July 2012 - Sydney Local Health District

HealthMatters
Sydney – it’s your local health district
Issue 15
July 2012
“My life’s only just beginning”…Ann Kelly.
The quiet achiever
It was weeks before Ann Kelly, working
as a volunteer at a tiny hospital
in northern Tanzania, realised her
beginner’s mistake.
The diminutive registered nurse, who was
last month awarded a member of the Order of
Australia for services to health administration
and nursing, had already spent time in refugee
camps on the Thai-Cambodian border during
Pol Pot’s reign of terror, where, in one week
alone, more than 20,000 people descended on
her camp in search of food, water and freedom.
She had faced waves of malaria and
gastroenteritis, extreme poverty and desperation,
always knowing she had adventure in her blood
and was on a mission to make a difference.
But it was a chance encounter that almost spelt
disaster.
“I noticed a colleague arriving at work every night
carrying a spear and I asked why,” she says.
“Oh, that’s in case he meets a leopard,” came
the nonchalant reply from locals.
“Leopards,” she exclaims. “I’d been walking to
and from the hospital at night on my own for
almost four weeks and no-one had thought to
mention the leopards.”
It was time for Ms Kelly to channel the famous
words of former US president Theodore Roosevelt:
always speak softly and carry a big stick.
And it’s a mantra that has served her well.
“I can be tough when I have to be because the
bottom line is that we’re here for the patients
and every decision has to be about them.
“I’ve never forgotten the poverty I saw in
Cambodia and Tanzania. We’re talking about
people who had nothing. They didn’t even have
Ann Kelly as a young nurse in Cambodia.
water; it had to be trucked in. They didn’t eat
unless they grew their own food so I never lose
sight of how lucky we are and what a difference
we can make,” she says.
That yearning to make a difference has been in
Ms Kelly’s heart since her childhood.
“Nursing wasn’t in my family but it was all I
wanted to do.” Continue story on page 4...
Our historic
hospitals
see page 3
Researcher
goes global
see page 4

Message from the Chief Executive
Dr Teresa Anderson
Sydney Local Health District
Chief Executive
On 1 July, Sydney Local Health District celebrated its first
birthday!
It has been quite a year of new challenges and hard work.
Thank you to all our staff who have made our District,
its hospitals, all the clinical networks and our extensive
services work so well for our patients. Especially while we
are making really significant changes to our business at a
local level as part of health reform in NSW.
These reforms give us greater local responsibility for
services, better networking and partnerships, improved
transparency and oversight through the establishment of
Boards. In the last 12 months, this Local Health District
has worked tirelessly to achieve excellence in healthcare
for all.
The next step is Funding Reform. For the first time in
NSW our Local Health District will be allocated funding
using a combination of patient activity and block funding
grants. Patient activity refers to funds paid to the LHD
on the basis of the number of patients treated including
Acute inpatients, Emergency Departments, Outpatients
and Mental Health and Sub Acute patients. Block funding
will resource us for things like teaching and research,
community and population health.
This new approach will help the LHD spend our
healthcare dollars more openly, allowing the community
to understand how their healthcare dollars are being
spent, enabling district’s like ours to plan services more
efficiently.
Activity Based Funding does not mean there will be
additional Federal health funding. Federal money
allocated to healthcare in NSW will remain the same until
mid 2014. The State budget continues to fund over 70 per
cent of our budget.
Funding Reform focuses on improving the way we manage
the cost of providing care to our patients. It means we all
need to work together to provide the most effective and
innovative services possible. Sydney Local Health District
has a proud history of innovation in healthcare delivery.
The new funding arrangement will help provide us with
further opportunities for developing strategies to improve
the care we provide to patients.
The funding reform does mean Sydney Local Health
District staff will have to work together to implement the
changes. We will continue drawing advice from a number
of experts within our Hospitals and our consultants.
Going forward, we will be hosting a series of information
sessions within the District to help explain the new funding
model to all staff and our community. Notification of these
sessions will be placed on our website and intranet.
Message from the Chair, District Board
The Hon. Ron Phillips
Sydney Local Health District
Board Chairman
Every single day in Sydney Local Health District, staff
come together across all of our services to touch the lives
of so many people in the community. These patients are
at the centre of every decision made and will continue to
be our number one priority over the coming year.
