The WIDE BAY Wave
February 2014
Wide Bay shines
Inside this
issue...
A snappy turn
around in dental
wait lists: P 5
Health Minister Lawrence
Springborg with WBHHS
(North) chief operating
officer Debbie Carroll.
Let’s shake on it: The Health Minister announced in January that the Bundaberg Ambulance Station would be
staffed 24 hours a day by paramedics. Mr Springborg is due in Maryborough in March to unveil new infrastructure at
Maryborough Hospital.
QBy Mat Nott
THE Wide Bay Hospital and
Health Service is becoming
something of a regional
mecca for leading politicians
and health administrators.
In January, the Premier
Campbell Newman and
Health Minister Lawrence
Springborg visited
both Bundaberg and
Maryborough Hospitals.
Their visit almost coincided
with a low key visit
to Bundaberg by new
Department of Health
Director General Ian
Maynard.
In early March, Mr
Springborg will return to
Maryborough to participate
in a health forum and unveil
a key infrastructure that is
currently being developed in
Maryborough Hospital.
Access to key political
figures and powerbrokers is
assisting the WBHH Board
to highlight the growing
pressure on health services.
Wide Bay Hospital and
Health Board Chair Dominic
Devine said the region had
specific challenges that the
Board was fighting to have
recognised.
“The Wide Bay population
increased by almost 30%
between 2000 and 2010,” Mr
Devine said.
“It currently stands at 208,558
and is expected to exceed
300,000 inside 20 years.
“We also have the highest
proportion of people aged
65 and over in Queensland
and Australia with 21%
of our population over 65
years – compared to 13%
for Queensland and 14% for
Australia.”
Brisbane Lions
roar around the
WBHHS: P 10
Mr Devine said the Board
was keen to engage with the
Department of Health on
issues such as how funding
was allocated.
“Having decision makers
interested in the Wide Bay
and coming to visit provides
us with an opportunity
to progress these sorts of
discussions,” Mr Devine said.
Latest on the WBHHS
Strategic Plan: P5
ICU not closing
now or ever.
Whoops: P 12
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service
The WIDE BAY Wave
INDEX
3: E-cigarettes are a wolf in
sheep’s clothing.
5: Kids ward in Bundaberg
bowled over by fundraising.
8: Wide Bay politicians talk up the
WBHHS as a force for good.
4: Chief Executive and COOs
North and South report.
6: Boss of Mental Health and
AODS reflects on change.
13: DonateLife week helps kick
start conversations.
Behind the scenes preparation when Big Brass visits
The Magnificent Seven: (L to R) WBHH Chair Dominic Devine, Premier Campbell Newman, Health Minister
Lawrence Springborg, MP for Burnett Stephen Bennett, staffer, WBHHS CE Adrian Pennington and WBHHS
COO (North) Debbie Carroll.
IN January, the Premier and Health
Minister visited Bundaberg Hospital
and Maryborough Hospitals. Due to the
time pressures holding high office these
events were scheduled to the minute.
Planning began a month in advance.
Briefs on all topics were prepared for
both departments. Tours were mapped
out through the hospitals. Security and
departmental media contingents walked
through routes several times. Local MPs
were co-ordinated. Interviews were
scheduled with staff in areas of interest
in each facility. The media was invited to
participate. Parking areas and times were
designated, even for the helicopter which
provided the prop for the announcement
around extra funding for paramedic staff
at Bundaberg Hospital.
Communication and planning vital
THE recent irresponsible and false
reporting of the closure of the ICU at
Hervey Bay took a lot of effort to rectify.
It was upsetting to the staff and
community and I would like to thank
Board members and CE Adrian
Pennington and his team for all the work
they put in to set the record straight.
This unfortunate report, and the
subsequent social media chatter, showed
how important accurate and timely
communication is.
In this regard, it is important for
the Board to develop and improve
community engagement and
communication strategies.
There are a number of items that require
important decisions by the Board to be
made over the ensuring Board meetings.
2
These are:
• Asset management
• Transfer of assets to
HHSs
• Doctors’ contracts
• Valuation of assets
• Occupational
Health and Safety
Chair Dominic Devine
• Communication
strategy
• Community engagement strategy
In other Board news, I would like to
thank those board members who have
re-nominated and new nominees.
While we won’t know the outcome of
the appointments until 17 May 2014, the
Board will continue to work to improve
health services.
The next Board Chair’s forum is being
held on 5 March 2014 in Brisbane and
the following items are on the agenda:
• Statewide adolescent mental health
initiative
• Performance management
framework
• Impact of national and state funding
directions
• Health renewal taskforce
• Minister and DG update
• NEST
• Public service commission –
workforce and organisational agenda
• QLD trauma plan
• Health practitioners expanded scope
of practice
I will report back next month on the
Chairs meeting.
The launch of the Strategic Plan is also is
also on the horizon for April.
E-cigarettes a danger to kids
WIDE Bay Health Service and the police
have joined forces to campaign against
the use of e-cigarettes in the region.
