation and Leadership to stress that our leaders must be grounded in the Values, Vision and Mission of the Ministry. We have reaffirmed our commitment to formation as we go forward. Education has been incorporated within the principle of Excellence in Care as we recognise that the continued growth in knowledge and expertise of our people significantly impacts on delivering high quality care. We have maintained and consider it absolutely non-negotiable that we deliver services that are of the highest quality, given availability of resources. How does the current environment in which St John of God Health Care operates impact on achieving Our Vision? We recognise that the organisation is evolving and is in a period of rapid growth. Amidst a background of changing health and community needs we recognise that we need to be flexible, prepared to change and that innovative thinking is valued, and needed, in order to be sustainable in such a dynamic environment. Do you think St John of God Health Care has achieved Our Vision 2010 – 2014? All three previous editions of the Our Vision document have proven to be very powerful in giving a strong sense of purpose to the organisation, to indicate the direction and the outcomes to be realised.
Life changing Nursing and Midwifery opportunities in Perth, Australia
All have proven to be excellent at giving guidance to the organisation.
St John of God Subiaco Hospital’s Director of Workforce, Shellee Chapman, has taken up a six month posting to Ireland to establish a temporary recruitment office in Dublin. If the international campaign is successful it may be extended to the United Kingdom.
How have the principles changed?
Please visit sjog.org.au/lifechanging or email international.recruitment@sjog.org.au to find out more Hospitality I Compassion I Respect I Justice I Excellence
Pictured above: The new Our Vision document will be made available in 2014 and incorporated into the organisation’s planning for the future. Left: Chair of Trustees Eva Skira.
In the last five years the organisation has been very disciplined and focussed on delivering on Our Vision. It is how we envisaged it would be and the organisation has worked very hard to achieve its outcomes.
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ACCORD COMMITTED TO THE DISABILITY SECTOR An $8 million redevelopment of St John of God Accord’s Greensborough site will help to ensure that the disability service is firmly established in the community and is ready for the introduction of the Federal Government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme. The scheme will give consumers and carers greater control over the disability services they access and input into service development. Accord Chief Executive Officer Tony Hollamby said news about the investment in the facilities and services had been well received by families, clients and employees and would ensure Accord was an active participant in the disability sector into the future. “Our new facility will offer a diverse range of services to enhance each individual client’s capabilities. There will be more innovative programs and activities for clients and those attending in the future. “It is also an exciting opportunity for us to partner with clients and families, to review our present range of activities so that there is a high degree of diversity and a commitment to meeting each individual’s goals and aspirations. “At present there is an unmet need for people with a disability within Greensborough and its wider geographic area and our expanded service will certainly help to fill the gaps. “Accord will create a purpose-built environment for our disability programs, with a higher level of specialisation. The calibre of the new facility and the character of programs should also help to attract specialised staff and therapists.” Tony said the introduction of the National Disability and Insurance Scheme had changed the financial landscape for service providers. “Families and clients will play an active part in developing and purchasing the services they require to fulfil their needs. At Accord we are aware of the challenges and we are working extensively to continue to position ourselves as a high calibre professional disability service. “St John of God Accord is looking forward to playing an active part in the disability sector, and to providing a service that will secure the future for people living with disability and their families.” 8
Advances in trauma therapy at Pinelodge Changes to day programs to help trauma patients at Pinelodge Clinic are being made in line with neurobiological research that suggests a new approach to therapy.
Susan explained that the vast majority of trauma patients who presented at Pinelodge Clinic had not experienced an adaptive, responsive and effectively tuned-in environment early in life that was necessary for brain development. She said the evidence shows that if a child is not nurtured in a caring, responsive and interactive environment it impacted on the maturation of the brain that was involved in emotional processing and self-regulation. The consequences of this upbringing could be experienced for life. “It can make them prone to emotional outbursts where their ‘thinking-brain’ turns off and hinders their ability to take in and process information. “For example, if a patient becomes emotionally aroused in a stressful situation like a therapy group they are unlikely to be able to make the best use of their therapy,” Susan said. “It can be quite a difficult task to develop greater self-awareness and regulate emotions for someone who has experienced abuse or neglect in their childhood.
