Foundation News Plus Latest updates from St Andrew’s Hospital Foundation.
Foundation Update
Nursing and Clinical Services Update
Welcome to the third edition of the Foundation News Plus, featuring our 2021 Annual Appeal. 2020 was a very successful year for our fundraising efforts, and we exceeded our Annual Appeal target! The Paediatric Ward Refurbishment is almost complete and we look forward to bringing you pictures of the final product soon! This year, we are raising funds to support breast cancer. St Andrew’s treats over 1,000 breast cancer patients annually and this figure is growing each year. Please take the time to read our appeal overleaf and donate if you can. We have set a target to raise $100,000 to purchase the ‘in-theatre’ specimen radiology system. In this edition, we are also proud to tell you about a recent purchase of an I-Simulate Pro Training System and Manikin to facilitate simulated CPR and heart attack diagnosis. Finally, we are both proud and humbled to introduce you to Geoff and Sylvia who are sharing their story about making a bequest to St Andrew’s in their Will. This ultimate gift allows individuals to support St Andrew’s at a time when they are most able. In turn, the hospital can rely upon their generosity in the future as it looks forward to caring for South Australian’s for many years to come.
St Andrew’s has been extremely busy in recent times as we have recently increased our operating lists as reported in the last update. We are thrilled the foundation has pledged to support the purchase of a Faxitron Imaging Radiology System for its 2021 Annual Appeal. This latest technology imaging system will make a significant difference. Employing the latest technology for our breast cancer patients is vital to ensuring excellent outcomes. Thank you in advance for your support. The Paediatric Ward and DOSA Refurbishments have seen real improvement in comfort and patient flow. Our teams worked incredibly hard across engineering, clinical and project management to bring these to life. Thanks to the support from foundation donors, we have been able to purchase a number of items listed within. Thank you for helping us to provide the very latest technology for our patients and their surgeons and nursing teams. It makes a significant impact to ensuring the highest level of patient care. As always, please accept our sincere thanks. Our nursing and clinical teams are appreciative of the support shown to the foundation. What they see, is people championing them to deliver the best care possible to their patients.
Jacquie Wiley Director Nursing and Clinical Services Amy Bredon Foundation Director
Supporting St Andrew’s Hospital Since 2000
Foundation contact: Ph (08) 8408 2005 foundation@stand.org.au stand.org.au/donate
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AUTUMN 2021
2021 Breast Cancer Annual Appeal
Introducing the St Andrew’s Hospital Foundation 2021 Annual Appeal. This year our goal is to raise $100,000 for Breast Cancer testing equipment.
The Stats
It is estimated that 19,974 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020*. St Andrew’s undertook 1,095 breast procedures in 2020, making us the busiest breast cancer service in South Australia.
In addition, we cared for 205 people who had chemotherapy as a result of breast cancer, totalling 1,839 sessions. In Australia, the overall 5 year survival rate for breast cancer in females is 91%. If the cancer spreads to the lymph nodes,
the 5 year survival rate drops to 80%. Detection and treatment which employs the latest technology, best nursing care and highly skilled surgeons is critical in increasing survival rates. * Cancer Council Australia, https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/ types-of-cancer/breast-cancer, cited 19th April 2021.
Could you be an Excellence Creator? Later this year, we will be searching for ‘Excellence Creators’ to help us support the hospital in its mission of achieving Medical and Surgical Excellence. Our Regular Giving Program will invite you to become an ‘Excellence Creator’ by committing to a monthly donation to the foundation. The amount of the donation is totally up to you. It could be $10, it could be $100.
A monthly donation will enable us to provide funding to the hospital for when and where it needs it most. Regular income to the foundation allows us to plan and provide for the hospital now and in the future. If you would like to join us on this journey, please register your interest by emailing foundation@stand.org.au or calling 8408 2005.
Regular Giving
Our Goal – A Faxitron Trident HD Radiography System Accurate detection of breast cancer tissue is fundamentally critical to ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients. Survival rates are directly impacted by surgical outcomes and treatment. Informed clinical decisions about the best course of care for each patient is paramount for individual patient centred care. The Faxitron Trident HD Specimen Radiography System provides high definition, in-theatre imaging of breast biopsies and larger tissue samples. The technology allows surgeons to view x-ray images of the breast tissue to ensure they remove all cancerous tissue. The system allows all this to happen in the theatre. This reduces the time under anaesthetic and the system employs 4HD technology, creating instant detailed images.