Even small doses of the nicotine-laced
liquid used in e-cigarettes could prove
fatal to a child if consumed.
WBHHS Public Health Officer Dr
Margaret Young and Officer in Charge of
the Maryborough Criminal Investigation
Branch Detective Senior Sergeant Nikki
Colfs have issued a joint warning against
the buying and selling of the vials.
“The Wide Bay Public Health Unit
(WBPHU) has identified a significant
public health and safety risk in the
Wide Bay area, posed by the illegal
possession and sale of liquid nicotine
products (e-liquid) intended for use with
electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes),” Dr
Young said.
Dr Young said the products are currently
deemed to be regulated poisons and it is
illegal for a person to obtain, possess and/
or sell these substances without approval
from the chief executive (Queensland
Health).
Dr Young said these poisons are not
packaged or labelled in accordance with
the Standard for Uniform Scheduling of
Medicines and Poisons,.
She added they are being offered for
sale without obligatory signal headings,
warning statements, first aid advice or
child proof enclosures.
Det Sgt Colfs said police had recently
arrested a number of people in the Wide
Bay region and charged them with
offences relating to the possession of the
e-liquid.
Up in smoke: Marketing claims around e-cigarettes have been shown to be false by investigations led by the
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service. The liquid used in the receptacles was shown to have high enough
concentrations of nicotine to damage health and be potentially fatal if consumed by infants.
Healthybyte
Healthybyte
Healthybyte
Nursing Director Surgical
Services Norma Stanley is
developing a system to ensure the
WBHHS reduces elective wait lists
with a six month maximum wait
from referral to surgery.
Stats show Christmas cheer
in the Wide Bay is most often
interrupted by: gastro, vomiting,
urinary tract infection, ear ache,
reflux, virus, lower limb cellulitis,
cough, sore throat and chest pain.
The National Ageing Research
Institute has identified that
10-15% of older people living
in the community experience
depression. This compared to only
6% of the wider population.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Feb 2014
3
The WIDE BAY Wave
Chief Executive’s Report
THE strategic planning consultation
process concluded recently. A revised
plan is due for publication in April 2014.
At the heart of this document is our
staff and the importance of ensuring we
provide a safe working environment as
well as the proper training and support
to assist staff undertake their individual
roles.
It is essential that all staff been afforded
this guarantee and I will endeavour to
ensure this takes place.
Compliance to OHS is an essential
and all department managers have a
responsibility to ensure a safe working
environment and access to all mandatory
training. I fully
expect us to be 100%
compliant regardless
as to whether audits
are programmed.
Excellence is
not a target. It is
delivering sustainable CE Adrian Pennington
performance as an
everyday way of
working. Likewise, individual reviews
and training plans will take place for
every member of staff. We cannot
develop health care without the support
for our main asset, our staff.
Of critical importance is two-way
communication between staff and
mangers. We need to be consistent with
and communicate facts such as:
1. There will be no job losses in the ICU
2. There will be an intensivist in the ICU
3. The Hervey Bay ICU is and always will
be a level 4 unit
Handling uncertainty created by this
story wasted a huge amount of resource
that could have been better spent
developing clinical services.
In late April or early May 2014, a training
strategy will be launched for all staff to
see. I think you will all be surprised and
excited with what is being put in place to
take us forward.
COO-ee North
COO-ee South
IT is once again a very busy time of year
with a number of key project initiatives
underway as well as a lot of time and energy
going into ACHS survey preparation.
EARLIER this month we had significant
publicity about our Intensive Care Unit
(ICU) at Hervey Bay.
Currently, we have Christine Illett working
as the clinical redesign project officer for
the WBHHS. We we will only have the
benefit of Chris’ skills for a short period as
Chris and her husband will be relocating to
Brisbane.
WBHHS COO (North)
Debbie Carroll
Chris is working on developing a clinical redesign plan
including identifying key project areas for the next three years
for the executive leadership team consideration. Chris plans to
visit key areas to obtain your feedback.
In the North, February appears clinically to be our new August
which is typically the busiest month of the year. I appreciate
staff are working exceptionally hard to meet the demand of
both elective and emergency services and I wish to thank and
acknowledge the team’s hard work and extraordinary efforts.
I also wish to recognise the Bundaberg elective surgery team
for achieving all of the NEST targets. That is a remarkable
achievement and cannot happen without everyone doing their
bit, so congratulations.
Also our Emergency Department has achieved 81% for the
NEAT target which is a great credit to all.
I would also like to acknowledge the Patient Travel Subsidy
Scheme team who are now meeting the target timeframes
which were previously flagged as a risk for the North. Well done
to all involved.
4
Despite some rather alarming reporting in
our local media, I can assure all staff that
the ICU will always be an important and
permanent feature in our hospital at Hervey
WBHHS acting COO
Bay.
