March 2012 - the Bay of Plenty District Health Board

March 2012
The BoPDHB Clinical School presented
Dr Derek Sage with the inaugural 2011
Clinical Teaching Prize in appreciation
of his contribution to student
placements and teaching. For more
see page 12.
Photo courtesy of
Bay of Plenty Times.
page
4
page
Checkup
10
page
16
Bay of Plenty District Health Board staff news
100% recycled paper
1
designed and printed by the BOPDHB’s Design and Print team
Overview
Guest Columnist –
Julie Robinson, Director of Nursing
The time has come
to talk of many
things …
…of uniforms, hand
washing and the
wearing of rings
You will note in this edition
of Checkup that we have
introduced a new Guest
Columnist feature (right)
which is great because
it means I can limit my
column to issues across the
organisation. It is also great
to introduce readers to
other key players within the
organisation and for you to
read their thoughts on issues.
Staying within budget in the 2011/12 year
is proving to be a challenge. Whilst we are
currently forecasting that we will meet our
financial targets this year, I have a growing
concern as to how we will do this.
I know that Chief Operating Officer Phillip
Balmer is working with his Provider team
to pull back their current gap. This is
essential, as the preparation work for the
2012/2013 budget has revealed a major
shortfall between revenue and the first
estimates of the cost of delivering services.
We must get to a break-even budget for
2012/2013 and this will involve change.
I know you will join with me in making sure
we are examining everything we do, and are
being as careful with our DHB resources as
you are with your own at home.
I hope that in the next edition of Checkup
I will be able to tell you that we have
balanced the books not only for 2011/12 but
also for 2012/13.
Phil Cammish
Chief Executive
BoPDHB
2
When you are offered the
privilege of being a guest
columnist for Checkup the
mind does go blank initially.
This led to a reflection on the
issues that other people have approached me
about recently. One hot topic that springs to mind
is that of uniforms, or in some cases the standards
when a uniform is not required. Hardly in the
world peace bracket, but it does stir up a wide
range of opinions. So why do we wear uniforms?
The NHS in England devotes a complete document
to guidelines on uniforms and work wear. Known
as “bare below the elbows” it is based on
extensive literature reviews of the evidence,
so clearly uniforms are more than a pedantic
hangover from times gone by.
First and foremost it is about patient safety.
Effective hygiene and preventing infection are
absolutes in healthcare. Uniforms and workwear
should not impede effective hand hygiene, and
should not unintentionally come into contact
with patients during direct patient care activity.
Similarly, nothing should be worn that could
compromise patient or staff safety during care,
for example false nails, rings, earrings and
necklaces. Generally a plain
ring, such as a wedding ring is
allowed.
Another reason is public
confidence. The way staff
dress is an important
influence on people’s overall
perceptions of the standards
of care they experience.
Uniforms should be clean at
all times, and professional
in appearance, as should the
clothing for non uniformed
clinical staff. There is good
evidence that uniforms should be washed
through the commercial process as this removes
most micro organisms. Although there is no
evidence that wearing uniforms outside work
adds to infection risks, public attitudes indicate
it is good practice to change at work, or to cover
uniforms as you travel to and from work. I am
not sure I really want my supermarket fruit and
veggies brushed by a uniform that has just been
dealing with a mucky wound thanks. And by the
way did you wash those hands?
As Professor Didier Pittet, world renowned
infection control expert states: “Hand cleansing
by healthcare workers is the most important
and most effective strategy to reduce cross
transmission from patient to patient and from
the environment to the patient. It reduces
healthcare associated infection and associated
morbidity and mortality. It also contributes
significantly to reduce the reservoir of
multiresistant bacteria.”
Have your say
By Diana Marriott, Communications Manager
We’d like to hear from you and
your colleagues about internal
communications at the DHB.
We’d like to know what you think about things
like: Checkup - the staff newsletter; the CEO
Chat Sheet from Phil Cammish; Pacentral – our
intranet; and the Staff Forums. Do you feel
up to date with what’s happening across the
organisation? Do you get the chance to read
the newsletters? Have you ever been to a
Staff Forum? Do you read our staff newsletters
online or prefer a printed copy?
If you’d like to have your say on what works
and what doesn’t work for you, please
complete our ‘Internal Communications Staff
Survey’ by March 31.
You can either complete the survey online
by going to Pacentral and clicking on the link
under ‘What’s New’, or you can complete a
printed survey and
post it back to
us. Those areas/
departments that
receive printed
copies of Checkup will have
received hard copies of the survey at the
same time. They can also be found at various
locations around both campuses, such as staff
rooms and cafes. If you would like a copy sent
to you, please call me on ext. 8029 or email
diana.marriott@bopdhb.govt.nz.
Once we have received all the feedback from
the survey, the communications team will
review what’s working well and what isn’t and
make any necessary changes – we’ll keep you
posted.
This is your chance to make things better for
you and your team, so please take the time to
contribute. We look forward to hearing from
you.
We are listening - HR update
By Gordon Mackay, General Manager HR
We would like to take the opportunity to thank those who responded to our
recent Customer Service Survey. We value your feedback as it will enable us
to continuously improve our service delivery. The HR Exec Team is currently
considering the results and our response will be published when finished.
HR Helpdesk
The HR
department
has a
dedicated
helpdesk
which is your
first point of
contact for
all general
HR enquiries
(excluding
Payroll).
Career Discovery Programme
The HR Helpdesk is staffed by
Human Resources Coordinator
Tash Pieterse.
You can call or email directly through to the
helpdesk and your request will be logged and
attended to within 24 hours or less.
Requests may vary from:
“Am I eligible for parental leave?”
“Am I able to get a copy of my job description?”
“How does the process of applying for
discretionary sick leave work?”
Any enquiries that need further assistance or to
be passed to another HR staff member will be
processed in a timely manner.
All enquiries that are put through our helpdesk
will be acknowledged immediately, logged, and
a unique reference number will be provided for
easy tracking.
?
i
All BoPDHB staff are
encouraged to reflect on
their career as part of their
ongoing development. HR
offers a free, confidential and
personalised support service
with Career Development
Advisor, Jude Ebbett.
Jude is a qualified career practitioner with
many years experience in the secondary
and tertiary education, community and
organisational settings.
Many staff have found this service supportive
for a variety of situations including decisions
about development opportunities, reengagement with current role, CV review and
interview coaching. As career development
is a continuing process due to factors both
internally and externally changing, many staff
have benefitted from access to the service on
a periodic ongoing basis.
Possible gains for you of accessing the service
include:
• Self/context understanding
• Identification of strengths and
preferences
• Work/learning exploration/alignment
• Identification of themes/meaning/
combinations
• Work/personal/relationship balance
• Decision-making
Coming soon
New HR intranet – including personal profile
Ext. 8812
HRHelpdesk@bopdhb.govt.nz
For all general HR enquiries.
