LOOP
IN THE
DECEMBER 2021
SJOG.ORG.AU/SEM
2021
YEAR IN REVIEW
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A look at the year ahead in 2022
FIGHTING FOR FIJI Berwick caregiver helping the Fijian healthcare system fight COVID-19
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE Cardiac care in Melbourne’s south east region
Welcome LISA NORMAN
CEO, South East Melbourne Hospitals As 2021 draws to a close, I’d like to take the time to express my gratitude and deep appreciation to all of our caregivers for your efforts in serving our communities. We have been required to lift and adapt to what seems like the ever changing and challenging world of health care. This time last year we felt like we were wrapping up COVID and 2020 into a tight little bundle to leave well and truly behind us. Borders were opening and families reuniting for Christmas. But alas, our new found freedoms would be short-lived and we’d be plunged back into an on-again, off-again relationship with lockdowns for most of 2021. The recent announcement of Omicron caused concern as it did feel a little like history was repeating itself. For me it was a sign that we need to accept that this is a part of our lives going forward however unlike last year we have the protection of vaccination on our side now. Speaking of vaccination our clinic at Berwick is still open and everyone is able to obtain their third dose from this site. The changing language from a booster dose to a third dose is deliberate as it is now recognised as a critical component of the protection against this virus. The resilience shown by our caregivers over the past two years and the experience we’ve gained along the way means that we have proven to ourselves that we are capable of adapting to change and being agile to new challenges. Despite the health care challenges, the industry has experienced some great wins. Last year 16 surgeons and 80 operating staff at NYU Langone Health performed the first successful face and double hand transplant,
Polio was eliminated from Africa, leaving Afghanistan and Pakistan as the only countries with polio within its borders, and finally a bone-marrow transplant used as an alternative to chemotherapy was found to cure a patient of HIV/AIDS. Even though COVID-19 has taken up much of our time and energy the abovementioned medical breakthroughs prove that progress doesn’t stop, even in the wake of a pandemic. We too have experienced success locally and over the coming pages you will see contributions from key people who reflect on what kind of year 2021 has been for the areas they oversee within our hospitals. They also shed some light on what to expect for 2022 with lots of exciting news to share and things to look forward to. I’m so incredibly proud to see how the SEM hospitals have united seamlessly to achieve great things together. Our organisational-wide values of compassion, respect, justice, excellence and hospitality are not just something you see written on posters around our hospitals and in our workspaces, you see it in every decision that is made, every smile that is shared, every joke laughed at, every moment of care delivered. I see our caregivers partaking in these kinds of gestures with their teammates and their patients on a daily basis and we do these things as the Sisters of St John of God intended us to through Every Moment, Every Person on Every Day until we make a difference. In 2019 we made a big difference to seven year old Chien from Vietnam who was unable to walk due to bilateral talipes. Chien turned nine this year and here is a picture of him now.
St John of God South East Melbourne Hospitals
Chien is running around and enjoying life as a healthy 9 year old
Chien is studying grade 3 in Kontum City, Vietnam
Like Chien our future is bright but it will require us to adapt to the ever changing environment that we work in. Our role is to meet the health care needs of our community which sometimes means we need to change the type of care we deliver or change the way we deliver it. In 2022 Pinelodge will move into the Langmore Centre, Berwick will plan its next stage of redevelopment and Frankston will consider new service delivery options but we will focus on ensuring that our patients remain our priority.
Your wellbeing is critical to our success and my wish for you is to take time over Christmas to renew, take some time off, have fun, spend time with those you love and above all renew and refresh for 2022. Merry Christmas and wishing you all good health and happiness for the year ahead.
Lisa Norman CEO, SEM Hospitals
IN THE LOOP - DECEMBER 2021
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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE LANGMORE CENTRE
The COVID pandemic has created challenges unforeseen before in hospital redevelopments
St John of God South East Melbourne Hospitals
This year has been an exciting one but also one of hardship for the Langmore redevelopment. With the design documented and a builder on board the hope was to make great progress through the project in the lead up to transitioning from Pinelodge to Langmore. In reality, the COVID pandemic has created challenges unforeseen before in hospital redevelopments which has led to building delays from a restricted 25 per cent workforce as well as a two week government shutdown in response to concerns over the rise of COVID cases throughout the construction industry. Despite this, our builder managed to get its entire workforce double vaccinated with the help of our own Berwick vaccination hub and it was business as usual with everyone back onsite and working hard to catch up. I cannot thank Allison Merrigan and the vaccination team at Berwick for promptly helping out. COVID has also made it difficult for the redevelopment team with most meetings held via Webex, and minimal face to face contact. For our own caregivers, this has been very difficult as we try and focus on Langmore while COVID activities take up a lot of their own time and effort, as well as keeping Pinelodge operational. I really must thank the team for their patience as we push towards being operationally ready for our move to Langmore. Our goal is to review our entire operational model to look for ways to make for a better patient experience as well as efficiencies in our service. This isn’t just about picking up Pinelodge and moving this over to Langmore, but reviewing and updating our entire model of care, documenting workflows and process mapping to ultimately produce a greater service to our community and our patients. For those who were involved in the Berwick redevelopment, our journey is following a very similar path on operational readiness as we hold structured meetings and coordinate readiness teams in an effort to make sure no stone is left unturned and our move to Langmore is as seamless as possible.