July marks the beginning of the Sydney Local Health
District’s second financial year in operation. As well as
strengthening our Governance arrangements and putting
plans in place to continue to nurture and grow our well
established reputation for excellence, this District has
witnessed the implementation of significant strategic
goals. We finalised and launched our Strategic Plan in
April, outlining the District’s vision to achieve excellence
in healthcare for all. The plan reiterates our CORE values
– Collaboration, Openness, Respect, Empowerment. We
have launched a new website that aims to be inclusive
and interactive to help inform the community about the
District and its services. This website will continue to
grow and evolve – I encourage you all to visit the site to
see the latest news, videos and publications at www.slhd.
nsw.gov.au. We have also set up new mechanisms for
community feedback and for our staff to be recognised
for their daily contribution.
In the next financial year the Board will oversee the
District’s implementation of the new funding reform
model, the launch of the Research Plan in August as well
as the Education and Training Plan, Sustainability Plan
and Community Participation Framework later in 2012.
We will begin planning for clinical services and continue
to focus on how we can improve the way we deliver care
to our community.
From 1 July 2012, SLHD has been allocated funding
under the new funding model using a combination
of funding based on patient activity (Activity Based
Funding), and block funding grants. For the first time this
means how we fund our health services will be far more
transparent. Clinicians, Boards, staff and communities
will have greater understanding of how our hospitals
are funded, where the money is spent and be able to
participate in, and contribute to, decisions about the right
resourcing of our system.
The Budget presents the District with new challenges,
but we are confident that the expertise of our staff and
our relationships with partner organisations will see the
organisation remain on track. The Budget will be made
available on our website in the coming weeks.
I’d like to congratulate staff on their achievements
and look forward to working with you as we face the
challenges the new financial year will bring.
2 HealthMatters Sydney – it’s your local health district

The art of healing
Artist Simon Fieldhouse, (left), NSW Governor Marie Bashir and SLHD Director, Operations, Gary Miller.
The architectural grandeur and social
significance of some of SLHD’s
historical buildings were featured last
month at the opening of an exhibition
of paintings by acclaimed painter
Simon Woodhouse.
NSW Governor, the Hon Marie Bashir, was
special guest at the RPA event, where the series
of pencil and ink paintings were unveiled. The
series include paintings of RPA, Balmain,
Canterbury and Concord Hospitals, the King
George V building, the Dame Eadith Walker
Hospital, the Sydney Dental Hospital, the
historic gates of Thomas Walker Hospital
(Rivendell) and the historic gates of Callan Park
(the former Rozelle Hospital).
SLHD Director, Operations, Gary Miller, said the
paintings were a way of celebrating the social
and architectural significance of the District’s
facilities and its long history of excellence in
healthcare delivery.
“Not only are some of them outstanding examples
of period architecture and design and considered
to be of the highest heritage value, they have
continuously served the health care needs of their
communities for several decades, in some cases
for more than 130 years,” Mr Miller said.
“All will proudly continue to do so for many
years to come.”
Simon Fieldhouse is a prodigious Australian
architectural artist based in Sydney, who has
sketched virtually every historic Australian
building of merit, as well as several great
buildings in London, Paris, New York, India.
To view photographs and a video of the opening,
and to view the paintings with accompanying
texts, go to http://www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/media_
photo.html
People Matter – NSW Public Sector
employee survey
In July 2012, the Public Service Commission will
conduct a sector-wide employee survey in NSW.
For the first time, all employees within the NSW
public sector will have an opportunity to “have
their say” on their perceptions on values and the
workplace culture in their organisation.
Information will be posted on the SLHD intranet.
New uniform supplier announced
NSW Health is introducing a new range of
comfortable and functional uniforms for staff that
will be standardised across the state.
Following a comprehensive tender process, Parsons
Logistiks has been selected as the provider.
It is anticipated that frontline clinical staff will wear
a ‘scrubs style’ uniform and, to assist in the final
design of the style, HSS has recruited volunteers
through the Uniform Implementation Project
Steering Committee (PSC) and NSW Nurses
Association to participate in a uniform wearer trial.
Each volunteer will be allocated three different
uniform styles in three different fabrics for 30
days. Trial participants will wear the uniforms
while undertaking their everyday duties, and at the
completion of the trial will complete an online survey.
Survey results will be provided to the Uniform
Working Party, which will document recommended
changes to the styles and fabric and submit to
the PSC for approval. This process should be
completed by September.
Staff should continue to order their current
uniforms and can be confident there are adequate
supplies available.
For information about uniform ordering, sale items
and stock availability, contact Bisley Corporate
Customer Service on 1300 656 440.
Click on the below link to take you to the NSW
Health Uniform order forms: http://intranet.hss.
health.nsw.gov.au/hss_uniforms
HealthMatters
3

Research M a t t e r s
The quiet achiever
- continued from page 1
Clearing the fog on chemo brain
A medical oncologist from the Sydney Cancer Centre has
taken out one of the world’s most prestigious awards in cancer
research at last month’s prestigious American Society for
Clinical Oncology meeting, held in Chicago.
