NCN HEALTH
STAFF NEWS November
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
MANDATORY TRAINING
CEO RESIGNATION
NCN Health held our Annual General Meeting on November 22nd. The AGM is a great opportunity to reflect on the past year and also to recognise our staff and volunteers in the Annual Awards and for their years of service. A huge thank you and congratulations to our many staff and volunteers receiving Years of Service Awards, from 10 to 40 years of service. An amazing achievement. A full list of winners is printed in this edition of the newsletter. The NCN Health Annual Report and Quality Account was also tabled at the AGM. You can find a copy of these on the NCN Health website here https://ncnhealth.org.au/about/ annual-report-and-publications/
Well done to the great majority of staff who have completed their mandatory training for 2023. Also, a thank you to our staff who facilitate the practical training sessions, a lot of work and organisation goes into professional development.
An email was sent to all staff at the end of November from Board Chair Trish Quibell announcing that I have resigned from my position as NCN Health CEO effective January 12. This has been a very challenging decision to make and I will miss this role and the teams across NCN Health very much. While I am sad to say goodbye to our organisation after 15 years, I look forward to a new opportunity as the Chief Operating Officer at Murray Primary Health Network. NCN Health Director of Operations Justin Sullivan will be Acting CEO while the Board of Directors moves through the recruitment process to fill the permanent CEO position. NCN Health has a strong and dedicated leadership team ready to take you all into 2024 and beyond. I remain a local community member and look forward to collaborating with many of you in the future.
COVID-19 We have seen a wave of COVID cases in the community and within the health service. Thank you to all our staff for maintaining infection control standards and managing these cases while still providing high quality care. A reminder to all staff to stay home if you feel unwell even if you do test negative to COVID-19. If you do return a positive COVID-19 test, or have been in close contact to a positive case please report this to your manager or after-hours manager.
FESTIVE SEASON As we enter the Christmas season a reminder to take care of your wellbeing and be mindful of your stress levels. This is a joyful but often busy and emotional time for many. All staff and their immediate families have access to the Employee Assistance Program, which you can access free via the phone, email, in person or text. It is completely confidential. You can find all the EAP information on our staff intranet page. There is a link to EAP under ‘Popular Hangouts’ on the front of the intranet and also on the ‘SWELL’ page. #IDoPWD It was great to see some celebrations around campus and the community for International Day for People With Disability. Staff and Irvin House residents attended the All Abilities Talent Show at the Cobram Civic Centre on December 1, then Irvin House was visited by the Cobram Specialist School Band on December 4. We look forward to some more activities at the other two campuses in 2024.
It is not yet goodbye from me, I hope to have time to chat to many of you over the Christmas and New Year period before I finish up in mid-January. Jacque Phillips NCN Health CEO
To all staff Please read the updated COVID guidelines for COVID – 19 positive staff and close contacts on High Risk Pathway (HRP). Close Contact requiring High Risk Pathway A close contact is anyone who: Lives with someone who has COVID-19 or stayed overnight in their house. Please be aware of positive cases in other settings such as schools and child care centres. If you are aware of children testing positive in these or other settings, please monitor your children and test to confirm. Spent more than 4 hours indoors with a person who has COVID-19 while they were infectious. A reminder that infection period begins 48 hours prior to the test being positive for COVID. High Risk Pathway If you have no symptoms (asymptomatic) but are a close contact you will be placed on a HRP for 7 days and undertake daily RAT testing prior to the start of your shift.
Symptomatic and testing negative for COVID-19 If you are not COVID positive but have symptoms of acute respiratory infection (including a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever or chills) stay home until; acute respiratory symptoms have resolved and no fever for 48hrs without the use of fever reducing medications. COVID Positive Stay home for minimum of 5 days from the onset of symptoms and until acute symptoms have resolved. Return to Work on Day 6 if symptoms free. From day 6 – 10 return to work, you will be on HRP as directed by COSS Team, If symptoms continue from day 6 – 10: Stay home until acute symptoms have resolved as advised and/or directed by the COSS Team / DCS.
Sick Leave The public health advice has changed, from 1 October 2023, staff are advised they are required to use their personal sick leave entitlements under the enterprise agreement that applies to them if unwell with COVID-19 symptoms and/or tested positive for COVID-19. Managers please note that where staff access personal sick leave entitlements you continue to use the “SL Other” code in Roster On. Covid positive employees are to utilise their own personal sick leave for 5 days from the onset of testing positive, plus a further 2 consecutive days if still symptomatic. Note: if an employee is symptom free after 5 days, they can return to work on High Risk Pathway as directed by COSS team Employee is to complete the attached Statutory Declaration, detailing the date tested positive and dates of any shifts not worked; and forward this to their Manager to forward to Payroll. This Stat Dec covers up to maximum 7 consecutive days. Note: this Stat Dec will not count towards the employee’s 3 allowed occasions per year. Managers are to continue to roster covid positive leave as “SL Other” If an employee remains unwell after 7 days, they should seek medical advice and provide a medical certificate for days absent from work. For employees that have already received Covid Leave since 1 October and haven’t provided any type of supporting evidence as yet: Payroll will review and advise their relevant Manager to contact the employee, requesting them to complete the attached Stat Dec. Once it is received by the Manager, they are to forward it to Payroll.
