Staff News March

COBRAM CAMPUS URGENT CARE CENTRE

The new Urgent Care Centre at Cobram Campus officially opened on Wednesday March 27 Congratulations to Cobram Director of Clinical Services

Carolyn Hargreaves, Nurse Unit Manager Susan Huffer, NCN Health Deputy Director of Nursing Melissa Neal, Operations Manager Bronti O‘Connor, our environmental and maintenance teams and nursing staff for your hard work in transitioning over to the new space

The opening of the new Urgent Care Centre marks the end of stage one of three renovation stages taking place at Cobram Campus, with stage two preparations starting this week.

Stage two renovation includes the demolition of the old ambulance entrance, refurbishment of the old urgent care to create a new ultrasound room, office and toilets. The old acute ward reception will be remodelled and there will be installation of a new fire wall. Access to the main entrance and staff and visitor car parking will change in preparation for stage two internal renovations. There will be no parking for staff or visitors in the front main car park off Broadway street, this area will be partly used for Urgent Care Centre parking and the rest will be fenced off and used by Crow Construction while they manage stage two of renovations

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

Access to the main entrance will be via the footpath on the O’Dwyer street side of the health service, you will enter this footpath near the front of Irvin House residential aged care.

Stage two of renovations is expected to take 6 months. There will be temporary signage put in place to direct the flow of road and foot traffic.

LIFT THE LID ON MENTAL HEALTH

NCN Health is sponsoring the Lift the Lid Mental Health Walk on Sunday May 19th. The walk is organized by Rotary Club of Numurkah with all proceeds going to mental health research through Australian Rotary Health. Entry fee is $30 but the first 50 staff to register will receive free entry and a free t-shirt. Please email ncncommunications@ncnheal th.org.au to secure your free spot. First in best dressed!

PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS

As we approach the end of the financial year, I am pleased to report that NCN Health is in a healthy financial position. However, the Department of Health have flagged that Victorian Public Health services are facing significant budget cuts over the next three years. While details of these budget reductions have not yet been made available, we will need to take this into consideration when planning and implementing our departmental budgets going forward and look closely at all expenditure decisions.

We will provide more information on the proposed reduction in state funding as more detail comes to hand.

MAINTENANCE CAR PARK

Works to resurface the maintenance driveway and parking area at the Cobram campus off Charles street will begin April 6 This will impact deliveries, pick ups, District Nurses and parking. Please read the next page for more information.

NCN HEALTH CEO

Finally, recruitment of a permanent CEO for NCN Health continues, applications for the CEO role closed in early February and the NCN Health Board of Directors are facilitating the recruitment process Hopefully the board will be in a position to announce the new CEO within a few weeks time. Have a great month,

Justin Sullivan Interim CEO

Why was the Incredible Hulk so good at gardening?

He had a green thumb!

Maintenance Car Park Resurfacing

Works to resurface the driveway and parking area at the Charles Street entrance of the health service outside of the Maintenance building will begin from Saturday April 6. There will be no access for parking, deliveries or picks ups through this entrance for the duration of the work, which is expected to take 5 weeks.

Pick-ups and Meals on Wheels will use the next entrance off Charles St, between Dental Clinic and CRC/Community Health.

Deliveries will be made through the Go TAFE car park, located behind the Go TAFE building on O’Dwyer Street, next to Irvin House Residential Aged Care. (Previously the Cobram Vaccination Clinic building). Deliveries can then access the health service via the footpath from the car park to the back of the hospital entrance and stores.

Rubbish Collection

The bins currently located in the maintenance driveway will also be relocated to the Go TAFE parking area.

District Nurses

There will be no access to the District Nurses office area for one week, from Saturday April 6 – Friday February 12. District Nurses will relocate to the new administration meeting room during this timeframe. After February 12 they will be able to access the District Nurses offices from the direction of the hospital ward only They will not be able to enter through the maintenance gate off Charles St.