A new research project being conducted out of the Raphael Centre at St John of God Subiaco Hospital will reveal more about the experiences of new mothers in the first six months after the birth of a child and the impact on their health and that of their family. Collaborating on the project are the Director of Psychiatry at the Raphael Centre, Adj Assoc Professor Caroline Zanetti, and Director of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St John of God Subiaco Hospital, Dr Michael Gannon.
Manager General Psychiatric Programs, Susan Cavarra, said the new approach helped patients to develop greater self-awareness and gave them skills to regulate their emotional response. With this new level of support being provided in the early stages of therapy, patients are better able to respond to treatment specific to their diagnosis.
Study to look at motherhood six months after birth
“It can take some time to acquire these skills. However our programs are flexible and individuals can enter according to their identified needs.” Studies have shown evidence for effectiveness of such treatments with brain imaging scans taken before and after treatments showing enhanced neurobiological structure of the brain. The Pinelodge day program is diagnosis specific for conditions such as anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, interpersonal trauma and bipolar groups. It also provides more advanced psychoanalytic and psychotherapy groups. The Pinelodge therapy team who redesigned the program was led by psychologists Susan Cavarra and Manal Darwish. Susan said the team was very proud of its program model because it was evidence based and flexible. Pictured: (back l-r) Manal Darwish Manager Drug & Alcohol Programs, Susan Cavarra Manager Psychiatric Therapy Programs; (front l-r) Claire Hudson Facilitator and Danielle Williamson Co-facilitator of Healing From Trauma Program.
Caroline said the time between conception and the first year after the birth of a child was well-recognised as a period when the mother was at increased risk of developing a psychiatric illness or psychological disorder. “The early relationship that is established between mother and baby has been shown
to be critical to the infant’s whole development,” Caroline said. “Given the demands of pregnancy and new motherhood, which includes changes in roles, relationships and life circumstances, women’s well-being needs to be monitored throughout this period. “There is very little research into how families fare during this critical time,” Caroline said. The research team hoped to contact 3,700 women in Perth who had delivered at private hospitals over a six month period to ask them to participate in the study. Mothers will be asked to complete an anonymous on-line questionnaire that addresses issues like feeding and being with their new baby, family members’ physical and emotional health and well-being during the early months, and whether community services were available and helpful.
Caroline said the results of the study would be used to help ensure mothers, fathers, babies and small children get the appropriate help and support they need when a baby is born. “Having a clear picture of what happens to most mothers, across a range of key aspects of the adaptation to motherhood during the first six months after childbirth, has implications for clinical care and community service provision during pregnancy and as the mother’s life with her new baby is established.” The study is expected to commence in June with results available by the end of 2014.
APOLLO BAY PIT-STOP SAVES A LIFE Article re-printed with permission of Daniel Paproth, The Eastern Weekly Review.
When St John of God Pinelodge Clinic Chief Executive Officer, Graham Cadd, and friend, Allan Chiong were driving to Apollo Bay last year they were horrified to discover a cyclist lying on the side of the road. Without hesitation Graham and Allan stopped to help. The cyclist was Martin Fowler and he was suffering from cardiac arrest. The pair, a nurse and dentist respectively, led resuscitation efforts, despite things looking grim. “People were saying we should stop, that he hadn’t made it,” Allan said. “But I kept saying ‘no, we should keep going’. We took it in turns to pump the man’s chest until paramedics arrived.”
Paramedics stabilised Mr Fowler on arrival and transported him via helicopter to Geelong Hospital, where he underwent bypass surgery.
“It was a huge thing for me, and they are both so humble. They’ve made a huge difference to somebody. I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving.”
Graham and Alan were among 20 everyday Victorians named Ambulance Victoria Community Heroes in November, 2013. They were given the honour by Victorian Health Minister David Davis at Parliament House.
Pictured: (l-r) Ambulance Victoria CEO Greg Sassella, Allan Chiong, Martin Fowler and Graham Cadd.