All queries responded to within 24hrs.
called ‘Yourself’
e-learning – information on the new HR
e-learning modules
Staff Service Recognition Awards –
recognising and celebrating with staff who have
been with the organisation for more than 10 years
• Goal setting
• Action planning
• Specific opportunities information/
research
• Self marketing techniques
• Progress review.
Increasingly a session with the Career
Development Advisor is being incorporated
into learning and development goals as part of
the annual Professional Development Review
process for staff.
If the time is right to give yourself the gift
of reflection, the supported time and space
to examine where you are now and where
you want to be, simply email
jude.ebbett@bopdhb.govt.nz or call ext. 8870.
What’s new
Welcome to our new Team Leader
HR Advisor, Nick Cockroft. Nick
joined us on February 7 and is a
member of the HR Exec Team.
3
Learning from
overseas
Outstanding service in
the Eastern Bay
By Carol
Charters,
Whakatane
Hospital
Librarian
Article courtesy of Whakatane Beacon
What
have the
world’s first public library,
the first public park and the
pub where Marx and Engels
met have in common? They
are all found in Salford,
England, venue of the Sixth
International Evidence Based
Library and Information
Practice Conference which I
attended in June 2011.
Chris Moyes came to Whakatane from the
United Kingdom 33 years ago as the first
resident specialist paediatrician in the
Eastern Bay. For the early years he was a sole
practitioner, on call for emergencies at all
times.
Visiting family and benign exchange rates
made attending this international conference
less costly than a New Zealand meeting. It
also gave me a unique opportunity to listen
to world leading researchers.
Having a strong academic focus, the
conference programme unveiled a wide
range of topics from academic, health,
school and public library practitioners. The
pre-conference workshop led by Andrew
Booth, the doyenne of evidence-based
library and information practice, was both
practical and inspirational. Following on
from keynote speakers, there were a number
of stimulating parallel sessions looking at
subjects like students studying student use
of library resources, electronic capture and
analysis of librarian-mediated literature
searches, insights into how NICE guidelines
are developed and lots, lots more.
I particularly liked the poster presentations
in the ‘Madness Sessions’ where presenters
had the opportunity to describe their work
in one minute. Presentations included the
librarian’s role in nursing research council
(Finland), proposed collaboration between
palliative care educators and hospice
librarians (England), an online clinical
query service from the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and
improving encounters of the customer kind
from the Karolinska Institute.
The informal programme included a
LifeTimes exhibition of Salford’s social and
industrial history held at the Salford Museum
and Art Gallery and an evocative tour of
Old Trafford Football Stadium. Listening to
the triumphs and tragedies of Manchester
United whilst having dinner in the Stretford
Suite overlooking a floodlit pitch was
unforgettable.
4
A Whakatane doctor has been awarded a medal for outstanding
clinical service in a rural or remote area from the Royal
Australasian College of Physicians.
In spite of this huge responsibility he was a
key player in the investigation of hepatitis B
infections and in developing affordable and
effective vaccination schedules, leading to
the adoption of hepatitis vaccination for all
children in New Zealand.
Dr Moyes received an academic doctorate
from Cambridge University for that work and,
in recent years, he has been Medical Director
of the Hepatitis Foundation, with around
12,000 current clients. His other research
interests have included child injury prevention
and asthma. He has been a principle author of
36 original research papers.
Professor John Kolbe, who awarded Dr Moyes
his medal, emphasised the reputation he had
gained for working collaboratively with other
agencies involved in child health.
Last year Dr Moyes retired from emergency
work, but continues some outpatient
A new
BoPDHB
website
on its way
By Kimberley Bray,
Communications Advisor
The DHB is underway
with an exciting new
project to rebuild our
external website
www.bopdhb.govt.nz
and build social media
capability.
Dr Chris Moyes was the sole paediatrician in the
Eastern Bay for approximately 10 years. Since arriving
in New Zealand in 1979 his work has been published
locally and internationally in peer reviewed journals.
paediatric clinics as well as chairing a
committee to advise the DHB on child and
youth health priorities, and another to review
all cases of death in young people.
He also sits on a national committee advising
the Ministry of Health on child health service
development, and continues his work for the
Hepatitis Foundation.
The project aims to redevelop the organisations
online presence, to assist in the delivery of the
organisations overall strategic goals as defined
in the District Annual Plan 2011/12, the District
Strategic Plan and Ministers expectations for
‘transformational change’. At the same time,
taking into consideration the technical and
socio-cultural aspects of an online presence and
e-health developments.
For the BoPDHB a well planned, designed
and executed internet would provide the
opportunity to communicate key messages,
educate and inform, and provide access to
systems and tools that support health outcomes.
The current BoPDHB website is out of date,
lacking in functionality, and reflecting poorly
on who we are as a progressive, communityfocused organisation so it is exciting to have
an opportunity to refocus what we are doing
and how we are perceived online when it
comes to our patients and our community.
If you would like to be involved in focus
groups for the redevelopment of the website,
or have some thoughts that you would like
to share about the current site or the future
direction, contact the project manager
Kimberley Bray on ext. 5822 or email
kimberley.bray@bopdhb.govt.nz.
Our new name is SORTED
SORTED is the new name for
the Bay of Plenty Youth Alcohol
and Other Drugs (AOD) service.
BoP nurse judges
national awards
Alcohol and Drug Clinician David Gilmour says
the opportunity to rebrand the service arose
from new government funding under the Drivers
of Crime initiative.
“The Youth Alcohol and Other Drugs service
has been a component of Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for some time,”
says David. “Up to now most of the referrals
have been from the CAMHS team and, whilst
some young people who have substance misuse
problems also have mental health issues, the
fact is that most do not.”
The idea of the new name SORTED is to raise the
profile of the team and broaden its referral base.
The SORTED team from left: AOD Case Managers David
Gilmour and Caleb Putt and Social Worker Case Manager
Mark Thomas.
The service is available to under 18s and their
families/significant others. For more information
call ext. 5052 or email Sorted@bopdhb.govt.nz.
“We receive referrals from Youth Justice and
Youth Aid and are developing those links as well
as making new ones via NGOs, PHOs and, with
greater visibility, direct from the public,” says
David.
Introducing... the
Peggy Sue ward
By Fiona Burns, Change Manager
“…If you knew Peggy Sue,
Then you’d know why we are blue
(and orange, yellow and green),
About Pegging, our Peg It scheme…”
(Thanks to Buddy Holly for original lyrics)
Staff in the Whakatane
Medical Ward have acquired
the name ‘Peggy Sue’ thanks
to a Releasing Time to Care
initiative.
Signing up to the Releasing Time to Care
programme in October, the first Well
Organised Ward (WOW) project was to address
the everyday time consuming activity of
looking for medical notes.
This was taking from 3-30 minutes for each
set, and with up to 90 different staff accessing
the ward on a week day, was a source of great
frustration and a huge waste of clinical time.
“For an HISC employee to be nominated
for the CAREGiver of the Year Award, is
recognition of excellence in the caring
for another,” says Tony. “It’s a fantastic
opportunity for the older person clients and
their families to engage in this process and
I believe it should be emulated by other
health care providers.”