Excitingly we’ve also had an opportunity to review a couple of prototype rooms, which the builder completed early so an extensive inspection could be completed on finishes and fixtures. Some scenario testing to ensure the room is functional and practical was conducted as well. The Pinelodge team found this a very valuable and positive experience, and feedback was provided to the builder revealing any changes as a result of these reviews. Kane Construction, as our builder, has established a great relationship with St John of God Health Care and is willing to work with us on providing a wonderful end-product and environment that suits both patient and caregiver needs. I’d like to thank everyone for their time and effort so far in assisting with this redevelopment but the journey is far from over. Here’s to a very challenging 2022, and a very exciting time as we move from Pinelodge to Langmore and bring the old Berwick site back to life once more.
Evan Rundell Clinical Redevelopment Manager
IN THE LOOP - DECEMBER 2021
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FIGHTING FOR
FIJI Far left: Priscilla with team members outside the Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s Infection Control Unit
Since the pandemic began, nurses have been thrown on the frontlines, exposing themselves to the insidious effects of Covid-19, all the while having to adapt to operational changes at a moment’s notice as part of their regular job expectations. Long shifts, PPE gear, caring for dying patients and their families all became the new norm for many Australian nurses, but for one St John of God Health Care (SJGHC) nurse, these limitations did not impose enough of a challenge so she decided to throw two weeks’ hotel quarantine and a stint volunteering at Fiji’s biggest hospital into the mix. Following a request by the Fijian Government, Priscilla Singh, Infection Prevention Control (IPC) nurse at SJGHC’s Berwick Hospital joined four other Australian medical professionals to work alongside the poverty-stricken country’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services to respond to an urgent call for Covid surge support in September this year. Leaving behind her husband and two young children aged 10 and 11, Priscilla used her own annual leave to assist with Fiji’s Covid recovery by educating caregivers
on important methods of Infection Prevention Control (IPC) and offering clinical care support to the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital’s 600-bed facility. “It was certainly a different scene,” says Priscilla, “Especially when you consider how under-resourced the country can be. But in saying that — they certainly did well with what little they had.” Priscilla spent much of her time making recommendations on how to go forward with the IPC knowledge needed to safely open up. “There were lots of donning and doffing training sessions, teaching the caregivers about improved IPC measures and just general clinical and collegial support,” explains Priscilla, adding that “Many of the Fijian caregivers lost frontline colleagues due to death or quarantine requirements during the outbreak, with 30 per cent of the frontline workers contracting Covid.” With no PPE equipment to begin with, it’s not surprising caregivers were an easy target for this disease. “There wasn’t even medical tape to hold cannulas in place,” she says. “It’s amazing to see how they’ve recovered. There
St John of God South East Melbourne Hospitals
wasn’t even oxygen available within the hospital.” Priscilla notes that small wins like now having a tank onsite and receiving 50 alcohol hand sanitiser holders to attach at entrance points around the hospital were highlights of her deployment. Despite the fact that Priscilla requested 500 holders, she recognised that the same level of help and resources that we are accustomed to in Australia, just don’t exist over there. “It was an eye-opening experience,” she claims. “Especially when you compare it to what we have here.” The prolonged Covid outbreak created high levels of fatigue amongst healthcare workers, with Priscilla acknowledging that although everyone had to pitch in and help, the pandemic had taken a toll on people’s mental health. “When the number of Covid cases amongst caregivers started to impact the functional running of the hospital, everyone had to step up — the Director of Nursing had to take over the cooking of the food while the whole kitchen staff were in isolation, even the asymptomatic Covid-positive staff were asked to come back to care for Covid-positive patients.” Priscilla who is Fijian-born, saw this urgent need for help as an opportunity to give back to the country she emigrated from as a one-year-old. “I still have family in Fiji. My grandmother still lives there,” shares Priscilla, adding that getting to visit with her was an added bonus of the trip.
