Spring 2015
All on board for Midland Hospital
Welcome to the new Director General
Safe hands for emergency
department
health.wa.gov.au
Contents
Nelson’s heart illness victory 3
Staff embraces Aboriginal cultural learning 3
New mental health unit for Charlies
4
Work begins on Neuroscience
Research Institute
4
New Director General has landed
5
Playground pays tribute to railway past
6
Midland hospital gears up to open
6
Swansong for old district hospital
7
Karratha Campus a step closer
8
Merredin Hospital next
in line for redevelopment
8
Spotlight on refugee health
9
Cultural Diversity Unit tackles big topics 9
One-stop prostate clinic moves
10
Website boosts awareness of injury
10
HealthyWA insert
11–14
International award for Health leader
16
Clinical supervisors recognised
17
Chronic Disease unit practises
what it preaches
18
BreastScreen regulars back every year
18
Study casts doubt on liver treatment
19
Feet campaign takes a balanced approach 21
WA Health’s bold plan to tackle
undiagnosed diseases
21
Award to aid cell therapy researcher
22
Nominate now for Nursing and
Midwifery Excellence Awards
23
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From the DG’s Desk
Welcome to the spring edition of Healthview
for 2015, and my first as Director General.
Healthview communicates the achievements and
innovations within WA Health that happen all
over our State, from Kununurra to Esperance. Our
colleagues are constantly pushing to improve the
welfare and wellbeing of Western Australians and
their successes shine out from these pages.
Our State’s healthcare facilities continue to grow ever better and in this
issue there are articles on the soon to be opened St John of God Midland
Public Hospital, the new mental health unit at the Sir Charles Gairdner
Hospital, the start of construction of the Sarich Neuroscience Institute,
renovations at Merredin Hospital, the start of work on the Karratha
Health Campus as well as a fond farewell to Swan District Hospital.
Our staff’s considerable achievements are also lauded in these pages
not least the winners of the Clinical Supervision Awards, Kylie Towie’s
successes on the international stage and Dr Andrew Robertson’s
promotion to Commodore in the Naval Reserves.
You can also read about new WA Health initiatives such as the one-stop
prostate cancer clinic which is now at the Fiona Stanley Hospital and
the recently launched “Know Injury” website. There is also a feature
about how police and clinicians are working together in Rockingham to
improve the speed with which disruptive patients are dealt with at the
town’s ED.
I am always pleased to see articles which reflect the State’s ethnic
diversity. Carina Hoang, who fled Vietnam as a child by boat, came
to WA Health’s Perth offices recently to give a presentation about her
experiences as a refugee.
Similarly, this edition features an update on the decision to make
rheumatic heart disease (RHD) a notifiable condition in Western
Australia. It’s hoped this change will prove instrumental in the fight
against RHD-related conditions which, in Australia, are almost exclusive
to Aboriginal people living in remote parts.
Following on from the launch of WA Health’s Aboriginal Cultural eLearning
Program, a project very much championed by my predecessor Professor
Stokes, I am delighted to be able to report that more than 10,000 WA
Health employees have completed the course since 1 July – a remarkable
achievement which you can read more about inside these pages.
Finally I would like to acknowledge the enormous contribution of Professor
Stokes in his two and a half years as A/Director General. His stewardship
and leadership of the system was integral in seeing through some of
the most significant changes to WA Health. I am sure you will join me in
thanking Prof Stokes and wishing him the all the best for the future.
Dr D J Russell-Weisz
DIRECTOR GENERAL
This document can be made available in alternative formats
on request for a person with a disability.
ISSN 1839-4027 (print) ISSN 1839-4035 (online)
Cover: Woodbridge PS pupils enjoy St John of God Midland Public Hospital’s new playground
2 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
Back to Contents
Staff embraces
Aboriginal
cultural learning
WA Health staff members have
embraced the new Aboriginal
Cultural eLearning – a healthier
future – (ACeL) online course
with more than 12,000 employees
completing the program since its
launch in July.
Nelson Baker enjoys the outdoors after his treatment for Rheumatic Heart Disease
Nelson’s victory over
notifiable heart illness
When aspiring performer Nelson
Baker walked into the Broome
Medical Centre six years ago
complaining of a sore throat, the
last thing he expected to be told
was that he had a serious heart
condition.
He was just 16 years old and a
self-confessed “fitness freak” for
whom exercising, playing sport, and
being fit and healthy were integral to
his happiness.
But the GP examining Nelson
discovered his young patient had
an abnormal heart beat, prompting
further investigation and the discovery
that Nelson had Rheumatic Heart
Disease (RHD).
RHD is damage sustained by the
heart valves following an episode
– or recurrent episodes – of Acute
Rheumatic Fever (ARF). ARF is an
autoimmune response to a group A
streptococcal infection that can lead to
inflammation affecting the joints, heart,
brain and skin.
In Australia both ARF and RHD
are almost exclusive to Aboriginal
communities.
Back to Contents
Nelson had to come to terms with the
treatment for his condition – monthly
intramuscular injections, yearly
echocardiograms and appointments
with a cardiologist.
But Nelson was determined to stay on
top of his condition and has not let it
hold him back.
“The most important thing to me was my
headspace and staying positive,” he says.
Now 22, Nelson is studying singing,
dancing and theatre at the WA Academy
of Performing Arts as part of the
Academy’s Aboriginal Theatre course.
He also remains active and says he
loves the outdoors: exploring, crabbing,
hunting, fishing, the beach and reef,
sunsets, snorkelling and travelling.
In June, RHD joined ARF in becoming
a notifiable condition in Western
Australia. This means that health
professionals are now required by
law to report all cases of RHD, paving
the way for improved prevention and
treatment programs.
Nelson will be performing in the WAAPA
production of Rodeo Moon from 14–19
November. For ticketing information visit
www.waapa.ecu.edu.au
Wendy Casey, the Director of Aboriginal
Health, said she was overwhelmed that
over a quarter of WA Health’s workforce
had already completed the course.
“Growing cultural awareness throughout
WA Health’s workforce is a critical step
towards ensuring health services across
the state are delivered in a culturally
respectful and secure way,” she said.
Ms Casey also paid tribute to former
Acting Director General Professor
Bryant Stokes for his championing of
the course and the ACLP.
“That Professor Stokes insisted the
training be mandatory for all staff
shows how highly he valued the need
for WA Health staff to grow their
cultural knowledge,” she said.
“I wanted to say thank you and
well done to the team behind the
Aboriginal Cultural eLearning.
“I’m Scottish by birth and have
been in Australia for almost nine
years and in completing the course
I learned a lot of historical facts that I
hadn’t been exposed to before.
“Overall, the course was easy
to navigate and the content was
informative and enlightening. I‘ve
also mentioned some of the things
I learned to a few of my friends
which has led to some interesting
conversations,” she said.
Clare Mullen, Manager:
Training, Education, Development
and Change Management, Activity
Based Management Reform.