Home Instead Senior Care Director, Debra
Jager says they felt very honoured to have
a judge of such high calibre, who himself
started his career as a caregiver.
The Peg It system has four colours to indicate who
has the notes: blue - Nurses, yellow - Doctors, green
- Allied Health and orange to indicate the notes and
patient are off the ward e.g. at CT or X-ray.
“Tony was the perfect selection of judge as
he helped to inspire caregivers who aspire to
train further and move their careers to even
higher realms in the industry,” Debra says.
“Special thanks to Tony for so willingly giving
his time to this important industry event.”
Tauranga already has a claim to fame with a
winner in this prestigious event.
The WOW team met for a day to reorganise
the process. They adopted the Canterbury
DHB ‘Put it Back Jack’ campaign and took it
one step further to add ‘Peg It’ with the rules
of the game below:
“Two years ago our very own Ngarie Cowley
was National CAREGiver of the Year,” says
Debra. “We are hoping the December Awards
will see one of our CAREGivers again win the
big prize.”
PEG IT AND PUT IT BACK!
The National Office for HISC is now based in
Tauranga. This means the BoPDHB has major
international research carried out by HISC
USA at its finger tips.
Show with a peg where notes will be.
Only use 1 set of notes at a time.
Put the clinical notes back after use.
Thank you!
After two months it’s working well with great
feedback - and maybe patent pending?!
BoPDHB’s Nurse Practitioner
Tony Lawson was a judge
at the annual Home Instead
Senior Care (HISC) Regional
CAREGiver of the Year Awards
last year. Two finalists were
selected to go through the
National Awards where Tony
will also be a judge.
Registered Nurses Maggie Jansen (left) and Sue Smith
helped to design the ‘Peg It’ system and are now
known as Peggy Sue!
5
Congratulations
Sue!
By Tracey Wood,
Midwife Educator
Calendar of events
Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service participates in and organises community events that
promote better health and independence. A 2012 calendar of these events for the Bay of
Plenty region is now available. If you would like a copy, pleased contact Health Information
Advisor Lorraine Howarth on 07 349 7362, email lorraine.howarth@bopdhb.govt.nz or view
the calendar online at www.toiteorapublichealth.govt.nz/calendar.
After six months
of intense
self-directed
study, Eastern
Bay of Plenty
Lactation Consultant
Breastfeeding
Sue Gulliver-Birkett
Advisor and
Whakatane Hospital Midwife Sue
Gulliver-Birkett, recently passed
the International Board Certified
Lactation Consultant Examination.
Sue has been a midwife for 12 years and
identifies as Ngati Pukeko. Sue believes
wholeheartedly in breastfeeding kaupapa
and its potential to improve the health of
the whole population.
Becoming a Lactation Consultant, an
internationally recognised title, has
equipped Sue with skills and knowledge
necessary to further develop breastfeeding
support services in the Eastern Bay. Sue
already has clinics for mothers and babies
in Opotiki, Kawerau and Whakatane, and is
in discussion with Iwi providers to establish
more satellite clinics with a focus on ease
of access in our community.
Congratulations
to our champions
of excellence
By Helene Stols, Outcomes
Coordinator Mental Health and
Addiction Services
In December last year Te Toki Maurere,
Whakatane Inpatient Mental Health
Service, achieved and maintained for
eight months in succession a 100%
outcomes collection compliance
against the 80% Ministry of Health
(MoH) target for inpatient services.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
(CAMHS) and Liaison Psychiatry share the
championship position for community services
as they both hit the 80% outcomes collection
compliance target in December last year against
the MoH target of 60%.
Mental health assessments may appear to be
subjective, complex and intangible as they
include identification of symptoms, behaviors,
moods, thought processes and contextual
factors such as relationships and activities of
6
daily living. However, the Health of the Nation
Outcomes Scales (HONOS/CA/65+/LD) is a suite
of measurement tools used by mental health
professionals to score the level of severity, which
makes it more tangible and measurable.
It is a national mandatory requirement for mental
health professionals and services to electronically
enter these scores to meet the MoH requirements
and outcomes collection compliance targets.
The local Mental Health and Addiction Service
(MH&AS) Clinical Governance had set an 80%
target for community mental health services
and a 90% target for inpatient mental health
services by December 2011, which was higher
than the MoH targets. At the onset these targets
seemed to be challenging. In December 2010 the
aggregate BoPDHB HONOS collection compliance
for community services was only 10% and for
the inpatient services, 47%. By December 2011
it was 62% for community services and 100% for
inpatient services.
By December 2011 thirty three case managers
across all the mental health community services
were 100% up to date with outcomes collection
entries for all of their case loads. Two Tauranga
community teams, CAMHS and Liaison Psychiatry,
hit the 80% target. All three of the inpatient
mental health services maintained a 100%
HONOS outcomes collection compliance, but Te
Toki Maurere, is the inpatient champion. Each of
the three teams was awarded a certificate at a
team celebration.
Right - CAMHS champions back row from left: Clive
James, Caleb Putt, Julie Jensen, David Gilmour, Jenny
Lamberton, Emily Belbin and Dr Michael Gudex. Middle
row from left: Mark Thomas, Julie Ryle, Anja Theron,
Rebecca Lovett, Bernice Roulston, Nikki Mildon and
Victor Viray. Front row from left: Paul Horini, Darron
Billett, Judie Smith, Glenda Gilligreen and Prya Beharry.
Te Toki Maurere champions from left:
Karl Chrisoffersen, Tania Miller, Auhi
Wahapango, Lydia Ranapia, Hazel Agnew,
Jo Olsen and Bev King (seated).
Liaison Psychiatry champions from left:
Renee Wilton, Raewyn Hunt and
Dr Branka Mijatovic.
New dysphagia online Moodle
By Robin Matthews,
Speech Therapist
Nurses at Bay of Plenty DHB are
able to improve patient outcomes
and reduce the risk of complications
such as pneumonia by undertaking
dysphagia assessment training online
using a new Moodle module.
The Module ‘Dysphagia, Mouth Cares and
Feeding Training for Nurses’ went live on
Monday February 13 and is the culmination of
12 months work.
In line with similar training in other hospitals
around New Zealand, the aim is to empower
nurses to provide, in partnership with SLTs,
a timely and well informed assessment of
the safety of swallowing for all patients
admitted with a diagnosis of stroke, cancer,
TBI, cranial-facial abnormality and other
neurological conditions.
The module brings together the latest local
and international guidelines and protocols
and places them in an accessible, selfdirected learning format. The course looks
closely at four main areas of anatomy,
swallow physiology, feeding and mouth cares.
Implementation of dysphagia and oral cares
programmes elsewhere including screening
have led to substantial reductions in hospital
acquired pneumonia rates.
Join SWEAT today
By Marcus Vercoe, Staff Wellness
Centre Manager
Have you made a New Years
resolution to improve your
health and fitness, lose weight
or increase your daily physical
activity? Join SWEAT now and
we’ll help you make it happen.
