PAGE 18 - “THE STAR” Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Health service honoured GIPPSLAND Southern Health Service (GSHS) has been awarded for aspiring to provide excellence in healthcare. GSHS was named a Studer Group Australian Healthcare Organisation of Distinction 2017. Studer group makes two awards each year and GSHS was the recipient of the second 2016-17
award. The Studer Group partners with 45 health organisations within Australia representing approximately 175 facilities. In presenting the award, Studer’s Michele Dobe noted the significant achievements made by GSHS staff over the past two and a half years. GSHS started its partnership with the Studer
Group in 2015, with a particular focus on enhancing staff engagement following significant changes to the executive team. “From the outset we named our program the Excellence, every person, every time program or simply the Excellence program, a reference to our vision ‘Excellence in healthcare’,” GSHS
Top care: members of the Gippsland Southern Health Service Excellence, every person, every time leadership program with the Australian Healthcare Organisation of Distinction 2017 awarded by The Studer Group. From left, midwife educator Linda Fiddelaers, supply manager Frank Degenarro, theatre ANUM Janet Kolotelo, assistant director of nursing Anita Sorenson, executive director of nursing Vicki Farthing, CEO Mark Johnson, human resources manager Ali Dobson, director of primary healthcare Selina Northover, theatre nurse unit manager Julie Marriott, allied health manager Viv Carroll, palliative care coordinator Mary Ross-Heazlewood, Leongatha Ward NUM Chris Busuttil and community health manager Belinda Ogden.
CEO Mark Johnson said. During the partnership, GSHS has moved from an organisation at risk of not meeting safety and quality standards and in financial difficulty to one that is fully accredited against the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and Aged Care accreditation standards. “We have achieved a significant turn-around in financial performance, from a deficit of $1.35 million in 2014-15 to a small surplus in 2016-17 which we will formally announce at our annual general meeting in November, an improvement of well over 150 percent,” Mr Johnson said. “Our staff engagement index has increased by 11 percentage points from 61 percent in 2014 to 72 percent in 2017. “Our patient engagement as measured by the Victorian Healthcare Experience Survey has remained high with 98.34 percent of patients rating their hospital experience as either ‘very good’ or ‘good’ in the January-March quarter of 2017. And, there has been a steady decline in patient complaints. “Together with the Studer Group, we are on a journey to improve the sustainability and viability of our organisation, develop a culture of true person centred care, and be recognised by our community as an organisation that they can rely to provide ‘excellence in healthcare’.” GSHS has praised all staff on this great achievement. “We are honoured and extremely pleased to be named the Studer Group Australian Healthcare Organisation of Distinction,” Mr Johnson said. “The award recognises our team’s commitment toward improving the patient experience and the achievement of our vision - Excellence in healthcare. Why is this important to us? Because the people who come to us for care are our community, our friends and our families.”
Breast screening to return to Leongatha BREASTSCREEN Victoria is working closely with women who use the Leongatha Mobile Screening Service to ensure none will miss out on this vitally important well-being measure.
Focus on babies: from left, Melanie Tschiderer with little Alexander Murphy, Alexander’s dad Adrian, and Bass Coast Health’s maternal and child health nurse Hayley Blundell at the maternal and child health service’s new home at the Miner’s Dispensary in Wonthaggi.
Breastfeeding made easier LAST week was World Breastfeeding Week and the theme was ‘Sustaining Breastfeeding Together’. World Breastfeeding Week is coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action. Breastfeeding aids the survival of infants and helps them thrive, has long-term health benefits for women, yields economic benefits and enhances wellbeing of all. With this year’s theme focussed on partnerships, Bass Coast Health (BCH) promoted its collaborations with both the Miner’s Dispensary and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation. BCH’s collaboration with the Miner’s Dispensary Pharmacy enabled the relocation in March of its Maternal and Child Health (MCH)
service to its current premises, which provided easier access for parents of babies and young children to receive the expert advice and services of BCH’s MCH nurses. BCH’s collaboration with the foundation to implement the new enterprise bargaining agreement has seen a number of benefits offered to BCH staff who are breastfeeding as part of this agreement. BCH staff who are nursing mothers are able to negotiate flexible rostering to accommodate their baby’s feeding schedule and to take extra breaks to feed their baby in the comfortable surroundings of an area set aside specifically for this purpose. Moves are also currently underway to develop a labelling system and purpose specific fridge for storing expressed milk.
BreastScreen Victoria was forced to cancel the final week of its visit to Leongatha unexpectedly on Wednesday morning with the radiographer called away due to a family emergency. “This has been a challenging few weeks for us,” said BreastScreen Victoria’s director of operations Karlene
Willcocks. “We had some staff illness which required the rescheduling of some women’s appointments; this further issue has resulted in us having to stop screening altogether. “None of it is ideal, but we have done everything in our power to accommodate the community’s needs.” BreastScreen Victoria can confirm the service will return to Leongatha later this month to secure screens for women who had their appointment cancelled or had not been able to arrange a time in their busy schedules. “Our staff were able to reach out to women who arrived at the van site
at the Gippsland Southern Health Service on Wednesday morning to find it without a radiographer,” Ms Willcocks said. “The process of rescheduling appointments will start shortly. “No woman will miss out on the opportunity to take up what is a vitally important preventative health measure. “While the Leongatha service closure is disappointing, BreastScreen Victoria is committed to delivering a service to the standard that local women have come to expect and rely upon.”
Mayor’s message Cr Ray Argento
THE long wait for the return of the Long Jetty is almost at an end. Recently the Long Jetty Project Control Group (PCG) announced that SMC Marine Pty Ltd has been awarded the contract by Gippsland Ports to reconstruct the iconic Port Welshpool landmark. This followed a comprehensive assessment of all tenders by a tender team convened by Gippsland Ports. The proposal submitted by SMC Marine was unanimously supported by PCG members and approved by the Gippsland Ports board, and will deliver a substantially better product than the original design. SMC Marine is a maritime contractor with a wide range of marine construction capabilities. Recently they have designed and constructed the Anderson Road Jetty at Cowes and the Myer Street Jetty at Lakes Entrance. They also designed and constructed all marine components of the boat har-
bour in Augusta and designed and constructed a new inner section of the Val Street Jetty in Rockingham, both in Western Australia. The project will see the inshore 190 metres (pile rows one to 62) rehabilitated on the existing piles crossheads and beams with precast concrete deck panels. The piles will be rehabilitated as much as is practical to retain their appearance. From pile row 62 to the start of the burnt section (pile row 250), a distance of approximately 572 metres, the existing structure will be demolished and replaced. It will follow the same alignment, with a new structure comprising timber piles and crossheads with a composite steel beam and concrete deck. The new timber piles will be turpentine species driven at a rake to match the existing piles at six metre centres compared to the three metre centre of the piles in the existing jetty. The slipway approach will be partially reconstructed in a similar manner to the jetty and the existing winch shed will
be restored and re-erected on the rebuilt slipway approach. The outer end of the jetty, beyond the end of the reconstructed jetty, will be demolished, with the piles being cut off at two metres below low water to be retained as habitat. Navigation aids will be installed to define the underwater habitat area. The jetty will be finished to the requirements for disabled access and fitted with a fibreglass handrail on sides, public lighting, a water supply and fire service. Following completion of the works there will be the opportunity to provide interpretative information around the history of the Long Jetty I am very happy there is already activity at the jetty. As a local, this has been a long time coming. We would never have got to this stage without the tireless dedication of those people who lobbied, encouraged and organised in support of the jetty’s return. The new jetty will be a lasting testament to your efforts and an impressive sight for decades to come.