Murdoch Monthly October 2022

JOHN

A message from the CEO

2. Recruitment Jobsfest

Over 70 new caregivers have completed the recruitment process, after the success of our inaugural Jobsfest. A large number of these recruits have now officially started in their respective departments and wards, across an array of specialities. Welcome to you all!

International recruitment update

in Perth and means you pay even less tax and take home more cash.

See page 13 for more details on the increased salary packaging benefit.

4. Christmas is coming Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner?

Welcome to the October Murdoch Monthly.

1 Festival of Thanks

After a very positive Accreditation result, with all Standards fully met and many commendations of good practice, I hope you all enjoyed the Festival of Thanks celebrations. These 12 days are a small token of my and your managers’ appreciation for all that you do; particularly throughout the COVID and Accreditation periods

We realise Murdoch caregivers have a genuine passion for taking care of people who need your help. We have great pride in you. Thank you.

PS: Uber have not yet sued me for copyright breach! Enjoy you mUber Eats!

St John of God have sent a team to the UK to entice healthcare workers away from the grey skies, badly cooked vegetables and weird accents. 1500 expressions of interest have been received from nurses across the UK and Ireland.

Recruitment remains a high priority, locally, nationally and internationally and will do so for the foreseeable future. You can help the recruitment effort by sharing content posted on our social media accounts with your own community

3. Increased Salary Packaging Benefit

Caregivers can now access an increased salary packaging benefit of up to $15,900 each year. This is not available at any other hospital, public or private,

Our Christmas events are back, bigger and better than ever! See page 16 for the full Christmas Events list for 2022.

You will see that we have added our Length of Service celebration into the Christmas week this year, which means everyone celebrating a milestone year at the Hospital, will get to do so outside in the Marquee

This year’s Caregiver Christmas Carnival on Wednesday 7 December will see new entertainment, rides and surprises that you’ll just have to wait to find out…

Caregivers must RSVP via the QR code on page 16. I can’t wait to see you all there!

Take care, Ben

Reflection

I recently caught up with a friend who had experienced a traumatic bereavement and I was surprised to hear her talking about how she was learning to be more grateful. I am always somewhat curious when people who have endured great pain and trauma talk about gratitude. It seems an ironic response to a situation that is far from something to be thankful about. As I listened to her I was struck by her determination and courage to both face the distress of

her loss and be thankful for all that remained meaningful to her. I could see that for her gratitude was more a mindset than a response.

Researchers tell us that people who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for, experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.

So clearly gratitude is good for us to express, but is also great to receive.

On the bus trip home from being with my friend and still reflecting on my conversation, I noticed how the bus driver’s body language changed when a passenger said thank you to him as they were getting off the bus. I kept listening and watching. There was the loud and hearty ‘thank you’; the quiet and shy ‘thank you’; the ‘cheers mate’; and the simple thumbs up. Every time the driver was

thanked he looked up, smiled and sat a little taller in his seat. He clearly enjoyed these expressions of appreciation and thanks and actually looked different because people appreciated what he had done for them.

Being both grateful and receiving thanks are good experiences for us as human beings. We thrive in environments of respect and appreciation, and grow more compassionate when we awaken ourselves to the good that surrounds us.

Our Festival of Thanks was a wonderful opportunity to express our gratitude for all that you do and honour the way you transform the lives of our patients and their families with your kindness and care.

May we continue to be a community of caregivers who are enriched and nurtured by both the giving and receiving of gratitude. Thank you.

Jenni Ashton

Our twelve caregivers of the months as well as two sneaky stand ins!

Fremantle Street Doctor donation

Written by Jenni Cunnold

The collection of simple hygiene products for the homeless was born from a very simple conversation. My Mother Kay Cunnold was telling me how the Fremantle CWA had decided to support local charities rather than larger charities that are well known. When I asked who that was, she told me about the Fremantle Street Doctor, which offers medical support for the homeless in the Fremantle region.

The CWA was buying some products with their donations, and when I enquired about what else they may need, she

informed me of the need for deodorant and underwear. The Street Doctor also offers showers and hygiene to the homeless. This small service gives dignity to the many homeless in the area.

The Street Doctor has recently lost funding, so the supply of new underwear and deodorant was impossible. I knew that the caregivers on St Catherine’s and at St John of God Murdoch would be willing to help. With just one simple request, I was inundated with donations.

I liked the idea that it was something you could just pick up with your weekly shop and

that it was for a community near us at Murdoch. I also liked that it would have an immediate impact, and most of all I could see a connection to the story of St John of God.