Clinical Nurse Educator Lou Fowler (left) with
Speech Therapist Robin Matthews.
Once the module is completed, nurses who
would like to develop expertise in assessment
will be invited to become a recognised
Dysphagia Screening Nurse within their clinical
area. These nurses will attend a hands-on
dysphagia workshop where they will take an
in depth look at the Swallow Screen Protocol
and hone their clinical assessment skills.
On completing the workshop the trained
nurses will support the SLT department to
work towards reducing hospital acquired
pneumonias and reduce the number of
patients with adequate swallowing being left
Nil by Mouth overnight or at weekends.
Nurses who would like further information or
who are interested in attending the advanced
dysphagia workshop should discuss this with
their Clinical Nurse Manager or email me:
robin.matthews@bopdhb.govt.nz.
There are a large number of events happening
this year, it’s just a matter of putting yourself
out there and getting involved. Take this
opportunity to participate as an individual or
get your friends and colleagues together and
participate as a team.
Group Fitness
Check out our new Group Fitness Timetable on
Pacentral - we’ve added more classes and new
times to suit your work hours. Group Fitness is
a fun and easy way to get you motivated when
exercising, and it’s also a great way to meet other
people. Come and see what we have to offer, you
might just find it’s not as scary as you think!
From left: Smokefree Coordinator Liz Spence,
Social Worder Gwenda Rüegg, Clinical Nurse
Manager Bella Mark and Health Care Assistant Jill
Van de Wouden.
The Smokefree ABC statistics at
Whakatane hospital’s surgical ward
are close to 100% thanks to an idea
by Social Worker Gwenda Rüegg.
An informative and graphic QUIT display in
the foyer entrance to the ward has received
great feedback from patients, family/
whanau of patients, visitors and staff. There
has been an increase in enquires about
becoming smokefree and those wanting QUIT
information.
“With recent increases in tobacco costs,
patients are well aware of not just the
medical and social cost but the financial
cost to them,” says Gwenda. “The ward
are committed to educating patients
about becoming smokefree and they are
encouraged and supported to use nicotine
replacement therapy (NRT).”
The surgical ward staff have made the
commitment to ensure their ward percentages
are at the highest level. The ward had been
low in the QUIT/Smokefree ABC’s statistics,
but the total commitment from Clinical Nurse
Manager Bella Mark, Social Worker Gwenda
Ruegg and Health Care Assistant (HCA) Jill van
der Wouden has resulted in an increase from
the low 60’s% to the high 90’s%.
Jill and Gwenda make it their responsibility
to ensure every patient file they can get
their hands on has the Smokefree ABC’s
sticker and that it is actually completed.
A spin class at the Tauranga SWEAT Wellness Centre.
Events Challenge
If you’ve ever wanted to participate in an event
such as a Multisport, Triathlon or Walk/Run
event, here is your opportunity. It’s easy - simply
sign up to any of the upcoming events which
interest you, we have many listed on the SWEAT
site on Pacentral, register your membership with
SWEAT and we’ll ensure you’re on the right path
to achieving your goal.
Surgical ward
commit to
smokefree
“Nursing staff are aware they too must
commit to that bright green sticker and
make sure it is completed,” says Gwenda.
The new initiative is also in place at the
Orthopaedic Pre-Assessment clinic where
every patient goes through the Smokefree
ABCs.
Group Fitness classes such as Balance are a great
way to meet new people.
Staff look forward to the next round
of statistics in the hope that they have
improved or sustained their latest targets.
7
Delivering change that matters to our
patients, employees and communities
By Suzanne Round, Communications Advisor
Employees from across the DHB are working together to improve the patient journey,
developing opportunities for employees, teams and/or departments to step up and
champion new, better or different ways of doing things.
Through the GO-TEAM, the DHB provides an opportunity for employees to be recognised for
‘going the extra mile’ and encouraging ideas for improvement from the ground up.
“
“The GO-TEAM is about embracing change and it is fantastic
that all employees have an opportunity to be involved in
actually making things happen,” says Gold Award winner.
”
GO-TEAM Gold Award
In December and January the GO-TEAM was pleased to award the first
ever Gold Awards to four deserving individuals that had been nominated by an
employee for ‘going the extra mile’ and providing excellent service/care.
Ali Roach -
Julia Braid -
Nurse Manager,
Flexi Unit
Clinical Nurse
Leader, ICU/CCU
“Ali completed the new step down unit in
double quick time, ensuring that nurses
rostered were fully informed and aware
of requirements, whilst ensuring a smooth
transition and improved patient flow,” says
Tauranga Hospital Coordinator, Julie Williams.
“Julia took on the challenge at very short
notice in helping open eight additional beds
within her unit. Julia is always able to see the
big picture and keep the patient’s interests
in the forefront. This award also finished
off a successful year for the new ICU/CCU
service development,” says Tauranga Hospital
Coordinator, Julie Williams.
Lynette
Finlayson -
ED Coordinator
“Lynette exemplifies the can do attitude
of the GO-TEAM. Her great team work
with the Duty Management team and
the ED team has resulted in big gains
in patient flow, ensuring that patients
get to the right place in the hospital to
continue their journey,” says Tauranga
Hospital Coordinator, Julie Williams.
Lisa McAuley Duty Manager
Coordinator
“Lisa possesses excellent
communication and leadership as a duty
manager, committed to quality, safety
and the six-hour target. Lisa ensures
a steady flow of patients coming into
ED, regular rounding and engagement
with ED CNC and ED SMOs,” says Clinical
Nurse Manager – ED and APU Marama
Tauranga.
Ali Roach (right) was nominated by Julie Williams.
8
Nurse Leader Surgical Service Ros Jackson (right)
presents Julia Braid with her award.
What the winners
had to say:
“It really means a lot to be recognised
for the work that goes on behind the
scenes.”
“The Gold Awards are a great way for
DHB employees to be recognised in a different way by the
organisation.”
All four nominations had been unanimously decided by the GOTEAM Committee for demonstrating the ideals of the GO-TEAM
and a commitment to the organisational values: Compassion,
Attitude, Responsiveness, and Excellence (CARE).
The Gold Awards provide an opportunity for both patients and
employees to recognise the excellent service or care delivered
across the organisation to our patients and the community.
Nominate an
employee or
team today!
Any DHB employee can
nominate a colleague or
team, including students
and contractors. Nomination
forms are available all yearround from the main hospital
reception at Tauranga and
Whakatane or can be completed
online by visiting the GO-TEAM
intranet site - http://intranet/
goteam/pages/awards.aspx
‘Making Change that Matters’ Competition
In late 2011, the ‘Making Change that Matters’ Competition was launched to
provide an opportunity for all employees across the DHB to submit their ideas for
improvement in their area to improve the patient journey.
Each entry was judged by the GO-TEAM Committee against a list
of criteria including the alignment to the organisational strategic
priorities and demonstration of values (CARE).