Berwick caregiver helping the Fijian healthcare system fight COVID-19
Not only was she born in Fiji, Priscilla was ironically delivered at the same Suva hospital she would return to 38 years later as a medical health professional to help the hospital recover from the pandemic. “I was born at CWM Hospital,” she explains. “It was what inspired me to want to go back and help out — well that, and getting to see my grandma was a big plus point,” Priscilla admits. Praising the support of her husband, parents, co-workers and SJGBH Director of Nursing (DON), Allison Merrigan, Priscilla believes it would never have been possible to give the people of Fiji a much-needed hand without them. “With the incredible assistance of my husband Kawal, and amazing parents, I was able to go. It was also a combined effort from our IPC coordinator, Susan Marquez and DON, Allison,” offers Priscilla. “I only gave them two weeks’ notice before I had to fly out and yet both fully supported me.”
Priscilla (standing) with team members outside the Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s Infection Control Unit
IN THE LOOP - DECEMBER 2021
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Priscilla in Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s maternity ward
mandated hotel quarantine … well you start to understand just how extraordinary Priscilla’s desire to help others truly was.” In total, Priscilla put aside five weeks to be able to embark upon her journey to help her native country battle through the aftereffects of this pandemic. She spent two weeks in Fiji, two weeks in hotel quarantine and then deservedly took a week off to recover and spend time with her family when she returned to Melbourne. However, rather than using the time in hotel quarantine to relax and focus on herself after a hectic and demanding two weeks in Fiji, Priscilla took the first of her 14-day quarantine stint (which happened to be a weekend) off, only to begin an interim role of contact tracing for SJGHC and Monash Health for the following two weeks. Priscilla also notes that, ironically, while Covid devastated many people and businesses, the fact that Victoria was in lockdown actually helped her quest. “My family’s retail store was only open a few hours a day for click and collect, so Kawal was able to stay home with our children. They did survive … but just barely,” she jokes. “I still got calls asking me if I knew where the kids’ school pants were.” It’s a selfless act to not only leave your husband and children and give up your annual leave, but to put yourself in the line of fire and provide compassionate care for people less fortunate than yourself is a value SJGHC upholds and encourages its caregivers to nurture. “We are so incredibly proud of Priscilla and her efforts to improve health care in Fiji,” remarks Allison. “What a fantastic, allencompassing display of what it means to exhibit SJGHC’s five values of Excellence, Respect, Compassion, Justice and Hospitality.”
While surviving hotel quarantine is a story within itself, Priscilla saw it as a necessary evil to do greater good in this world. And if it isn’t yet obvious … clearly she likes a challenge. “I did feel a bit like a prisoner and didn’t particularly like that aspect of hotel quarantine,” admits Priscilla who not only spent the quarantine period working, she also used it to work on her Masters in Infection Prevention and Control through Griffiths University. Despite the hardship of isolation, Priscilla reflects positively on her time in quarantine. ”It was a lovely feeling to finally get out of ‘prison’ and come home to my family and friends,” she says, before cheekily adding, “I do, however, miss having meals delivered to me three times a day and a tiny little room to clean instead of a house.”
Allison also recognises that Priscilla’s return journey to Australia brought about further challenges for Priscilla to endure in her pursuit to help others. “The act of volunteering to go to Fiji was pretty remarkable in, and of itself, but when you couple that with the fact that Priscilla also had to suffer through two weeks of government-
Priscilla proudly showing off one of 50 handsanitiser holders she organised to be installed.
St John of God South East Melbourne Hospitals
We are happy to introduce MyPolicy Library to St John of God Health Care. MyPolicy Library replaces our previous policy library and houses a significantly streamlined set of our latest organisation-wide, hospital and service area policies, procedures and toolkits. It is accessed through the existing ‘Policies and procedures’ link on the main Cora menu, or the new MyPolicy Library icon on ZENworks. It is now faster and easier to search for information. The new online weblink access will be of great help in particular to our caregivers on the road, VMOs, volunteers and third party contractors. MyPolicy Library will also enable stronger and more automated policy governance.
A massive amount of work to source, review and consolidate policy-related information was undertaken by a diverse project team to feed into this simplified and single-source-of-truth library — thank you to everyone who contributed! Policies and procedures are critical tools we must all use to help guide us in providing the safest care to our patients, and to make the best business decisions. We are proud to provide our caregivers and health care partners with greater support in this area through the introduction of MyPolicy Library. To find out more about MyPolicy Library please visit our Policy governance page on Cora (search ‘policy governance’).
Non-policy documents stored in the previous policy library, including emergency procedures and terms of reference, can now be found on local Cora sites under ‘My location’.
