North Yarra Community Health

IntroductionAbout this reportWelcome to the 2010-2011 report to our community,which includes our clients, the many community groups wework with, partner agencies, and the range of GovernmentDepartments and organisations that provide funding for theprograms we deliver. We hope you enjoy reading about someof the work we have undertaken during the year and some ofthe challenges we face.We received many positive comments about last years’report and have decided to use a similar structure andformat. You told us that you appreciated the “pull-out”calendar, and we have kept this feature, and you also likedthe greater use of photos in the report.In memory of lost friendsSiauw Fon Thong, better known to most of our staff and community members asBudiman Setydharma (or Bud for short) was a long time client of North Yarra CommunityHealth. Budiman passed away on 9th June 2011, a few days before his 90th birthday.Despite living through many hard times and war, Budiman was a gentle and compassionateman who always had a smile on his face. Previous members of the Collingwood walkinggroup will remember his impromptu tai chi classes down by Dights Falls. His great love forhis wife Yulia Hanapi was obvious to all, as was his passion for food and particularly yumcha! Budiman shared his life story in NYCH’s publication When fish had feathers - portraitsof Collingwood’s older men. Our thoughts go out to his family and especially to Yulia.We welcome your feedback and invite you to comment onthis report either by sending a letter to us, completing aFeedback Form available at any of our centres, e-mailing usat info@nych.org.au or speaking directly to any of our staff.Happy reading!Cover photographs by Guler Altunbas and Melinie RidgeNORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORT2ContentsIntroduction 02About this report 02In memory of lost friends 02A year in review 03Better health for our community 06NYCH services for better health 06Spotlight on Services 07Health Promotion 08Quality and safety 10Accreditation 10CQI at work 10Training and professional development 12Clinical Incidents 12Infection control and cleaning 13Responding to diversity 14Our clients 14Helping you access our services 15Waiting times for services 15Partnerships 16Refugee Support Worker & the YarraSettlement Forum 16Active Service Model 16HARP Alert 17Community Participation 18Community Participation at NYCH 18How we meet the participation standards 18Participation in action 19BudDorothea (Dot) Fraser, a long time resident of Clifton Hill passed away recently at the ageof 88. She had been visiting the health centre since 1978 and was a regular patient of ourGP and Nursing services. All of us who knew her will miss her friendship and her humourand we extend our sincere sympathy to her family.Shirley Aldridge died in March 2011. Her involvement as a client and supporter of thecommunity health centre stretches back as far as the 1970s. Shirley was one of the originalmembers of our Over 60s Women’s Group and a very regular attendee for over 25 years.Shirley also features in our oral history Dancing In The Kitchen – portraits of Collingwood’solder women. She will be greatly missed by her Over 60s friends and many of the staff whohave known her.Shirley Aldridge (far left) with the Over 60s Womens Group

Collingwood Living in Harmony Project: Initial planninghas commenced for this project to focus on decreasingthe incidence of family violence. Some funding has alreadybeen secured and the project will start soon.A year in reviewA photograph from the Mind Pix projectThe last twelve months have been busy and largely successful. Health has been on thenational political agenda and new organisations called ‘Medicare Locals’ will soon beestablished. We will be part of the Inner North West Medicare Local and will continue towork hard to ensure that the proposed changes deliver real benefits to our communities.It’s disappointing to report that there has been no progress on the relocation of ourCarlton Site, and over the next year the Board will be considering what steps needto be taken to ensure that the services we provide in Carlton are safe for both staffand clients.Some specific highlights include:Launch of the Yarra Bike Fleet: Funded by Sustainability Victoria this projectgives residents of public housing in Yarra access to bikes, which provide low cost,environmentally friendly and healthy transport.Chronic Disease Management project: With a very small amount of funding weemployed a project worker to help improve our systems and processes so that we canprovide better services to clients with long term health conditions.Speech Pathology project: Long waiting lists for Speech Pathology services for childrenunder six inspired Community Health Centres in Yarra, Moreland, Melbourne and MooneeValley to team up and trial a service which included group assessments and initial therapy.Men’s Sheds: Both the Yarra Men’s Shed and the CarltonMen’s Shed had some significant successes during theyear. The newly constructed Yarra Shed was formallylaunched on June 29th while the Carlton Men’s Shed wassuccessful in achieving some funding for refurbishments.Learning Space: The very successful ‘Learning Space’project links high school students at the Collingwood YouthSpace with one-on-one volunteer tutors. Many thanks tothe Lions Club of Melbourne and the Melbourne YoungLions.Mind Pix: This inspiring project was made possible withfunding from the City of Yarra and saw clients of our YCSprogram (Psychiatric Disability Rehabilitation & Support)work with staff to develop their photography and digitalstory telling skills.InnerSpace Art Exhibition: The Collingwood Rotary Clubprovided funding for an art project by clients of InnerSpace(our service which focuses on the health and social needsof people who inject illicit drugs).The Crunch: During the year we worked closely withSocial Traders and our mentors from Westpac to developa business plan for a social enterprise, which will seeus establishing a business that will generate profits tosupport the core work of NYCH.The achievements of this year have positioned us well tomeet the challenges to come next year and beyond so thatwe can continue to provide high quality services to ourcommunity.Brydie QuinnChair of the Board of DirectorsVera BostonChief Executive OfficerNORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORTSheena Hallen and Jo Southwell at the opening of the InnerSpace art exhibition3

