Balance E-Newsletter - Vol 5 Winter Edition

Acknowledgement of traditional custodians

The North West Hospital and Health Service respectfully acknowledges the Elders past and present and the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waterways which we service and declare the North West Hospital and Health Service’s commitment to reducing inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes in line with the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (Closing the Gap).

Acknowledgement of Australian South Sea Islanders

North West Hospital and Health Service formally recognises the Australian South Sea Islanders as a distinct cultural group within our geographical boundaries. The Northwest Hospital and Health Service is committed to fulfilling the Queensland Government Recognition Statement for Australian South Sea Islander Community to ensure that present and future generations of Australian South Sea Islanders have equality of opportunity to participate in and contribute to the economic, social, political and cultural life of the State

Vision, Purpose, Values

Our Vision

To lead the delivery of safe, sustainable healthcare in our unique region with our diverse partners and communities.

Our Purpose

Partner with our communities to improve health outcomes by delivering valued, high-quality and sustainable health services that are close to home.

Our Values

Our values will guide our decision making and actions as we commit to respecting, protecting, and promoting human rights in our decision making and actions. These values include Innovation, Respect, Engagement, Accountability, Caring, and Honesty.

NWHHS Balance From the Board Chair

Cheryl Vardon

Dear North West,

Social calendars are always extra busy across our region during winter, and I urge staff to get out there, enjoy the events and make memories with our unique communities There is much light-hearted fun to be had Great examples are Mount Isa Hospital Junior Doctor Vidhushan (Viddi) Paheerathan from Mount Isa Hospital being crowned ‘Australia’s Best Butt’ at the Julia Creek Dirt and Dust Festival and various staff entering items at the Mount Isa Show Seeing people making the most of their time ‘out west’ is wonderful!

Board members have been busy these past months continuing to build relationships with staff and stakeholders across the North West. Some highlights include:

Travelling to Normanton to meet Carpentaria Shire Council Mayor Cr Jack Bawden and visit the Normanton Hospital

Travelling to Urandanji, Dajarra, McKinlay, Cloncurry and Julia Creek to greet staff and visit facilities

Travelling to Mornington Island and Doomadgee to participate in a community BBQ and recruitment drive with Executive Staff

Travelling to Camooweal to learn about the QAS pilot program and spend time with staff and stakeholders

Spending time in Mount Isa with our Executive Leadership Team, junior doctors and graduate nurses

Visiting various departments across Mount Isa Hospital, including the ever-welcoming kitchen staff

Participating in the formal Welcome to Country for HSCE, Sean Birgan

Participating in Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week celebrations

The vastness of our region remains at the forefront of the Board’s advocacy efforts, and it is acknowledged that effective emergency aeromedical services are vital in reducing health service access disparity I recently joined a dedicated group of community leaders as a member of the Life Flight North West Queensland Advisory Committee and look forward to working with this group to keep helicopters in the air.

The Board congratulates Sean Birgan for his successful appointment as Health Service Chief Executive We look forward to your continued leadership and collaborative contribution to actions that support the implementation and delivery of strategic priorities We would also like to welcome Tanya Mason, Chief Finance Officer Tanya has ‘hit the ground running’ by identifying robust financial initiatives to support the NWHHS from increasing financial pressure

An opportunity to revitalise and energise the future direction of NWHHS to better meet the local community’s needs has been identified with a review and alignment of current values, strategic vision, purpose and priorities

An experienced consultant has been appointed to facilitate the development of an integrated updated strategic plan embedding country-centred thinking and insights from the Health Equity Strategy A revised strategic intent will be beneficial to support innovation and increase impact and value with concepts of Country, truth-telling, healing, establishing/expanding place-based solutions, shared culture, and accountability

I thank all staff for your continued passion and commitment to supporting our communities

Cheryl

NWHHS Balance

From the Health Service

Chief Executive Sean Birgan

I am pleased to share the Winter edition of the Balance magazine with you, reflecting on the achievements, stories and strides we are making across our hospital and health facilities in the North West

Over the last seven months, it has been a privilege to be acting Health Service Chief Executive for North West HHS Together, with the dedicated and committed staff of the health service, we have already achieved many positive outcomes, and I am honoured to continue this great work after my permanent appointment to the role I am committed to leading the delivery of safe, high-quality services for our North West communities and ensuring that North West HHS continues to be a workplace of choice