I knew Murdoch caregivers would be generous and kind, so was confident our caregivers would get involved. The Street Doctor received our donations on Monday 24 October and they were “gobsmacked”, to use their own words. They had only three deodorants left.

I am so very proud of the wonderful caregivers at Murdoch, thank you all for your kind donations.

Pastoral Care Week 2022

Pastoral Care Week 2022 was celebrated from 23 – 29 October. This week gives us the opportunity to shine a light on our Pastoral Services Team.

The presence of pastoral care at Murdoch is synonymous with Catholic healthcare - a defining aspect of our identity and ministry.

The theme for Pastoral Care Week is ‘Relevant and Responsive – Supporting You in Life’s Journey.’ This acknowledges and honours the diverse moments and events our pastoral carers accompany and support patients and their families through.

It’s a great opportunity to reflect upon, and celebrate the

Blessing for a Caregiver

From the Pastoral Care team

May you simply offer whatever healing you can today.

May you allow your breath to be your companion through the day.

….and may you turn affectionately towards your breath.

May the darkness that you encounter be an everpresent reminder of the importance of light.

May you remember that you are a light.

May you share your light. ….may you borrow light from a trusted soul when you need to.

many caregivers who provide therapeutic care at Murdoch, and to recognise that as part of a multi-disciplinary team, we all play a relevant and responsive role in holistic, patient-centred care.

May hard edges remind you to be soft.

…may you remember that soft does not mean weak, nor permeable.

May you observe your own limits.

…may you grow.

May you go slow.

May you meet pain or difficulty with an open heart, gently observing the opportunity for growth.

May you be love.

May you be light.

May you, be you.

Patient Experience Matters

Murdoch NPS

SEPTEMBER

Hospital

Surgicentre

St Michael's

St Mary's

St Elizabeth's

Intensive Care Unit

St Francis

Procedure Unit

St Catherine's

Bridget Clancy

St Rose's

Furlong

St Emilie's

Joseph's

CDS Corner

You might recognise this lovely woman Gloria, who recently knitted and crocheted a number of fiddle squares for patients with dementia and delirium, after reading an article about the project in Inside Health magazine.

Gloria has now recruited her sister Helene to work on the

Murdoch patientsare saying:

Comment 1:

CARDIO CATH LAB

The staff were brilliant and very friendly. I always feel comfortable at SJOG Murdoch.

Comment 2:

CANCER CENTRE

This is my third year of treatment over a 10 year period, 12 sessions in all. The customer service I have received has always been of a high standard and your staff should be complimented on achieving this standard.

Comment 3: ST FRANCIS

Excellent care by all staff. A great atmosphere on the ward and excellent food service.

to all concerned.

fiddle squares with her! She is pictured here with some wonderful Christmas themed squares which she dropped off to the Hospital, for patients over the holiday period.

Her spirit and love of contributing in any way she can is absolutely amazing.

NPS Awards October

Angio DPU

Endoscopy St Elizabeth

Surgicentre Thomas Furlong

Kynan Feeney fan club

Check out the shirt that was spotted on a patient and their family member recently in the Cancer Centre. Looks like we have a mega fan in the building!

Capes4kids

These GORGEOUS handmade capes are gifts for children (they must be tested out first by the nurses of course) who come to our Emergency Department and deserve a token for their super hero bravery!

It helps build a positive memory for their journey in our Emergency Department, which might also help them during a procedure or tough time.

Thank you to the wonderful Maggie Bolsin for sharing this awesome initiative with our ED – it is such an excellent idea and the ED team are so excited to join the Capes4Kids team! Incredible work, Maggie!

For more information on Capes4Kids - please visit capes4kidsaustralia.com.au

If you would like to forward a donation to “SPONSOR A CAPE” please contact request4capes@gmail.com

All sponsorships are Tax Deductible and a tax receipt can be issued and emailed out to you on request.

Foundation Day 2022

We celebrated Foundation Day on October 7.

Foundation Day is a chance to honour the contribution of the Sisters of St John of God. For us, it's an occasion to remember and acknowledge our own moment in history, and envision the future with hope and fidelity.

At Murdoch we celebrated Foundation Day with the commissioning of over 15 new managers across the Hospital, a lunch with all proceeds going to our Charity of the Year Djaalinj Waakinj and of course... coffee!

Director of Mission Integration Jenni Ashton said, "Let us believe,

like the Sisters of St John of God, that we too make a significant difference, in creative and life affirming ways as we transform the lives of others by our care."

The Hospital lit up with the Festival of Thanks from 13 – 24 October, a massive 12 days!