Associate Professor Janette Vardy, also the only Australian to be honoured at the meeting,
was awarded the 2012 Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer, which includes a
three-year $450,000 grant to research cognitive impairment in breast cancer survivors, a field
which has attracted little funding to date.
The award has never before been granted to recipients outside the United States.
Up to 70 per cent of cancer survivors report changes to their memory and concentration during
and after chemotherapy, with many feeling that this impacts significantly on their quality of life
and ability to function.
The cause of these side effects is unknown and there is no proven treatment.
“We know that after a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment a significant number of people
notice problems with memory, concentration and multi-tasking. What we don’t know is how
best to treat it,” Dr Vardy said.
“For some the cognitive impairment is subtle. They just don’t feel as clear headed as they
once did. But for others it is significant and makes their return to work difficult.”
The study, which will also be conducted by Dr Haryana Dhillon from the University of Sydney,
will evaluate two cognitive rehabilitation programs to determine whether they can decrease
cognitive impairment in women who have undergone chemotherapy.
Dr Vardy hopes to raise about $1 million through fundraising at Concord Hospital to set up
a survivorship centre, to treat and research longer term effects of cancer and its treatment in
survivors. A survivorship research gym is already in place at the hospital.
“With the ageing population a lot more people are being diagnosed with cancer, and with
improvements in detection and treatments we have many more people surviving and living
longer,” Dr Vardy said.
“They often have lingering issues with fatigue, sleep, sexuality, body image or fears of a
recurrence of their illness and the centre can offer a holistic approach to help them cope with
life beyond acute treatment.”
She started at RPA as a student nurse in 1972,
working her way up to NUM of emergency, then
director of nursing at Balmain, general manager at
Balmain and now general manager at Canterbury.
In her spare time she dabbles in cross stitch,
knitting and opera, and has almost completed a
doctorate in business administration with a thesis
on chronic disease management.
“My life’s only just beginning,” she says. “But to
anyone wanting to take this path I’d say work hard,
enjoy yourself and put the patient first. Oh, and
always carry a spear.”
Other winners include Professor John Rasko,
head of the Department of Cell and Molecular
Therapies at RPA and the Gene and Stem Cell
Therapy Program at the Centenary Institute, who
was awarded an Order of Australia medal for
distinguished service to biomedical research in
the field of gene and cell therapy, as a clinician,
author and administrator, through executive
roles with professional organisations, and to
philanthropy.
And RPA neurologist Michael Halmaygi, who
was also given an Order of Australia medal, for
his work as a clinician and educator, and through
contributions to research into the diagnosis and
treatment of disorders of the nervous system.
Sydney Local Health District, RPA
and Lifehouse are continuing to work
together ahead of the transition of some
cancer services in 2013.
The District has established an intranet
link for staff with updated information
about the ongoing work to ensure the
smooth transition.
The intranet page can be accessed by
clicking http://intranet.sswahs.nsw.gov.
au/SLHD/LifeHouse/default.htm
Dr Janette Vardy with Erika Jungfer at Concord Hospital.
4 HealthMatters Sydney – it’s your local health district

Respect, Family, Power and
Pacific Culture
Youthblock Youth Health Service Manager Michelle Lampis with youthworker Taniela T. Afu
Keeping at-risk Pacific Islander young
people out of the juvenile justice
system by engaging them in an
exploration of their culture and identity
is the aim of a pilot counselling
program launched by Sydney Local
Health District’s Youthblock Youth
Health Service.
Youthblock Manager, Michelle Lampis, said
research indicated that the loss of culture was a
factor in the over representation of Pacific Islander
young people in the juvenile justice system.
“Young people with a healthy self-esteem and
sense of identity are more likely to make positive
choices,” Ms Lampis said.
“The Pacific Youth Identity Project will also aim to
reduce the rates of drug and alcohol misuse and
sexually transmitted infections, by encouraging
and fostering healthy behaviour and relationships
in a small group setting.
“Islander populations place a high value on the
roles of family, clan, religion, community and a
heavy emphasis on respect for elders and others,
so it is important we encourage young people to
identify with their heritage,” she said.
The program was launched during an open day
at Marrickville Youth Resource Centre with the
help of traditional foods, music and art, and the
screening of a short documentary.
The film follows several people from the Pacific
Islander community and explores their stories of
migration, culture and life in Australia.
The Respect, Family, Power and Pacific Culture
DVD will be used in small group sessions to
promote discussion about culture and heritage
and examine how they strengthen and enrich
young peoples’ lives.