The awards recognise members of the public who have helped someone at the scene of a medical emergency and acknowledge the vital role bystanders can play in helping someone survive. Mr Fowler said he was back “functioning as normal”, and paid tribute to his two saviours. “I’m back at work and back cycling,” he said. “It was a great ceremony to celebrate those guys. They are going to be friends for life, I think we will get together every year. 9
MURDOCH CELEBRATES 20 YEARS St John of God Murdoch Hospital turns 20 this year and to celebrate the hospital will rediscover its history, celebrate its achievements and look to the future. It was February 14, 1994 when Murdoch Hospital welcomed its first patients, and this date 20 years later in 2014 was celebrated with the sharing of a birthday cake with caregivers throughout the hospital. St John of God Murdoch Chief Executive Officer John Fogarty said there was much to be proud of in the hospital’s 20 years. “Our hospital has changed considerably since its beginnings - the physical buildings have expanded to meet the demands of our growing community and the nature of our work has evolved with the progressing of technology,” John said. “I feel that our caregivers still have that sense of unity that bound them together in the early days and that they still possess that strong drive to give our patients the best care possible.” The hospital also celebrated its 20th birthday with the community and held an Open Day at which visitors had the opportunity to look through the hospital and participate in some fun activities. Caregivers and their families and friends were invited to join in on the day, which included a ‘Teddy Bear Intensive Care Unit’ to which children brought their sick teddies for treatments. There was community health information available, as well as tours of the hospital and caregivers were on hand to answer questions about prospective job openings at the hospital. There was live music, food and entertainment and lots of activities for children, including face painting, an art project, balloon twisting and a bouncy castle. Throughout 2014, St John of God Murdoch Hospital will continue to commemorate its 20th anniversary with displays of archived photographs and brochures, profiles on long-serving caregivers and publications to document their 20 year history. 10
Pledge to the arts in health There is growing evidence and understanding of the role the arts plays in enhancing the holistic health, healing and wellbeing of individuals in a health care setting and in the broader community. St John of God Health Care has increased its commitment to the field of arts and health to bring together its endeavours and establish a framework for greater investment in the future. This commitment is in line with the Mission that urges the provision of “distinctive and holistic services that promote life to the full by enhancing the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual dimensions of being human”. Group Coordinator Arts and Health, Deborah Pearson has been appointed to create the framework, articulate a group-wide arts and health philosophy, promote initiatives already underway and establish new initiatives with divisions. It has been found that the effect of art can directly address important causes of disease burden. For mental health it can reduce anxiety and depression and help to develop coping mechanisms. It can reduce the risk of heart disease and maintain brain health.1 The arts can provide a social connection which in turn alleviates isolation which is associated with morbidity, mortality and a range of lifestyle risk factors.1 St John of God Health Care is already involved in a number of arts and health initiatives. Architecture and landscape architecture, pubic art works and exhibitions create welcoming, healing and stimulating environments for patients, families, visitors, caregivers and doctors. Performing arts are delivered anywhere from the hospital bedside through to large public performances.
Opportunities are provided for patients, clients and caregivers to be creative makers in ways that foster creative expression and support the healing process. Partnerships and sponsorship of arts organisations like the Mandorla Art Award and the Western Australian Youth Orchestra recognise the benefits the arts can bring to the wellbeing of the wider community.
“Art is one of humanity’s ways of expressing beauty, human mystery and emotions. It reflects our conviction to honour the unique dignity of each person.” Sister Eugenia Brennan St John of God Health Care will measure the impact of its arts and health program so it can add to the growing body of research that aims to improve the contribution of the arts to health and wellbeing. R.Craemer, The University of Melbourne refereed E-Journal, vol 1. Issue 4. June 2009.
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Pictured: The Caregivers’ Chorus was formed by staff and volunteers at Bendigo Hospital. The group practise and sing together every week and perform at special events, like St John of God Day as photographed here in the hospital’s atrium.