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 3
Mental health boost for Charlies
A $31 million, 30-bed mental
health unit at Sir Charles Gairdner
Hospital – able to treat up to 700
patients a year – has officially
opened, replacing the mental
health ward at SCGH.
The unit is staffed by a team of
experienced and committed health
professionals, whose combined
expertise, compassion and commitment
means that the patients who come
through this contemporary facility will
be in the very best hands.
The modern design offers patients a
high level of privacy, with big courtyards
and activity rooms. The design is
considerate of the needs of families and
carers when visiting and being involved
in the care of their family member.
There are child-friendly rooms and
courtyards for visitors.
Inside the mental health unit, patients
have access to a secure outdoor
recreation area, a gym and dining
The mental health team from the new unit at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
areas. All areas have been designed to
protect patient safety while providing a
contemporary healing environment for
patients, their families, and staff.
Two of the new features are a six-bed
Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit and the
facility’s Authorisation under the Mental
Health Act.
Work begins on Neuroscience Research Institute
Construction of the $37.7 million Sarich Neuroscience
Research Institute began in June.
SNRI is an innovative new research facility on the
Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre campus which will
accommodate five of the State’s premier neurological
research organisations: Curtin University’s Neuroscience
Research Laboratory; the Ear Science Institute of Australia;
McCusker Alzheimer’s Research Foundation; Neurofinity
Surgical NeuroDiscovery Group; and the Western Australian
Neuroscience Research Institute.
With almost 9000 square metres of clinical amenities, it will
include rooms for assessments and treatments, tissue culture
laboratories, and facilities for neurodiscovery movement
analysis, physiology research, experiments and cryogenic
archival storage.
The facility is funded by a $20m donation from the Sarich
family; $5m of State government funding; $7.2m in
Lotterywest grants; $3.5m from Curtin University; $1m from
the Wheatley family; and $1m from the University of WA.
SNRI is another part of the significant expansion of QEII
Medical Centre that will further enrich the site’s growing
reputation as a hub of clinical services, education and
research excellence.
The multi-billion dollar QEII Medical Centre redevelopment
program has delivered world-class facilities including
the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, SCGH
Comprehensive Cancer Centre, PathWest Laboratory and
Adult Mental Health Unit.
The Sarich Neuroscience Research Institute is expected to
start operating in late 2016.
4 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
Back to Contents
New Director General settles in
After a decade of unprecedented
hospital building and
redevelopments in Western
Australia, WA Health’s new
Director General says it’s time to
“let things settle and focus on our
core business”.
Dr David Russell-Weisz (Russ) has been
appointed by the State Government
as DG for a five-year period, officially
taking the reins in August.
As the former head of commissioning
for Fiona Stanley Hospital, Dr RussellWeisz arrived at the new job with a
firm handle on what’s required to bring
big projects to fruition whether it’s
major construction or reconfiguring a
health service.
“Clearly WA Health has gone through
huge change – many of the State’s
hospitals have been reconfigured, and
we’ve still got a few to finish – Midland,
Perth Children’s and Karratha.
“But things have to settle so we can
focus on our core business – looking
after the health care of the people of
Western Australia.”
Dr Russell-Weisz had considered applying
for the top job in WA Health some years
ago but the time wasn’t right.
“This time, my two children have grown
up a bit, and discussing with my family
what the position will mean, made me
decide that now is the right time,” he said.
As he settles into his chair, he ticks
off his areas of priority: patient safety;
building a robust and patient-centred
culture; reforms to governance and
the delivery of information technology;
financial performance; and improving
the patient experience within the WA
health system.
“My core emphasis will be on making
sure we perform our best around
access for patients – around elective
surgery, emergency access, mental
health services and continuing to
improve Aboriginal health,” he said.
“But our core clinical performance will
be all about safety for the patients. In
everything we do, patient safety has to
Back to Contents
Dr Russell-Weisz says patient safety is a number one priority
be number one.
“And equally important is to improve
WA Health’s financial performance.
“We spend $8.1 billion a year – 28 per
cent of the State’s budget – so we have
to be as efficient as possible.”
Dr Russell-Weisz also points to
governance reform as an important item
for the future health of the system.
“We’ve had huge population growth and
we have a modern health system, and
yet we are governed by an Act that was
written in 1927. It is time to change,”
he said.
As an ex-rural GP – he arrived in WA
in 1996 and was sent by the then Chief
Medical Officer Bryant Stokes (Dr
Russell-Weisz’s direct predecessor as
DG) to Port Hedland – he is acutely
aware of the need for better health
services closer to home.
“We have to make sure patients are in
the right hospital – if they don’t need to
be in a tertiary hospital, they should be
closer to home. As a rural patient, you
don’t want to have to move to the city
unless you have to,” he said.
The health system also faces the 21st
century challenges of rising chronic
disease rates – obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
“We have to concentrate on working
with the non-government sector and
community organisations to deliver
better chronic disease management,
and be more integrated with the primary
healthcare sector,” he said.
Dr Russell-Weisz has set his targets
for his time in the job, but he wants the
health system to mean more than facts
and figures to Western Australians.
“It’s not all about tables and targets; it’s
what you get from the patients and staff.
Did the patient feel respected and enjoy
the experience? Do staff enjoy where
they are working?”
So now, Dr Russell-Weisz, an
experienced pilot whose skills were
handy as the Director of Medical
Services in north-west Western
Australia, has set his course for the
next five years to ensure our big State’s
health system remains one of the best
in the world.
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 5
Playground
pays tribute to
railway past
It’s full steam ahead for the
new railway-themed children’s
playground at the St John of God
Midland Public Hospital.
The playground, which has been built
and funded by Brookfield Multiplex
(which built the new hospital), was
unveiled recently.
Children from nearby Woodbridge
Primary School helped choose the
final design of the playground by
voting on their preferred option of
three playground designs.
Their choice was a nod to the hospital
location’s historical link to the former
railway yards.
The innovative, all-weather playground
is located near the hospital’s main
entrance and was designed to promote
a sense of discovery and adventure.
It features railway crossing boom
gates, a locomotive driver’s cabin
made from jarrah, gardens, seating
and landscaping.
The playground will add a dimension
of fun for children visiting the
hospital and help create a positive and
welcoming experience for families.
St John of God Midland Public
Hospital is part of the State
Government’s Bigger Picture Health
$7 billion hospital building and
refurbishment program. The $360
million facility has been funded jointly
by the State and Federal governments.
The new $360 million Midland Public Hospital will serve the east metropolitan and Wheatbelt regions
Midland hospital gears
up to open its doors
When the first patients arrive at
St John of God Midland Public
Hospital on 24 November 2015
a new era in hospital care in the
region will begin.
The $360 million hospital, built as a
public private partnership with the WA
State Government and St John of God
Health Care, is the first new hospital
built in the Midland area in more than
60 years.
St John of God Midland Public Hospital
Chief Executive Officer Dr Glen Power
said clinical commissioning work
was well underway in preparation to
welcome the first patients.
“The next few months are about testing
all hospital equipment, systems and
processes as well as training staff to
ensure we are fully prepared for opening
6 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
day,” he said.