The standard of the entries was so high that the GO-TEAM
Committee decided to select three winning initiatives to take
forward with support from the Service Improvement Unit. Each
initiative will be delivered through the Action Projects Course by
Kerrie Freeman, designed to provide project management skills and
support to enable individuals across the DHB to deliver small-scale
initiatives.
“We have had this idea for
such a long time and we just
didn’t know how to execute
it. We are thrilled that the
competition gives us the
chance to really make this
happen,” said the Rheumatic
Fever Project team.
‘Making Change that Matters’ winners:
Project lead: Cheryl Shearer
Concept:
Electronic Confidential Patients
Information form
Project lead: Debbie Coates
Concept:
Echo Cardiology at Whakatane Hospital
Project leads: Rudi Downs, Johanna Wilson, Leeann Waaka
Concept: Early detection and prevention
of Rheumatic Fever
Do you have a great idea? Passion,
commitment to make it happen?
‘Making Change that Matters’ competition
is now open for employees, students and
contractors across the DHB to submit their
great ideas for improvement.
Get your entry in by Friday March 30 by
completing the online form on the GO-TEAM
intranet site - http://intranet/goteam/
9
The race is on
By Susan Langdon, Physiotherapy
Team Leader
Whakatane Physiotherapist Karen
Hanlen is on track to represent
New Zealand in the Olympics having
discovered a love of mountain
biking just two years ago.
What is a Nurse Practitioner?
It’s been 10 years since the first Nurse
Practitioner (NP) was appointed in
New Zealand and there are now just
over 100 across the country. Four
BOPDHB nurses have achieved the
prestigious qualification.
ED Nurse Practitioner Brett Turnwald.
Cardiac Nurse Practitioner Wendy Bryson.
Physiotherapist Karen Hanlen, won her first race
- the Colville Classic - in 2010. She blew the
field away and left everyone asking “Who is this
Karen Hanlen from Whakatane?”
At the beginning of February Karen found
out she is on the Olympic ‘long’ list which
means she has to compete against others to
gain the final position in the Olympic team.
She will race in Rotorua and South Africa in
March and Belgium in April.
Karen has always played sport - volleyball,
touch, netball (Magic development squad),
mountain running/cross-country (The Goat,
Tois, Kauri - she has won them all!), as
well as participating in multisport events
(Montys, Motu – she has won them all!).
Last year Karen won the NZ Mountain
Bike Cup but was second to Rosara Joseph
(Commonwealth silver medalist) in the
NZ champs. 2011 was also Karen’s maiden
International Tour where she raced in
England, USA, Canada, Italy, Germany,
Czech Republic and lastly Switzerland in
the World Champs where she was placed
23rd. Karen started the tour ranked 110 and
finished the year 36th.
Karen is not a carded athlete; she has to
manage mostly with the support of family,
friends and the Whakatane Cycle Centre.
Karen is of Ngati Awa and Te Arawa descent.
She was born in Whakatane (in our Te Koru
building) and went to Whakatane High
which has produced a few sports stars - Lisa
Carrington, Benji Marshall, Sophie Hart,
Nathan Twaddle to name a few.
From her love of sport came her choice
of career - physiotherapy – and Karen has
worked for us since graduation apart from
an OE with husband Mark and two children
Caleb, five and Aramia, three.
Work or sport, Karen always gives 100% with
a smile on her face. Good luck Karen - we
are ALL behind you.
10
“A Nurse Practitioner is a Registered Nurse
with a minimum of five years experience at
an advanced level within a specific scope
of nursing practice,” says cardiac Nurse
Practitioner Wendy Bryson.
Wendy says the role is as challenging as it
is rewarding and every day brings a unique
opportunity to make a difference.
“Being a Nurse Practitioner provides the
opportunity to look beyond the patient’s
diagnosis and deal with the implications,
associated barriers/opportunities and challenges
they face in coping with cardiac-related issues,”
she says. “Together with the patient we can
determine a specific and realistic plan of care.”
Nurse Practitioner for the Older Adult, Tony
Lawson, says that as well as working with
individual clients, the role puts him in a lead
position in forward planning strategic and
clinical issues.
“I am able to consider the overall population
health issues for the older adult in our
community,” he says.
Whilst the NP role is clinically based, Nurse
Practitioner in the area of adult mental
health, Jeff Symonds, says it encompasses
others aspects of practice such as education,
supervision and research.
“In my work I am assessing, investigating,
diagnosing, ordering and reviewing relevant
laboratory tests, defining treatment plans,
continually consulting and collaborating
with my medical, nursing and other MDT
colleagues,” he says. “I cover both community
and inpatient settings depending on where
clients in my caseload are.”
Jeff believes the role of Nurse Practitioners is
still evolving in NZ.
“Over time with increasing numbers of NPs
and lobby groups such as the Nursing Council
and Nurse Practitioner NZ, I am positive the
role will continue to grow and establish itself
by demonstrating the benefits NPs can offer to
our health services,” he says.
Brett Turnwald is a Nurse Practitioner in
Tauranga Hospital’s Emergency Department.
His role is to ease the demand and help with
the flow of patients rather than a set group
of patients. This includes acute assessment,
diagnostics, treatment and discharge planning.
Brett says becoming a NP is a mixture of hard
work and determination.
“Plan, talk and solicit advice about the direct
route. Most of it is pure hard work with
determination as the goal.
A clinically based Masters Degree and
achievement of NZ Nursing Council assessment
criteria and competencies are pre-requisites
to achieving the NP qualification.
For more information on becoming a Nurse
Practitioner, visit www.nursingcouncil.org.nz.
Lunch with the birds
By Bianca Hennings,
Surgical Transcriptionist
Sharon Nally and I would like to tell you about
our orderly lady Trish Paterson. At lunchtime
outside Te Whare Maiangiangi (Mental Health
Service Inpatient Unit at Tauranga Hospital) Trish
has a flock of about 20 sparrows that she feeds
at lunchtime. They are so used to her feeding
them on a daily basis that they wait for her on
a tree by the maternity/after hours hospital
carpark, meet her as she starts coming out the
back door and then fly across the road with her she is the only one they will do that for!!!
Trish even chases the seagulls away so that they
don’t eat the sparrows’ lunch. She chats with
them and the sparrows even seem to understand
what she is saying to them. It is quite a sight you definitely have to see it to believe it!
Hands on in the Clinical School
By Sandra Ball, Rheumatic Fever Clinical Lead Eastern Bay Primary
Health Alliance
A ‘hands on’ anatomy and physiology teaching workshop at
Whakatane Hospital Clinical School, provided Community
Health Workers (CHWs) with a fuller understanding of
Rheumatic Fever (RF) and the effects it can have on the heart.
Changes to
clinical health
research
By Sarah Strong,
Clinical School Manager
The workshop was attended by Grace Ransfield
from Te Korowai Aroha (Rotorua) and Toi Te Ora
Communicable Disease Nurse Lindsay Lowe, as
well as Community Health Workers (CHWs) who
are engaged in the rheumatic fever prevention
programmes running in Opotiki, Kawerau and
Murupara: Nita Walker and Miriam Steadman
from Whakatohea Iwi and Social Health Services
(WISH) (Opotiki); Liisa Wana and Melissa Bennett
EBPHA (Kawerau); and Moana Hall and Maria
Sadlier from Te Ika Whenua Hauora (Murupara).