On leave to Kiribati In April Category Manager, Joanne Oxbrow, is taking leave from her job in group procurement and using her surgical nursing skills to transform lives in the developing pacific island nation of Kiribati. Joanne has taken a week of paid community service leave from St John of God Health Care, and a week of her own time, to be part of an Interplast plastic and reconstructive surgical team. The team will give hope to people living with congenital deformities, burns, wounds or diseases that have left them disfigured. It is Joanne’s sixth international aid trip with Interplast, a not-for-profit agency that sends medical staff from Australia and New Zealand to the poorest countries in the region to provide access to surgery otherwise unavailable and build the capacity of local health workers. Joanne spoke of the atrocities she has witnessed on previous assignments to Myanmar, Tonga, Fiji and Bangladesh. She recalled the scars inflicted by acid violence in Bangladesh – particularly in women. She said in Myanmar, children born with a cleft lip or palate are kept away from school
COMMUNITY SUPPORT LEAVE Caregivers at St John of God Health Care can take one week community support leave, fully paid, each year to work with the marginalised. This leave must be matched by the caregiver volunteering their personal time up to the limit of the paid leave. Leave without pay may also be granted for between one week and six months in any one year. Further details are available in the Community Support Leave policy on Compass.
and are unable to be educated due to their deformity. Babies born with the congenital condition who cannot feed properly become malnourished and die without intervention. These are the scenes Joanne and her Interplast team are confronted with when they arrive to set up a makeshift theatre. Typically more than 100 people queue at a clinic to be assessed for possible treatment and 40 operations are performed in the fortnight. The dilemma for Joanne and the surgical team is deciding who they can help and who they can’t - decisions that can be emotional and confronting. Joanne said the patients chosen are those for whom surgery can give the best result to restore function, for instance, an operation to repair a cleft palate on a child who is unable to feed without surgical intervention. These children can go on and live normal, healthy lives. In the Asia Pacific region a disproportionate number of children are born with congenital deformities like cleft palates.
A significant component of the work of Interplast is to leave local health workers with greater knowledge and skills to help their own people. Joanne said this was most evident on a return trip to Fiji last year to celebrate 30 years of Interplast’s commitment to the country. Local nurses would call a ‘time out’ during theatre, a procedure taught by Interplast that reduces the risk of error in a busy operating environment. Joanne admitted that on returning home to Australia she usually had a period of adjustment to desensitise herself from the atrocities and inequities she had seen. She said it made her acutely aware of how fortunate we are to have a good health system in Australia and how we have to work to maintain it. Joanne said she returned again and again to her Interplast job because she feels she gets even more out of the experience than she is able to give. Pictured: Joanne Oxbrow on assignment in Suva, Fiji in 2013. 11
Partnership delivers cancer services St John of God Berwick Hospital has partnered with other local specialist cancer services to build a Comprehensive Cancer Centre for the people of Casey and Cardinia.
NURSE DEVELOPS SLEEPING TOOL
Construction of the new Centre, located opposite the public hospital, started in February this year and is expected to start treating patients from February 2015.
Driven to despair with a child who couldn’t sleep, Bendigo Hospital nurse Deb Herdman created her settling lullaby CD and soft toy character that are now being sold in children and women’s hospitals in Melbourne and some St John of God hospitals. Former special care nurse and now perioperative nurse at Bendigo, Deb, took three years to develop her Nigh’ Nigh’ Sleepy Head CD and Sleepy Head Ted from concept to production. “When my youngest son was a poor sleeper there was nothing around with lyrics and music for unwinding toddlers, or sleep settling,” Deb said. “Classical music often has loud crescendos, and CDs had breaks between tracks. I wanted something with a catchy, repetitive song and gentle music.”
The partnership with Genesis Care, Radiation Oncology Victoria and MIA Radiology will enable the centre to deliver specialist medical imaging and radiology and radiotherapy services, with chemotherapy to be provided by St John of God Berwick Hospital. The site is owned by Generation Healthcare REIT.
Recognition for inspiring progress
Deb learned to play classical piano to help in her pursuit. She wrote the tune and added the words and was supported by local couple Joe Douglass who did the arrangement and Sharon Douglass who sang the lyrics.