When the 307-bed hospital opens,
Swan District Hospital will close, and a
range of new and expanded free public
health services in the east metropolitan
and Wheatbelt regions will be offered at
the new hospital.
“The public hospital will have 113
more beds than Swan District Hospital,
which will provide more people with
access to health care close to home,”
Dr Power said.
“Our cancer care service and intensive
and coronary care units are new for the
region, and several services provided
at Swan District Hospital have been
expanded to help meet the growing
needs of this region for years to come.”
More than 1000 people, including many
Swan District Hospital staff, will be
employed at the new hospital.
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Swansong for old district hospital
As the opening of St John of
God Midland Public Hospital
on November 24 draws closer,
preparations are underway for the
closure of its predecessor, the
61-year-old Swan District Hospital.
Swan District Hospital is a metropolitan
health facility with the charm of a
country hospital. Its construction had
been on and off the drawing boards
for more than 50 years before finally
opening as a small public maternity
hospital on 22 September 1954. It was
built at an estimated cost of £500,000
($19 million in today’s money).
In September 2004, SDH celebrated
its 50th Anniversary. In the same
year, A Healthy Future for Western
Australians, better known as the
Reid Report, recommended that a
new hospital complex with better
facilities be built, and in 2008 a
detailed business case was put
forward for a new hospital.
The latter has now taken shape as
the St John of God Midland Public
Hospital, which will be operated
under a public private partnership
between the State Government and
St John of God Health Care.
Separate accommodation for the
matron and nursing staff, which
supported the maternity wing, is still in
use today as non-clinical staff offices.
A decade later, a 40-bed general ward
was added that included operating
rooms, an x-ray suite, physiotherapy,
laboratory services, a canteen and
new laundry.
Through the 1970s and 1980s the
hospital continued to expand, with
psycho-geriatric facilities key among
these additions.
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 7
Construction will start soon on the red-dirt site of the Karratha Health Campus, bringing first-class health care to the Pilbara
Karratha Campus a step closer
Brookfield Multiplex has won the
tender to design and build the
$207.15 million Karratha
Health Campus.
The project is the biggest hospital
infrastructure investment ever
undertaken in regional Western
Australia.
It is funded by the Royalties for Regions’
Pilbara Cities initiative ($206.5m) and
the Pilbara Health Initiative ($650,000).
Due to open in 2018, the Karratha
Health Campus will have double the
number of emergency department bays
than the existing hospital, a state-ofthe-art CT scanner, new surgical centre,
maternity wing and delivery suites,
as well as a helipad and expanded
outpatient facilities.
Videoconferencing facilities will enable
telehealth linking of local medical staff
and patients to the State’s leading
emergency and specialist practitioners.
It will be located in the Karratha
CBD. Earthworks are on schedule
for completion later this year, with
construction expected to start mid
next year.
For more information, visit
www.getthebiggerpicture.health.wa.gov.au
8 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
Merredin Hospital next
in line for redevelopment
The redevelopment of Merredin
Hospital is gathering momentum
with architects visiting the site
recently to meet key hospital staff
and discuss the design plans.
hospital will be reinstated and used as
the main entrance with a new reception
area, while the new emergency
department will have its own dedicated
entrance, which will greatly improve
emergency patient flow.”
Eastern Wheatbelt Operations
Manager Brenda Bradley said staff
were excited to see the proposed
layout, especially the new state-ofthe-art emergency department that
would include a separate emergency
entrance and dedicated triage area.
The Merredin Hospital redevelopment
is part of the $500 million Southern
Inland Health Initiative being delivered
by the WA Country Health Service.
“Merredin Hospital was built preWorld War II and over the years
served the community really well,”
Ms Bradley said.
“The redevelopment will bring the
grand old building into the 21st
century to create a contemporary
hospital offering a wide range of
health services in one convenient
location, while maintaining its striking
art deco façade.
“The original front entrance of the
Upgrades will include a new building
for Aboriginal health, allied health and
outpatient services like physiotherapy,
occupational therapy, school and child
health clinics, community health and
telehealth consultation rooms and
new consulting rooms for visiting
specialists.
“There will also be dedicated mental
health consult rooms and meeting
rooms for group work like mothers’
groups, antenatal education and
chronic disease,” Ms Bradley said.
To find out more, go to
www.health.wa.gov.au/southerninland
Back to Contents
Spotlight on refugee health
Carina Hoang can recount her
harrowing experience as a refugee
in the aftermath of the Vietnam
War with great emotion – and also
a little humour – to help others
understand what it means to be a
“forced migrant”.
The award-winning author was the guest
speaker at a recent WA Health Let’s
Talk Culture session entitled “Forced
Migration, Mental Health and Culture”.
Carina’s family had tried unsuccessfully
to claw and fight their way into the
US Embassy on the day of the fall of
Saigon, just hours before South Vietnam
surrendered. In the ensuing chaos her
family lost everything, her father was
imprisoned and her mother was left to
look after seven children.
Fearful that these children could be
drafted into the Vietnamese army and
forced to fight Cambodia in another
bloody war, Carina’s mother took the
unenviable decision to send three of her
children away on boats.
Leaving in 1978, the boat journey was
taken during monsoon season on a boat
crammed with 370 people.
The worst fear for the refugees was the
threat of pirates. Many young girls were
raped and women and babies thrown
into the sea. Two out of every three
boats were attacked at least twice.
Carina recalled how the excitement of
seeing the Malaysian shore was shortlived as the sound of gunshots from the
Malaysian military prevented the boat
from docking.
The boat carried on to Indonesia,
prolonging the misery on-board. She
recalls seeing the bodies of the dead
being thrown overboard as relatives
begged to keep their loved ones with
them so they could be buried.
Their boat eventually sunk and a boat
came to take the refugees to a small
island campsite. As more and more
boat people arrived every day they sold
jewellery to pay for food. Over 300
people died before they were found by
the Red Cross.
Carina Hoang (above left)
and as a young refugee (above)
The United Nations set up a refugee
camp with 20,000 people crammed on
an island of just one square kilometre.
Speaking to a rapt audience at WA
Health’s Royal Street offices Carina
explained that, despite reaching safety
and security after the forced migration
experience, mental health may still be
compromised if closure is not achieved
to the life and cultural rituals left behind.
Resiliency to move forward may not
be enough without respecting and
affording the chance to perform
traditional cultural practices to resolve
long-standing grief and loss, she said.
Cultural Diversity Unit tackles big topics
Healthcare workers in WA look
after people from a huge range
of backgrounds and cultures
as would be expected in such a
multi-cultural State.
help key stakeholders understand the
complexity of cultural diversity.
WA Health puts high importance on
ensuring its staff are aware of and
understand cultural differences.
One such program is the Multicultural
Health Diversity Cafés. Run twice each
year, the cafes bring together workers
from government and NGOs to
discuss and share ideas about working
effectively with people from culturally
and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
WA Health’s Cultural Diversity Unit
runs several innovative programs to
The café style approach encourages
the group to discuss big topics, such
Back to Contents
as migrant men’s health.