(South) Stephen Bell
A working group of clinical directors is
currently reviewing the medical staffing model for the ICU and
a recommendation will be made to the Chief Executive and the
Board within a few weeks.
We will keep you informed of the outcome of this review. I
would also like to take the opportunity to thank our dedicated
and hard working staff in ICU who provided exemplary care
to our patients at a time of great scrutiny and publicity by the
media.
The Clinical Decision Unit which is attached to the Hervey Bay
Emergency Department has been open since September 2013.
It has proven to be a great success. In its first three months of
operation the number of admissions to the CDU has shown a
gradual increase.
In September 2013, there were 216 admissions and in January
2014 there were 269 (an average of 247 per month giving a
total of 1248 admissions). Evidence shows that the use of the
CDU as an alternative to direct inpatient admission for specific
groups of patients has been highly effective in both improving
patient outcomes and minimising unplanned re-presentations
to Emergency Department.
Dental wait lists plummet
Voucher system
brings its own
dental rewards
PUBLIC oral health care waiting lists
have been slashed by 30 per cent across
the Wide Bay Hospital and Health
Service region.
Latest figures show that between
February and December 2013 the total
number of people on the waiting list fell
from 12,252 to 8,575.
In the same reporting period, the number
of people waiting two years or more for
dental treatment fell from 9,291 to 4,558,
a 51 per cent reduction.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board
Chair Dominic Devine said WBHHS
oral health staff had been responsible
for across-the-board improvements in
waiting times.
“Our dental health service inherited
some of the biggest wait lists and some of
the longest waiting times in Queensland
and these figures show we are dealing
with them,” Mr Devine said.
Smile maker: Senior Dental Technician Paul Jeftic knows how to put a smile back on people’s faces. He
makes dentures and orthodontics out of Maryborough Hospital for public health system clients.
“We are developing an optimum public
dental service and our hard work and
planning is paying off for the people of
Wide Bay.
Dental care waiting lists in Childers have
fallen from 77 months to 15 months since
April 2013.
“With new dental chairs planned
for Maryborough, Hervey Bay and
Bundaberg our capacity will continue to
drive waiting lists down.”
Dental care waiting lists in Maryborough
have fallen from 98 months to 29 months
since April 2013.
Total public dental waiting lists across
Queensland are down from 112,204
to 61,699, a level of activity which has
exceeded Commonwealth performance
target resulting in a $30 million reward
payment for the Queensland Department
of Health.
Strategic Plan confronts some tough challenges
THE Wide Bay Hospital and Health
Service Strategic Plan due to be
launched in April must chart a way
forward in the face of immense
pressures.
The health service region is one of
Australia’s most disadvantaged with
83% of its population in the two most
disadvantaged categories.
It ranks as the second most
disadvantaged health service region
in Queensland after Torres StraitNorthern Peninsula HHS.
Socio-economic disadvantage is the
largest cause of burden of disease in
Queensland.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics
defines the relative socio-economic
advantage and disadvantage of a region
based on a number of census indicators
such as education, occupation,
employment,income, families and
housing.
About 45% of local income earners
receive less than $400 per week, defined
as ‘living below the poverty line’.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Feb 2014
5
The WIDE BAY Wave
Rotary Lodge
on the move
in Bundaberg
AF
ST
FIL
O
R
FP
E
AS the third anniversary of Rotary
Lodge opening its doors draws
closer, the goal of having it operate
onsite at Bundaberg Hospital looks
set to become a reality.
Discussions with the Wide Bay
Hospital and Health Services about
viable options within the hospital
campus have resulted in a house
at 277 Bourbong Street being
offered to the Bundaberg Health
Services Foundation for patient
accommodation.
The Foundation has leased a
premises at 116 Woongarra Street
since March 2010 at an annual cost
of $33,700 with the assistance of
donations from the North Burnett
and Bundaberg communities.
“The Lodge in Woongarra Street
was always an interim project with
the long-term goal to establish
suitable accommodation on hospital
grounds,’’ Foundation manager
Maria Burnet said.
“The move onsite will have major
savings for the Foundation, a local
not-for-profit charity, with the
WBHHS agreeing to a nominal
lease amount of only $6500 per
annum to cover asset maintenance
costings.
“The WBHHS will also continue to
support the project with building
maintenance once renovations are
complete, linen supplies and lawn
maintenance.
“The Foundation is very grateful for
the support of the WBHHS for the
next exciting stage of Rotary Lodge
which means not only substantial
expense savings but allows patients
and carers to be even closer to loved
ones in hospital.’’
Since the opening of the Rotary
Lodge, 1050 people have stayed
there during treatment or while a
family member was being treated.
6
George Big Rig Plint, executive director of Mental Health Services and AODS out on his beloved boat.
Sunny Coast for Big Rig
OUT fishing off Hervey Bay, George Big
Rig Plint felt a heavy weight dragging at
his hand line.
“Now patients are treated in their
communities where they live, often at
home.
