The Pulse October 2020
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South West Hospital and Health Service OCTOBER 2020 EDITION From the Board Chair 3 Our teams 14 From the Acting Chief Executive 4 South West HHS staff celebrate a year of achievements 15 Operational Staff Week celebrations 17 Our communities 5 What’s in the toolbox? 18 South West First Nations COVID-19 response update 5 Hidden sugars and your health 19 Telehealth Week celebrated across the South West 5 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison Our services 19 Officers and Health Workers 6 Preparing for emergencies across the Take time out for mental health 7 South West 20 Want to quit smoking or know someone CANs join for virtual 2020 Forum 8 who wants to? 21 Allied Health student placement – supporting our community through telehealth 10 After 40 years, Colleen says goodbye 11 Walking works wonders during mental health week 12 A USQ partnership under the microscope in Cunnamulla and Charleville 13 10,000 steps to healthy staff 14 Cover image: Kathryn Avery of St George Hospital was the recipient of the Jim and Jill Baker Award at the annual South West Hospital and Health Service Staff Awards held at the end of October. 1 PULSE October edition | South West Hospital and Health Service We respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands across the South West. We also pay our respects to the current and future Elders, for they will inherit the responsibility of keeping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture alive, and for creating a better life for the generations to follow. We believe the future happiness and wellbeing of all Australians and our future generations will be enhanced by valuing and taking pride in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – the oldest living culture of humanity. SOUTH WEST TRADITIONAL OWNERS Augathella – Bidjara (Bid-jara) Quilpie – Bunthamarra (Bun-tha-mar-ra) and Wangkumara (Wong-ka-mara) Bollon – Kooma (Coo-ma) Roma – Mandandanji (Mand-an-dand-gee) Charleville – Bidjara (Bid-jara) St George – Kooma (Coo-ma) with Kamilaroi, Mandandanji, (Koun-yah) with other interests Cunnamulla – Kunya Bigambul and Gungarri interests (Coo-ma) Dirranbandi – Kooma Surat – Mandandanji (Mand-an-dand-gee) (Kong-ga-bull-a) Injune – Kongabula Thargomindah – Kullila (Coo-lee-lar) (Gon-gari) Mitchell – Gunggari Wallumbilla – Mandandanji (Mand-an-dand-gee) Morven – Bidjara (Bid-jara) Mungindi – Kamilaroi (Car-milla-roy) QUALITY COMPASSION ACCOUNTABILITY ENGAGEMENT ADAPTABILITY This newsletter is produced by the South West Hospital and Health Service. All feedback and contributions are welcome to [email protected]. All published material has been approved by the Health Service Chief Executive. 2 PULSEPULSE October July edition | South West Hospital and Health Service From the Board Chair “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed”. Bob Riley – Governor of Alabama, USA from 2003 to 2011. 2020 has truly been the year of the health hero. Quality Award – Jade Vickers, Lead Wound Care Service All of us have been affected by the Covid-19 – St George pandemic and response in one way or another, Compassion Award – Vicki Graham, Pharmacy Assistant however perhaps none have been impacted more – Roma than those who work in the health care sector. Accountability Award – Alicia Murray, Executive Support Officer, Director Organisational Development – Roma Everyone in the South West HHS has had their work role changed this year – cleaners, laundry teams, catering staff, Engagement Award – Nicky McKellar, Nurse Practitioner administration officers, groundspersons, doctors, nurses and – Charleville other health professionals. It is you who have been on and remain on the frontline in this global pandemic. Adaptability Award – Melinda Brassington, Acting Service Director Director Primary and Community Care – Charleville Everyone has had to step out of their usual mode of operation to embrace the Covid-19 induced changes which have rapidly Community Engagement Award – Keith Codrington, impacted our places of work. This change response to CAN Chair – St George establish new processes to prepare and respond to Covid-19 The Jim and Jill Baker Award for supporting a culture of has been characterised by speed and flexibility, whilst at the excellence – Kathryn Avery, Community Nurse – St George same time, continuing with the many aspects of your role in a ‘business as usual’ mode. The Board Chair Award for outstanding service, dedication and commitment – Bruce Albeck, Groundsman – Wallumbilla. The recent Staff Excellence Awards held virtually on 26 October gave our service an opportunity to recognise the critical role Our South West hospital and Health Board members which all workers within the South West HHS have played in salutes our award winners and sincerely thanks every team keeping our local communities safe whilst at the same time, member for your contribution to the delivery of excellence in continuing with excellence in the