As agencies begin to understand
how they can support and work
with healthcare professionals the
health system can offer better health
outcomes for migrant men.
Another program, the Let’s Talk
Culture lecture series, offers WA
Health staff an insight into cultural and
experiences which may have had an
impact on their patients.
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 9
One-stop prostate clinic moves
Western Australia’s One Stop
Prostate Clinic (OSPC) has opened
at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH),
enabling patients to be seen,
assessed and – where necessary –
given a biopsy on the same day.
The OSPC, previously based at
Fremantle Hospital, was designed
primarily for men from rural and
remote areas of WA who had been
identified by their GP as being at risk
of having prostate cancer. The clinic
was introduced to remove some of the
barriers rural men faced in accessing
prostate cancer diagnostics.
The clinic now welcomes patients from
both metropolitan and rural areas.
Professor Dickon Hayne, head of
urology at FSH, said the need for the
clinic was clear.
“Previous research has shown that men
with prostate cancer from rural WA have
had to wait a long time to be diagnosed
because of the need for multiple visits
to urologists,” Professor Hayne said.
“As a result outcomes from prostate
cancer in Australia are known to be
worse for men living in rural areas.
“The introduction of these sorts of
clinics in other countries has been
shown to reduce these delays and
improve the patients’ prognosis.
“By doing all these procedures on
the same day and by informing rural
Professor Dickon Hayne, head of urology at Fiona Stanley Hospital
patients of their results over the phone
we can save the health service over
$1000 a patient and increase the
patient’s chances of recovery.”
The OSPC team consists of the
urologist who leads the service and
the urology nurse who coordinates
attendance and arranges follow-up.
Website boosts awareness of injury prevention
An innovative WA Health-funded
website is providing important
injury prevention education.
10 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
Called Know Injury, the site contains
information on all types of injuries.
It is also creating networking and
partnership opportunities within the
injury prevention sector and enabling
practitioners to deliver evidenceinformed, injury prevention activities.
review, Injury Prevention in Western
Australia: A Review of Statewide
Activity for Selected Injury Areas.
Injury was the fourth most common
cause of death in Western Australia
between 2007 and 2011 according to
the latest WA Health injury prevention
The Know Injury program is
coordinated by the Injury Control
Council of WA. Its web address is
www.knowinjury.org.au
The review also found that injury was
the fourth most common cause of
hospitalisation between 2008 and 2012.
Back to Contents
Hay fever not to be sneezed at
Allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, is
the most common allergic disorder in Australia.
It affects an estimated one in five Australians, both adults
and children.
Hay fever can have a significant impact on sleep,
concentration, learning and daily function. Once
diagnosed, it can be effectively managed.
Hay fever is caused by the nose and/or eyes coming into
contact with environmental allergens, such as pollens,
dust mites, moulds and animal hair.
Pollens from grass are one of the most common causes as
they can be difficult to see and are often worse in spring.
Signs and symptoms
Immediate signs or symptoms of hay fever include:
runny nose
* rubbing of the nose
* itchy nose
* sneezing
* itchy, watery eyes
* congested nose
* snoring.
*
How to prevent hay fever
If it is possible to identify the allergen(s) causing hay
fever, then minimising exposure to the allergen(s) may
reduce symptoms.
For those with pollen allergies, some examples of how to
avoid pollens include:
stay indoors when possible during pollen season, on
windy days, or after thunderstorms
* avoid activities known to cause exposure to pollen,
such as mowing grass
* shower after activities where you may have had a high
exposure to pollen
* use re-circulated air in your car when pollen levels
are high.
*
Alzheimer’s subtle symptoms
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease may be very subtle in
the early stages.
Symptoms may include:
* memory loss that affects your daily life
* unable to find the right words in conversation
* newly learned items are not remembered
* hobbies and interests are no longer enjoyed
* withdrawal from social events and activities
* taking longer to complete routine tasks
* unable to plan or problem solve
* experiencing falls
* changes in behaviour and personality.
It may begin with memory problems and as the disease
progresses the symptoms become more noticeable.
Disease progression will vary from person to person with
symptoms often fluctuating.
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia.
Up to 70 per cent of all people with dementia have
Alzheimer’s disease.
Disease onset is usually after 65 years, but early onset
Alzheimer’s disease may develop as early as 30 years of age.
Signs and symptoms
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Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 11
Healthy food choices for school-aged children
The early school years are a time of rapid learning
and slow and steady physical growth.
Children need a variety of foods to meet their nutrient needs.
*
*
As body size increases, so does the amount of food needed.
When children are very active they have higher energy
(kilojoule) needs and their appetites usually increase to
meet these needs.
Healthy foods children will love
Tempt kids with these healthy foods:
* frozen fruit, perfect in hot weather
* blend fruit such as strawberries, banana or mango with
milk and a spoon of low-fat yoghurt to make a delicious
fruit smoothie
* toast bread, muffins or fruit bread, top with ricotta
cheese and slices of banana and dust lightly with
cinnamon
*
cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces and serve in a
small container so children can help themselves
add chopped tomato and green capsicum to a can of
baked beans, use as a ‘topper’ on toast or a ‘filler’ for
baked potatoes
scrambled vegetables make a great breakfast or tasty
snack.
Tips for school lunches
*
*
Keep school lunches cool, fresh and safe to eat by
using a cool bag or placing a bottle of frozen water in
the lunch box.
Instead of the usual sandwiches, expand the variety to
include salads, wraps, and dips with rolls and cut up
vegetables.
For more information on the best food choices for children,
including suitable drinks, visit www.healthywa.gov.au
Nit picking over head lice
What are head lice?
Head lice are tiny insect parasites that live on your head
and feed on your scalp.
They reproduce by laying their eggs (nits) on your hair
shaft.
Head lice are not dangerous, do not carry diseases, and
are not a sign of poor hygiene.
You may also be able to see head lice crawling in the hair,
although they can be difficult to spot as they move quickly.
*
*
*
How do you get head lice?
Head lice are spread by head-to-head contact with another
person who has head lice.
Adult lice are usually dark brown and about two to three
millimetres long.
Hatchlings (young lice) are often a lighter brown colour
and about one to two millimetres long.
Eggs will be attached to the hair shaft. They can be very
tiny and hard to see, especially newly-laid eggs close to
the scalp. They are grey-white and about the size of a
grain of salt.
Checking for head lice
They can run from one head to another in seconds. Head
lice cannot fly, jump or swim, but they can sometimes
swing from one hair to another.
Unless you can easily see the head lice, the speed at which
they can move makes checking dry hair unreliable.
Head lice are not spread through bed linen, clothing or
head gear as they do not leave the scalp unless they are
moving to another scalp, or unless they are dead or dying.
*
Signs and symptoms
Your scalp may itch as your skin reacts to the saliva of
the head lice. This itchiness can take weeks to develop. If
you have had head lice before, your skin may become less
sensitive and there may be little or no itch.