St John of God Social Outreach and Advocacy services has been recognised for its capacity building work in East Timor, as a finalist in the 2014 Impact Measurement Awards from Social Impact Measurement Network Australia.
As part of the Nigh’ Nigh’ settling process, toddlers and young children can put pyjamas on a cuddly polar bear toy, that has magnet-tipped front paws so he can be cuddled or carried.
The Impact Measurement Awards recognise inspiring progress being made by not-forprofit, government, corporate and philanthropic organisations in the crucial area of social impact measurement.
The lullabies have proven popular for new born babies through to nine year olds, with good feedback from parents with autistic and developmentally delayed children.
“Social impact measurement is a developing and often challenging field for organisations wanting to assess and demonstrate their contributions to society,” said Anne Russell-Brown, Group Director, St John of God Social Outreach and Advocacy Services.
The Nigh’ Nigh’ CD and bear retail for $49.95 with more information available online www.nighnigh.com.au. Pictured: Bendigo nurse Deb Herdman and her Nigh’ Nigh’ creation. 12
“The Nursing Development Program in Timor-Leste has sensitively introduced a measurement culture to assist in improving
nursing standards by working alongside the Timorese in the wards and clinics to give hands-on advice and support. “We are very happy to be acknowledged for our outcomes based focus which is reflective of our broader organisational culture. We particularly appreciate the recognition for our ‘most significant change story’ approach which assists by telling the human story behind the statistics. “Our investment in understanding language and culture, combined with our long term commitment to the region, allows our Timorese colleagues to develop the necessary skills and build ongoing, sustainable outcomes as opposed to simply satisfying an immediate need,” Anne said. St John of God Health Care was selected as one of 10 finalists from over 114 applications. Pictured: Lance Jarvis supporting Adelino in the paediatric department of Guido Valadares National Hospital, East Timor.
St John of God Berwick Hospital Chief Executive Officer Lisa Norman said the benefit to patients was being able to have their medical consultations, diagnostic tests and treatment in the one centre, close to where they live. “In Casey and Cardinia alone there are over 1,500 new cancer diagnoses every year and our best defence against this disease is to
encourage early diagnosis and easy access to treatment – this centre achieves both,” Lisa said. A turning-of-the-sod ceremony was held with local Member of Parliament Brad Battin, Parliamentary Secretary of Health Georgie Crozier and Executive Director St John of God Eastern Hospitals Tracey Burton to mark the beginning of construction.
Pictured: (l-r) Project Manager Allison Merrigan, Parliamentary Secretary of Health Georgie Crozier, Executive Director St John of God Eastern Hospitals Tracey Burton, St John of God Berwick Hospital Chief Executive Officer Lisa Norman, Deputy Mayor Casey Amanda Stapleton and Gembrook Member of Parliament Brad Battin were part of the ground breaking ceremony that marked the start of construction of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre in February.
THE MIDWIFE’S CALLING Two dedicated Geelong midwives are sharing a milestone this year as they celebrate 20 years of delivering home care to new mums and their bubs along with the service they started up. Midwives Isobel Oliver and Sue Baker commenced the St John of God Geelong Domiciliary Midwifery service in 1994 and have made almost 25,000 home visits over that time. Isobel said on reflection that her role was one of teaching and offering reassurance and support, particularly with breastfeeding. “It is a privilege to be welcomed into their homes,” Isobel said. The domiciliary midwifery team has been strengthened by two over the years and now travels up to 30 kilometres from the hospital to bridge the gap in the often steep learning curve of leaving hospital and arriving home with a newborn.