Allowing the surgeon the ability to see the lesion within the excised tissue during surgery using x-ray is essential. Having this facility overseen by the surgeon in the operating room is best practice and is becoming “standard of care” in most major centres around the world. Historically, an operating surgeon will need to leave the operating theatre complex with the tissue specimen and take it to a remote radiology department for x-ray. If a further excision is required during the case, another visit to the radiology department will be required. On each occasion, the surgeon would need to leave the patient anaesthetised, un-scrub
and then return to the operation after going through a repeat scrub and re-gowning. Assuming the radiology department is ready to receive the specimen, each occasion may take up to 10 minutes or more. With the Faxitron, the surgeon can remain sterile and ready for surgery throughout the assessment. They can orientate the specimen for imaging and receive “real-time” feedback to confirm appropriate excision. Removing the correct amount of tissue improves cancer and cosmetic outcomes. The Faxitron facilitates this process and minimises anaesthetic duration and therefore hastens patient recovery.”
Dr David Walters, Endocrine and Breast Surgeon, supports the purchase of the system, and explains below the significance of employing the latest technology. “With the advancements in breast screening technology, we are increasingly dealing with early disease, long before there is anything able to be felt by patient or surgeon. The target for surgery is often an x-ray abnormality. These targets can range from a solitary lesion, a few millimetres in diameter, through to large diffuse areas of disease. In the latter scenario, accurately assessing the extent of disease and the adequacy of excision can be the difference between conserving the breast or mastectomy (the surgical removal of the entire breast). When the goal is breast conservation or “ lumpectomy”, up to 25% of these patients will need to return to the operating theatre for further surgery to improve the clearance of the cancer.
2021
Breast Cancer Annual Appeal
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Patient Story – Penny Michael “St Andrew’s is everything it should be and what others find hard to achieve.”
When Penny turned 50 years of age, she decided to visit her GP to organise some routine tests to assess her general health. A breast examination did not detect the tiny lumps they later detected in a mammogram at St Andrew’s. “If I didn’t have access to the latest equipment at St Andrew’s, we wouldn’t have found it.” Dr David Walters cared for Penny during her stay in St Andrew’s, which resulted in a double mastectomy and 6 months of chemotherapy supported by Dr James Dickson. The care she received was second to none. “I felt like I was in capable hands from the start. As soon as I met Dr Walters and the staff at St Andrew’s, I felt safe and at ease about what lay ahead. The specialist breast centre provided everything I needed during my surgeries and treatment.
2021
Breast Cancer Annual Appeal
“The team have to be supported in their work. Breast Cancer isn’t going away. I feel like we have a responsibility to the next generation and to the many 1,000’s of women like me to provide the doctors and nurses with the very best and latest equipment to ensure the best outcomes for everyone.” Penny credits Drs Walters and Dickson, and the St Andrew’s team with saving her life. “These doctors are saving people’s lives. It’s as simple as that. We need to give them the best equipment to help them do their jobs. I strongly encourage people to support where they can to help purchase the Faxitron for the benefit of St Andrew’s and their patients.”
“You could have the most skilled surgeons in the world, but they need the equipment and the backup. Fundraising by the Foundation and its donors is key to providing this for St Andrew’s. We have a responsibility to help the doctors to help us, the patients.”
That is the way Geoff and Sylvia Lake think of their gift to St Andrew’s. Sylvia says, “Making a bequest to the foundation is a gift that spreads outward, touching many other lives, through St Andrew’s determination to provide healthcare that is second to none.”
Geoff underwent lifesaving surgery at St Andrew’s in 2015. Following the surgery was a lengthy recovery. They both attribute the successful outcome to the skill of the doctors, combined with the care and dedication of the nurses.