delivery of our rural and compassionate care each and every day to the people of remote health services. South West Queensland. Thank you to all staff members who took the time to nominate fellow work colleagues for an award. It was a humbling experience to read the 70 nominations which outlined the Karen Tully outstanding contributions of individuals, teams and workplace Board Chair led initiatives that go ‘above and beyond’ to deliver the best health service and build a great place to work, whilst simultaneously remaining in a pandemic ready state. The awards are structured so that that categories reinforce our commitment to the HHS’s five values. I would like to extend the board’s congratulations to the following staff members who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to our values in their workplace and received awards. 3 PULSE October edition | South West Hospital and Health Service From the Acting Chief Executive As I write this month’s message, I am reminded again of how lucky we are to live and work in the South West surrounded by a stunning landscape and a resilient and dedicated workforce. October was another very busy month across our health service. We celebrated several awareness days and weeks that are designed to help raise awareness of specific health-related issues, mobilise resources and celebrate achievements. The role of our volunteers – our Community Advisory Network Queensland Mental Health Week included Odd Socks Day and (CAN) – is invaluable in providing local perspectives and World Mental Health Day on 10 October, which saw facilities and pointing out areas and issues where services could be partners host breakfasts and events with the overall objective improved. Our annual CAN forum took the form of a two hour of raising awareness and mobilising efforts in support of mental virtual meeting in October and I’ve heard glowing reports health. October was also Breast Cancer Awareness Month and about guest speakers and the generation and sharing of some National Safe Work Australia Month. We also marked Telehealth excellent insights and ideas. Week, Operational Staff Week, our Community Advisory Network (CAN) Annual Meeting and, of course, and the SWHHS Annual To top off the month, the new Roma Hospital was opened! Staff Awards. Congratulations to everyone who helped make the move from the old hospital to the new one so seamless. We will be Across our facilities, celebrations marked many of these releasing a special edition newsletter on the new Roma Hospital awareness days and weeks – you can read about some the over the next month so please keep a look out for this keepsake. activities in this edition. Thank you to everyone who supported, celebrated and recognised the importance of these events. To each and every one of you – thank you again for all you do for the SWHHS. Our Staff Awards went ahead virtually this year and it was wonderful to see so many people join in from across our facilities. It was a worthy celebration of our staff and I would like Matt Boyd to extend once again my congratulations to all award recipients Acting Health Service Chief Executive and nominees. However, I also acknowledge that the winners do not achieve alone – we all rely on the help, encouragement and skills of our colleagues. The new Roma Hospital lights up the night! 4 PULSE October edition | South West Hospital and Health Service Our communities SOUTH WEST FIRST NATIONS COVID-19 RESPONSE UPDATE The South West Hospital and Health Service (HHS) is and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations. in the final stages of recruiting four temporary front- The positions will comprise a team leader and three project officers to be based in St George, Charleville and Roma. line positions to support the COVID-19 response for First Nations people in the South West region. The team of four will oversee South West HHS’s First Nations Covid-19 response across the South West. These are ‘identified positions’ to be filled by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicants, who will work closely with a range of key stakeholders – in particular, our local Aboriginal TELEHEALTH WEEK CELEBRATED ACROSS THE SOUTH WEST With the increasing demand on telehealth in 2020 “Mr Kim Ruru was so delighted to be the first telehealth patient due to COVID-19 telehealth services have increased and was amazed by the technology and the new hospital.” by 39% thanks to the hard work and resilience by Mr Ruru was supported by Janelle Lobb, CN Telehealth during Mr the telehealth team. Ruru’s appointment with Dr Gareth Ansell from the Mater Public. South West HHS Telehealth and Connected Care’s CNC Please continue to champion telehealth across the South West. Telehealth Rebecca Crouch said telehealth has always been an invaluable resource to the South West and its rural and remote communities but in 2020 it became even more important for our patients. “It has been an incredibly challenging year for all of us, both professionally and personally.” Rebecca said.