Parking

There will be no available parking in the maintenance driveway area during the works. Please be aware there will also be no staff parking at the front of the health service in the main car park, as this is now reserved for urgent care patients. More staff parking will be made available in the Moira CRC/Community Health car park, in the back two rows furthest from the health service. These will be signed for staff.

Go TAFE Parking

To ensure access for deliveries to NCN Health and the bins for rubbish collection, there will be strictly no parking in the GO TAFE car park for the duration of the works.

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 March

Roz Johnson Sikholiwe Tshaka

Priscilla Caspar

Helen Lesay

Abbey Brennan

Simone Raco

Amy O’Brien

Ravneet Ravneet

Heidi Maidment

Staff Service Awards

Recognising Service at the organisation for years of service from 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 etc. Life Governor Awarded at 30 years. While there were significant anniversaries for staff in Feb and March, there were no Service Awards.

January

John Fothergill, 40 years

Michelle Strawhorn, 20 years

Geraldine Whalan, 15 years

Kim Wainohu, 10 years

John Fothergill pictured right, celebrated 40 years of service in January.

Michelle celebrates 20 years!

REWARD AND RECOGNITION

Ash Paul - Social Worker / Irvin House

The Irvin House Nursing team would like to recognise Ash. Ash consistently exemplifies the values of NCN Health - respect, accountability, and partnership - in every interaction, demonstrating a commitment to excellence and compassion in the social work and mental health services he provides.

Ash's dedication to providing person-centered care is truly commendable. His approach is marked by patience, empathy, and a genuine desire to support individuals in their journey towards improved mental health and well-being Ash's ability to connect with clients on a personal level fosters trust and promotes positive outcomes for our clients.

Ash's professionalism and integrity shine through. He consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that every individual receives the care and support they need. Whether it's advocating for clients' rights or collaborating with colleagues to develop innovative solutions, Ash is a true asset to our team.

District Nurses - Numurkah DNS

The team picked up a recently discharged patient on very short notice and have provided valuable support to try to help ease the patients concerns. Through this they have also picked up on some further needs that they were not initially referred for and are continuing to support the patient as they settle back home

Brooke Clurey - OT / Numurkah CH&W

Brooke has recently stepped up to provide increased support in the OT space while balancing her other roles. She has helped out on short notice more than once with home visits to assist with the smooth transition home for our acute ward patients

Brodie Hickey

Brodie and a student recently helped Tim, the sonographer with getting a gentleman into position for an ultrasound Tim was very impressed by the positive attitude and help that was on display.

Kath Hepworth - Volunteer / Karinya

Kath is coming every Monday playing piano for our residents and bring some singers with her.

Not only that she is great, she is walking around town in the morning and i noticed she is picking up some rubbish and put in the bin She is a true lovely person for community!

REWARD AND RECOGNITION

Leanne Lester - Reception / Numurkah

Provides amazing customer service to all and does so with kindness and empathy. Always happy to go that extra step to help people, showing respect to everyone Leanne is a wonderful friendly first contact for people at NCN and demonstrates our values in all of her dealings with both staff and clients!

Dani Perri - Ward Clerk/Irvin House

Dani's dedication and professionalism as our Ward Clerk are truly commendable. She meticulously manages our ward operations, ensuring efficiency and organization at every turn Her attention to detail and proactive approach have significantly contributed to the smooth running of our daily activities.

Beyond her administrative prowess, Dani's warm demeanor and unwavering support make her an invaluable asset to our team. Her genuine care for both residents, their families and colleagues creates a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere within our department.

Sijo Joseph - ANUM & After Hours Manager / Numurkah Acute

Sijo has shown leadership and initiative in carrying out his portfolio ie istat testing. He has taken on roster management to help the team on short notice. Sijo has been a good team player that shows he is well engrosed in to NCN values.