A fundraising drive by the hospital auxiliary provided the service’s first car and the service was hailed, in the local newspaper of December 1994, as a “god-send” by new-mothers. Pictured: The launch of the home midwifery service was covered 20 years ago in the Geelong Advertiser. 13
LEADERSHIP COACH St John of God Health Care is preparing its leadership team for personal and professional growth as the organisation expands by 25 per cent in the coming year. The Group Learning and Development team has appointed Elaine Pavlos as a Learning and Development Consultant with a specific focus on executive coaching. Elaine said her job was to work with senior caregivers to assist them in developing their existing capabilities so that they could maximise their effectiveness as leaders at St John of God Health Care. Elaine has over 20 years of experience in hospital executive roles and a strong background in nursing education, coaching and counselling. She has a Masters of Nursing, Masters of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia and additional qualifications in counselling and coaching. Elaine is a Registered Nurse and Midwife. Elaine is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is on the Board of Child Health Australia. She is also a member of the State Administrative Tribunal. In recognising the critical leadership role of Nurse Unit Managers in hospitals Elaine is involved in the development of a program to energise Nurse Unit Managers through a coaching approach. Director of Workforce Rita Maguire said the new executive coaching service met an identified gap in the development of senior caregivers. She said the commitment being made by St John of God Health Care recognised that these caregivers were critical to the sustainability of the organisation. Rita said Elaine’s management experience and her training in coaching and education were very relevant and would prove valuable. Pictured: Elaine Pavlos will provide executive coaching service to the leadership team.
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New appointments Strephon Billinghurst Strephon Billinghurst commenced as Chief Executive Officer, St John of God Richmond Hospital in January. A registered nurse, Strephon has had experience in managing mental health units in the public and private sector, with his focus on access and equity. He was the Director of Operations at Calvary Private which included a dedicated mental health unit. Prior to that he was Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Calvary Public Hospital and Nursing Director-Emergency and Perioperative Medicine, at the Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide. Jayne Boyle St John of God Bendigo Hospital’s new Director of Nursing and Clinical Services, Jane Boyle, has worked at the hospital for 11 years as Perioperative Services Coordinator and in the last three years as Quality and Risk/ Infection Control Coordinator. Jane was Operating Theatre Manager at Kyabram and District Services and has worked at Preston and Northcote Community Hospital in Melbourne. Jayne was instrumental in facilitating Bendigo Hospital to achieve its recent excellent accreditation result. Laura Colvin Laura Colvin has been seconded to the role of Director of Nursing and Midwifery at St John of God Subiaco Hospital for 12 months when incumbent Chris Hanna takes up a position as Chief Executive Officer of St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital. Laura has significant experience and expertise in senior hospital executive roles including the last nine years as a member of the Subiaco Divisional Management team and most recently as the Deputy Director of Nursing (inpatient services). Laura has been instrumental in a variety of operational, strategic and change management activities at Subiaco. Raymond Grapes Raymond has been seconded for 12 months to the role of Director of Mission, St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital from his current Mission leadership position at St John of God Bunbury Hospital. Raymond has been a Director of Mission since 2000 and has maintained his nursing skills working one day a week in theatre. Raymond started his nursing career at Subiaco hospital and has worked in oncology, palliative care and theatre. He will focus on the cultural alignment of the new hospital during the integration period. Chris Hanna Ms Chris Hanna has been seconded to the role of Chief Executive Officer St John of God Mt Lawley for 12 months. Chris is known to many for her role as Director of Nursing and Midwifery at St John of God Subiaco Hospital and for her participation in group-wide nursing projects. Chris has extensive hospital executive experience in Western Australia and New South Wales and has a background in quality and midwifery.Chris has formal qualifications in nursing and midwifery, a graduate diploma in business, a certificate in leadership and Catholic culture and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Joe Pracilio Joe Pracilio is the new Director of Medical Services at St John of God Subiaco Hospital. Joe is well known at the hospital as the current Head of Department of Anaesthesia and is a well-respected clinician, innovator and leader. Joe will maintain his head of anaesthesia role and a reduced private practice to take on the administrative responsibility.
Leading the way in PTSD In 20 years, St John of God Richmond Hospital has established a reputation for delivering expert services and inpatient care in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Chief Executive Officer Strephon Billinghurst said Richmond hospital was one of only a few hospitals accredited by the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health and had a dedicated PTSD ward. The ward has supported many Vietnam-era veterans and their families through the trauma experienced during war and helped them to reconnect with their communities and families. In the last five years increasing numbers of returning and active servicemen and women who have served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Timor and on peacekeeping missions in Rwanda and Somalia have sought out the program at Richmond. Strephon said because of Australia’s military involvement in recent conflicts and peacekeeping and the growing recognition of PTSD in other special services like Fire, Police and Ambulance, the service at Richmond had evolved to meet the needs of younger people.