12 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
To check hair for head lice:
*
*
Carefully comb plenty of hair conditioner through dry
hair. The conditioner slows the head lice down so they
can be trapped in the comb.
Comb hair again in sections using a metal fine-tooth
‘nit comb’ (available from most chemists).
Wipe the waste from the comb on a white paper towel.
Look for head lice and eggs using a magnifying glass in
strong light, such as sunlight.
Back to Contents
Lifestyle the key to a healthy weight
Overweight and obesity are terms used to describe ranges of weight that have been shown to increase a
person’s risk of certain conditions and health problems.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a useful measure of overweight
and obesity for adults. It is calculated from a person’s
height and weight.
BMI
Classification
Below 18.5
Underweight
18.5 – 24.9
Healthy weight range
25.0 – 29.9
Overweight
30 and above
Obese
While BMI provides a good estimate of body fat for most
people, it may not be suitable for some groups such as
athletes who have a muscular build, older people or some
ethnic groups.
Waist circumference is another good indicator of total body
fat and can be a better predictor of health risk than BMI.
Impact on health
Being overweight or obese can increase the risk of
physical and mental health problems:
heart disease
high blood pressure
* high cholesterol
*
*
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stroke
type 2 diabetes
* cancer
* sleep problems
* low self-esteem and depression
* negative body image issues
* eating disorders.
*
*
How to manage being overweight and obesity
If a person is overweight or obese, even small amounts
of weight loss can bring a range of health benefits such
as improved blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar
levels.
Healthy weight loss is not about a ‘diet’. It’s about making
changes to your lifestyle by adopting healthy eating
patterns and having a more active lifestyle.
You are more likely to be successful at keeping the weight
off when the changes you make to your lifestyle are
healthy, realistic and sustainable.
Making changes to your diet and physical activity can also
have health benefits that are independent of weight loss,
including increased energy, better sleep and reduced risk
of depression.
For healthy weight loss tips, visit the healthy weight loss
for adults webpage on www.healthywa.wa.gov.au
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 13
A slice of vegie goodness
The Healthy WA website has a wide variety of healthy recipes that have been created to meet
Australian dietary requirements.
The recipes are divided into categories, making it easier to
find the recipes you are after.
There is also an A – Z guide of fruit and vegetables.
Zucchini slice
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
5 eggs
* freshly ground black pepper
* 1 large zucchini, grated
* 400g peeled and grated carrot, sweet potato or pumpkin
* 1 1/2 cups drained canned corn kernels or frozen peas
* 1 medium brown onion, peeled and diced
* 2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
* 3/4 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
* 1 cup reduced-fat grated cheddar cheese
* olive or canola oil spray
* 3 large tomatoes, thinly sliced (optional)
* green side salad, to serve.
*
14 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced).
Whisk eggs in a medium jug, season with black pepper
and set aside.
In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients, except
tomato.
Add eggs and stir mixture until well combined.
Spray a large baking dish with oil.
Pour in zucchini mix and flatten with a spoon.
Cover with tomato slices arranged in a single layer (optional).
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until firm and golden brown.
Rest in the pan for 10 minutes before dividing into six
pieces and cutting into slices.
Serve with a green side salad.
Hint
Serve hot or cold, a healthy favourite for toddlers, children
and adults alike.
Great to take on a picnic, served as a finger food cut into
small squares.
Back to Contents
(L-R) South Metro Constable Luke Barron-Sullivan, RGH Clinical Nurse Manager Kelly Jessop, Emergency Consultant Dr Stephen Grainger and South
Metro Senior Constable Andrew Page at Rockingham General Hospital
Partners work to make ED safer
A partnership between
Rockingham General Hospital and
WA Police has streamlined the
process by which patients in police
custody can access medical care,
improving the safety of emergency
department patients and staff.
Under the arrangement police have
a dedicated phone number that they
can use to call ED staff to give them
advance notice of a person in custody
requiring, or requesting, medical
attention. Where possible, these patients
are medically assessed within a
10–15 minute timeframe.
The arrangement was put in place
to help deal with what had become
an increasing problem for ED staff
– patients with aggressive and/or
threatening behaviour.
Executive Director Geraldine Carlton
said the priority for staff and the
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hospital was to provide safe, quality
care to patients.
can focus on providing emergency
treatment”, he said.
“This can be challenging with patients
who are verbally or physically
threatening to staff members who have
a duty of care to maintain both their
own safety and that of the other patients
they are caring for,” Ms Carlton said.
Head of Emergency Medicine Dr Tim
Patel said that since the initiative’s
introduction, staff had noticed a
reduction in aggressive people in the ED
who did not require clinical care.
Ms Carlton said that while a timely
assessment upon arrival at ED was at
the core of the initiative, the process
worked alongside the usual triage
process for patients who self-presented
or were brought by ambulance to the
ED, ensuring patients were assessed
according to clinical priority.
South Metro Response Controller
Senior Sergeant Stephen Castledine
said the process met WAPol’s dutyof-care obligations and helped to get
officers back on the streets sooner.
“Importantly it also means the ED
“More importantly, they feel there is real
collaboration with the officers to manage
aggressive incidents,” Dr Patel said.
Ms Carlton said that since the initiative
started in late February, the time taken
to see patients according to their triage
category had improved.
“We are performing well above target in
all bar one category and there has been
improvement in all triage categories,”
she said.
“Most notable is compliance in triage
category 4 which has increased from
65 per cent to 84 per cent between
February and May 2015.”
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 15
International
award for
Health leader
Kylie Towie, the Department
of Health’s Assistant Director
General of System and Corporate
Governance, has been recognised
globally for her procurement
leadership.
Kylie was selected over senior
executives from global companies
such as Nike, Siemens, Kellogg’s, ITV
and Vodafone to take top honour at
the International Procurement Leaders
Awards held in London.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to know the
work we’ve been doing at WA Health
not only positions us as a leader in the
Australian public sector, but is seen by
the profession globally as something
contemporary and leading the way in
transformational procurement. It was a
huge honour just to be nominated for
the award,” she said.
Open to senior executives who had
strategic responsibility for their
organisation’s procurement function,
the award recognises the impact the
executive has had on their organisation’s
wider business.
As part of her role at WA Health Kylie
leads the procurement, corporate
governance and legal teams.
She also has responsibility for overseeing
all streams of WA Health procurement.
This involves an annual spend of
$4.5 billion in ICT, goods and services.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Andy Robertson is now a Commodore in the RAN Reserves
Doctor ranked highly
by navy reserves
As if assisting international
humanitarian aid efforts in
earthquake zones and ensuring
Western Australia’s readiness to
deal with large-scale disasters is
not enough, WA Health’s Dr Andy
Robertson has just added another
string to his bow.
The State’s Deputy Chief Health Officer,
and Director of Disaster Management,
has been promoted to the rank of
Commodore in the Royal Australian
Naval Reserves.
The promotion comes as he takes up
a three-year position as the Director
General of Naval Health Service –
Reserves, the most senior health position
in Australia’s reserve naval force.