Sharing a healthy diet
SLHD and the Central Sydney GP Network have
collaborated to develop an innovative pilot
program that encourages people living with
mental illness to plan, cook and share meals
together so they can enhance their confidence
and living skills.
SLHD Mental Health Promotion Officer, Brooke
Dailey, said the Community Kitchen program,
based at Croydon Cottage in the grounds of
Croydon Community Health Centre, would teach
participants how to take control of their food and
menu choices.
“We encourage people to engage together
in planning menus, making shopping lists,
budgeting, preparing food then sharing the
meal,” Ms Dailey said.
“Participants are also given dry stores packs and
recipe cards so they can do the same thing at home.
“We hope the activities will increase their
knowledge about nutrition, food hygiene, food
preparation, healthy eating and cooking – all of
which can be extremely satisfying and contribute
to greater self-esteem,” she said.
Brooke Dailey(foreground), Lisa Maude and Akosua
Amoako prepare a meal for the Community Kitchen at
Croydon Cottage.
HealthMatters
5

Kids make their mark
Madison (left), Brody and Breeinie helped to create the COPMI mural mounted at Concord Centre for Mental Health.
A colourful and permanent reminder of
the value of family has been mounted
at the Concord Centre for Mental Health
– the handiwork of a group of around
20 children whose parents live with a
mental illness.
Breeinie Barlow, 16, her sister Madison, 9, and
brother Brody, 8, helped to design and create
the ceramic mural – their mother Leanne was
diagnosed with bipolar in 2007.
“It was a really good and fun thing to do and it
is great to see it up on the wall”, Breeinie said.
Mental Health Family Team Clinical Nurse
Consultant, Sophie Norrish, said the project
aimed to give the children some positive
recognition and a sense of pride.
“The mural was also supposed to raise
awareness of the presence of children in Mental
Health services,” Ms Norrish said.
“It would also be a daily reminder for clients and
staff of the importance of family,” she said.
The COPMI (Children of Parents with a Mental
Illness) project was completed in collaboration
with artists from ‘Ceramics in Schools’. The
design incorporates elements from the local area,
including Concord Repatriation General Hospital.
Nursing a passion for high tech healing
Clinical Emergency Response System acting CNC Jamie
Mann-Farrar has been offered the Judith Meppem
Scholarship.
Highly specialised computer games
could become training aids of
the future for frontline health care
workers following research by Clinical
Emergency Response System acting
CNC Jamie Mann-Farrar.
Mr Mann-Farrer is one of two SLHD nursing staff
to be offered the Judith Meppem Scholarship,
and will use the funds to further investigate the
use of virtual reality technology to ensure all
clinical staff gain access to ongoing education.
“Using a computer tablet or smart phone means
shift workers can access training programs at
any time”, Mr Mann-Farrer said.
“The avatar software programs can be used in
much the same way as a training mannequin, but
without the need for the user to be sitting in a
training lab.”
The Judith Meppem Scholarships are awarded
annually to give NSW nurses and midwives the
chance to undertake an overseas study tour to
identify potential improvements in practice and
care delivery.
Concord Centre for Mental Health Clinical
Nurse Consultant, Paul De Carlo, will also travel
overseas to review progress in the reduction of
seclusion and restraint in Mental Health Units.
“There is already work underway to eliminate
where possible the use of seclusion and restraint
and this study tour would help facilitate the
application of best practice methods across
Sydney Local Health District,” Mr De Carlo said.
6 HealthMatters Sydney – it’s your local health district
RPA midwives celebrate during May

Sydney – supporting job access for all
JobSupport trainee and now Administration Officer in RPA Medical Records, Yuan Luo, on the job.
Yuan Luo, 19, has worked as an
Administration Officer in the Medical
Records Department of Royal Prince
Alfred Hospital since March, 2011.
She has the important task of placing
the reams of paperwork of discharged
patients into their proper order within
their files and filing those correctly.
It is her first job and she enjoys it immensely. Ms
Luo’s work is appreciated by her colleagues and
she plans to stay for a long time.
Ms Yuan’s employment success and newfound
independence is the result of a unique
partnership between RPA and Jobsupport, a
program that aims to place, train and maintain
people with a significant intellectual disability
into quality jobs within the regular workforce.
In 2008, RPA became the first hospital in NSW
to establish a partnership with Jobsupport, and
together they developed a hospital-based work
experience program for young school leavers
with intellectual disabilities.
The program sees potential trainees assessed
and given a half day work trial in a department
to assess their suitability. If successful, they
commence a work experience in the role that can
last up to two years.
Jobsupport Operations/Training Manager, Carol
Bertie, said there were currently seven trainees
in work experience at RPA and three at Concord
Repatriation General Hospital.