All agreed it was “a fantastic session.”
Sheep and deer hearts were used to visualize
the heart valve structures that are vulnerable to
damage from Rheumatic Fever.
Sheep and deer hearts were used to discover
the various chambers of the heart. The first
few moments of the session were a challenge
as the participants opened the hearts up.
Once the amazing structures inside the heart
were revealed everyone became engrossed in
the task of exploring and learning about the
heart.
The morning was hosted by Rheumatic Fever
Clinical Lead Sandra Ball from Eastern Bay
Primary Health Alliance (EBPHA) and Whakatane
Hospital Pediatrician Dr John Malcolm.
Dr Malcolm was available later in the session
to explain about heart valve repair and
replacement. He also shared an elementary
understanding of diagnosis of acute RF. As
always he answered all of the questions fired
at him with patience and passion.
Together these health workers offer sore
throat swabbing to over 3000 school children
in high RF incidence areas in the Eastern Bay
of Plenty. The CHWs visit the schools in their
areas twice each week and offer a throat swab
to any (consenting) child who says they have
a sore throat. If the throat swab comes back
positive for group A streptococcus (or ‘strep
throat’) the CHW follows this up with the
family/whanau Doctor and ensures that the
child is offered the appropriate antibiotic. All
three programmes are funded by the BOPDHB.
Opotiki has been underway since 2009,
Kawerau 2010 and Murupara since 2011. The
CHWs are an incredible group of women who
have developed great rapport with their school
children. The knowledge they gained will
enable them to work even more effectively.
Below: Heart dissection was one part of the ‘hands
on’ workshop. From left: Rheumatic Fever Clinical
Lead Sandra Ball with Community Health Workers
Nita Walker, Moana Hall and Miriam Steadman.
Clinical School Manager Sarah Strong (left) and
Research Manager Rana Reuther.
Rana Reuther Research
Manager and Sarah Strong
Clinical School Manager are
involved in a national research
network that is collaborating
to review and feedback on
new reporting requirements
being developed by the
Health and Disability Ethics
Committee (HDEC).
The introduction of new processes will have
a significant impact on DHBs as any research
will need to be lodged with HDEC and the
standard operating procedures followed.
The aim is to provide ethics committees in
New Zealand with a robust, standardized
transparent and efficient system. The
changes will take effect from 1 July 2012.
We will be provided with national templates
and guidelines for clinical research. The
Clinical School will support the procedures
by developing a data gathering system
in-house that aligns with the national
requirements. This will have the added
functionality of being able to collate reports
and data to have a DHB-wide view of
research being undertaken.
In the next edition of Checkup we will
introduce you to our Research team and
provide you with
information on
how we can
support you with
clinical research.
11
Clinical teachers and
supervisors doing a grand job
By Peter J Gilling MD(Otago) FRACS, Head of School,
Bay of Plenty Clinical School
The DHB is fortunate to have dedicated staff who provide incredible
support and guidance to our students. The clinical school managed
247 medical students placements in 2011. Feedback is consistently
positive, here’s a sample:
“It has been an amazing experience and I have
had great teaching from the doctors. They really
involved us in all the happenings (theatres, ward
rounds, clinics etc.) and I had the opportunity
to do a lot of practical work. The administration
beforehand was great, very clear, and I felt well
looked after during my time here.”
“Orthopaedic team were friendly and allowed
me to get involved in surgery. Excellent teaching
and facilities.”
“Having worked in four big hospitals I am
very pleased to say BoPDHB surpasses them
all in terms of facilities, student support,
accommodation and the helpful staff. Overall
one of the best DHBs to work with.”
“I had a wonderful time at Tauranga Hospital
with supportive clinical teaching which stretched
me and encouraged me to apply knowledge in
a practical holistic way. Thank you very much. I
would love to return again!”
Dr Derek Sage - Photo courtesy of Bay of Plenty Times.
The BoP Clinical school presented Dr Derek
Sage the inaugural 2011 Clinical Teaching Prize
in appreciation of his contribution to student
placements and teaching. ED is one of the
more popular placements for our students,
contributing to that is the reputation they have
gained as a supportive teaching environment.
All supervisors of students are greatly
appreciated as it’s the quality of their
experience that encourages students to return
and motivates them in their professions.
2011 Allied
Health Awards
By Penny Horton, Education
Manager
In December
2011 the
annual Allied
Health Awards
Ceremony
took place in
the Tauranga Hospital
Education Centre.
These awards recognise allied health staff who
have displayed exceptional achievement in
their roles and are awarded in five categories:
assistant, administration support, practitioner
under five years and over five years in
profession and leader/manager. Nominations
for the awards can be made by any BoPDHB
staff member.
Audiology Administration Support Person
Andrea Schuler was nominated by Application
trainer Ursula Macfarlane. Some of Andrea’s
‘stand out achievements’ are her ability
to work around the patients needs when
managing bookings, knowing the roles and
expectations of clinical staff and having great
ideas and suggestions which contribute to the
smooth running of the department.
Physiotherapist Pete Reeve. Susan was recognised
for her strength in clinical care and patient
advocacy, along with her ability to ensure a
culture of continuing professional development in
her team.
Whakatane Hospital Physiotherapy Team
Leader Susan Langdon, was nominated by
The calibre, commitment and skills of each
individual was strongly evident in all the
12
2011 Allied Health Award winners from left: April Fisher, Wendy Richards, Luana Cox and Susan Langdon.
nominations. Winners of the awards were:
Occupational Therapy Assistant Luana Cox,
Audiology Administration Support Person
Andrea Schuler, Social Worker Wendy Richards,
Occupational Therapist April Fisher and
Physiotherapy Team Leader Susan Langdon.
Milestone for CIED Service
The Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device (CIED)
Service at Tauranga Hospital completed their 500th
procedure at the end of January. Mrs Nicholls is
now looking forward to getting her life back after
spending the last 12 months house-bound due to her
heart condition.
The follow-up of Bay of Plenty CIED patients has been provided at
Tauranga and Whakatane hospitals since 1995. The addition of the
implant service in 2008 at Tauranga Hospital provides a local service for
patients in the Bay of Plenty, that were otherwise having to travel over
to Waikato for their implantation or system change procedures.
Section Head Sheryl Tait, Head Cardiologist Dr Jonathan Tisch and
Cardiologist Dean Boddington, part of the team delivering the service at
Tauranga Hospital, were delighted to see the service achieve their 500th
procedure and celebrated with a large carrot cake.
“That’s 500 patients that haven’t had to go to Hamilton for the
procedure and 775 patients that can come to a local and familiar place
for their routine check-ups,” said Jonathan.
