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NEWS NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT NSLHD
Main story MAnly ayah welcomes first patient Nineteen-year-old Jamieson Leeson is spending two weeks at the new waterfront AYAH. Page 3 Short blurb Read more on Page x
NSLHD welcomes first intake of graduate nurses Page 7
concussion clinic helps charlie return to play Page 4
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It is always special to celebrate our staff who go above and beyond for their patients, consumers, and colleagues. Last week I had the pleasure of attending the NSW Allied Health Awards where we had two staff members selected as finalists. A huge congratulations to Senior Radiation Therapist Leigh Ambrose who was nominated for Allied Health Professional of the Year and occupational therapist and Student Unit Clinical Educator Katrina Travassaros who was nominated for Allied Health Educator of the Year. Amongst 13,000 allied health clinicians across NSW, you should both be incredibly proud to have been selected as finalists. In a remarkable achievement Royal North Shore Hospital has once again been named as one of the best hospitals in Australia, with Hornsby Hospital also named in the top 30. The publication Newsweek has named RNSH the third best hospital in Australia which is a testament to the incredible staff and hospital executive who have managed to deliver world-class care to patients and their families despite the challenges our health system has faced. Congratulations to Hornsby which came in at 28 for its care and services delivered to patients. This is a great achievement. The 2023 COVID-19 vaccine booster dose is now available for eligible groups. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommends a booster dose for anyone aged 65+ and people aged 18-64 years who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. For anyone aged between 18 and 65 who is not at higher risk of severe illness, ATAGI recommends you consider a booster dose, regardless of how many previous vaccinations you have received.
locations across NSW including GPs and pharmacies. Visit the Vaccine Clinic Finder to make a booking – http://bit.ly/3xZUEeG. Staff can receive a booster dose at the RNSH vaccination clinic. The vaccination hub , located on level 6 of the Douglas Building, is open Mondays and Fridays, 8:30am to 4:30pm. Bookings are not required, walk-ins welcome. The new Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice (AYAH) in Manly has welcomed its first patient. Nineteen-year-old Paralympian Jamieson Leeson is spending two weeks at the AYAH where she is receiving respite care. The AYAH is Australia’s first dedicated service for 15 to 24-year-old patients with life-limiting illness and offers respite care, symptom management, end-of-life care, and care coordination support in the transition from children to adult services. Thank you to all our staff at the AYAH for creating such a warm and welcoming environment for our new patients. It is exciting to see nominations are now open for our district’s Quality and Improvement Awards. Staff across our district achieve great things every day and the awards help us put these accomplishments in the spotlight. They help showcase the hard work and delivery of programs and services that have such a positive impact on the people we care for, our colleagues and the broader community. Like in previous years, the awards will inform our entries into the NSW Premier’s Awards and NSW Health Awards. You can find out more about the awards on the NSLHD website – http://bit.ly/3YegN3A
Lee Gregory I/Chief Executive Northern Sydney Local Health District
You can get a COVID-19 booster dose at
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Acting General Manager Mona Vale Mathivanan Sakthivel, AYAH Service Manager Tayia Yeates, AYAH NUM Geoff Yates and AYAH Clinical Nurse Educator Amy Dunlop
AYAH service manager aims to ‘fill void’ for adolescents and young adults Tayia Yeates is passionate about working with colleagues, patients, carers and her career as a physiotherapist. Tayia said considering the AYAH is a first of its kind in Australia, her new role at the AYAH will be the most unique to date.
families to provide the best possible care for adolescents and young adults with life limiting illnesses. In her new role as the service manager at the Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice, Tayia is responsible for the operational and strategic management of the service to provide innovative and sustainable models of care. “The opening of the AYAH provides a unique opportunity to develop a service that addresses the differing physiological, developmental and psychosocial needs of adolescent and young adult patients and their families,” Tayia said. “I’m excited to be involved in delivering a new service and I look forward to working with our staff, patients and families in creating an environment that provides support, comfort, guidance and excellence in patient care.” With a career in public health spanning more than 35 years, Tayia has worked in managerial and clinical roles, having started Ayah welcomes first patient The Australian-first Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice (AYAH) in Manly welcomed its first patient in February. Nineteen-year-old Jamieson Leeson is spending two weeks at the new waterfront AYAH where she is receiving respite care. Jamieson graduated from Bear Cottage over a year ago and knows just how important the care and respite services provided at the AYAH are. “It has been a bit tough not having any respite for the past year so it’s really exciting to be here,” she said.
