SOUTH WESTERN SYDNEY
LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT
October
2014
New building gets first tenants
Campbelltown Hospital is celebrating
a major milestone with the
pathology laboratory becoming
the first department to move into
the new Acute Services Building, as
part of the Hospital’s $134 million
redevelopment.
Campbelltown Hospital General
Manager Lynne Bickerstaff said she
was pleased with the progress of the
redevelopment.
“Staff have more room to work in
with the new lab almost double
the size of the previous space,” Ms
Bickerstaff said.
“This upgrade has come at the right
time, with the number of clinical
chemistry and haematology tests
performed almost doubling in the last
four years.
“The pathology service will be further
expanded with the number of blood
collection rooms set to double as the
Acute Services Building is completed.
Minister for Health Jillian Skinner (far right) met with pathology staff, who were the first to move into the
new Acute Services Building at Campbelltown Hospital.
“In the next few months three blood
collection rooms will be incorporated
into this new lab and three additional
rooms will be co-located with
ambulatory care, antenatal and
outpatient clinics on a specialist floor
in this building.
“Workers are currently carrying out
the internal fit-out of the rest of the
new building,” she said.
The new building is on track for
completion at the end of this year
and the refurbishment of the existing
hospital for completion next year.
Staff star in mental health TV series
October is Mental Health Month and
staff and patients from Liverpool
Hospital Mental Health Service will
make their small screen debut in a
three-part series Changing Minds,
which will go to air on ABC TV on 7, 8
and 9 October.
The series is part of the ABC’s weeklong Mental As campaign, aimed
at reducing the stigma surrounding
mental illness.
For more information on the
Mental As campaign, visit
www.abc.net.au/mentalas
To submit a news story for publication in SWSLHD
District News contact the Media Unit on 9828 6848
or email [email protected]
October 2014
Message from the Chief Executive
Amanda Larkin, CE
I am consistently impressed by the innovative
work of staff from all levels of the District. This is
particularly evident in this edition of the District
News where so many staff awards are featured.
Innovation is key to providing the best quality
health care to our community and also increased
workplace satisfaction.
To help encourage innovation, the District will be
holding a special forum on Tuesday 11 November
2014. The forum is seeking the thoughts and
views of staff on how we can better support and
encourage your innovative ideas. If you would
like to take part in the forum you can find more
information on the intranet or email your details to
[email protected] .
UNSW teaching award
Fairfield Hospital’s Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine received the UNSW Clinical Placement of the Year
award for its exemplary teaching and clinical supervision
of UNSW medical students. Dr Laurence McCleary and Dr
Nicholas Chen also received individual clinical tutor awards.
I am also looking forward to the ABC TV
documentary series Changing Minds. The threepart series follows the journeys of patients at
Liverpool Hospital’s Mental Health Service and
the care and support provided by our staff. Their
stories and road to recovery are both touching and
enlightening and I believe will do much to challenge
some of the stigma that still exists around mental
illness.
I would like to thank the staff and also the patients
and their carers for taking part in the series. The
documentary will be aired over three consecutive
nights on ABC TV on 7, 8 and 9 October at 8.30 pm
and I hope you get a chance to watch the program.
Cancer researchers
recognised
Staff from the Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy
Centres gave more than 14 oral presentations and presented
15 posters at the combined scientific meeting of the RANZCR
(Radiation Oncologists and Radiologists) and ACPSEM
(RO Medical Physicists), AIR (Radiation Therapists and
Radiographers) held in Melbourne last month.
District Research Director Professor Michael Barton was
awarded the RANZCR Rouse Travelling Fellowship, Dr Trang
Pham Radiation Oncology Postgraduate Fellow was awarded
the Withers and Peters Grant for most committed young
researchers, for her work with MRI in rectal cancer and
Dr Mei Ling Yap, Radiation Oncologist Campbelltown and
Liverpool, was awarded the RANZCR FRO Chris Atkinson Prize
for the best scientific presentation.
Dr. Winston Lo, Dr. Laurence McCleary, Dr. Nichols Cheng and Prof Nick Zwar.
Diabetes doctor’s lifetime achievement
Associate Professor Jeff Flack, Director of BankstownLidcombe Hospital’s Diabetes Centre, has been recognised
with an Honorary Life Membership and a Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Australian Diabetes Society.
The award was presented to him at the ADS Annual Scientific
Meeting held in Melbourne recently.
A/Professor Flack received the award for the major
contribution he has made to Australian Diabetes Data
collection, particularly in his work with the Australian
National Diabetes Information Audit and Benchmarking
(ANDIAB) initiative.