ACCESS STAT DEC - COVID HERE
PEOPLE AND CULTURE Best of luck for the future to staff leaving us, and a warm welcome to all our new staff across NCN Health. The following report reflects staff movement for November.
William Smith Cukkoo Anna Raju Gurunathan Parameswaran Stephanie Morley Anita Burrows Jackson Fitzpatrick Louise Power Diane Johnson Swapna Johnson Neil Kerr Ranai Mulloy Ashley Paul Sinimol Sasi Dinesha Patabandige
Marie Coonerty Gemma Shaw Kiarra Watson Stacia Dcosta Helen Christie Perpetua Chilima Jayme Bramley
PAYROLL CHRISTMAS PAY CHANGES - INFO!! Due to Christmas Public Holidays falling on pay day, pays will be delayed & finalised on Thursday 28 December. Please adjust any direct debits that may be effected.
NEW FACES Roz has joined the P&C Team as the new Workplace Trainer and Careers Advisor. With an extensive background in the workforce across HR, Compliance and Social Work, Roz is excited to sink her teeth into the Workplace Trainer and Careers Advisor role.
Need some maintenance done? Jason has joined Tammy and Ben in the Maintenance Team in Cobram. Pop your head in and say hi next time you are passing by!
Paper Usage at NCN Health Did you know?
One tree produces 20 reams of print paper In 2022 NCN Health used 2190 reams of paper 2190 reams of paper = 109 trees Each tree will take between 10-20 years to grow Paper accounts for 26% of waste at landfills
Small changes, big differences By changing the way we work we can reduce the impact that our work has on the environment. Changes can include: Recycling old printed documents - turn them into notepads! Considering if you need to print an email or document Use digital communications Take paperless notes in meetings If you must print, print double sided
What is NCN doing?
Introducing a new printing system Workflow improvements for finance Investigating fillable forms
At NCN Health our aim is to reduce paper consumption
THINK BEFORE YOU PRINT
REWARD AND RECOGNITION Celebrating our outstanding NCN Health staff. Lyn Corry / Nurse - Nathalia Lyn always shows respect/dignity/compassion & empathy toward all that are in her care. Tony Crawford / ICT - Numurkah Tony is always approachable with any IT questions and discusses possible solutions with us all. Tony is also open to assisting our visiting services and nothing is ever too much trouble. I always feel any IT issues that need resolving will be followed up by Tony as quickly as he can and if Tony doesn't have an immediate solution he will set a reasonable timeline to come up with solutions. Tony is always considerate, professional and friendly to all staff and visting services in any interaction in person, over phone or via email. Fiona Currie / Acute After Hours Manager - Cobram Strong leadership qualities and excellent staff education. Massive advocate of patient and staff alike. Bev Brooking / Volunteer - Karinya I had the pleasure of working with Bev to assist with the High Tea for Anita's Farewell. Bev had everything planned and all went like clockwork. She was lovely to work with and really appreciated all who assisted on the day A week later I received a lovely thankyou card from Bev Later in the month when we couldn't visit the residents due to Covid she wrote each one a letter and sent them some home baked biscuits What a beautiful soul Karinya is so blessed Kathryn Northill / P&C Officer - Numurkah Kathryn is so approachable and was always willing to go the extra bit to get things sorted not only on time, but also far quicker than I anticipated. Her passion and knowledge of job shows. Jane / Chef - Nathalia I believe this wonderful lady deserves this award because on many occasions she has made me feel welcomed and part of the team over at Nathalia as I haven’t been there very long. She takes pride in her work and is always friendly. I always look forward to seeing her joyfulness.
NCN Health AGM Staff Service Awards
Pictured back left; Jodie Collins, Kelly Campbell, Rachael Hitchcock, Susan Rutherford, Justin Sullivan with CEO Jacque Phillips. Front left; Robyn Stokes, Marie Doyle, Catherine Church. Absent: Elizabeth Adams, Glenda Stanbrook, Joanne Clough, Elizabeth Buckland, Annette Baldwin.