The BoPDHB Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device (CIED) Service, from left: Senior
Cardiac Physiologist Kate Swinson, Section Head, Cardiac Implanted Electronic
Devices Service Sheryl Tait, Director of Cardiology Dr Jonathan Tisch, Team Leader
Clinical Physiology and Echocardiography Michelle Bayles and Senior Cardiac
Physiologist Tracey Cumming. (Absent: Electrophysiologist Dr Dean Boddington and
Senior Cardiac Physiologist Cheryl Friedl.)
Opening of
Te Takapu o
Hineahuone
By Hiiria Hohua, Te Pou Kokiri,
Regional Maori Health Services
An 18 year ambition was realised
when Te Takapu o Hineahuone:
Community House was formally
opened 31 October 2011 at
Whakatane Hospital. Both the
Chair of the District Health
Board, Sally Webb and Amohaere
Tangitu; Regional Director of
Regional Maori Health Services
unveiled the plaque revealing the
name of the new accommodation
facility.
Te Takapu o Hineahuone means the Haven
of Hineahuone and is intended as a place
of calm and respite for families of unwell
patients in Whakatane Hospital. Moreover,
according to Maori traditions Hineahuone
was the first formed female and the giver
of life to humankind. Viewed from this
context, the Community House is meant as
a haven of peace and giver of life.
Karakia for the opening was led by Pouroto
Ngaropo; assisted by former Whakatane
Hospital Chaplain, Diane Neilson and
local kaumatua Te Tuhi Mate. During the
Opening begins. From left: Stan Ratahi: Te Pou Kokiri; Pouroto Ngaropo: Te Tumu Tataki, Regional Maori Health
Services (RMHS); Lani Marama: Kahika Whakahaere, RMHS; Sally Webb: Chair, BOPDHB; Amohaere Tangitu:
Te Pou Tahu Ahorangi, RMHS; Arona Smith: Te Pou Kokiri & Te Tuhi Mate. (Photo courtesy of Whare Akuhata).
proceedings Amohaere Tangitu acknowledged the
invaluable support and encouragement the DHB,
Phillip Balmer and Phil Camish provided, bringing
to fruition a vision she has held since joining the
organisation.
Te Takapu o Hineahuone replaces the
Rangimarie Room by providing accommodation
for families of seriously ill patients admitted
to Whakatane Hospital, enabling them to be
close at hand during a critical time. This is
especially important where long distance travel
is involved or where transport is problematic.
Te Takapu o Hineahuone is managed by Regional
Maori Health Services with the aid of the Duty
Managers, Whakatane telephony and reception.
During normal working hours enquiries can be
forwarded to Regional Maori Health Services,
ext. 4954 and with the Duty Manager’s
office after hours. Similar accommodation is
available for families at Tauranga Hospital
and is also managed by Regional Maori Health
Services Tauranga office, contactable on
ext. 8560.
Regional Maori Health Services would like
to sincerely extend our deepest gratitude
and thanks to those who have helped make
Te Takapu o Hineahuone a reality. We
acknowledge the gifting of bedroom furniture
by Dorothy Gilliland and her husband, and Te
Toi Huarewa Trust for the beautiful outdoor
furniture set. Similarly, we appreciate and
thank all the departments and individuals who
helped ensure that the opening was a success,
and who continue to support the operation of
Te Takapu o Hineahuone.
13
Wound care conference
By Nurses Diane Hishon, Lyn
Dalton, Sarah Craven-Jones, Sandy
Presland, Kate O’Dwyer, Heidi Darcy
and Waimate Ngamoki.
Seven nurses from the Bay of Plenty
attended the New Zealand Wound
Care Society (NZWCS) Conference in
November last year. Held in Dunedin,
we joined 350 delegates from New
Zealand, Australia and Europe.
The programme was informative with
presentations from respected international
speakers and local experts across a range of
plenary and workshop sessions. The variety of
topics gave the attendees options to attend
sessions on the latest research and others
providing practical sessions on best practice.
New Australian and New Zealand Clinical
Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and
Management of Venous Leg Ulcers were
introduced and will be distributed in 2012
through the District Health Boards, Directors
of Nursing, The New Zealand Guidelines Group
and The New Zealand Wound Care Society.
The Pan Pacific Clinical Practice Guidelines for
the Prevention and Management of Pressure
Injury were released for consultation.
These projects have been developed from
the work of a committed team of wound
care experts in New Zealand, Australia,
Hong Kong and Singapore including members
of the NZWCS. These projects will provide
current evidence based guidelines for health
professionals in numerous countries in the
south pacific region. Our Director of Nursing
supports our Tissue Viability Group to be
actively involved in the NZWCS.
Several of us represented our DHB admirably
at the conference and presented papers.
Lyn Dalton and Sarah Craven Jones’ poster
‘It’s more than JUST a dressing’ won best
poster presentation. Heidi Darcy’s research
paper titled ‘Immune stimulating properties
of medical grade honey’ won best oral
presentation. Diane Hishon’s oral presentation
titled ‘Improved topical negative pressure
therapy management and outcomes’ was well
received.
Attending this conference has been beneficial
individually and collectively for our organisation.
We have developed a new Wound Care colour
coded assessment chart and dressing options.
These will be available in all areas following
the review process. We plan to share the latest
evidence based practice with our colleagues
and update guidelines / protocols relating to
wound and skin care. Our goal is to improve the
outcomes for patients with wounds.
Lyn Dalton (left) and Sarah Craven-Jones won Best
Poster Presentation and they donated the prize money
to purchase a camera for the Whakatane District
Nursing Service.
Pharmacy conference
flies high
By Helen Cant,
Pharmacy Services Manager
Last November the BoPDHB Pharmacy team hosted
the 2011 NZ Hospital Pharmacists’ Association (NZHPA)
Conference for 250 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians,
students, interns, academics and industry representatives
from across New Zealand and Australia.
BOP staff in theme at the Flights of Fancy conference dinner.
The conference was opened by Minister of Health, Hon Tony Ryall, who
had clearly been thinking about the role of pharmacists in the health
sector and how our skills might be better used – great to hear.
Tauranga contributed by turning on some superb weather and the
weekend was capped off by the Conference Dinner at Classic Flyers,
where the theme ‘Flights of Fancy’ saw a great range of fancy dress.
The programme included a diverse range of speakers and presented
papers. Keynote speakers included Peter Austin, an independent
pharmacist prescriber and senior pharmacist at Southampton General
Hospital in England who presented a number of plenary and workshop
sessions around IV nutrition and the role of IV fluids. Professor Ian Reid,
Head of the Auckland Medical School, presented his research on the role of
calcium in heart disease. BoP’s Nurse Leader for Medicine Sandra Fielding,
provided a nursing perspective on medication safety, and Captain David
14
Morgan, Chief Pilot of Air NZ, spoke of safety in the aviation industry – an
area which is often used as a comparator to medication safety.