We have secured funding to replace the on-site staff accommodation facilities at the Mount Isa Hospital This project will encompass a comprehensive overhaul of all rooms and ensuites, providing a fresh and modern living space for staff All common areas will undergo the replacement of furniture and appliances and an undercover outdoor barbeque area will also be a new addition. We know that many staff move from other parts of the state to work in our health service, and we are looking forward to providing those needing accommodation with a contemporary living space

Under the new Palliative and End-of-Life Care Strategy and Queensland Health Specialist Palliative Care Workforce Plan, palliative care services in the North West are expanding. The investment will be used to establish and recruit new permanent workforce positions to expand and enhance the palliative care services in our region This expansion will enable us to ensure care remains high-quality, accessible, and enables people to exercise genuine choice at end of life

We were pleased to launch a new hybrid virtual reality training model for nursing and medical staff across the region’s health facilities in June This new technology will allow the delivery of education from Mount Isa to remote sites without the need to travel

There are many events filling up the social calendar during winter in the North West. including the Mount Isa Rodeo With more visitors in town than usual, I encourage you to stay well, look out for each other and enjoy the festivities

Regards,

Sean

Students delight aged care residents

Students from St. Joseph's Catholic School in Cloncurry are brightening the days of our aged care residents.

We are very happy to share how wonderful it has been to see Cloncurry students regularly visiting our residents at the residential aged care facility at the Cloncurry Hospital.

The students have been enjoying interacting with the residents, playing chess, reading books and colouring together. Most recently they have introduced the residents to 'balloon tennis'.

The students, teachers and residents have all been enjoying their time together.

These visits are very special for the residents, and we look forward to welcoming the students back for many more visits throughout the year.

Generous donation

of blankets and wraps

Thank you to the Redlands Uniting Church Craft Club for their recent donation of blankets and wraps for the Maternity Ward and Special Care Nursery at Mount Isa Hospital.

Two ex-Mount Isa nurses from the 1970’s, who are members of the club, led the initiative and together the group made or purchased more than 50 wraps and blankets to donate to the hospital.

This donation is a reminder of the power of community and it is heartening to see former Mount Isa nurses giving back to the community they once called home.

Support group for

We are pleased to share that the Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) postnatal support group has started at the MGP Hub on Lucy Street, Mount Isa.

Parents with newborn babies can attend and are able to connect with others who have recently had babies too. During the session, our midwives offer baby and mum checks as well as weigh-ins for the little ones. Parents of babies two to six weeks old are welcome and encouraged to come along.

Since the first birth on 1 June 2019, the MGP program has provided exceptional care and support to 850 women throughout the North West region, marking a significant milestone of four years of providing women with continuous, personalised care through this model.

With Mount Isa having one of the highest birth rates in the state, the MGP program has become an integral part of the health service’s commitment to delivering excellence in maternity care.

Through the MGP program, a woman is supported by the same midwife and a small group of assisting midwives throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and afterwards at home for up to six weeks.

For further information about the support group or the MGP program, please contact MGP.

new parents

Show time across

the North West region

North West HHS staff recently joined in the fun at the Mount Isa Show and Cloncurry Show. The show weekends were popular events with the local community featuring rides, food trucks and a range of giveaways and resources from local organisations.

North West HHS staff set up stalls at both shows and had a great time meeting and mingling with the community.

The Hospital in the Home (HITH) team offered free health checks, including checking blood pressures. The community also had the opportunity to try our new virtual reality headsets that nursing and medical staff will use for training in the future.

Staff from North West HHS also made a statement, taking out a number of awards in the various show categories!

First for A/Executive Director Medical Services Anthea Woodcock in the knitted garment category

First for A/Executive Director People, Culture and Planning Sylvie Brdjanovic in the homemade sauce category

Director of Nursing Troy Lane receiving Second in the parsley category with his basil entry

Third for Manager Public Relations Jasmine Barber in the rosemary category

Staff join in on the

Under 8's Day fun!

Staff from the Mount Isa Hospital

Paediatric Ward recently ventured out of the hospital to Healy State School for their Under 8's Day! We were there teaching the kids about the importance of keeping their teeth and skin healthy.

We had some activities that showed...

How good soap is at making the germs vanish (using glitter to represent germs)

how easy it is to floss the germs out from between our teeth (using playdoh teeth with beads in them and pipe-cleaner flossers) how much fun it is to make big toothy smiles, and then how great those smiles look in photos with our polaroid camera

"A healthy smile is a happy smile" was our message! We loved being out in the community sharing important health information with our next generation.

Know a nurse who would love the opportunity to work in the outback with our paediatric team?

Flights, accommodation and allowances included.