Kylie Towie recognised internationally for her
procurement expertise
16 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
Dr Robertson has been an active
member of the naval reserves since
leaving the full-time Navy in 2003 and
joining WA Health. He had served as a
naval doctor for 20 years, attaining the
rank of Captain.
USNS Mercy
As well as his work with WA Health’s
Disaster Management Directorate (for
which he earned a Public Service Medal
in 2013), Dr Robertson often works
with international medical teams at
the scenes of natural disasters, most
recently the Nepalese earthquake.
As part of his work as a reservist,
Dr Robertson spent nearly five weeks
aboard the USNS Mercy, a hospital
ship with 12 operating theatres and
1000 beds. He worked as a health and
disaster medicine physician as the ship
sailed around Fiji and Papua New Guinea
as part of Pacific Partnership 2015.
Back to Contents
Training builds African expertise
There can be no doubting the
success of the Global Health
Alliance Western Australia
(GHAWA) – a WA Health initiative
to help Tanzania improve the
training of its health professionals,
reduce the risk to mothers in
childbirth and the threats to the
ongoing health of their children.
Since its inception in 2009, 50 WA
Health staff members have volunteered
with GHAWA to share their knowledge
and expertise to help build the
capabilities of local staff in Tanzania
through education and training,
especially in maternal and child health.
The program is also supported by all
five Western Australian universities.
By the end of this year, 100 nursing
students from WA will have undertaken
a clinical placement in Tanzania,
enabling our future nurses to experience
working in the often challenging and
under-resourced conditions of a
developing country, as well as gain
valuable clinical experience.
(L-R) GHAWA Program Manager Jenni Ng, Sister Amina Mwakuruzo, Minister for Health Kim Hames
and Nursing Director Agnes Mtawa, Muhumbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam.
GHAWA Program manager Jenni
Ng said the volunteers’ efforts had
contributed significantly to boosting the
knowledge and skills of local staff.
development as such, the Muhumbili
National Hospital in Dar es Salaam
has now established a unit dedicated
to improving clinical practice through
education,” Ms Ng said.
“We are now seeking 14 nurses and
midwives to volunteer this year. It is
an amazing life experience and I would
encourage anyone who is interested to
apply.”
“It is a delight to see that in Tanzania,
where there was once no staff
“This is a great milestone and a
testament to the value of the program.
To find out more go to
www.globalhealthalliance.com.au
Outstanding clinical supervisors recognised
Winners of the biennial WA
Clinical Training Network Clinical
Supervision Awards have been
announced.
The awards went to Kathryn Viljoen
(Excellence in Clinical Supervision),
Marilyn Zelesco, (Excellence in Clinical
Facilitation), the Juniper Simulation
Centre team, (Innovation in Clinical
Supervision) and Mary Passmore
(Lifetime Achievement in Clinical
Supervision).
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The awards celebrate excellence in
clinical supervision – a vital cog in
transforming students and employees
into the skilled and motivated workforce
that Western Australians depend on to
deliver their quality health care.
WA Health’s Director General Dr
David Russell-Weisz said the awards
recognised supervisors who delivered
exceptional guidance and mentoring to
students.
“Supervision and mentoring are
obviously major components of training
and education for our future health
professionals,” he said.
“When a student or a colleague
rates their supervisor or mentor as
outstanding, it indicates that examples
set within the workplace by an individual
or team have played a positive role
in helping to shape careers, develop
passions and improve patient care.”
A total of 88 nominations were received
across the four award categories.
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 17
Chronic
Disease unit
practises what
it preaches
A health initiative that
encouraged good eating and
exercise in the workplace has
won a Best Practice in Health and
Wellbeing Award at the Institute
of Public Administration WA
achievement awards.
WA Health Chronic Disease Prevention
Directorate put into practice an
effective program to improve
staff health and wellbeing, reduce
absenteeism and increase productivity.
The Chronic Disease Prevention
Directorate − in partnership with the
Heart Foundation WA, Cancer Council
WA, WA School Canteen Association,
Diabetes WA, Department of Transport
and Drug and Alcohol Office −
consulted, designed and coordinated
the initiative though agreements and
partnerships across the not-for-profit
sector and government.
A suite of programs was established
that aimed to address the rising
prevalence of chronic disease among
employed adults.
“These are major initiatives that we
have championed with community
services and other government
partners and WA Health staff,” said
Denise Sullivan, Director Chronic
Disease Prevention Directorate.
“We are delighted that the Institute of
Public Administration has recognised
our efforts with this award,” Ms
Sullivan said.
The success of the Healthy Workers
Initiative has been the result of best
practice approaches, appropriate
funding agreements and ongoing
partnerships. For more information
visit www.public.health.wa.gov.
au/3/1776/2/wa_healthy_workers_
initiative.pm
18 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
Wendy Snowdon’s routine appointment highlighted the importance of regular screening mammograms
BreastScreen regulars
back every year
When it comes to her health,
Wendy Snowdon long ago adopted
the attitude ‘an ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure’.
Wendy, 67, is one of almost 450 women
who have undergone more than 20
free breast screening mammograms in
BreastScreen WA’s 26-year history.
“At a routine appointment in 1995 my
GP detected a small lump in my breast,”
Wendy said.
“After my surgery I knew I was in
a high-risk category for developing
another tumour either within the same
breast or in the other breast.”
So Wendy now has a yearly screening
mammogram at BreastScreen WA.
BreastScreen WA Medical Director
Dr Liz Wylie said Wendy’s experiences
highlighted the importance of regular
screening mammograms.
“A 2011 article in the Medical Journal
of Australia supported mammography
screening for women with a personal
history of breast cancer. It also
supported providing nationally
consistent access to screening through
BreastScreen for women in target age
groups,” Dr Wylie said.
“Up to 90 per cent of breast cancers
can be detected via screening,
significantly increasing a woman’s
chance of surviving breast cancer
and reducing intensity and duration of
treatment required.”
BreastScreen WA provides free
screening mammograms every two
years to women aged over 40 with no
breast symptoms. Women aged 50 to
74 years are specifically targeted as
screening has been shown to be most
effective in this age group.
Women of all ages who notice a
persistent change in a breast should see
their GP for an examination.
Screening is available at nine
metropolitan clinics, in Bunbury, and
via four mobile screening vans that tour
regional areas. Visit www.breastscreen.
health.wa.gov.au or phone 13 20 50 to
make a booking.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Join BreastScreen WA as it turns
Perth pink with events including the Pink Ribbon Day Breakfast on Monday
26 October. For more details visit www.breastscreen.health.wa.gov.au
Back to Contents
Fresh approach to STI treatment
The prevention, testing and
treatment of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) and blood-borne
viruses (BBVs) are the goals of
a suite of new WA Health sexual
health strategies.
The new strategies were launched at
WA Health’s quarterly sexual health and
blood-borne virus forum in September
by WA Health’s Assistant Director
General Public Health, Professor Tarun
Weeramanthri, to an audience of
clinicians, NGOs and academics with an
active interest in the sector.