At first he thought he was snagged on
the bottom and then, to his surprise, he
pulled up the fairly respectable golden
trevally (pictured).
“People aren’t removed from their
normal lives and placed in an artificial
environment. They are encouraged to
maintain their family and employment
and housing and their normal life.”
He styles himself as a bloke who goes
fishing rather than one who catches fish,
so returning with a feed was gratifying.
It is an instructive story, as George
prepares to depart the Wide Bay Hospital
and Health Service after 19 years.
He was never really fishing for a new job,
just new challenges, and was surprised
when he hooked his new executive role.
He starts as Service Director Sunshine
Coast Mental Health on March 10 but
will continue to live in Hervey Bay.
George became director of the then
Fraser Coast Mental Health Service
15 years ago. Since 2007, he has been
executive director of WBHHS Mental
Health Services. In 2013, AODS came
under his control.
George said he regards leading the
establishment of the first integrated
mental health service on the Fraser Coast
as one of his career highlights.
“A lot of people didn’t think we would be
able to do it, he said. “Then of course, the
service expanded to include Bundaberg
and the rurals.
“Our philosophy is to always ask
ourselves the question ‘do we provide the
kind of service that you as the clinician,
or your family, would be happy with’. ”
One of the most satisfying changes
George has seen over time is the
reduction in the stigma attached to
mental illness.
His career gives him a long term
perspective on change in mental health.
“People very much more open to
treatment and discussion of mental
illness now,” he said.
“The biggest difference has been in the
move away from the asylum care of 30
years ago,” George said.
“You can walk in off the street now and
be asked to be seen. That never would
have happened 40 years ago.
“It created institutional problems for
patients rather than giving them real life
choices.
“People are successfully treated now and
probably that wasn’t happening so often
50 years ago.”
Teams bowl kids ward over
Skittled: Bowlers Alicia Ruge, Brendan Williams, Timothy Read, Emily Coonan, Jaidon
Kirby (back) and cyclist Mitch Dwyer raised big bucks for the Bundaberg kids ward.
Marathon bowling event
raises thousands
IT is a great thrill when donors to the
Bundaberg Health Services Foundation
are able to visit the hospital and see
exactly how and where their funds have
been used to improve patient care.
Recently, teens involved in two very
successful fundraising activities in 2013
saw just what joy they can bring to sick
children, their parents and staff.
Members of the Bundaberg Junior
Tenpin Bowling Association and bicycle
rider Mitch Dwyer visited the children’s
ward to see what equipment purchases
had been made from their marathon
bowling event and the Childers to
Charity Bike Ride.
The marathon bowling event raised
$3931 which purchased a new
Summer sizzle:
Neil Nunn supports
the BBQ served by
Foundation volunteers
Shane Hennessey
and Connie Battley at
Bundaberg Hospital.
examination couch for the treatment
room in the paediatric unit.
which were deteriorating.
The previous couch had been at a fixed
height making it difficult to perform
procedures.
The new one has the ability to alter height
and make the patient more comfortable.
In the Childers To Charity, Mitch rode
from Bundaberg to Childers Hospital and
raised $3333.
This amount was used to buy a new sofa
bed for use by parents staying overnight.
The previous beds had metal springs
Members of the Truck Drive for Kids also
saw their $8500 donation had been used
to purchase a new blanket warmer for the
Special Care Nursery and another new
sofa bed for the children’s ward.
This year’s Truck Drive for Kids is being
held at the Bundaberg Recreational
Precinct on Sunday, March 30.
Funds raised for the Foundation are
used to buy non-government funded
equipment, the extras that make a stay
more comfortable and help enhance care.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Feb 2014
7
The WIDE BAY Wave
Pollies talk health
Government
is fighting
corruption
in February
MP for Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen.
MP for Bundaberg Jack Dempsey.
AFTER weeks of media hype and
continued Labor Opposition propaganda
that our ICU is closing down – which it is
not - the last thing any of us want in my
first Wide Bay Wave column is politics.
I WISH to praise the staff and
management of the Wide Bay Hospital
and Health Service (WBHHS) whose
hard work has resulted in outstanding
outcomes for local Bundaberg patients.
FEBRUARY is Fraud Awareness Month.
It is sponsored by the Director-General.
So instead, Wide Bay Health staff and
consultants, take a big bow. This is why.
The public oral health waiting list is
down by 51%, with 4,733 less people
waiting two years or more for dental
appointments when we compare
December 2013 with February 2013.
Staff can find out more at http://qheps.
health.qld.gov.au/fraud/html/awareness_
mth.htm
Mary lives in Hervey Bay and recently
confided in me that she is only alive today
because of Wide Bay Health workers’
life-saving efforts - three times – and
the fourth time, at the Mater Hospital in
Brisbane. All this happened last year.
But, she says, it was not only the
“magnificent, dedicated doctors and
nurses” who cared for her, but “our health
service’s caterers, cleaners, reception staff,
physios, social workers, X-ray teams and
volunteers, among many” who gave her
the expertise and will to come through.