Nurse Unit Manager of the Paediatric Ward, Mel Holden is available to chat and answer any questions you may have - call 4744 4862.

Kids Ward staff at Healy State School

Encouraging the next

generation to call the outback home

A fourth-year rural placement in the small outback town of Cloncurry was enough to ignite a passion for rural medicine in Dr Cameron Hoare and see him make a long-term commitment to return to the North West and work as a doctor.

Fast forward a few years and Dr Hoare is a pillar for healthcare in the community as the Medical Superintendent of the Cloncurry Hospital as well as the Principal and Owner of Ramsay Street General Practice.

“Cloncurry was a fantastic place to grow and learn as a student. My first placement was so rewarding I applied to come back in my sixth-year for a long-term placement of five months,” he said.

“The variety of medicine and the strong relationships formed working rurally means you are constantly challenged and never bored."

“I completed my fellowship under the supervision of some incredible mentors who showed me that working rurally did not mean that you had to limit your skills and abilities.

“I strongly believe that rural doctors are made, not born and see an important part of my role as growing and developing that workforce.

“While working in a rural and remote area doesn’t have to be forever, you will find fantastic mentors and experiences out here that can really help you not only grow as a doctor, but also as a person.”

As the Medical Superintendent of Cloncurry Hospital, Dr Hoare provides direct clinical care, clinical oversight of the hospital and supervision and training of medical students and registrars. When he is not at the hospital, he is working at the Ramsay Street General Practice.

North West HHS is grateful for Dr Hoare’s ongoing contributions to providing quality healthcare in the north west and his commitment to the Cloncurry community.

With a strong team and the support of a community, Dr Hoare says all medical students should take the step to work rurally at some point in their career.

Recognising our nurses

and midwives

We are fortunate to have amazing nurses and midwives who are committed to providing high quality healthcare to our communities in the North West.

We were able to celebrate them in a big way during the month of May with a number of events and celebrations.

We enjoyed a BBQ breakfast for our staff finishing night shift and starting day shift, as well as a BBQ lunch where our Nurse and Midwife of the Year award winner was announced. We wouldn't be able to do what we do without them!

We are so grateful for their continued dedication to our health service and patients, and we loved recognising and celebrating them in the way they deserve.

Did you know nurses and midwives make up more than 45% of our workforce?

Staff Spotlight Our Nurse of the Year

Congratulations to Janelle Stuart-Russell who was announced as the North West HHS Nurse and Midwife of the Year award winner for 2023!

When her husband was given a job opportunity many years ago, there were two locations on offer.. Charleville or Mount Isa. Janelle said she wouldn't be going to Mount Isa!

Well, 15 years later, Janelle is a valued member of not only the Mount Isa Hospital, but the Mount Isa community. Janelle started working with North West HHS in March 2010 as a registered nurse

and has worked in various positions since, including playing a significant role in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations across the North West.

Janelle's energy and presence is felt wherever she goes and her colleagues describe her as trustworthy, respectful, knowledgeable, honest, caring and innovative.

"Over the years, I've learnt that the most important thing is kindness. Leading with kindness is all that matters. This is the region of opportunity and the hospital of opportunity. I feel very lucky and I love my job!"

Mount Isa doctor, Gabrielle Keating, was recently announced as the 2023 Outstanding Rural Generalist Trainee at the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland Awards

Our lovely staff in Cloncurry celebrating Harmony Day with tasty food from several countries and cultures

A virtual reality training model has launched across our North West facilities allowing us to provide training to our remote sites without the need to travel

The Deadly Ears team were recently in town seeing our little ones on the Paediatric Ward

Staff spotted at the R U OK? Convoy in Mount Isa that has been travelling around Australia

Celebrating Administration Professionals' Day with our wonderful admin staff at Mount Isa Hospital

Nurse Nicole Baylis awarded the Undergraduate Student of the Year at the Northern Territory Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards

Staff from North West HHS swapped their work attire for dresses and suits and attended the RFDS Hangar Ball

Palliative Care Expansion

In May, we recognised Palliative Care Week. Staff from the Medical Ward and our Aged and Palliative Care team organised a bake sale to purchase some resources to create a safe, warm and comforting environment for end-of-life care on our Medical Ward.

There were delicious sweet and savoury treats on offer, all for a very worthy cause. A special thank you to local businesses Cayke Time, Brumby's and Grant's Cakes and Pies for supporting the initiative and to our staff who also contributed.

We are also pleased to share that our palliative care services are expanding!