Geoff’s medical episode had a profound impact on their outlook on life. So much so, that when Geoff retired from full time work one year later, he took up voluntary work at St Andrew’s. “My role includes assisting patients when arriving at the hospital for treatment, serving in the Coffee Shop and being involved in a couple of the hospital subcommittees as a non-medical representative. I have found my time spent in and around the hospital to be a very positive experience because of its culture, and the care and commitment shown by staff.” As a final gesture, due to Geoff and Sylvia not having any direct family in Australia, they decided to make a bequest to the foundation in their Will. Their contribution will help ensure medical and surgical excellence, ultimately supporting St Andrew’s to continue to deliver positive outcomes for patients in the future.
“ Making a bequest to the foundation is a gift that spreads outward, touching many other lives.”
Waverley Network and Hay Society We are proud to acknowledge our major donors and people who have left a gift to St Andrew’s, by offering membership to the Waverley Network and Hay Society, respectively. Donors who contribute over $20,000 (cumulatively) are offered membership to the Waverley Network. Individuals who leave a bequest to the hospital by making a planned provision in their Will for St Andrew’s, are offered membership to the Hay Society.
In some cases, donors choose to make a bequest, because it allows them to make a significant contribution to benefit future generations, but it is delayed and therefore does not impact their current financial situation. We are very grateful for all gifts, regardless of their size. We welcome you to contact our Foundation Director, Amy Bredon should you wish to have a confidential discussion. Telephone 8408 2005
WAVERLEY NETWORK
HAY SOCIETY
To donate visit www.stand.org.au/donate or call 8408 2005
“A Gift that spreads outward”
Projects Update and More... Paediatric Ward Sneak Peak
Little 7 year old Noah was one of the first patients to stay in the refurbished Paediatric Ward. Getting the ‘thumbs-up’ from Noah and his Mum Victoria, he said it was ‘much nicer than last time I was here - It even has a bathroom!’ The last components of this refurbishment will be completed in the coming months and we look
forward to bringing you pictures of the finished room in the next News Plus. Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this amazing result by donating to the 2020 Appeal.
I-Simulate Pro - Key to Managing an Emergency We recently provided funding through our Medical Education Fund to purchase a state-of-theart simulation system and manikin for emergency simulation training. Advanced Life Support training is essential for our clinical teams. Simulation systems provide the ideal environment for our nurses to practice this skill, including CPR and heart attack diagnosis. The system allows the teams to train where equipment such as defibrillators and cardiac monitors
Welcome Marie and Congratulations James!
are replicated on a large iPad screen and function as though they were real through activated buttons, dials and keys. Medical records including ECG’s, X-rays, scans and laboratory results are viewed on a second screen. The manikin allows CPR training and insertion of a ‘supraglottic airway’. This life saving skill is complex, and regular training is essential for patient safety and ensuring the best outcome. This training is provided to a large number of our highly skilled nursing staff.
Time for our Volunteers to ‘put their feet up’!
We recently welcomed Coffee Shop Supervisor Marie Dimasi to our team. Marie has a wealth of hospitality experience, and has previously managed the café at the Western Community Hospital and canteen at Immanuel College. Her expertise has already seen our revenue grow, which is critical, as all the Coffee Shop proceeds are donated to the foundation to allow us to further support the hospital!
Our almost 100 strong volunteer group are the cornerstone of several functions within the hospital. Ever-welcoming with a smile and friendly hello, they are often recognised as a memorable part of a patient’s journey at St Andrew’s.
Volunteer James recently accepted a position as Theatre Orderly. James is studying medicine, and like a number of our other volunteers, has secured employment with the hospital. Congratulations James and all the very best for your study. We are sure it won’t be too long before we have to change your name tag to Dr Fowler!
5 years Mary Withers, Robyn Octoman, Denise Cotterill, Robert Morgan, Jayne Stephens, Peter Accordato, Raymond Mules, Carol Swarbrick, Alison Evans, Pamela Hughes, Lorraine Venn, 10 years Bronte McGair, Barbara Richards, Eleanor Harding, 15 years Janet Rawcliffe, 25 years Robyn Macpherson.
To mark National Volunteer Week, we hosted our volunteers at the Regal Theatre for a viewing of ‘June Again’. We also acknowledged the following volunteers who are marking a significant service milestone.
Thank you to each and every volunteer – your contribution is appreciated and we are very thankful.