Trent - EN / Banawah Nathalia

Partnering with Consumer - Trent ensure that residents have a say in their daily lives in a kind and respectful way He offer support and understanding to all residents, families, staff and students he is involved in each day. Student have commented how welcoming and supportive he is while on placement

Jennie Metzner - Education / Numurkah

Jennie is always assisting and accommodating staff to complete their mandatory training for Safe Patient Handling. She follows up all enquiries in a timely manner as she values both patient and staff safety She is always pleasant and helpful.

Kitchen Staff - All Campuses

A shout out to all the kitchen staff across Nathalia, Cobram and Numurkah for supporting the Harmony Day activities recently The kitchen staff assisted with setting up and packing up the event, and also made a number of delicious meals for staff to sample Thank you so much A great day

REWARD AND RECOGNITION

Chelsey Thorne - Allied Health / Numurkah

I was fortunate to witness (unknown to Chelsey at the time) an interaction that she had with one of our elderly clients. There had been a mix up of dates and times for his appointments for him which meant that he had forgotten to attend his scheduled appointment. Chelsey contacted the gent, and calmly spoke with him to schedule his next appointment. At all times during this call she remained respectful of the gents confusion, she remained calm and compassionate and she explained and apologised to him that NCN Health were the cause for his confusion (accountable) Her interaction with this gent helped him to understand clearly his care pathway and he was very grateful for the time she took to assist him. Thanks Chelsey for always treating out clients with respect, dignity and compassion

Victoria Paterson - EN / Cobram Acute

Victoria is a wonderfully supportive team member. She works well with everyone and is quick to offer support wherever needed She supports, students, nurses and nurse in charge in any way she can. Her rapport with patients and families is beautiful. She treats everyone with kindness and respect and it is for these reasons I am nominating Victoria

Cheryl Thorn - EEN / Nathalia

Going above and beyond for the residents of Banawah. With no activities program currently in place, gives her own time to ensure special events such as St Patricks day, Easter are acknowledged for our residents

THE PAS PROJECT NEEDS YOU!

Are you an RN that’s savvy with technology? The ViTAL replacement project it looking for volunteers to become super users.

Super Users will get focused training on the new Patient Administration System iPM and be willing to help other RNs navigate their way through the new system.

NCN Health is hoping to recruit at least two Super Users per campus. If you are interested please talk to your NUM or email ncncommunications@ncnhealthorgau

SECOND HAND UNIFORM PORTAL

The Launch of the Second-Hand Store is here!!

Current second-hand items have all been inspected for quality and washed onsite before being added to the uniform portal

No login to the portal is required, click the link and have a look at what uniforms we have in stock https://secondhandncnuniformscomau/

**Please note that if you are unsatisfied with the product, size or style unfortunately we are unable to process any refunds

We have a large selection of heavily reduced used uniforms available for all staff to purchase through wage deduction of up to six pays.

The Swell committee are working on a new program to bring Pilates, Yoga and Massage to the campuses for NCN Health staff to participate in.

More details in the coming weeks!

LIFT THE LID WALK

The Rotary Club of Numurkah is hosting Lift The Lid 5km walk for mental health research and awareness

S u n d a y M a y 1 9 , 9 . 3 0 a m

S t a r t i n g L o u i s H a m o n G a r d e n s

i n t o N u m u r k a h S h o w g r o u n d s .

Family friendly event, BBQ lunch health information and guest speaker. Dogs on leads welcome!

R e g i s t e r v i a t h e l i n k o r Q R C o d e

l i f t t h e l i d . c o m . a u / n u m u r k a h

Early bird registration before May 2nd is $30 and includes a free T-shirt. Children under 15 FREE!

LIFT THE LID WALK

NCN Health have 50 tickets for staff and volunteers to join the walk.

To snag a ticket and join the walk RSVP to ncncommunications@ncnhealth.org.au by April 17.

By joining the walk you will receive a Lift The Lid T-Shirt and be representing NCN Health.

OH&S

The OH&S Team have been busy working to make OH&S information easily accessible for all NCN Health staff.

Over the past few weeks important OH&S information has been shared via the Comms Team - hopefully you have all been watching!