“These strategies demonstrate WA
Health’s commitment to prevent, test,
treat and minimise the personal and
social impact of BBVs and STIs,”
Professor Weeramanthri said.
“Notifications for STIs and BBVs have
increased in Western Australia over the
past decade and while we have made
significant gains in recent years there is
still much work to be done.”
Professor Weeramanthri said the new
strategies outlined ambitious goals such
Professor Tarun Weeramanthri introduces the strategies in a short strategies overview video
as building awareness among priority
populations, continuing to provide
coordinated and responsive training and
resources, improving testing rates by
increasing access and awareness, and
improving models of care.
“The strategies were developed in
partnership with community and
industry stakeholders and will be
evaluated regularly to ensure they
remain responsive to community
needs,” Professor Weeramanthri said.
“For the first time, the strategies will be
available in an interactive online, format,
and each strategy is supported by a
short video featuring key stakeholders,
government and non-government
representatives and consumers.”
To view the strategies,
visit: www.health.wa.gov.au
Study casts doubt on liver disease treatment
A therapy used to treat patients
with non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease (NAFLD) is likely to be
abandoned following research led
by a WA Health clinician.
NAFLD, which affects one in four
Australians, describes a build-up of fat
in the liver cells that can damage the
liver and lead to serious complications,
such as cirrhosis.
A third of patients with NAFLD have
signs of increased levels of iron in
their blood. Venesection – the taking
of blood – has been used to reduce
iron levels in people with NAFLD
because higher-than-normal iron
levels are thought to play a role in the
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development of insulin resistance
(a problem for people with NAFLD)
and the progression of liver injury.
A six-month, randomised controlled
trial led by Sir Charles Gairdner
Hospital liver specialist Dr Leon
Adams, however, found that patients
who underwent regular venesection in
addition to receiving lifestyle advice,
were no better off than those who
received diet and exercise advice alone.
The findings of Dr Adams’ study are
detailed in Hepatology, the official
journal of the American Association
for the study of Liver Diseases
and are likely to change the clinical
management of patients with NAFLD.
Liver specialist Dr Leon Adams
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 19
The heat is on emergency services
Perth’s hot climate made it the
obvious choice for a study into how
heatwaves affect the community’s
use of healthcare services.
Conducted by a team that included
WA Health’s Senior Policy Officer Tony
Spicer, Senior Research Officer Jian
Le, Dr Andrew Robertson, Professor
Tarun Weeramanthri, and led by Dr
Ben Scalley (now the Acting Director
of Environmental Health with the NSW
Department of Health), the study
compared three heatwave formulae
against the number of people attending
Emergency Departments and the
number of inpatient admissions from
heat-related causes.
Dr Scalley said that over the past two
centuries, heatwaves had caused more
deaths in Australia than any other
natural hazard. Future climate change
was expected to double the number of
heat-related deaths within 40 years.
“As a result, many health authorities
have adopted emergency heat
management plans to help prepare
for when the temperatures rise and to
develop innovative responses,” he said.
There was a well-established link
between the demands on health
services and higher temperatures. The
difficulty facing health service managers
in trying to prepare for an appropriate
level of response was predicting when
heatwaves would occur.
The study found that a method for
predicting heatwaves, recently devised by
the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and
known as the Excess Heat Factor (EHF)
heatwave formula, was the most useful.
“The EHF, when compared to other
formulas, can predict the demands on
health services more precisely, because
it factors in the effects of acclimatisation
in its calculations,” Dr Scalley said.
“Based on these findings we would
suggest that current state-based
response plans consider using this new
EHF formula.”
Professor Weeramanthri said the study
could have a profound impact on how
WA Health dealt with heat-related
incidents and demand spikes.
“This study has widespread national
and international implications. The study
found that even low-intensity heatwaves
in Perth have an impact on health, and
suggests triggers for heatwave plans
should focus on the intensity of heat
rather than a predetermined heatwave
temperature threshold,” he said.
“The study reinforces work being done
by a national collaboration being led
by the Bureau of Meteorology into
national extreme heat warnings and
the development of a fully-integrated
heatwave forecasting system.
“The system would use the EHF to
map the location and intensity of
heatwaves throughout Australia.
WA Health is an integral part of the
national collaboration and will use the
project outcomes to update the State’s
heatwave emergency plan.”
Triple treat for long-serving Swan Kalamunda staff
Nearly 100 staff members from
the Swan Kalamunda Health
Service (SKHS) have been
honoured for their years of
service to the hospital.
Hosted by the Executive Director Swan
Kalamunda Health Service Philip
Aylward the event acknowledged staff
that had completed service of between
10 and 40 years.
Mr Aylward commended the staff on
their loyalty and the significant role
they had played in caring for the local
community over many years.
Among the staff members being
honoured was laboratory assistant
Sharon Payet who has worked within
the SKHS for 40 years, starting as a
17-year-old.
20 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
The hospital service event provided
Sharon with more than one reason to
celebrate. She attended the event with
her daughter Cherlissa, who turned
16 that day.
Also being honoured for 20 years’
service as a midwife was Mieke Slee
who 16 years ago delivered Cherlissa,
providing a wonderful reunion for
mother, daughter and midwife.
Back to Contents
WA Health’s
bold plan
to tackle
undiagnosed
diseases
WA Health could soon offer fresh
hope to Western Australians with
baffling medical conditions.
Will Van Der Marke, Pam Wiebrecht and Diane Costello build their balance in the park to prevent
slips, trips and falls
Feet campaign takes
a balanced approach
The second phase of the Stay
On Your Feet® program’s Move
Improve Remove campaign has
kicked off with a new focus on
building balance.
The three-phase initiative is designed
to show older adults how they can
prevent falls and remain independent.
and booklets. They can also book a
free, 30-minute Build Your Balance
presentation.
For more information, visit
www.stayonyourfeet.com.au or
call the Stay On Your Feet® team on
1300 30 35 40.
Stay On Your Feet® Manager Ailsa
Dinnes said that although balance
naturally declined with age, by
following a few simple tips older
people could maintain or improve
their balance.
“The great news is that people can
build their balance with simple and
safe exercises to help prevent slips,
trips and falls – so they can stay on
their feet and get on with enjoying the
fun things in life.”
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Its vision for the program is modelled
on the US National Institutes of Health
(NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Program
(UDP), a hugely successful initiative
which, since its inception in 2008, has
provided diagnoses for about 25 per
cent of patients referred to it and, in the
process, discovered close to 60 new
and rare genetic conditions, laying the
foundation for new treatments.
The program has now expanded to an
Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN),
with member sites throughout the US.
WA’s UDP is likely to be based at
Genetic Services of Western Australia
(GSWA), WA’s sole provider of statewide
clinical genetics services, which reviews
children with particularly complex,
unexplained medical conditions that
appear to have a genetic origin.
GSWA Director Professor Jack Goldblatt
said the form of a WA program was
yet to be decided, but he anticipated it
would start with a core of two of three
clinical geneticists and other specialists
who would take on one very difficult
case a month. This core group would
call in other specialists and experts as
necessary.