IN THE LOOP - DECEMBER 2021
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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW
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A look at the year ahead in 2022
Looking beyond compassion fatigue There’s little doubt that many of us over the past year have felt the effects of compassion fatigue at one point or another. At the close of 2020 the worst of COVID appeared to be behind us, we were preparing to reunite with our families for Christmas and we were all hopeful that 2021 would bring about the positive changes and return to normal life we had been longing for. Fast forward a few months into the new year and we were again facing the prospect of lengthy lockdowns and a feeling that this pandemic may never truly be over. In the early days of COVID, we had the capacity to remain stoic in our resolves as we banded together through a shared experience that affected us all. However, as time has gone on, I’ve observed compassion fatigue set in and that feeling of us all being in this together has somewhat dissolved. Compassion fatigue occurs when people experience physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion which results in a diminished ability to empathise or feel compassion for others. More judgement and less patience has been a common theme as the pandemic experience became less of a shared one and more of a journey that impacted people in various different ways. On the work front, we have seen some of us rarely leave the hospital while others have spent lockdowns without stepping a foot inside it. It’s important that we acknowledge that both have been difficult situations to endure and now that we are edging closer and closer to life as we knew it prior to COVID, it’s a good idea to be respectful of each other’s individual journey and the impact this experience has had on them. For some of us, just coming back into the office has been a cause of much angst, while for others it’s been an overwhelming feeling of relief to return to some level of normalcy. It is my hope that we continue to move in that direction and that 2022 brings about the positive changes we were
expecting to occur a year ago. If you haven’t had a chance to take a break this year, (because … well who wants to use annual leave to stay at home like we have for the past two years anyway?), I implore you to make the time to do so. You don’t have to book a holiday, but make sure you put time aside to do the little things that fill up your reservoir, and that in turn will provide the reserves you need to extend empathy and compassion to others. Go for a swim, go to the movies, catch up for a coffee with a friend — it’s important to make that a number one priority for 2022. It’s something we will all benefit from. On a personal note, I want to thank each and every one of you for the care you have shown for each other and our patients through this difficult time. It has truly been grace under pressure on so many fronts. The care you have given to our patients when they have not been allowed visitors has well and truly been reflected in our patient feedback at Pinelodge, Frankston and Berwick. And for that, I thank you ALL! May you and your loved ones have a joyous Christmas season ahead. And for those who can spare the time to take a break, I look forward to seeing well-rested and rejuvenated caregivers return to work for a much better year in 2022.
Rhonda O’Connor Director of Mission Integration SEM
Caregivers rise up along with NPS scores
The Financial ‘Berwick’ Review
It almost unbelievable to think that 2021 is drawing to a close. The months have passed by so rapidly and part of me wants time to slow down a little so that we can all take a breath. Yet, with COVID still very much part of our everyday conversation, I am wanting the year to end so that we can start afresh in 2022, living life how we knew it before the pandemic.
Financial Year 2021 (FY21) — what a year it has been. We started the year in July 2020, in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, which continued until the end of the financial year in June 2021. Even though there were many challenges to deal with our caregivers and doctors got on with what we do best, caring for our patients. What a great job everyone has done.
So what can we say about 2021. There are plenty of positives. Our patient satisfaction was at its highest in October with a score of 88. This is an exceptional result and reflects the outstanding care each and every one of you have provided to our patients and their families. It is, and should be, at the core of what we do.
From a financial perspective, I would like to share some highlights. The hospital was able to meet its budget obligations throughout the year. Yeah!
We have grown our rehabilitation outpatient service that provides an important step in a patient’s journey to independence. Based in Stephenson House, it is a hub of activity offering group and individual sessions depending on need. We have run a very successful COVID vaccination clinic that has provided easy access to vaccines for caregivers, families and the community across South East Melbourne. We have provided enormous support to our public health services and colleagues, offering surgical, medical, maternity, intensive care, high dependency and cardiac care for those most in need. It has provided an opportunity for caregivers to upskill, try something new and experience different models of care. Change is always a challenge, but you have continued to show your resilience, flexibility ‘can do’ attitude and most importantly, exceptional care for our patients. You are making the St John of God difference every single day. As we approach the end of the year, I want to thank you for giving everything to what you do, even in the most challenging of situations. I am incredibly proud to walk beside you. Enjoy the festive season with those who care about you and I hope you can take a moment to reflect on the difference you make to those who need us most.
Allison Merrigan Director of Nursing Berwick
Some statistics: • Separations (number of patients cared for/ discharged) for the year were 23,872 (budgeted: 22,032). Up 8%. • Patient days (aggregate sum of the length of time spent in hospital) for the year were 54,644 (budgeted: 53,486). Up 2%. • Procedures for the year were 15,958 (budgeted: 16,858). Down 5%. • Births for the year were 912 (budgeted: 836). Up 9 %. • Hospital revenue up 6%. On budget.