We celebrated in many different ways including fresh juice and smoothies, massage therapists, tunes around the hospital, energising goodies, a caregiver lunch, fresh flowers, a caregiver mass, the launch of ‘mUber’ and more!

This was to celebrate your hard work through the Accreditation period and always… so thank you and keep up the amazing work.

Check out some happy snaps that were taken over the past couple of weeks.

mUber Eats

From our Murdoch family to yours…

Complimentary Family Meal for four

Pick up from Caregiver Dining Room

(Monday to Friday 9.00am –7.00pm)

Must order 2 days in advance.

For the mUber menu, how to order and T&C’s, scan the QR code:

Accreditation – we did it!

Thank you and congratulations to everyone for the Hospital’s Accreditation results in 2022.

1. All standards were fully met

2. No recommendations

3. Many commendations of good practice.

This outcome places Murdoch at the pinnacle of hospitals (private and public) nationally. It is testament to you - our fantastic caregivers.

Kate Brereton – WANMEA awards finalist

In very exciting news, specialist nurse Kate Brereton has been nominated as a finalist in the Consumer Appreciation Award Category for the WANMEA awards.

Representatives from Murdoch, including Director of Nursing and Patient Experience SarahJayne, will be going to the WANMEA award night on November 25 with Kate and her family to help her celebrate.

This is a highly competitive process with hundreds of applications.

“To say I am proud of Kate and the care she provides to our patients every single day does not even begin to touch on

how awesome she is. Stomal Therapy services at Murdoch flourish due to Kate’s dedication and passion.” said Director of Nursing Sarah-Jayne Powell.

Consumer Appreciation Award explained: Nurses and midwives promote health, safety and wellbeing within the community and make a difference to the lives of patients or clients and their families as part of their normal working day.

The Consumer Appreciation Award is the opportunity for a

patient or client or a support person to acknowledge the nurse or midwife who cared for them.

IMAGE Kate Brereton WANMEA finalist (SJGMH)

Salary Sacrifice increase

Remember, SJGHC has been granted special status by the ATO and all caregivers are now eligible for salary packaging benefits significantly higher than the public sector and other private hospitals.

The maximum salary packaging benefit has increased up to $15,900. This means you pay less tax and take home more money.

For someone earning $60K, that’s an extra $5K a year.

You can find out more information about accessing the benefit with Maxxia and what this means for your pay: bit.ly/SHJMH-maxxia-increase

More Murdoch Ball photos

St John of God Foundation

Impact update: generous donors make a real difference for patients and families across Australia

In the last year, our amazing donor community continued to inspire with their generosity, which will enable St John of God Health Care to continue to be a key player in advancing the future of health care in Australia, as well as globally through translational research.

Through generous support from the community, over $4.2 million was raised in FY22 – to help us continue to bring healing, hope and a greater sense of dignity to people in our care.

Donor support helps to drive innovations in health care and to improve clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients and their loved ones. We are truly grateful for the immense generosity of our community, and, to all the St John of God Health Care caregivers who provide compassionate care to patients and clients on the frontline.

Read more at sjogfoundation.org.au/impact

How donations made a difference at St John of God Health Care hospitals and services across Australia.

Highlighting some fabulous fundraisers

Liz Mudri – Djaalinj Waakinj

Absolutely amazing efforts were made by Liz Mudri, who is a Social Worker here at St John of God Murdoch Hospital, who raised over $330 for Djaalinj Waakinj through her fashion stylist raffle. The winner will now receive a range of different incredible prizes including a free styling consultation by Liz and a ‘Float-with-a-friend’ gift card.

A/Prof Kushwin Rajamani –Foundation of Goodness

It was great to see A/Prof Kushwin Rajamani put on a Sri Lankan Culinary Experience Night, fundraising over $35K for

the Foundation of Goodness, which feeds the hungry in Sri Lanka. SJG Bunbury were a sponsor of the event, with many St John of God doctors also attending the fundraiser evening. Kudos to Dr Rajamani and all involved!

Social outreach

Did you know St John of God Social Outreach provided $25.9m in free community services to 6,421 people in need last year, some of which are in our neighbourhood?

Social Outreach can do this thanks to an allocation of revenue from St John of God

Health Care, as well as the generous support of government and private funders, allowing Social Outreach to provide free services in areas of unmet need.

Because of this support, over the past year St John of God Social Outreach’s eight community-based services were delivered to 6421 people and included 43,000 nights of stable accommodation for people at risk of homelessness and 28,159 teleheath counselling sessions.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3SXroOB