He said these are young men, and sometimes women – with their lives ahead of them – whose psychological disorder is impacting on the quality of life they are able to lead. When someone is suffering with PTSD they typically isolate themselves and that further reduces their functionality and compounds the symptoms of the disorder. He said the focus of the program for the new generation of PTSD sufferers was on maintaining links with community and family. It provided skills and support so that these young people, who have experienced atrocities in service to their country or community, can continue to live and work in the civilian world. The future of the hospital’s PTSD services will largely be determined by research with the recent appointment of the St John of God Professorial Chair for Trauma and Mental Health, Zachary Steel. The joint appointment with the University of New South Wales will bring University based research, to increase the understanding of trauma, mental health and recovery, into direct contact with one of the leading treatment facilities in the country. Pictured: Zachary Steel.
LIVE WELL WORK WELL The St John of God Health Care Live Well Work Well program has been launched with a calendar of wellness activities and promotions for caregivers to participate in throughout 2014. Group Coordinator of Workplace Wellness Susan Roberts said that in order to care for others, it was of paramount importance that opportunities were provided for caregivers to improve their own health and wellbeing. “The program is about ensuring that our caregivers have the awareness and knowledge to make positive lifestyle choices,” Susan said.
“It is a holistic approach to health, wellness and fitness for duty and includes physical, intellectual, social and spiritual health - although we won’t be limited to those dimensions.” Already caregivers have participated in the FebFast campaign and gave up alcohol, or another vice, for the month of February to improve their wellbeing. In March well known caregiver, Group Manager Clinical Projects Suzie Hooper, spoke out about her own battle with melanoma for Melanoma March in the hope that it would encourage caregivers to have regular skin checks.
A network of wellness champions with representation from all divisions is set up to encourage participation and to give feedback to the program. For a copy of the St John of God Health Care Live Well Work Well calendar of events contact OHSandWellness@sjog.org.au
“The program is about ensuring that our caregivers have the awareness and knowledge to make positive lifestyle choices,” Susan said. 15
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Spot the rugby jersey A call out to all rugby union fans across Australia and New Zealand to be on the lookout for the distinctive cross and pomegranate logo on the number 12 jersey of rising Western Force player Kyle Godwin. In a new sponsorship deal St John of God Health Care is putting its support and brand behind the Western Force, Rugby WA’s team in the Super Rugby competition. Rugby WA approached leading businesses across Western Australia, like St John of God Health Care, to ask them to be contributing partners. The sponsorship will build brand equity in St John of God Health Care’s home state of Western Australia but also as the team travels to Victoria, Western Australia and New Zealand where the group also has a significant presence. Just as St John of God Health Care has a healing Mission, sport too enhances the physical and social dimensions of being human. The popularity of rugby union will expose the Mission to a wider audience. There is a synergy between the two organisations with a focus on health care and fitness. It’s been a good start to the rugby season for the Western Force so the hopes are riding high that the team and the sponsorship will go far this season. Pictured: Kyle Godwin proudly wears the St John of God Health Care jersey in an early match in the Super Rugby series.
WIN! Pomegranate is putting the challenge out to all St John of God caregivers, to get an action photo of the number 12 jersey with the logo clearly visible to be in the running for a Western Force prize pack. Send your entry photos to tracey.roberts@sjog.org.au.
St John of God Health Care is a leading Catholic health care provider in Australia and New Zealand, operating 13 hospitals, home nursing, pathology and disability services, as well as Social Outreach and Advocacy services reaching out to people experiencing disadvantage. Editorial submissions or mailing list changes for Pomegranate to tracey.roberts@sjog.org.au 16
St John of God Health Care Inc ABN 21 930 207 958 ARBN 051 960 911 (Limited Liability) Incorporated in WA.
www.sjog.org.au