At the meeting it was announced that he Flack would be
further honoured with an award named after him - The Jeff
Flack Award for Diabetes Data Collection. A/Prof Flack said
he was surprised, honoured and humbled by the recognition.
“Any award from your peers is special, but one of this
2 | South Western Sydney Local Health District
magnitude is an enormous honour,“ A/Prof Flack said.
“We established a data collection system in Australia that
mirrored international systems and allowed diabetes
services to collect and audit data and benchmark it against
their peers.
“This allows services to
review their processes
and outcomes,
compare their results
and target certain areas
for further action,” he
said.
Diabetes Centre staff
also gave five original
presentations at the
Diabetes Centre Director A/Prof Jeff Flack.
meeting.
October 2014
District Quality Award winners
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5
6
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8
1. Healthy living: Healthy Living Project, Birralee Child Care Centre Bankstown.
2. Patients and carers as partners: A driving force to change maternity culture, Campbelltown Hospital.
3. Collaboration - working as a team: Timely access to respiratory clinics, Liverpool Hospital.
4. Excellence in provision of non acute/sub acute care: Additional standing balance circuit classes during inpatient rehabilitation improve balance and other functional outcomes, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.
5. Excellence in provision of care and service to Aboriginal clients: Liverpool Hospital Aboriginal identification and quality
improvement project.
6. Integrated health care: Safe return of post PCI, ACS patients, Cardiology, Liverpool Hospital and Bowral & District Hospital.
7. Improvement in patient safety: Reducing re-presentations to the ED in the 60+ population, Bowral & District Hospital.
8. Patient Safety Champion: Congratulations to Dr Bilyana Konstantinova from Campbelltown Hospital.
Excellence in provision of non clinical support services: Engagement through music: The Spanish Speaking Choir Project
(SSCP), Fairfield Multicultural Health Service.
100 years of family care
Child and Family Health Centres across South Western Sydney Local Health District celebrated
100 years of care with a series of local events. The celebrations were held to recognise the
services provided by Child and Family Health nurses who have cared in some capacity for almost
all of the 7.4 million babies born in NSW over the past 100 years. The first service was opened in
Alexandria in 1914. A clinic was opened in Bankstown in 1924, Bowral in 1932, Camden in 1938,
Campbelltown in 1939, and Fairfield in 1946.
3 | South Western Sydney Local Health District
October 2014
Nurse and midwife
best in the state!
Locals back mental
health nurse
Excellence in Leadership Award winner Sandy Eager, NSW Refugee Health Director
Dr Mitchell Smith and SWSLHD Director of Nursing and Midwifery Kung Lim.
Congratulations to NSW Refugee Health Service’s Sandy Eagar,
who received an Excellence In Leadership Award at the NSW
Health Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards held last
month. Liverpool Hospital midwife Elizabeth Lowrie (below) was
also a winner, receiving an Excellence in Midwifery Award.
Liverpool Hospital Perioperative Unit Clinical Nurse Educator,
Catherine Gonzalez was recognised as a finalist in the Excellence
in Innovation - Education category.
Excellence in Innovation finalist Catherine Gonzalez with Excellence in Midwifery
Award recipient Elizabeth Lowrie.
Quick news
Go4Fun - Term 4
Go4Fun is a FREE and fun program
for kids in NSW to become fitter,
healthier and happier. A Bankstown
Go4Fun group had fun learning
about how to make healthy choices
on their recent supermarket tour!
More than 3,780 children across
NSW who are above a healthy weight
have participated in the Go4Fun
program with their families.
Thanks to the generosity of the BDCU Children’s Foundation and the local
community, families with children who experience mental health issues now
have the support of Mental Health Liaison for children and adolescents, Kim
Millard (pictured above) when they present to the Emergency Department.
Bowral celebrates
Assistant Health Minister Jai Rowell led staff in a happy birthday sing-along when he visited Bowral & District Hospital to mark its official 125 year
anniversary last month.
More than 100 kids are already
enrolled for Term four in South
Western Sydney LHD starting 13
October.
Groups will be held in Bankstown,
Revesby, Fairfield, Liverpool, Eagle
Vale, Macquarie Fields, Minto and
Moss Vale. Parents and health
professionals can call 1800 780 900
or www.go4fun.com.au to register or
for more info.
4 | South Western Sydney Local Health District
Dry July update
Thanks to everyone who donated to
the Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer
Therapy Centres during Dry July.
271 Dry Julyers raised almost
$68,000 for Macarthur and 232 Dry
Julyers raised almost $108,000 for
the Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre.
The money will be used to provide
wellness and survivorship programs
for adults living with cancer.
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