On February 23, three people came to me
to praise Hervey Bay and Maryborough
hospitals, echoing Mary’s sentiments.
It is also indicative of this State
Government’s 100 per cent commitment
to healthcare excellence and reminds us
that the LNP Government has increased
the level of health spending by 11.59 per
cent, or an extra $1.28b, compared to
the level of spending under the former
Labor Government. The LNP 2013-14
Budget allocated over $12.3b to health in
Queensland.
Wide Bay Health staff and consultants,
take a big bow. You are simply the best.
8
While the decision to provide 2700 dental
vouchers to locals on the waiting list has
helped, plenty of the credit can be given
to the staff of our public oral health clinic.
The hard work of the staff and decisions
of the management of the hospital has
provided so many Bundaberg people
with urgently-needed dental care and
given the hope of shorter waiting times to
those still needing treatment.
Elective surgery wait lists exceeding
national benchmarks, with 100% of our
category one and category three patients
being seen in the 30 day timeframe.
The outpatient waiting list has fewer
people waiting 12 months than any time
in its history
The Bundaberg Hospital emergency
department is rated the best in
Queensland. Congratulations on these
outcomes and thank you to all the staff
for your continuing hard work. I look
forward to working with you so we can
keep going forward.
It aims to improve fraud, misconduct
and corruption prevention, control and
accountability.
The website gives many practical
examples of what fraud looks like in the
workplace.
For example, use of a corporate credit
card to purchase non-departmental items
for personal use, such as a television and
car maintenance.
Password security is highlighted as
passing on your own password to a
colleague can make you vulnerable.
Timesheet fraud is common. The
submitting of timesheets claiming certain
hours worked when actual hours worked
were far less.
This can cost the department a significant
amount in overpaid hours.
False resume qualifications, theft of drugs
and adjustment of the drug registry to
suit are all areas of concern.
False travel expenses for accommodation,
travel, taxis and meals claimed but not
incurred are also highlighted.
For more information, please contact
the Governance Branch on 3008 7353 or
email [email protected]
I’m a Lion and you’re gonna hear me roar
MEMBERS of the mighty
Brisbane Lions AFL team showed
a more tender side during a recent
visit to the Wide Bay.
As part of a training camp with
promotional overtones, members
of the Lions squad visited the three
major hospitals in the Wide Bay
Health Service in February.
In Hervey Bay, the group toured
the kids ward and then general
wards, winning over staff and
patients with their easy going
manner.
In Bundaberg, the kids ward
was popular again and in
Maryborough Hospital the
group toured the state of the art
rehabilitation unit.
Roaring around: Members of the Brisbane Lions AFL team pictured above in the Hervey Bay Hospital childrens ward
as part of a Wide Bay tour that also took in Bundaberg and Maryborough hospitals.
Mundubbera walks the talk
THE Mundubbera Multi-Purpose Health
Service has given a hand to the Healthy
North Burnett initiative by hosting a
nutrition night, blood pressure screening
and other service.
The initiative was set up three years
ago as an off-shoot of the Mundubbera
Community Development Association’s
Fit for Living program.
The program operates in Gayndah, and
Eidsvold as well.
Director of nursing Jan-Adele Hotz, said
a $10,000 federal grant was used to keep
the Health North Burnett initiative going.
The Healthy North Burnett Awards were
held recently to recognise achievements
in running and walking.
The preventative health care program is
aimed at keeping the local population
healthier for longer.
Ms Hotz said the participation in the
program was an effective way for the
health service to be able to partner with
community groups to promote healthy
life choices.
Kangaroos know grass is greener on the other side
BIGGENDEN Multi-purpose Health
Service could classify itself as one of the
most Australian facilities in Queensland
thanks to the arrival of a mob of hungry
kangaroos.
extent to which the long, dry spell is
tightening its grip on the region.
While the Aussie icons are a welcome
sight for all living, working and healing
in the hospital, the roos’ foraging in and
around the hospital grounds shows the
That, combined with the light irrigation
in hospital grounds, provided enough
green pick to attract the kangaroos to
their haunt beside the nursing quarters.
Director of Nursing Heather MacKellar
said 33mm of rain fell on February 18.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Feb 2014
9
The WIDE BAY Wave
Challenges and opportunities
Maryborough hospital has an enterprising aroma
Full of beans: Ramin Sabzbalouch and his Daily Dose Espresso coffee stall have become fixtures in the main reception of Maryborough Hospital in the past six months.
Ramin has worked out a lease with the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service that has allowed him to express his inner entrepreneur.
Performance-based contracts
now going out to senior staff
SENIOR Medical Officers and Visiting
Medical Officer in the Wide Bay Hospital
and Health Service are the first group
offered a peformance-based contract.
The new regime is being introduced by
the Department of Health.
The contracts are referred to as
Framework Contracts for senior staff.
WBHHS senior management and
human resource personnel have been
in discussions with professional and
industrial representatives and senior staff.