From back left; Board Chair Tricia Quibell, Robyn Sprunt, Denise Cusack, Judith Nave, Jacque Phillips, Margaret Templeton, Jenny Burrows and Bronti O’Connor. Absent: Jacinda Lawrence, Cathryn Andrew, Jennifer Metzner, Cassandra Neal, Elaine Henderson.
NCN Health AGM Staff Service Awards
From left; CEO Jacque Phillips with Leanne Greenway, Tony Brown and Board Chair Tricia Quibell. Absent: Jo-Anne McDowall, Shirley Monkton, Cheryl Woods, Tania Hill.
From left; CEO Jacque Phillips with Kerry Roberts, Rosalie Fitzgerald and Board Chair Tricia Quibell. Absent; Dawn Stanley
Barbara Henderson
Marie Coonerty
NCN Health AGM Staff Recognition Awards MODELLING THE VALUES
Tanya Bell
Heidi Johnstone.
For consistently demonstrating the values of Respect, Accountability and Partnership with all levels of staff and within the community.
For consistently demonstrating the values of Respect, Accountability and Partnership in supporting staff and showing initiative and enthusiasm with the implementation of ChefMax. Cass Neal and Cobram Kitchen Team For demonstrating the values of Respect, Accountability and Partnership in providing additional catering at very short notice to Merriwa Grove whilst this disability organisation was in lock down due to COVID.
NCN Health AGM Staff Recognition Awards EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE Tony Crawford For consistent, professional, friendly assistance to all departments across NCN Health. For being ready to troubleshoot and support in times of high stress and going out of your way to ensure the health service can provide high quality communications.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT Communications Team - Marissa Daly and Claire Harb For diligently implementing several Quality Improvements in 2023 in line with The Strategic Communications Plan, enhancing communications and engagement across NCN Health and within our communities.
NCN Health AGM Staff Recognition Awards OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY Rebecca Crosby and Karen Edwards For your dedication as a Health and Safety Representatives and your effort in rolling out the upgraded emergency duress alarms system.
CONSUMER CENTRED CARE John Shrimpton For consistently offering personalised, coordinated and compassionate care to the residents. For always making residents care needs and wellbeing your top priority and ensuring Numurkah Pioneers Memorial Lodge feels like home.
NEW LOOK INTRANET Have you seen the new look Intranet? It’s recently been updated to make your life easier while working at NCN! From the home page you can easily navigate to all areas of the health service. Making it your one stop shop for information. You can easily find: Rosters Policies and Procedures Upcoming Events Training pages Uniform information and ordering portal Incident Reporting Latest News And if you’re looking for specific information relating to your department, another department or who to contact you can find all of that along the top banner. We will be highlighting different features of the Intranet over on the Staff Facebook Group - NCN Health Staff Updates, so make sure you’re a part of the group.
RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE SITE AUDITS On November 21 a site audit was conducted at Karinya and assessed against the Food, Nutrition and Dining and the Infection Control and Prevention standards. This involved: Food, Nutrition and Dining Patient choice, complaints and feedback, and the dining experience. Reviewing the quality indicators and resident notes regarding weight loss and management, and monitoring and assessment of texture modification. Infection Control and Prevention Review of the Outbreak Management plan and 1st 24 hours Discussion re processes and review of facility and resources. The Assessor stated that there were no risks or concerns identified. Banawah Nursing Home and Pioneers Lodge also had infection control audits.These received excellent results with no risks or concerns identified. All sites including Irvin House were involved in site visits to assess infection control standards. The systems and processes in place demonstrate our infection control measures are providing protection for our residents and staff and that during outbreaks, particularly COVID recently, we quickly respond and minimise spread of disease.
NCN Health People Matters Survey Results October 2022 - 233 responses - 53% of workforce Sexual Harassment reported in the past 12 months
5% of workers witnessed sexual harassment in the workplace.
95% Of workers experienced no sexual harassment in the workplace.
sexually suggestive comments or jokes - 64% intrusive questions about a person's private life or physical appearance - 27% unwelcome touching, hugging, cornering or kissing - 36%
Reported Sexual Harassment incidents
inappropriate physical contact - 18%
Perpetrators of sexual harassment 64% of incidents reported were perpetrated by clients/customers/patients/stakeholders. 36% of incidents reported were perpetrated by colleagues.
Unsure what to do next? There are many options if you experience sexual harassment in the workplace. Use your Bullying and Harassment Training, speak with your manager or contact Tracy Gadbury or the EAP Contact: Tracy Gadbury Employee Relations Manager - NCN Health 0476 393 328 Tracy.Gadbury@ncnhealth.org.au
Contact: Employee Assistance Program 1300 364 273 0401 33 77 11 (Text only) Via App - AcaciaEAP eapcounselling.com.au
Patient Communication Boards Revised After feedback from staff and consumers, a simplified co-designed template is now available! In some patient rooms across campuses there are instances where boards are too small or old boards have not been removed, this has caused some confusion among staff and consumers as to which board they fill out. Throughout Nov-Dec, the current fixtures will be removed and replaced with the new larger A1 size boards and templates further aligning the process across NCN Health. The new template is available in portrait or landscape.
