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BASS COAST HEALTH - Set to grow with our community
Bass Coast Health Deputy CEO Louise Sparkes is proud to be part of a progressive team at the health service.
Bass Coast Health Deputy CEO Louise "Lou" Sparkes is entering what could be the most exciting phase of her career yet. Having led the Clinical Services team for several years, building BCH as a sub-regional service and supporting the nursing profession as Director of Nursing, Louise, a Registered Nurse herself, is one of the Executive team at BCH now leading BCH through one of its most exciting phases of growth.
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“BCH has an incredibly ambitious few years ahead that will see more people treated locally. Both the Wonthaggi Hospital Expansion Project and Phillip Island Community Hospital will provide more space and points of care for service expansion and new services,” she said. “The new services planned will reduce key service gaps and increase the self-sufficiency of our sub-regional health service.
“The expanded hospital at Wonthaggi will include a much bigger Emergency Department with a dedicated space for patients with behavioural concerns. There will be a dedicated, purpose-built Paediatric inpatient area for children under 12 years of age, dedicated disability and Bariatric inpatient rooms and programs, high acuity inpatient care and state-of-the-art inpatient areas to accommodate more medical and surgical patients, all of which will be supported by more medical and surgical specialists. These spaces and programs will allow BCH to treat patients with more complex care issues and ensure we can treat a greater number of people locally.”
BCH will develop a sub-regional Better At Home program, which will see an expanded Hospital In The Home program and a Geriatric Evaluation Medicine and Rehabilitation at home program that will see patients receiving more care in their own home. “We know that one of our key gaps is the lack of after-hours general emergency surgery provision, so we will introduce a 24-hour general surgery service at Wonthaggi over the coming years with the support of local and metropolitan surgeons,” Louise said.
“Higher level maternity services are also planned with a special care nursery cot to be part of our maternity services upgrade in the next few years. Whilst the Phillip Island and Wonthaggi Hospital expansion have been supported exceptionally well through funding from the Department of Health, like we did with our Cancer service, we will fundraise with our community to create an expanded Maternity service.
“Our future BCH plans also include the expansion of chemotherapy, dialysis and dental services at Cowes with planning already underway for a new Community hospital – set to open its doors in 2024. Cancer services in particular are predicted to continue to grow and as part of the ongoing development of our cancer services, BCH is starting Access to Clinical trials, beginning with world first trials in melanoma screening.
“We will also work alongside Latrobe Regional Health to address another important gap, and expand mental health services in both acute and primary care settings,” Louise said.
“Most importantly, all of these services require skilled and passionate people who want to make a difference for this local community. As part of an innovative workforce strategy to support the additional 120 EFT required by 2025, BCH will expand partnerships with local education providers and higher education providers to grow our future workforce,” Louise said.
“An example of this is the commencement in 2022 of a Bachelor of Nursing training on-site in conjunction with Federation University and the Country Universities Centre in Wonthaggi, to minimise travel and facilitate learning close to home for local undergraduate nursing students. I am particularly passionate about doing everything we can to develop our future workforce and to inspire local people to create a fulfilling career in health.
“Nursing has allowed me to work in a job where I can truly help people and make a difference. Nursing has also provided great collegiality in good and bad times. There are experiences that you have in health that are incredibly rewarding and others that are really sad and some that stay with you forever, but through all this, you are part of a team that is supportive and kind,” she said.
Federation University Bachelor of Nursing students, from left, Puja Paudel, Dipsina Gurung and Michelle Mattey are gaining experience in the Acute Ward at Wonthaggi Hospital.
Federation University Bachelor of Nursing student Michelle Mattey (centre) has been learning from BCH Registered Nurses Luke James and Hannah Brumby.
“Healthcare workers and particularly nurses support each other because we share the good times and the sad times; we understand how privileged it is to work with people who are sometimes at their most vulnerable. It always helps when you go to work each day with great people and that’s what I get to do at Bass Coast Health.”
Louise began her nursing career at St Vincent’s Public Hospital in Melbourne in the days when nursing education was just starting at university. “During my time at St Vincent’s I learnt so much and loved my three years developing as a nurse. After my graduate year at St Vincent’s, I moved on to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, undertook a conversion degree, then added post graduate qualifications and eventually a Masters of Nursing,” she said.
Louise’s experience is proof that nursing opens doors to many opportunities. Louise has worked in many nursing roles and in specialities across acute, community, schools, clinical and academic research, and emergency care in many health services. She also worked as a lecturer of Nursing at Monash University.
“Bass Coast Health is the only rural health service that I have worked in and it was a significant change for me at the time, coming from Melbourne tertiary and metro health services,” she said.
Since joining BCH in 2008, Louise has worked in the Emergency Department, as a Clinical Educator, as a Health Service Co-ordinator, and as Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, and Chief Operating Officer before assuming the current Deputy CEO role in late 2020.
As Deputy CEO, Louise provides executive leadership, oversight and strategic direction of the health service in organisational development, service development, community engagement, quality and innovation, and infection control with significant oversight of the COVID safe plan for BCH.
Louise also steps into the top job at Bass Coast Health in the absence of CEO Jan Child, and like all the BCH team, pulls her sleeves up to support the delivery of excellent care. Opportunities abound for young and not so young people to take up a role at Bass Coast Health and join Louise as the service takes its next exciting phase of growth for the local community.
BCH TRAINS THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS OF TOMORROW
Bass Coast Health (BCH) is proud to be training the healthcare workers of tomorrow through a partnership with Federation University.
BCH hosts Federation University students for more than 2500 placement days per year across our sites at Wonthaggi, San Remo and Cowes, and over three disciplines: nursing, midwifery and occupational therapy.
BCH also offers placements to students from other universities in allied health, medical and nursing disciplines.
With Federation University having campuses at Berwick and Churchill, BCH is able to support local students to complete placements close to home, with many continuing on to obtain graduate positions at BCH.
“Hosting students at BCH helps to embed a culture of ongoing learning at BCH and encourages staff learning. Our goal is for students to want to return to BCH to start their career with us upon graduation,” BCH Learning and Development Manager, Trina Coxon said.
“Often our students return as graduates at BCH and then stay on as highly valued team members - they are a large part of supporting our workforce growth needs. Our 2022 graduate program intake comprises 75% of students from Gippsland and we want to grow this number every year.”
BCH supports students from their first student placement and offers placements through all year levels. BCH offers Enrolled Nurse, Registered Nursing and Allied Health Graduate Programs, with Transition to Practice (second year) and Post Graduate student programs to support students throughout their studies and early career.