For more information on Framework
Contracts visit: www.health.qld.gov.au/
medical/contracts/medical-contracts/
default.asp or http://qheps.health.qld.
gov.au/scwbhsd/html/serv/hr_wkforce_
contracts.htm
Stanford study shows that women think more before they laugh
STANFORD University psychiatrist Allan
L. Reiss, MD, recruited 20 male and female
college students.
Inside an MRI, the men and women
looked at 70 cartoons flashed on a small
10
overhead screen and rated them on a
funniness scale. Reiss discovered men
and women process funny differently. The
analytical region of women’s brains was
more active than the men’s, suggesting
women studied the cartoons more.
If the cartoon was thought amusing,
the reward region of their brains lit up
noticeably more than the guys.
Reiss believes women think more about
whether they find something humorous.
Rural Rounds
All hail the humble Band-Aid
THOUGH Band-Aid is the trademarked
name for bandages sold by the Johnson
& Johnson Company, the idea of an
adhesive covering for a wound has been
behind a small historical revolution in
health care.
The application of a band-aid like strip
to a grazed knee or elbow has almost
become a rite of passage for any kid.
Applying these coverings to the wound,
along with a stinging shot of iodine,
was often only the beginning of the
discomfort. There were two schools of
Band-Aid removal: fast and slow.
Earle Dickson was a cotton buyer for
Johnson & Johnson when he invented the
Band-aid in 1921.
Rural Briefs
Hot tips for rural future of
the Wide Bay region
EXPECT the WBHHS Strategic Plan to
pledge to work closely with indigenous
communities and health providers.
There is a dedication afoot to ensuring that
programs are aligned.
Also that opportunities to develop and
provide services that meet the health
needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders are grasped.
There is also plenty of indication that
the Strategic Plan will commit the Board
and health service to seeking funding for
infrastructure investment.
According to the historical legend, his
wife Josephine Dickson was always
cutting her fingers in the kitchen while
preparing food.
Whether Mrs Dickson was happy to
have her domestic clumsiness cited as an
inspiration is unclear.
At that time a bandage consisted of
separate gauze and adhesive tape that you
would cut to size and apply yourself.
Mr Dickson noted it didn’t stay on long
so he attached gauze to a piece of tape,
and then covered the product with
crinoline to keep it sterile. His boss,
James Johnson, saw Earle Dickson’s
invention and decided to manufacture
Band-Aids.
What other piece of medical dressing has such
an iconic place in the hearts of those who have
endured grazed knees and elbows.
Rural health jumping
Eyes and teeth a priority
WBHHS Chief Operating Officer (North)
Debbie Carrol said there was plenty of
action in rural health in the past month.
IT is understood the WBHHS and
Board are going to commit significant
additional funding to improve the range
of rural specialist outpatient services.
In Childers, the two renal dialysis selfcare beds opened December, 2013.
Both patients now no longer require
treatment so the health service is looking
to relocate to an alternate rural site
A variety of allied health assistance
positions in the process of recruitment
should be finalised by March 2014.
A podiatrist position in process of
recruitment should also be finalised
March 2014.
The development of low risk
chemotherapy pathway is in preliminary
discussions.
Gayndah Hospital could be the site of
future infrastructure works.
Tele-health is a key system by which rural
residents can access specialist advice.
Staff accommodation in Monto, Eidsvold
and Biggenden are being considered and
other capital needs as identified.
A Tele-health coordinator role will be
recruited as the project officer has elected
to return to their substantive position.
Some of the specialities under
investigation include ophthalmology by
investing in technologies including
Tele-medicine and Tele-health facilities.
Also, there is planning underway for the
health service to improve access to oral
health services in the rural communities
by developing a rural oral health plan in
consultation with the local community.
These are two of the pledges expected to
be contained in the Strategic Plan to be
launched in April.
There will be plenty of emphasis in the
next two years on improving access to a
range of new and existing specialist and
allied health services.
Among these will be low risk
chemotherapy, self care renal dialysis,
ultrasound, radiography, pharmacy and
podiatry.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Feb 2014
11
The WIDE BAY Wave
Media Moments
Hervey Bay ICU here to stay despite rumour
E-cigarettes stubbed out
WHAT a day Saturday,
February 8 was.
FANTASTIC to see WIN, Channel 7,
the Fraser Coast Chronicle and its sister
paper the Bundaberg NewsMail backing
the WBHHS and police in an effort to
alert people to the dangers of e-cigarettes
and the liquid that is used in them.
Health Ministers and
Director Generals alike
were agog as the Fraser
Coast Chronicle’s front
page breathlessly reported
the news that the Hervey
Bay Hospital ICU was
to close at the end of
February with the loss of
10 jobs.
Many people who struggle with cigarette
addiction have been seduced by the
apparent alternative e-cigarettes present.