“The confidence and skills these young people
have gained at the hospitals has really changed
“The confidence and
skills these young
people have gained at
the hospitals has really
changed their lives.”
Carol Bertie
their lives,” Ms Bertie said. “It has opened up far
more opportunities for them than they and their
families ever dreamed possible.”
Sydney Local Health District Director Human
Resources, Jackie Mills, said the program was
based on the belief that people with a disability
should have the same or similar employment
opportunities as the general population.
“Research shows that people with intellectual
disabilities don’t learn in the class very well –
they learn far better on the job. That’s where
you can identify any problems they may have
in fulfilling the role and figure out how you can
overcome these,” Ms Mills said.
“It may take them longer to learn the required
skills yet by giving them the chance to learn in the
workplace, they can then compete on merit for a
job within the hospital along with everyone else.”
The SLHD Disability and Carers Committee
has recently been established to oversee the
implementation of the District’s Disability
Action Plan.
HealthMatters
7

Former RPA cancer patient’s
generous donation
Remember
cough etiquette
this winter
Former Sydney Cancer Centre patient Michael Reidy reclines on the state-of-the art electronic operating table he
donated, surrounded by staff.
Patients undergoing prostate or
gynaecological cancer treatments at
Sydney Cancer Centre (RPA) now
have a new, state-of-the-art, purposedesigned
electronic operating table
following a generous donation by a
former patient.
Senior Radiation Oncologist, Associate Professor
George Hruby, said the Centre was extremely
grateful to former patient Michael Reidy for
Valerie Browning, the
inspiration behind the
charity supported by
the District’s Workplace
Giving Program (WPG)
has been awarded a
prestigious international
Rotary Award.
Ms Browning has
won ‘The One’, the
first international
Valerie Browning
humanitarian award
launched by Rotary
International District 3450. Rotary International
searches the world for a person who “gives up
their life to help those in need to alleviate pain,
suffering, poverty and hunger”.
Ms Browning, a former Australian midwife, has
been living and working in the horn of Africa
since 1974. She, along with her brother, Dr
David Browning, a former staff gynaecologist of
donating the new piece of equipment to the
Department of Radiation Oncology.
“Mr Reidy was a patient of the Sydney Cancer
Centre’s prostate brachytherapy program,
which has treated almost 200 men with locally
advanced prostate cancer since 2003,” A/Prof
George Hruby said.
“This piece of world-class equipment will offer
patients increased comfort and safety, while
being far more convenient for our staff.”
‘Desert Angel’ wins top humanitarian award
Bowral Hospital, and his son, gynaecologist and
obstetrician Dr Andrew Browning, established
the Barbara May Foundation.
Staff have already donated more than $300,000
to the Foundation through the WPG, which has
helped it build a fully equipped 20-bed maternity
hospital in Afar, Ethiopia.
In Afar, an estimated one in 12 women will
die during their lifetimes from childbirth.
The Foundation also trains and equips birth
attendants in villages to manage women in their
pregnancies and delivery low risk cases.
‘The One’ award comes with US$100,000 to
further the work of the Foundation.
WGP invites staff to donate $1 a week to
support various charitable health projects
in Australia and overseas.
It takes less than a minute to join onlineat
http://intranet.sswahs.nsw.gov.au/
SSWAHS/WGP
If you catch a cold or flu this
winter, avoid spreading the
potentially debilitating symptoms
to colleagues, friends and family
by practising simple cough
etiquette, SLHD Director of Public
Health, Dr Stephen Conaty, has
warned.
Dr Conaty said cold and flu germs could
spread from person to person by coughing
or simply talking yet a few simple
measures could be taken to prevent spread
of infection.
”Cough etiquette involves simple actions,
like covering your mouth and nose when
you cough or sneeze and cleaning your
hands often. Simple cough etiquette can
save a lot of people a lot of unnecessary
discomfort this winter,” Dr Conaty said.
Cover your cough
• Cover your mouth and nose with a
tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Put your used tissues in a wastebasket
• Wash your hands with soap and water
or alcohol-based hand rub (also called
a hand sanitizer)
• Stay at home while ill
• If you go to see your doctor, ask the
receptionist for a surgical mask to wear
while you are in waiting room
Dr Conaty also encouraged people to
obtain a flu vaccine from their GP if they
hadn’t already protected themselves.
Produced by: Sydney Local Health District
Design & Print by: Horizon Media
Printed on Precision Offset PEFC Certified
ISO 14001 Environmental Accreditation
HealthMatters is all about you. We would love to hear your
stories. Simply email sydneymedia@sswahs.nsw.gov.au