“There are always challenges in developing a new service especially one such as this where you are caring for a cohort of patients who have such differing age-related issues,” she said. “We will need to ensure that we are providing physical, emotional, financial, social and spiritual support that is age appropriate in addition to supporting the needs of family members, siblings, partners and friends.” Tayia said she hopes the AYAH will provide a welcoming and comfortable place for patients, families and friends to come together and create memories. “We hope to provide a level of care and support that will make a difference to both our patients and families during this challenging and vulnerable time in their lives and to ‘fill a void’ in the services that currently exist for adolescents and young adults,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed being here and meeting all the staff and settling into the new place, and Mum gets a break too.” Jamieson, who is from Dunedoo in central western NSW, leads a busy life as a Paralympian boccia player and Bachelor of Economics student at the University of New South Wales. “It has been great having the time to relax and do a puzzle, watch a movie or spend time with my mum and family,” Jamieson said. “It’s really cool here – I love the beach and warm summer air.”
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Concussion clinic helps Charlie return to play A year ago 16 year old Charlie Watt found himself in an ambulance after a series of concussions within a short period of time. Charlie, who is a keen rugby player, found himself facing ongoing symptoms after
said. “The clinic did a wonderful job in helping Charlie realise how serious his concussions were as well as what he had to do to return to the field.” You can find out more about the clinic by visiting www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov. au/Services/Pages/RNSH-Concussion- Clinic.aspx or contacting NSLHD-RNSH- Concussion@health.nsw.gov.au.
experiencing. his third concussion. He received hospital treatment after experiencing a seizure caused by a fall and was referred to the Concussion Clinic at Royal North Shore Hospital. The clinic is a multidisciplinary team of professionals providing neurological and neuropsychological assessments for the patient whose concussion is taking longer than 10 days to recover. Charlie said the staff at the clinic helped him understand the dangers of a concussion which has since made him an advocate for getting treatment for concussions. “Everyone at the clinic has been really great and have helped me get back to where I was before the injuries,” he said. “There really are some serious consequences for ignoring concussions, so my advice to anyone who has experienced ongoing symptoms is to get them checked out.” As part of his recovery, the clinic recommended that Charlie have some time away from contact sport, which led to him taking up rugby coaching and rowing. “Whilst it was initially disappointing, I ended up finding a sport I really like in rowing which is great,” he said. Charlie’s mother, Annie Watt, said the clinic was extremely thorough which played a big role in helping Charlie on his recovery journey. “The staff were very thorough, which made me as his parent feel confident that he won’t be back on the field until he was ready,” she
Concussion Clinical Nurse Consultant at RNSH Vicki Evans (Roach) AM, Charlie Watt and Dr Vince Oxenham.
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kolling researchers Recognised on the world stage In a sign of the expertise across the Kolling Institute, more than a dozen researchers have been profiled in an international study recognising the world’s best Published by Stanford University, the study has identified the top two per cent of researchers in the world across individual fields. The study is based on metrics from Scopus, a database of peer-reviewed literature including scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Researchers were ranked on standardised information including citations, h-index, authorship positions and a composite indicator. A total of 15 researchers from the Kolling have been highlighted in the study, demonstrating the unique experience across the institute. Kolling Institute Governance Committee Chair Michael Nugent said the results are an indication of the ground-breaking scientific progress we’re making, and the tangible impact we’re having on healthcare models of care and quality of life. “Importantly, this impact is benefitting communities on a national and international scale,” he said. “I would like to acknowledge the following outstanding group of researchers, who all have an • Professor Ian Cameron - John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research • Professor Ashley Craig - John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research • Professor Jim Elliott - Neuromuscular Imaging Research Lab • Professor Manuela Ferreira - Back Pain Research Group • Professor Gemma Figtree (AM) - Cardiovascular Discovery Group • Professor Lisa Harvey - John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research • Professor Sarah Hilmer (AM) - Laboratory of Ageing and Pharmacology • Professor David Hunter - Osteoarthritis Research Team • Professor Chris Little - Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Research Lab • Professor Gin Malhi - Academic Psychiatry and CADE Clinic • Professor Lyn March (AM) - Rheumatology Department • Professor Mark Molloy - Bowel Cancer Research • Professor Michael Nicholas - Pain Management Research Centre • Professor Carol Pollock (AO) - Renal Research Team • Professor Paul Glare - Pain Management Research Centre “It is wonderful that so many of our researchers are among the world’s best, driving significant improvements in research and clinical care.” unrelenting commitment to improving the care we receive.” • Professor Rob Baxter (AM) - Breast Cancer Research
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Quality and Improvement Awards return Applications for the 2023 Quality and
‘delivering value-based integrated care’ award. “I think I speak for all staff members when I say we don’t do the work we do for recognition or praise,” he said. “But it is always nice to be acknowledged and the award was something I was very proud to be a part of last year.” Staff wanting to enter the awards can visit https://bit.ly/QI-Awards-2023 or email nslhd-awards@health.nsw.gov.au for any guidance with submissions. Entries need to be submitted by Thursday 6 April.