“More than one-quarter of all falls are
caused by poor balance,” she said.
Throughout the campaign, which
runs until 30 November, members of
the public and health professionals
can order a range of free brochures
It plans to become the first in the world
to offer a clinical program focussed
on finding answers for people with
mysterious and long-standing medical
conditions.
Gwen Davies builds her balance so she can
enjoy the fun things in life
“The group will throw everything into
trying to solve the case. At the end of
the day if a definitive diagnosis can’t
be made, the person being investigated
will know that every avenue available at
that point in time had been explored,”
Professor Goldblatt said.
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 21
Award to aid
cell therapy
researcher
WA Health research money is
helping a respiratory physician
explore a potential new therapy for
cystic fibrosis (CF), a life-limiting
genetic disease that affects the
lungs and digestive system.
Fiona Stanley Hospital respiratory
consultant Yuben Moodley will use
his FutureHealth WA merit award to
pursue a treatment that takes cells
taken from discarded human placentae
and cultures them with epithelial cells
brushed from the airways of CF patients.
This co-culturing fixes dysfunction in
the CF cells.
Dr Moodley said the placental cells had
properties that made them ideal for the
procedure, including that they could
imitate the characteristics of epithelial
cells and did not participate in the
immune response. Such cells were also
readily available and taken from material
that would otherwise be discarded.
Dr Moodley said the corrective role of
the resultant human amnion epithelial
cells (hAEC) had been demonstrated in
vitro and in studies of mice with CF.
He hopes that positive results seen
in the mice studies may one day be
replicated in larger animals including –
eventually – humans.
In the meantime he is seeking to fine
tune the hAEC with the primary focus of
his current research, finding the optimal
medium for culturing hAEC.
Murdoch University veterinary student Emmanuel Torres desexes a dog on remote Kimberley community
Desexing project proves
an all-round winner
A Department of Health-funded dog
desexing initiative has proved to be
an all-round winner for the parties
involved – the Department, Murdoch
University Veterinary School and
remote Aboriginal communities.
Under the initiative, final-year veterinary
students from Murdoch travelled to
the Kimberley to surgically desex dogs
living in remote Aboriginal communities.
Temporary chemical sterilisation of
female dogs is already available under
the Department’s WA Aboriginal
Environmental Health program to
minimise the harmful impact that dogs
have on the health and wellbeing of
Aboriginal people in these communities.
Services provided include the
management of various zoonotic
diseases and the euthanising of sick,
injured or unwanted community dogs.
For cost and logistical reasons, however,
surgical desexing of dogs is not offered.
Recently, the Department trialled the
use of final-year veterinary students
22 | Healthview Magazine Spring 2015
to surgically desex dogs in these
communities with a grant to cover
the costs of the students and their
supervising lecturers. The University
and students volunteered their time and
donated in-kind support.
The arrangement provided benefits
all round – a cost-effective veterinary
service for the department; valuable
and challenging surgical experiences
and the chance to see and experience
the Kimberley for the students;
access to veterinary services not
ordinarily available in the region for the
communities; and safe and permanent
sterilisation for the dogs.
The first party of students and staff,
accompanied by a support crew from
Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation and
an Environmental Health representative,
spent eight days in the communities
of Bililuna, Balgo and Mulan, in the
Katjungka region south of Halls Creek.
A second trip to communities along the
Dampier Peninsular is planned for later
this year.
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Hospital food steps up to the plate
Patients at five metropolitan health
facilities are receiving fresher,
tastier and more flexible food
choices with the introduction of a
new catering regime.
Launched at Fremantle Hospital at the
beginning of July, the catering changes
herald a new era in hospital food where
menus are responsive to staff and
patient feedback and unpopular dishes
can be replaced.
Fremantle Hospital Catering Manager
Pierre Moore was one of 20 people,
along with his manager Paul Steele,
who spent more than two years tasting
and scoring 1300 meals from catering
contractors for the new menus.
He said only the highest-scoring meals
were included in the meal options from
which each hospital would choose. Each
meal would be assessed regularly to
ensure continuing taste and quality.
“Previous menu dishes were designed
10 to 15 years ago. All the patients we
spoke to wanted more modern food and
more variety,” he said.
“At Fremantle Hospital, we also felt it
was important to make the food more
appealing so we worked hard on the
presentation, upgrading the plates,
napkins and cutlery.
Fremantle Hospital Catering Supervisor Paul Kenyon, Food Consultant Verity James, Fremantle
Hospital Catering Manager Pierre Moore, and Fremantle Hospital Community Advisory Council Chair
Lyn Williamson sample some of the new dishes at Fremantle Hospital.
“It was equally important that this
change was measureable and any issues
could be acted on quickly. Each meal
comes with a patient feedback form and
dishes are regularly re-scored to ensure
taste and quality is maintained.
“Most importantly, if a dish is not
receiving good reviews or people are
not ordering it, the item will be removed
and replaced with a different dish.”
Mr Moore said another significant
change was to the presentation and
Nominate now for Nursing and
Midwifery Excellence Awards
Nominations are now open for the Winners will be announced at a special
2016 WA Nursing and Midwifery event on Saturday 7 May 2016.
Excellence Awards.
The Lifetime Achievement Honour for
There are 12 categories in the awards,
which are open to nurses and midwives
working in all our health system;
public, private, non-government,
hospital or community settings.
Colleagues can nominate an
outstanding nurse or midwife in 11
categories. The public can nominate
for the Consumer Appreciation Award.
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a nurse or midwife who has made
a significant contribution to their
profession throughout their career,
will also be announced on the night.
Nominations for the 2016 WA Nursing
and Midwifery Excellence Awards
close on Friday 18 December 2015.
For more information or to nominate,
go to www.wanmea.com.au
quality of
textured, or
pureed, food,
given to people
post-surgery
or with
swallowing
difficulties.
“The quality of
pureed food in our hospital is
now as good as you can get,” he said.
“Peas look like peas. The broccoli
looks like a piece of broccoli and the
Shepherd’s pie looks and tastes great.
This makes an enormous difference to a
patient’s dignity and enjoyment.”
Chairperson of the Fremantle Hospital
and Health Service Consumer Advisory
Council Lyn Williamson described the
changes as “a quantum shift from types
of hospital food presented in the past”.
Fremantle, Royal Perth, Sir Charles
Gairdner, King Edward Memorial and
Rockingham General hospitals are
all part of the program to share
pre-prepared food options.
Local identity Verity James was selected
in a competitive process to oversee
the establishment of the program at
the hospitals involved, and to help
communicate the changes to patients
and staff.
Healthview Magazine Spring 2015 | 23
BUILDING A BIGGER,
BETTER HEALTH SYSTEM
PERTH CHILDREN’S
HOSPITAL
getthebiggerpicture.health.wa.gov.au
ST JOHN OF GOD
MIDLAND PUBLIC
HOSPITAL
KARRATHA
HEALTH CAMPUS
KALGOORLIE
HEALTH CAMPUS
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