As made clear by WBHHS Public Health
Unit head Dr Margaret Young in a
wide ranging interview, e-cigarettes still
do harm and the e-liquid can contain
potentially fatal doses of nicotine if
consumed by children.
Alas, for the lovers of
high drama, this little
titbit was without
substance.
A strong aspect of this story was the
co-operation between the health service
and the police.
Health Minister
Lawrence Springborg,
Wide Bay Hospital and
Health Board Chair
Dominic Devine and
CE Adrian Pennington
spent the next three
days setting the record
straight.
Musical chairs in TV land
FORMER WIN TV journalist Emily
McCowatt got a bouquet last edition of
the Wave for her hard work covering
bread and butter health stories.
Channel 7 cottoned on to her ability and
went and poached her.
Hervey Bay ED boss goes
Andrew Haig
Wide Bay Hospital & Health
Service (South) Director of
Emergency Department and
Director of Medicine Andrew
Haig is to say goodbye to the
Fraser Coast at the end of March
2014.
Dr Haig has been heading up the
ED department at Hervey Bay
Hospital since his appointment in
June 2012.
There are fewer high pressure
environments in a hospital than
ED and the motorbike riding
boss was at the helm during
12
a period when population
pressures on ED required more
efficient ways of treating patients..
WBHHS (South) Chief
Operating Officer (acting)
Stephen Bell said innovative
thinking about how to manage
patient flow in ED had resulted
in the introduction of the Clinical
Decision Unit.
This has been integrated with
the Hervey Bay Emergency
Department since September
2013.
In September 2013 there were
216 admissions while in January
2014 there were 269.
Andrew Haig: Hervey Bay Hospital Director of Emergency Department.
One organ can change lives
DONATELIFE Queensland is urging
the Wide Bay families to use DonateLife
Week, Australia’s national awareness
week to promote organ and tissue
donation, as a starting point for
conversations about donating.
To encourage more Australians to
discuss the facts about organ and tissue
donation, DonateLife in the Fraser Coast
and Bundaberg regions held manned
information displays at the Bundaberg
and Hervey Bay hospitals, in various
shopping centres and across the region.
At the Bundaberg CBD Rotunda there
was a promotion of organ donation with
Men’s Shed Bundaberg which included a
Crazy Haircuts fundraiser.
in the event of our death, we also need
to talk about whether we would like to
become an organ and tissue donor.”
Organ donation is a rare event. Less
than 1% of hospital deaths occur in the
specific circumstances where organ
donation is possible.
“With one organ and tissue donor able to
transform the lives of 10 or more people,
it’s a conversation that could one day save
many lives.”
“Having the chat can make a life-saving
difference to so many people waiting for
transplant surgery here in Queensland,”
WBHHS CE Adrian Pennington said.
You can register your donation decision
on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
“In the same way that we discuss what we
want to have happen with financial assets
For more information, visit www.
donatelife.gov.au or contact your local
hospital Intensive Care Unit.
Noise abatement is a joint venture
AS a Fraser Coast councillor with
responsibility for the community health
portfolio, I would like to bring to your
attention a possible noise abatement
project in the precinct around the Hervey
Bay Hospital.
I believe it is an emerging story that will
show how officers of the FCRC and the
WBHHS can and have been working
closely to improve a difficult and longstanding impasse in regards to noise from
an access road to the hospital.
Since being elected to council in 2012,
I have been made aware of a number of
resident concerns raised about the evergrowing noise and traffic at the back end
of hospital.
and timing of the noise has become
problematic for many neighbouring
estate residents.
This issue has been bubbling for nearly
a decade. When the estate next to the
Hervey Bay Hospital was built, noise
complaints emerged as both the hospital
and estate grew.
Under the new WBHH Board structure
and with the engagement between of
our Compliance Officers and WBHHS
facilities management, there has now
been consideration given to this issue,
from a public well-being viewpoint.
Although their has been no illegal noise
measurements (a number of thorough
reports have been done), the frequency
It is an issue that is being managed well
and demonstrates collaboration between
large organisations. Robert Garland
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Feb 2014
13
The WIDE BAY Wave
Clinical governance creates
a stronger health service
CLINICAL governance gained
prominence after the “Bristol Heart
Scandal” in England in 1995.
Dr Stephen Bolson, an anaesthetist,
identified deficiencies in clinical care at
the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
These deficiencies contributed to the
deaths of a high number of children
following cardiac surgery.
The need for good clinical governance
was further highlighted by a number
of well-publicised clinical disasters in
Australia.
Clinical governance is defined as “[A]
system through which organisations
are accountable for continuously
improving the quality of their services
and safeguarding high standards of care
by creating an environment in which
excellence in clinical care will flourish.”
This definition embodies three key
attributes: high standards of clinical
care; transparent
accountability;
and continuous
improvement.
Dr Pieter
Pike, WBHHS
Executive
Director
WBHHS Executive Director
of Clinical
of Medical Services
Governance,
said the aims of
clinical governance for the WBHHS
are to ensure that the organisation has
systems in place to monitor the quality
of clinical practice.