The team at Whakatane Hospital put together a great series of workshops
specifically for pharmacy technicians. Other presentations included
one from ACC about treatment injury (including medications), one
about the role of medicinal honey, a workshop on health literacy, and
panel discussions on the developing role of pharmacists in clinical and
medication safety roles in NZ. Presenters of submitted papers and posters
ranged from pharmacy students to PhD candidates, newly registered
pharmacists to those approaching retirement, pharmacy managers to
specialist clinical pharmacists.
The feedback from the delegates was overwhelmingly positive.
Congratulations to the team on the success of their hard work in
organising this event.
Under the spotlight
Te Koru Therapy and Rehab Services, Whakatane Hospital
By Julie Mallen, Community Occupational Therapist
Therapy & Rehabilitation Services commenced at
Whakatane Hospital in 1983. The need for such a
service was greatly recognised and appreciated,
growing in demand and staffing over the years until
it moved to what is now Te Koru.
Originally the old maternity wing of the hospital, it has for almost the
last 10 years housed around 50 therapy and support staff. In fact one
or two of the staff actually gave birth to their children here!
One of the biggest challenges of being a service in great demand is
keeping on top of our sometimes lengthy waiting lists. We believe we
manage this well by providing quality information, prioritising referrals
as they are received, and appropriate delegation.
Community Therapy Team
We are a community based
therapy service covering the
Eastern Bay. The aim is to
enable people to remain living
as independently as possible
within their own home if that
is their choice. The team
includes physiotherapists,
occupational therapists and
speech-language therapists.
Rehabilitation assistants
Some of the Community Therapy Team
support the therapists by
following up on treatment programmes and are invaluable to our service
ensuring the therapists are freed up to carry out essential tasks
Child Development Service
This multidisciplinary team
covers the Eastern Bay and
works with children aged
0-15 who have delayed
development. The team
includes physiotherapists,
occupational therapists,
speech language therapist,
Some of the Child Development Service Team
social workers, psychologist
and rehabilitation assistant, working closely together to ensure a
coordinated approach to assessing and treating children.
Rehabilitation Therapy Team
The team carries out rehabilitation for patients who are in hospital and
in need of more intensive programmes, for example following a stroke,
fall, or brain injury. Patients spend most of the day in the department,
returning to their ward later. The team includes an occupational therapist,
physiotherapist, social worker, nurse, speech-language therapist and
rehabilitation assistants.
The team is currently
working on several WOWE
(Well Organised Working
Environment) projects under
the Releasing Time to Care
programme. This includes a
detailed study on the roles
of staff, the layout of the
environment and ‘patient
status at a glance’ project to
ensure our clients/patients
are our primary focus.
Some of the Rehab Therapy Team with Te
Koru Manager Pip Percival (3rd from left).
A team of in-patient occupational
therapists concentrate on
facilitating a safe discharge
home from hospital. They are
also responsible for ensuring
that patients booked for elective
surgeries such as hip or knee joint
replacements are fully assessed
pre and post surgery, loaned
equipment and taught precautions
to reduce risk of dislocation or
other complications.
Some of the In-Patient Occupational
Therapy Team
Physiotherapy
Te Koru has a bustling
physiotherapy department which
includes a gym, treatment rooms
and hydrotherapy pool. The team
of ultra fit staff in their smart
new uniforms see around 70
outpatients per day as well as inpatients providing treatment and
exercise plans.
Some of the Physiotherapy Team
All of our staff are supported by
a fantastic team of administration and reception staff, and Te Pou
Kokiri. We believe they all provide strong foundations to our service
and without them we could not function as effectively and efficiently
as we do.
Our designated Hotel Services Assistant is also considered an integral
member of our department. Lanka is always friendly and enthusiastic
and keeps our department spic and span.
Reception and administration staff from left: Katie Goodman, Wendy Mexted,
Julie Bond and Bev Harris
Last but not least, as a team of professionals we are committed to the
training of students - occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nursing,
and speech-language students, some of whom have been successful in
gaining employment with us once qualified.
Receiving students is crucial to our role, for educating, supporting,
supervising and facilitating development. For ourselves, it provides
work and personal challenges and reminds us to consider why we do
what we do. Additionally, as professionals, we are required to provide
evidence of continual professional development, attending training
courses, participating and presenting In-Services and Journal Clubs,
giving and receiving regular supervision, carrying out annual note and
peer review audits and maintaining professional portfolios in order to
qualify for annual re-registration.
If you would like to know more about
Te Koru or have a grand tour, contact
Julie Mallen on ext. 4620.
15
Whakatane staff
have a ball!
Whakatane Hospital Ball
photo gallery
By Lauren Ward-Davies,
House Officer
When a few grumbles that Whakatane Hospital
had not had a “big social event” in years
sparked my organisational streak, I decided,
one wintery night back in September last year,
to organise a Hospital Ball.
Fast-forward three months and with plenty
of planning, frequent (and probably slightly
annoying) emails to colleagues (apologies!) and
word-of-mouth, the hospital was abuzz with
“ball talk” by the time we welcomed in 2012.
On Friday 13th January (with my fingers
crossed that the night would not be marred
by its superstitious date) 120 guests dressed
in their finest and arrived at Whakatane
Golf Club to be met by fairy lights, candles
and balloons. A two-course meal and several
bottles of wine later, everyone was dancing
to the brilliant Tauranga band “Five O’clock
Shadow” who belted out covers of well-known
songs from over the decades.
From left: House Officers, Dr. Amy Rhodes,
Dr. Polly Chadwick, Dr. Lauren Ward-Davies
and Dr. Aoife Lillis.
The sell-out event was enjoyed by colleagues
(and guests) from nearly every department,
from Radiology to Paediatrics, the Emergency
Department to Medicine, representing a wide
range of ages and, of course, the various
nationalities that makes Whakatane so
fantastically multicultural.
From the many photos and wonderful stories
from the night, everyone had a brilliant time
with colleagues, family and friends.
House Officer, Dr. Angela Mweempwa.
From left: Radiographers Miss Claire-Marie
Brady, Mr. Johan (Joe) Mann (seated), Miss
Tiffany Walters and Miss Julie Cameron, and
ED Nurse Mr David Henderson.
From left: House Officers Dr. Aoi Moniwa
and Dr. Joanna Connor.
Watch this space for the next event using
Whakatane’s soon-to-be established social fund
started with left-over money from the ball.
From left: Mrs. Esther Malcom (guest), Consultant
Paediatrician Dr. Richard Forster, Ms. Jocelyn Munro
(guest), Consultant Physician Dr. Brian NordstromLane and Dr. Robyn Nordstrom-Lane (guest).
e
From left: Mr. David Coombes (guest), Mr. Lytle
Hall (guest), Mr. Lindsay Rhind-Smith (guest) and
Consultant Surgeon Mr. Des Collins.
ine Hop
s Mrs Paul
: ED Nurse
.
on
ps
From left
om
ichelle Th
and Ms. M
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16
A BIG Than
k you
to House
Officer
Lauren W
ardwho organi Davies
sed a
fantastic
event for
Whakatane
staff.