Specialties that performed well were orthopaedics, urology, gynaecology and general surgery. Good growth also coming from obstetrics and rehabilitation, both up on prior year. Some of our cost challenges included the additional screening costs, extra compliance costs, and PPE needs (up 20% on budget). All crucial to the running of a safe hospital and so necessary. As we are nearly halfway through FY22, we continue to face challenges every day as FY21, but the hospitals continue to perform well. My thanks to all our caregivers for doing a great job caring for our patients and looking after our pennies too.
Danny Antonopoulos Director of Finance SEM
Can you find Pinelodge to Langmore in 2022 in this acrostic message? Acrostic means a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words.
Pinelodge Clinic has had another big year. However,
I think we can safely say health care and the entire community has had a big year. Lockdown 6.0 was incredibly hard, particularly as we have navigated the evidence of fatigue amongst colleagues and family. The issues of tier 1 exposures sites, home schooling and vaccination are just a few of the challenges we’ve faced. The flexibility and endurance shown by caregivers has been remarkable.
In spite of COVID-19 difficulties, we have kept patient experience central to all we do. The NPS results demonstrate how our patients are feeling about their care. The implementation of surveying patients on their experience in hospital at the point of discharge has improved our response rate and in turn, we have more information to improve patient care by using the themes raised. We have also received a number of letters telling us of positive Experiences patients have had at Pinelodge Clinic both recently and over their healthcare journey. Well done to everyone. Whether you are directly caring for a patient, cleaning a room, processing a record or plating food — it all contributes to the patient journey and experience. Lots of opportunities continue to present themselves for the organisation, most importantly we’ve received Accreditation under the National Health Care and Mental Health Standards, an internal Occupational Health & Safety Audit, Department of Health Audit and Council Food Safety Audit. There can’t be any more audits for a while! The major system impact we have had this year was the implementation of Kronos, which has been a big change for all and I’m grateful how this has been embraced. In 2022, we will have another systems change to implement when the patient admissions portal is rolled out. OnGoing communication with caregivers has been particularly important when so much has been changing. We have utilised lots of methods to communicate and hope it has helped you to stay up to date. In The Loop and Under Construction newsletters have been popular, there
have been lots of memos, caregiver forums and SMSs to name just a few that have contributed to staying informed. Caregiver Engagement has remained a focus for us throughout the year and we have continued to work on responding to the feedback in the last caregiver engagement survey. Some managers have introduced above the line/below the line culture workshops and oneto-one pulse checks for caregivers. These programs are to ensure managers understand the issues caregivers are facing at work, and as a team agree on the behaviours that caregivers value and accept. Both are great programs. If you have not heard about these in your department yet ─ please ask your manager on the roll out plan for your department. It is programs like these that contribute to making work a better place. Our Wellness Committee has continued to surprise us with fun things to do at work — Olympic Day, footy finals and Where’s Wally? Congratulations to all involved, these activities reflect the positive culture of PLC. Please continue to join in to make these days special. The PLC Committee is being replicated through South East Melbourne with committees at Frankston and Berwick being established. The Langmore Centre is set to be our most exciting and challenging undertaking in 2022, with the move and opening to be upon us before we know it. The redevelopment is well underway and Kane Construction are progressing really well. Recently some prototype patient rooms were prepared for review and we expect to be opening our doors in August 2022, after completing a four-week commissioning phase. Our planning Now will set us up to have a successful transition to our new home in Berwick. Getting involved is a great way to learn something new, this year caregivers have continued to wear masks and eye wear, undertake COVID swabs and some have recently learnt to perform rapid antigen tests. A number of caregivers have worked offsite with the public hospitals and we have responded with our preparation to care for aged mental health patients. The response to each call for assistance has been overwhelming and shows such generosity.
St John of God South East Melbourne Hospitals
Getting involved can also give you a great sense of achievement. As our planning for Langmore ramps up there will be More Opportunities to participate. You may like to be involved with the sensory garden, it may be the Perinatal Service, there will be many and varied chances to be take part — so take a chance and get involved, give something a go, and maybe learn something new — all of which will make a difference for our patients. Routinely each year we reflect on what we have achieved and what is ahead, in the past our resolutions and aspirations are usually grand and bold. My aspiration for you all this Christmas and as we head into a new year is simple, may you have time and energy to do all you want to do and have missed over the lockdowns. I Especially hope you have the opportunity to spend time with the friends and family you have been separated from for many months this year. For those of you with loved ones interstate and overseas, I hope you are able to make plans for reuniting soon. On behalf of the HMC, we thank you for your hard work again this year in what continues to be challenging circumstances and we wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas and New Year — and all the best for what is set to be a wonderful 2022.