Thanks to the Queensland Government's Palliative and End-of-Life Care Strategy, the investment will be used to establish and recruit new permanent workforce positions to expand and enhance the palliative care services in our region.

Recruitment is currently underway for the additional positions, and we are looking forward to seeing the impact this expansion has on our communities.

Meet the RHD team

The North West HHS Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) team consists of the following roles:

Assistant Director of Nursing RHD (project)

Nurse Navigator RHD

Clinical Nurse RHD

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner

The North West HHS RHD team is a community and primary health care service working to ensure sustainable and effective Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and RHD management in the North West.

Our responsibilities include:

Case management and coordinating patient – centred care for RHD clients with complex care requirements via Nurse Navigator Service. Provide holistic consumer-centred care coordination across the entire consumer journey by enhancing systems integration and reducing fragmentation and barriers for RHD clients

Coordinate Paediatric Cardiology Services and paediatric referrals within North West HHS via Clinical Nurse RHD

Pictured: Jayden Kuchel, Kara Rudken, Clare Newton and Joanne Kingi

Consumer Spotlight

Meet the Chair of the Mount Isa Consumer Advisory Group

Phil Barwick has been a part of the Mount Isa Consumer Advisory Group for the last four years and has been Chair of the committee for about three years

How did you become involved?

I have been interested in improving the health of all residents in the North West region for a long time and saw this opportunity with the Consumer Advisory Group as a way of contributing to consumers improving their own health, and working with our own HHS to provide quality services to residents in an ever improving manner

Why did you become involved?

Being a long term local myself, and my family and of course many friends, have had occasion to use the acute care services provided by the Mount Isa Hospital. Some of these occasions have been quite serious and there is no better comfort than to have a

loved one or yourself experience the care and support of the medical teams during and following lifesaving surgery and other accident and emergency events that most people are subject to at one time or another I believe we owe our hospitals a lot and they are a pillar in any modern community to maintain a great way of life

Why do you believe the consumer role in health services are important?

To be involved with an advisory group is a practical and supportive way of improving the health of residents and assists the North West HHS to remain at the front of quality care. Hospital staff do their jobs with excellence and they should know they are appreciated with evidence provided by consumers The consumer advisory role assists them to also keep in touch with the community, and to know when something is not working properly, and to improve care and quality service on a continual basis

North West HHS Consumer Engagement

Launch of second Hospital Book Swap Library at Mount Isa Hospital

Following the success of the first Mount Isa Hospital Book Swap Library installed in the main foyer last year, a second library has now been opened in Outpatients Department.

This has been made possible with a partnership between North West HHS and Mount Isa City Library, who will provide books ongoing, after they have been retired from their shelves.

Jasmine Barber Manager Public Relations

We aim to provide a mix of magazines, children's books, fiction and non-fiction to provide a wide variety of entertainment. We hope our patients enjoy finding some new reading material while they wait for their appointments.

If you have any books that you would like to donate to the hospital book swap library, please email nwhhs communication@health.qld.gov.au

Outreach Services

Interested to know when outreach services will be visiting your community? Visit the dedicated Outreach Service page on the North West HHS website to stay up to date.

VIEW NEW WELCOME BOOKLET NOW AVAILABLE FOR PATIENTS

From the Consumer Liaison Officer

We continue to welcome feedback from patients, their families and staff who have visited facilities across the North West. Visit the North West HHS website to leave your feedback.

Consumer Compliment

"The staff were very helpful. What I thought was minor and might be time wasted in the emergency department turned out to be more severe and it was good I presented.

The staff treated me with respect and made me feel I was doing the right thing and not wasting time at all."

Leave your feedback by scanning the QR code

Natasha Dew

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

NAIDOC Week

Celebrations across the region

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

During NAIDOC Week, there were BBQ's held across our facilities, including at Mount Isa Hospital, Cloncurry and Doomadgee. North West HHS also had a strong presence at the annual NAIDOC march in Mount Isa. Staff walked proudly with the Mount Isa community, finishing at the Civic Centre, where the MOBFM Family Fun Day commenced.

Teams from ATODS, PPSU, RHD, Diabetes, Child Health, Allied Health, Mental Health and Respiratory were present at the HHS marquee, connecting with community, sharing important health and wellbeing information, as well as talking with students and youth about careers in health.

North West HHS acknowledges the wisdom of Elders who have trailblazed and advocated for better healthcare outcomes for our community, including the unwavering dedication of our Elders who continue to work within the healthcare system.