Why are the communication boards so important? It’s a provision of information for the patient.
Asking “what matters to you?” helps to establish a relationship between people giving and receiving care.
Improves clinician-patient communication, patient safety and overall patient satisfaction.
What is my role? On admission to the ward, verbally explain the purpose of the board to the patient/family. Use a white board marker (not a permanent marker) to write the day, date, room number and name to identify who will be caring for them during each shift Check and update the discharge plan and date Add relevant instructions or information about the plan for the day. Ask the patient ‘what matters’ to them, this may clinical or non clinical information. Update the board if there is a change in information. The board will be reviewed during bedside clinical handover at every change of shift. Check whether any patient, carer or family member have questions. When the patient has been discharged or moved beds/wards, remove all information off the board ready for the next patient
Continuous Improvement Auditing will be completed quarterly and the ward will provide evaluation of patient bedside communication boards as part of their quality improvement plan.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER No personal or sensitive information is to be displayed. Patient privacy and confidentiality are respected at all times. Use plain language - simplify jargon and avoid abbreviations ‘What Matters’ is not a lengthy story. One to three words helps staff to quickly identify what matters to the patient. Then use these as prompts to strengthen your relationship. Meaningful connections leads to more inclusive healthcare decisions, care strategies, personalised communication and trust. Encourage the patient and family to write their ideas, questions or concerns on the board. A damp disposable microfiber cloth is used to clean the board. The board & pens must be cleaned following each patients discharge. Keep boards updated! Patient satisfaction and safety actually suffer when patient communication boards are only used sporadically. Remember, patients have little else to look at make sure the patient communication board is doing its job.
AROUND
THE GROUNDS What happened at NCN Health in November?
WORLD RADIOGRAPHY DAY November 8th was World Radiography Day. Did you know that X-rays, discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895, have revolutionised medical diagnostics? Here are some fascinating X-ray facts: - The first image Wilhelm took using X-Ray was an image of his wife's hand. - X-rays were initially called "X" because they were an unknown form of radiation. The name stuck! - X-rays can penetrate soft tissues, but not dense ones like bones. This allows us to see inside the human body without invasive procedures. - X-rays are not just for medical use. They're used in fields like airport security and material testing. At NCN Health, we are fortunate to have an amazing team of radiographers who work tirelessly to provide high-quality X-Ray and Ultrasound imaging services to our community in Nathalia, Cobram, and Numurkah.
2023 FOOTY TIPPING WINNER - JOHN FOTHERGILL
THE RACES COME TO KARINYA No one was missing out on the action and fun of racing season at Karinya House! For Oaks Day, Karinya hosted a picnic lunch with some special guests and around Melbourne Cup the residents were treated to visits from a few horses - some real and some not so real. Can you guess which one was the imposter?
FUN SCRUBS AND CASUAL FRIDAYS Cobram Acute Ward Staff, Irvin House staff, Patients and Residents are loving Fun Scrubs and casual Fridays!
NCN HEALTH SOCIAL CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY The Christmas Party was held at Cactus Country last week. What a fun night it was for everyone in attendance. With lots of prizes on the line, the competition was high. Check out some of the pics below. To see all the fun head to the Social Club page on the Intranet for the full photo gallery.
NATHALIA CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TREE Hospice were on site at Nathalia last week and have placed a Christmas tree in the main foyer with cards for anyone to place messages for and/or about loved ones this Christmas period. Reception have more cards if needed. Please feel free to use the tree and encourage others to do the same.
ALL ABILITIES TALENT SHOW Irvin House Residents, volunteers and staff attended the All Abilities Talent Show at the Cobram Civic Centre. The event was held to mark International Day of People With Disability (IDoPWD) and to celebrate the talents of our local community members.
Coming up in December 14 18 19 20 25
New Staff Orientation Day Cobram Staff BBQ Numurkah Staff BBQ Nathalia Staff BBQ Christmas Day!
STAY UP TO DATE In between news letter drops you can easily stay up to date with everything happening across the campuses via the Intranet and our staff Facebook group. If you haven't joined the staff Facebook group - jump onto Facebook and search for NCN Health Staff Updates, or follow this link: NCN Health Staff Updates
Did you know that the Intranet is a treasure trove of useful information? If you haven't had a look recently, you should!
If you have anything to add to future newsletters, please email ncncommunications@ncnhealth.org.au