2021 has been bumpy In and out of lockdowns, working from home, trying to home school my kids, the exhilaration of being back onsite at work (only to be told home schooling is starting again), and who can forget booking and cancelling those holidays we all hoped to take. Needless to say, I am glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Being able to see family and friends in person and booking an international holiday has put a pep back in my steps. I am proud that despite the challenges COVID-19 has thrown our way, patient safety and clinical excellence remains to be at the forefront across all SEM hospitals. We continue to receive fabulous patient feedback, reflected by our NPS scores, and ensuring the best quality of care is provided. From a Quality and Risk perspective, I look forward to embedding the SEM Clinical Governance Framework and ensuring all hospitals are ready for accreditation, all the time. Many exciting initiatives will be occurring in 2022, including a new national standards audits, new Policy Library, further enhancing our clinical indicators and data collection, review and monitoring, and Frankston undergoing organisation wide accreditation in August 2022. There are always opportunities for improvement and I look forward to working closely with all caregivers to continuously provide outstanding and safe care. Interesting stats for Quality and Risk •
Linda Allen CEO Pinelodge Clinic & Langmore Centre
“The Langmore Centre is set to be our most exciting and challenging undertaking in 2022, with the move and opening to be upon us before we know it.”
Over 900+ policies, procedures and toolkits have been reviewed across SEM hospitals • 1 baby added to the SEM Quality and Risk team family • 1200+ audits have been conducted across SEM hospitals in the last 12 months
Eveline Soon Clinical Governance Manager, SEM
IN THE LOOP - DECEMBER 2021
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2021 — the year of Infection Prevention Control (IPC) The year started out on a positive note, with very low COVID numbers and life almost seemed back to normal. After much preparation at higher government levels a COVID vaccination program was earmarked to commence in February for high-risk health care workers (HCWs) on the priority list. SJGBH was asked by the Monash Southeast Public Health Unit for active participation in the vax program aimed primarily at capturing our “own” team of caregivers, and by mid-March the SJGBH‘s Vaccine Hub opened for business to administer the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. It was a promising but short-lived affair, as negative press plagued the AZ vaccine and take-up became slow and arduous. Around July preparations then began to be made to include the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine within our service and around that time the Hub became frantically busy, particularly as COVID cases spiralled upwards into the 1000s. Eventually the eligibility for 12+ years old to get the vaccine and government mandatory requirements would keep the Hub operating seven days a week.
Total vaccines given from 9th March – 11th Nov. 2021, inclusive: AstraZeneca = 11,548 in total • HCW and Essential/Critical workers: 6109 • Age eligible recipients (public): 5320 • Others: 119
and where the Australian Immunisation Register records have not kept up
[NB – these are only a few which creep up on an “ordinary” IPC day, and is certainly not limited to what is detailed above.]
2022 As Australia, on the whole, has achieved a markedly high COVID-19 vaccination coverage – the rolling out of booster doses has already begun and is set to carry over into the new year. There will also be the planned inclusion of the 5-11 year old age group. I think transmission will be part of our daily lives, but so long as case numbers are manageable and the disease burden proportionately corresponds to the ability/capacity of our health system – then IPC work will be hopefully more predictable and consistent. The fame and importance of Infection Prevention Control has risen since this pandemic began and I’m reminded of a conversation I had with our CEO Lisa Norman recently that highlighted this fact. Lisa questioned why there was such a “lack of” qualified IPC specialists, and my response to her was — well two years ago, our work was not so sexy … but now it’s the new black!
Pfizer = 24,845 in total • HCW and Essential/Critical workers: 1012 • Age eligible recipients (public): 23,827 • Others: 6 The tail-end of the year continued to be a high-volume demand for IPC work, as health services were bombarded with ever-changing government guidelines, i.e. • •
verifications of all HCWs COVID vaccination status supporting Monash SEPHU with contact-tracing amidst widespread community transmission • in-house support to caregivers and proactively assisting pre-admission testings/screening of patients • responding to public requests on clarifications of their COVID uptake delivered by our Hub
St John of God South East Melbourne Hospitals
Susan Marquez Infection Control Coordinator SEM
A challenging year at Frankston, but change is afoot The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the hospital to adapt and modify the way it operates within short time frames affecting visitor restrictions, lockdown rules and increased PPE requirements for caregivers. It’s also cared for COVID-19 positive patients and provided support to the public sector with many public patients admitted during late 2020 and across 2021. Density limits and mandated reductions in elective surgery also negatively impacted on activity in both 2020 and 2021. Despite this, Frankston caregivers have enthusiastically embraced the care and support of the public patients allowing them to expand their knowledge and skills to manage a range of different complexities. Outpatient services continued throughout the year, even during lockdowns, by converting the Bridget Clancy Room and chapel into a temporary outpatient gym.