You can view the Educational series on the OH&S Intranet Page - which is found under P&C drop down menu.

We have included a couple below.

What is Malware

Malware is any type of software that is intentionally designed to cause disruption. This can be any of the following:

Disruption to a PC

Disruption to a server or network

Gain information to leak

Gain unauthorised access to information or systems

Restrict access to information

Interferes with security software and privacy

Malware is classified into a few different types:

Viruses

Worms

Trojan Horses

Ransomware

Spyware

Adware

Rogue Software

Wiper

Keyloggers

The best ways to mitigate these threats is to ensure that your PC’s, systems and networks are protected and regularly updated. This is achieved by having up-todate virus protection software, strong firewalls, ensuring system updates are completed regularly, regular back-ups and isolating infection systems.

End users are able to assist in this process by ensuring you are aware of what malicious emails and different threats can look like. Then reporting these immediately to the ICT team. The sooner that threats are reported the faster they can be managed, reducing the potential damage.

If you have any questions please email: NCNICT@ncnhealth.org.au

Staff Profiles

Michelle was recently profiled on the ELDAC (End of Life Directions for Aged Care) website as part of Advance Care Planning Week. We had a quick chat to Michelle this week to find out what makes her tick.

What drew you to your role? I have worked in aged care my whole career. What brought me to this area is that you are always caring for someone either the resident or their family member. To make each day the best day possible for the residents

How long have you been with NCN Health for? Over 10 years now

What did you do before NCN Health? Worked in private sector, & dairy farming

What do you love most about working for NCN Health? The people and the positive impact we all have on our community each day

What fills your cup when you’re not at work? Family activities, making a mess in my craft room and now assisting my son and future daughter in law with a wedding!

What book are you reading or podcast are you listening to at the moment?

The English Spy by Daniel Silva

What is one thing you can’t live without? Craft room my quiet space

Michelle Wyatt Michelle Wyatt

AROUND AROUND AROUND THE THE THE GROUNDS GROUNDS GROUNDS

What happened across NCN in March

A wonderful celebration of our cultural diversity took place across NCN during Harmony Week

Commensality (the practice of eating together) is common across all cultures and enjoying food together is a wonderful way of breaking down barriers and finding common ground So it was wonderful to witness the enjoyment of eating together, of sharing recipes and of celebrating similarities and differences of experience.

A big thank you to our Equity and Diversity Lead, Sheridan, Marissa and Claire in the Communications Team and the kitchen teams at each campus for organising the week.

Many thanks to all staff who brought in food to share or those that hosted cooking demonstrations. What a great event overall.

I cannot wait for Harmony Week next year and I will be sure to arrange my diary more carefully to ensure I can make all three celebrations!

Justin Sullivan Interim CEO

You’ve Got Mail

The Cobram Men’s Shed recently created an authentic red letterbox for the residents of Irvin House. Residents can now write and post their own letters.

Pictured below are Men’s Shed members Ken, Barry, Neil and Rod and Irvin House Nurse Unit Manager Jacinta, with resident Neville posting the first letter!

Cobram Urgent Care Centre Opens!

Congratulations to the staff at Cobram Campus on the opening of the new Urgent Care Centre.

Join us for a fun filled day of activities, connect with local groups and clubs, and enjoy the benefits of being active.

EVENT: VENUE: DATE: TIME:

Community Activities at the Rec Reserve - FREE for all

Nathalia Football Ground/Rec Reserve

Thursday April 11 10am - 12pm Hot Shot Tennis and Games

COME AND TRY:

Join us for a fun filled day of activities, connect with local groups and clubs, and enjoy the benefits of being active.

EVENT:

VENUE:

DATE: TIME:

Free Community Activities to get you moving.

Cobram Federation Park

Friday April 12

10am - 12pm

COME AND TRY:

Hot Shot Tennis and Games | Skillzone Socc

Smoothie Bike | Martial Arts Demo | Giant Lawn Games

Primary Care Connect