He said that these systems must
function well and clinical practice must
be reviewed and improved.
“We are progressing well with the
development of these and we are in
the midst of implementing a robust
reporting structure” Dr Pike said.
The Wide Bay Wave
can make a difference
THE February edition of the Wide
Bay Wave is our third monthly edition.
The publication will now revert to a
bimonthly.
The next edition will be published in
April.
This rhythm will be trialled for six
months when the schedule will be
reviewed once again in search of a tempo
that best suits the needs of the health
service.
In the January edition we had some
notable achievements. Helping one of
our first Tell, swap or sell clients Kylie
Layzell sell her Holden Astra was not one
of them.
To show the level of dedication the Wave
has to WBHHS staff, we have given it
another burl in this edition. This time
complete with a bright photo.
If you wish to contribute material to
the Wave contact the Editor Mat Nott:
[email protected]
Deadline is April 18. Thanks.
Tell, swap or sell
2005 HOLDEN ASTRA. Manual. Under
140,000 kms, RWC. 6 mths rego. $5500 ONO
– Kylie Layzell, Speech Pathology Department,
Bundaberg Hospital Service. Registered until
May 2014Ph 07 4150 2570.
2005 Holden Astra - $5500ono
SPRAY CAN ART. Spray can artist with
plenty of talent. Call for original pieces of
modern art – Mel Huth, Ph 07 4155 1484 or
Google Mel’s World of Spray Can Art for the
Facebook page.
Editor: The Tell, swap or sell segment in
The Wide Bay Wave is designed to assist
staff interact with each other, promote their
skills, sell or buy something or get behind a
worthwhile project.
There is no cost to placing something in this
space. Write to me at: mathew.nott@health.
qld.gov.au
Deadline for the next edition is April 18.
14
Have you even seen such a fine looking vehicle for the money?
The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board
THE new Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board was announced on 17 May 2013. The Chair was announced on 13 June. The members
were appointed by the Minister of Health for 12 months, effective from 18 May 2013 to 17 May 2014. The Board meets monthly and
has three sub-committees: Audit Committee, Finance Committee, and Safety and Quality Committee.
Members: Mr Dominic Devine – Chair, Mrs Barbara Hovard – Deputy Chair, Mr Gary Kirk, Ms Debbie Carroll, Mr Adrian Daniel,
Ms Joy Jensen, Pastor Paul Dare, Mr Christopher Hyne and Mr Robert Evans.
Dominic Devine
Chair
During the last 20 years Dominic has served on numerous business, community and industry boards and has been
a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors since 2006. Dominic has always been passionate about
being involved in important community issues such as health, education and regional development.
Barbara Hovard
Christopher Hyne
Deputy Chair and Board Member
Board Member
Barbara has local and state government experience
in the Wide Bay region. She has served as Mayor
and councillor on the Maryborough City Council
and was previously employed as manager of
organisational services at Maryborough Hospital.
Christopher is ‘semi-retired’ from an executive
position with Hyne Timber. Christopher was born
in Maryborough in 1945 and has lived in Ferney
(15 km south of Maryborough) since 1980.
Robert Evans
Joy Jensen
Board Member
Board Member
Having served on several boards including
Brisbane North Aspley Rugby League, Chair
of Queensland Masters Swimming, Wide Bay
TAFE and Wide Bay Rugby League Robert has
returned to his real interest, the medical field.
Joy has the unique distinction of having been
the last mayor of the Perry Shire and the first
mayor of the North Burnett Regional Council.
Her background is in rural industry namely
cattle and horses, and rural communities.
Deborah Carroll
Gary Kirk
Board Member
Board Member
Deborah is the Executive Director of Nursing
and Midwifery Services, WBHSS (North) and
has worked across a number of health facilities
in Queensland. She has undertaken significant
postgraduate studies including a Masters of Health
Administration and Information Systems and a
Graduate Certificate in Health Service Planning.
Gary has almost 40 years experience in the public
education system in Queensland as a school teacher
and later as principal until his retirement in 2010.
He has contributed to the community for nearly
two decades, and for the past two years he has
operated a small business in the tourism sector.
Adrian Daniel
Paul Dare
Board Member
Board Member
Prior to being appointed to the Board in 2012, Adrian
had extensive hospital board, council and business
experience in the Wide Bay region. Adrian has served
as a member and deputy chairman of the Audit
Committee of the Fraser Coast Regional Council and
has served on hospital boards and retirement village
board for more than 15 years from the mid-1970s.
Paul spent six years working for Sikorsky Australia
(Sikorsky is the manufacturer of the Blackhawk
and Sea Hawk helicopters) as the ADF Customer
Service Manager and Engineering Manager. In
2007, a change of direction was made and studies
undertaken to allow Paul to become a pastor within
Queensland Baptists. As a result of this Paul is
now pastoring the Mundubbera Baptist Church.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Feb 2014
15
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