Highlights of 2021 Victorian Department of Health had their regulatory inspection in May — a successful visit with the inspection of the hospital site and review of operational and clinical processes with no adverse findings. The Occupational Health and Safety AS 4801 Audit was held virtually in September, also successful with no adverse findings. Research projects: 1. Amie Malcom, one of the hospital’s senior occupational therapists took up the role of Telehealth Champion during COVID. With the first lockdown, outpatient services closed leaving many patients unable to receive the therapy they needed. The allied health team were able to provide support and assistance with the implementation of telehealth consultations and therapy sessions which enabled patients to continue their rehabilitation within their own homes. 2. ‘Music for Wellness’ in rehabilitation patients research was undertaken. The programme description and evaluation of results was published in the Journal of Public Health in 2021. 3. The Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on Parkinson’s disease physical therapy services: ‘patient and therapist perspectives, a qualitative study’. Eloise Harrison physiotherapist and supervisor, and Amie Malcom occupational therapist will act as co-supervisor. Ethics has been approved for this study with Monash University. SenSe Project, Frankston is almost at the end of Phase 2 and are awaiting participants to complete this phase. Amie Malcom and Sophie Watt, occupational therapists are the researchers on this project. Frankston will be the first site in Australia to complete Phase 2.
Looking ahead Frankston also experienced financial challenges during the 20/21 period, COVID impacting overall results, although it remained above budget in ON Activity Patient Days – 15,455 vs a budget of 13,679, and Overnight Occupancy – 70.4% vs budget: 62.3%. Our Outpatients Sessions were significantly impacted — 26,492 vs budget: 56,329. There has been a slow start to the new financial year, however activity has picked up with the admissions of public patients over the last few of months. On a positive note, financially Frankston Hospital is looking to finish this year off strongly. Financial statistics for October YTD are Overnight Patient Days – 4,633 vs budget: 5,810, Overnight Occupancy – 62.78% vs budget: 78.7% and Outpatient Sessions – 11,101 vs budget 20,560. Frankston currently has an NPS score of 84. which is quite an increase on the previous two months. While it has been challenged with some staffing issues in recent times, it is clear by patient feedback that the quality of care has not been compromised in any way. An exciting new opportunity for 2021 /2022 has been identified in palliative care service with plans to open a 10 bed unit in late 2021/early 2022. Research has shown that this is an area of community need that is currently not being met, and is an opportunity that sits well within SJGHC’s vision and mission. During its response to COVID -19 and Frankston’s support to the public health services, it highlighted that the continuation of these partnerships would be beneficial to all. Agreements are being sought with both Monash Health and Peninsula Health to enable SJG Frankston Rehabilitation Hospital to continue providing rehabilitation services to its patients. Frankston has also just launched an exciting new marketing campaign to highlight its services to the community and ensure all understand their rights to choose their own healthcare and facility options.
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Dorning family who funded the Sozo machine to Day Oncology
Donors supporting our compassionate care Much of the discussion around COVID revolves around the impact it has on individual health and the burden it places on the health care system. What fails to get much air time is the hit to fundraising activities and the subsequent reduction in donations. And being a non-profit organisation that relies heavily on the generosity of local community groups and members, SJGHC has certainly felt the charitable pinch. Not only have we seen the departure of our much-loved volunteers from our hospital corridors but we’ve also seen a drop in donations, as regular fundraising streams have struggled to work around constant lockdowns and the rules that affect their revenue raising efforts. Despite the limitations imposed, SJGHC is so pleased to announce, that through the steadfast dedication of our community members, SEM hospitals have still managed to receive $75,298 in donations for the 2021 calendar year. This figure demonstrates that there is still a lot of good will and that the local communities still perceive SJGHC to be placing great importance in delivering compassionate health care and meeting the needs of its local residents.
These donations have enabled SJGHC to purchase a Sozo machine, six examination beds, allocate $25k to the Dorothy Platt Scholarship Fund and grant some dreams as requested by palliative care patients and their families as part of the Berwick Hospital’s Dream a Little Dream program. Funding will also be used to secure palliative care cuddle beds for Berwick and Frankston so that families may cuddle their loved ones in the remaining days of their lives. A large bequest donation of $998,633 was awarded from the deceased estate of Mary Helen Seath to SJGBH, which enabled the SEM HMC to approve the purchase of spinal equipment expected to arrive early 2022. More information on this equipment and the incredible generosity of the Seath family will be profiled in an upcoming edition of In The Loop — so stay tuned for that along with information on the launch of a fundraising campaign that will seek support from the community for the Langmore Centre early next year. Upeka Kumarasinghe, philanthropy manager for the St John of God Foundation will have more to share about that.