Workforce

Doomadgee and Mornington Island Recruitment Drive

Members of the North West HHS Executive Team, Director of Nursing

Remote Facilities and North West HHS Board Member Jane McMillan travelled to Doomadgee and Mornington Island in May.

The team hosted BBQ's with staff as part of a recruitment drive for a range of current vacancies, and it was also an opportunity to meet with community members. Along the way, they stopped over to see the team at Burketown

Primary Health Clinic and heard about the solid work in community there, including the Biddungu Brag Wall – a wall of amazing pics of the clinics that have been held in Biddungu when possible, on the alternate week to RFDS.

Special thanks to Gidgee Healing, Mornington Island Health Council, and both Mornington Shire Council and Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council for supporting this initiative. We look forward to working with all interested applicants in progressing job applications

Reconciliation Week

During Reconciliation Week, staff shared a lunch and heard about the many ways that the health service is continuing to improve responsiveness and increase health equity for our First Nations peoples and communities.

Thank you to the Elders, Kalkadoon Community, Kalkatungu Dance Performance group, PCYC Mount Isa, staff and community members for joining us.

North West HHS is committed to achieving health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our Health Equity agenda is fundamental to delivering safe, quality healthcare and addressing the health inequity and the significant burden of disease experienced by Aboriginal people in our region.

Goals of the First Nations Health Equity reform agenda include:

Actively eliminate racial discrimination and institutional racism

Influencing the social, cultural and economic determinants of health

Work with First Nations people, communities and organisations to design, deliver, monitor and review health services

Increasing access to healthcare services

Delivering sustainable, culturally safe and responsive healthcare service

Reconciliation Week is all about respect and understanding.

Spotlight on Mount Isa

The second largest city in the world by land area, and home to the biggest rodeo in the southern hemisphere, Mount Isa is known for it’s mining and agriculture, and has just celebrated its 100th birthday after recognising the 100th anniversary of John Campbell Miles signing the mining lease that gave rise to Mount Isa.

Mount Isa is known as an incredibly multicultural city, attracting people from all over the world for opportunities within mining, health, and service industries. Located 1,829km from Brisbane, and 883km inland from Townsville, the closest major city, Mount Isa is the administrative, commercial and industrial centre for Queensland’s North West. The city shares a boundary with the Northern Territory to the West and includes the township of Camooweal, located 191 kilometres to the North West.

Mount Isa Hospital is the main referral centre within the North West Hospital and Health Service and has 83 beds. Patients from other facilities across the north west region who require specialist treatment and care are referred to either the Mount Isa Hospital or to other major hospitals within Queensland, including Townsville, Cairns and Brisbane.

Specialist outreach patient services are managed from the hospital, which is the major hub for Telehealth services across the entire north-west service area, with five primary health care clinics and six hospital sites having access to 24/7 medical and nursing and midwifery support for the advice and management of lower risk emergency department presentations and other outpatient care.

The traditional owners of the land in and around the Mount Isa region are the Kalkadoon people whose rich cultural heritage has been retained by the preservation of their traditional customs, carvings, paintings, storytelling and sacred sites.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing Tips Taking care of yourself

How we think and feel depends directly on how well our brain is functioning. A healthy, well-nourished and rested body provides the foundation for your mind to function at its best.

You can take better care of your body in three different ways:

1.Get active

Aim to do 30 minutes of physical activity each day. This could be as easy as gardening or walking or as intense as rock climbing or interval training – the activity you choose is up to you.

2. Eat well

Aim to eat a well-balanced and nutritious diet. You could try introducing an extra serve of vegetables to your meals or reducing processed and fast foods.

3. Get more rest

Aim for at least eight hours of sleep each night. This isn’t always easy, especially if you have young children. But, even a small change like shifting your bedtime forward by an hour could make a big difference to your energy levels.

Taking good care of your body is one of the most important things you can do to improve your mental wellbeing.

Dietitian's Corner Pumpkin an

North West HHS Allied Health delicious and easy meal to warm you up this winter.

Ingredients

1 red onion (chopped)

1 capsicum (chopped)

500g pumpkin (peeled and chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup rice

Plain yoghurt

Method

Heat the oil in a frypan then add onion, capsicum and pumpkin, stirring until onion is translucent.

Lower the heat to medium and add garlic, chilli powder, and cumin, stir for 30 seconds.

Add black beans, tomatoes and vegetable stock, stir together

Simmer for 45mins until pumpkin is softened and liquid has reduced.

In the meantime, cook rice

Serve pumpkin chilli on rice and top with large spoon of yoghurt