Improvement Awards have officially opened. The annual awards aim to acknowledge and recognise staff members across the district that go above and beyond every day and make a real difference for our patients, consumers and our community. 2023 marks the fourth edition of the awards and staff can nominate across eight categories: • Transforming the Patient Experience Award • Patient Safety First Award • Delivering Value-Based Integrated Care Award • Supporting our People and Culture Award • Keeping People Healthy Award • Health Research and Digital Innovation Award • Excellence in the Provision of Mental Health Services Award • Planetary Health Award Acting Director of Operations Integration James Inglis worked on the ‘Geriatrician outreach to GPs’ project which saw the NSLHD Aged Care service and the Sydney North Health Network take home the Quality Program (ASQP) commenced recently, with the first of four workshops taking place at the Northern Sydney Education and Conference Centre. The 12 month program, which will take place across various venues within the district, will see 17 NSLHD staff members from various disciplines of health develop their capability to lead and enhance the safety, quality and person-centred care, provided in their local service. Throughout the year, participants will be guided to apply a range of the skills, methods and attitudes of healthcare safety, improvement science and facilitation skills in their workplace. They will also lead a team undertaking a quality improvement project in their work settings. ASQP is part of the NSW Safety and Quality Essentials Pathway, at the Adept level, which aims to meet the current safety and quality capability needs of everyone in NSW Health. Upon graduation from this program, participants are eligible to gain credit towards relevant post-graduate courses with partner Universities. As well as access to a range of programs for ongoing development in safety and quality improvement to continue to apply
A/Director Operations Integration James Inglis and RNSH geriatrician Dr Praveenan Sivabalan
2023 applied safety and quality program kicks off The inaugural NSLHD Applied Safety and
their learnings. NSLHD Deputy Board Chair Mary Chiarella AM said the program is an opportunity for staff across various disciplines to learn from each other. “This program is so exciting and is an incredibly important initiative,” she said. “There is a great mix of participants from various areas of health that can share important learnings from each other.”
ANSLHD Applied Safety and Quality Program participants with program co-ordinators Cathy Vinters and Catherine Rosario
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recently welcomed 20 new graduate nurses as part of the NSW Health GradStart program. The program, which sees recently graduated nurses and midwives join the district each year, will provide diverse experiences which will help them build on skills and knowledge they developed whilst at university. Graduate Brittany Phizacklea, who joined RNSH as part of the program, said she was excited to be offered a role in the RNSH neonatal intensive care unit. “I’m really excited to be learning and working at one of the best and highly rated hospitals,” she said. “The team aspect of nursing is also very exciting to me, especially being able to work alongside other graduates who are just as passionate about neonatal nursing.” NSLHD will continue to welcome graduate nurses and midwives as part of the program, with the next intake taking place later in March. Vale Chris oxby Northern Sydney Local Health District would like to express its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Chris Oxby. Chris came to work for the Northern Sydney and Central Coast Local Health Districts in 2010 and became an Electronic Medical Record (eMR) Architect in 2011 - a position that he held for 12 years. Chris is remembered by colleagues as being hard working, funny, compassionate, and always willing to lend a helping hand, even in the midst of his own health battles. He was a mentor to many and his dedication to improve patient care is something he will always be remembered for across Northern Sydney. In a career full of professional highlights, Chris will be equally remembered for his kind and caring personality by those who knew him. Vale, Chris Oxby.
Chris Oxby
NSLHD welcomes first intake of graduate nurses Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) has
Brittany Phizacklea (second from left) with fellow graduate nurses at RNSH for their orientation week
SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS Share your news and achievements. Contact the Media and Communications team on 9463 1722 or email NSLHD-media@health.nsw.gov.au to submit your news.
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