St John of God South East Melbourne Hospitals
MY ADMISSION PAT I E N T P O R TA L
St John of God Berwick is the pilot hospital for the group-wide deployment of the secure online admission registration process. Effective from Wednesday 17 November, medical, surgical and maternity patients with admissions booked at the main hospital can now complete their admission registration and health questionnaire details conveniently and confidentially online through the new My Admission patient portal. The My Admission patient portal enables us to streamline the admission paperwork process, improving patient experience, ensure security and confidentiality of documents, while simultaneously making it easier for our caregivers to manage admission workflow and patient care. Our admission caregivers have adapted their processes to fit with information flow via this new patient-centric information portal. The portal has been well received by our specialist practices who are providing to patients an information flyer with details on how to access the portal.
The portal is very user friendly; patients complete the forms online and receive SMS reminders and email confirmations from the portal to ensure accurate information is submitted and ready for their admission date. Confidential patient information is stored securely on the portal under the patient’s profile. If a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital again in the future, they simply log in through their account and update any information that may have changed. Additional logins can be setup for family members or carers to assist patients if required. Alternatively, patients can call the centralised SJGHC patient hotline for technical help or to complete registration details over the phone. Early in the new year access will be extended to include patients of our Berwick Day Oncology and Infusion Unit. At this time the portal will be expanded to include an e-referrals module enabling specialists to submit their Admission Advice and Consent to Procedure forms online to further digitalise the admissions process. Implementation to our remaining 14 private hospitals at St John of God Health Care will follow next year. We are continually looking at new and innovative ways to improve our processes and patient experiences.
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GOOGLE REVIEWS BERWICK Jon Clewlow I recently stayed at the St John of God hospital in Berwick, Victoria. I had microdiscectomy procedure and ended up staying at the hospital for three nights. I cannot over-emphasise what a wonderful experience it was. The hospital itself was beautifully functional — almost like a hotel! More importantly, ALL of the staff that helped me through my recovery were exceptional — absolute professionals who all worked cohesively together. I can’t thank them enough and they are a credit to themselves and the organisation they represent. It seems that, currently, everything we read or hear in the news is full of bad news. My stay at St John of God has restored my faith in human nature. Many thanks to all involved.
PINELODGE Sharon Bourke
SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE
is explained. His main priority is how she feels and how she can move forward with the help of his expertise and knowledge. There is the upmost genuine care, compassion, respect, concern, kindness and emotional support. Most of all he believes in her when she doesn’t herself and can see her full potential.
FRANKSTON Jennifer Wilcox A fabulous facility in our community. I have been an inpatient twice now; recently for two weeks post knee operation. The outpatient care is also great, although I know they’ve been struggling, as we all have, during the COVID outbreak. The care from the nursing staff, doctors and physio teams is fantastic. Hospital food isn’t the greatest these days, as it’s catered in. Not here. The food is excellent & delivered by a happy, friendly team. Thank you to everyone who cared for me and congratulations on operating a wonderful caring facility.
My daughter has been seeing Dr Wahab for a couple of years. I can honestly say we would be lost without him. When we go for a consultation it is never rushed and all
NPS SCORE
SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE
Oct 1 to Nov 30
81.8
Frankston Feedback: “Dedicated staff in all areas of my treatment and care. Kind, helpful and always in a lovely cheerful mood. This is very important to me when I’m having treatment and feel quite frightened in an unnatural situation. Both as an inpatient and out I was extremely happy with the care from a very lovely and committed staff. The tea lady gets an extra mark for hot and STRONG coffee!”
85.9
Berwick Feedback:
“I’ve been to St John of God before to have my first born and loved the fact that it didn’t feel like a typical hospital. I have a slight fear of hospitals but I felt extremely comfortable at SJOG and love how friendly and happy the staff are. Just want to thank all the staff and let them know how much they’re appreciated.”
St John of God South East Melbourne Hospitals
65.4
Pinelodge Feedback:
“The staff are the friendliest people I’ve ever been treated by compared to any type of hospital/clinic/ inpatient treatment clinic I have ever been to. Made sure I was looked after 24/7 and went out of their way if I needed anything.”
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AUSLAN SIGNS
IN THE LOOP - DECEMBER 2021 St John of God Health Care South East Melbourne Hospitals
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