Introduction年 度 回 顾过 去 12 个 月 即 繁 忙 而 又 富 有 成 效 , 其 中 的 一 些 重 要 内 容 包 括 :• 成 立 雅 拉 自 行 车 队 (Launch of the Yarra Bike Fleet): 由 维 多 利 亚 州 可 持 续 发 展 委 员 会 资 助 , 本 项 目 为 雅 拉 市 的 公 房 房 客 们 提供 了 使 用 自 行 车 的 便 利 , 自 行 车 是 成 本 低 的 、 对 环 境 有 利 的 、 健 康 的 交 通 方 式 。• 慢 性 病 管 理 项 目 (Chronic Disease Management project): 在 有 限 的 资 金 条 件 下 我 们 聘 请 了 一 位 项 目 工 作 人 员 改 善 我 们 的 运作 机 制 , 以 便 我 们 为 慢 性 病 患 者 提 供 更 好 的 服 务 。• 语 言 矫 正 项 目 (Speech Pathology project): 为 6 岁 以 下 儿 童 提 供 的 语 言 矫 正 服 务 的 排 队 名 单 很 长 , 为 此 雅 拉 市 、 莫 兰 德 市(Moreland)、 墨 尔 本 市 和 姆 尼 谷 市 (Moonee Valley) 的 社 区 健 康 中 心 联 合 试 行 一 项 服 务 , 其 中 包 括 集 体 评 估 。• 柯 林 伍 德 的 和 谐 生 活 项 目 (Collingwood Living in Harmony Project): 已 经 开 始 本 项 目 的 初 步 规 划 , 重 点 针 对 家 庭 暴 力 方 面 的问 题 ; 已 经 争 取 到 一 些 资 金 , 项 目 将 很 快 启 动 。• 男 人 们 的 小 屋 (Men’s Sheds): 新 建 的 雅 拉 市 小 屋 于 6 月 29 日 正 式 开 放 ; 卡 尔 滕 (Carlton) 男 人 们 的 小 屋 已 经 筹 措 到 一 些资 金 准 备 进 行 装 修 。• 学 习 空 间 (Learning Space): 学 习 空 间 项 目 非 常 成 功 , 柯 林 伍 德 青 年 空 间 的 高 中 生 可 以 通 过 此 项 目 找 到 一 对 一 的 义 务 辅 导 员 ,在 此 感 谢 墨 尔 本 莱 昂 斯 俱 乐 部 (Lions Club of Melbourne) 和 墨 尔 本 青 年 莱 昂 斯 俱 乐 部 (Melbourne Young Lions)。• 心 境 项 目 (Mind Pix): 雅 拉 市 政 厅 的 资 助 使 得 该 项 目 如 愿 以 偿 , 我 们 YCS 项 目 ( 精 神 残 疾 康 复 和 支 援 ) 的 顾 客 得 以 在 工 作人 员 的 协 助 下 开 发 他 们 的 摄 影 和 数 字 讲 解 技 巧 。• 内 部 空 间 艺 术 展 (Inner Space Art Exhibition): 柯 林 伍 德 罗 特 瑞 俱 乐 部 (Collingwood Rotary Club) 为 内 部 空 间 ( 我 们 针 对 注射 毒 品 的 人 的 健 康 和 社 会 需 要 提 供 的 服 务 ) 的 顾 客 实 施 的 艺 术 项 目 提 供 了 资 金 。• 社 会 企 业 竞 赛 (Social Enterprise Competition): 在 过 去 一 年 里 我 们 与 社 会 商 家 、 西 联 银 行 (Westpac) 的 导 师 们 一 起 制 定 一项 社 会 企 业 的 商 业 计 划 。 我 们 正 在 筹 备 建 立 一 家 企 业 , 为 支 持 北 雅 拉 社 区 健 康 中 心 (NYCH) 的 核 心 工 作 创 造 利 润 。基 于 本 年 度 取 得 的 成 绩 , 我 们 已 经 准 备 好 迎 接 下 一 年 度 以 及 今 后 的 挑 战 , 以 便 我 们 能 继 续 为 我 们 社 区 提 供 高 品 质 的 服 务 。Brydie Quinn董 事 会 主 席Vera Boston首 席 执 行 官Αναθεώρηση του ΈτουςΟι τελευταίοι δώδεκα μήνες ήταν πολυάσχολοι και κυρίως επιτυχείς. Μερικά συγκεκριμένα κύρια σημεία συμπεριλαμβάνουν:NORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORT• Έναρξη του Στόλου Ποδηλάτων του Yarra: Χρηματοδοτημένο από την Sustainability Vicrtoria αυτό το έργο δίνει στουςκατοίκους της δημόσιας στέγασης του Yarra πρόσβαση σε ποδήλατα, που είναι χαμηλού κόστους, φιλικά προς τοπεριβάλλον και υγιεινή συγκοινωνία.• Έργο Διαχείρισης Χρόνιας Ασθένειας: Με μικρό ποσό χρηματοδότησης προσλάβαμε υπάλληλο του έργου για ναβοηθήσει στη βελτίωση των συστημάτων μας για να μπορούμε να διαθέτουμε καλύτερες υπηρεσίες στους πελάτες μεχρόνιες παθήσεις.• Έργο Παθολογίας Λόγου: Οι μακροσκελείς κατάλογοι αναμονής για υπηρεσίες Παθολογίας Λόγου για παιδιά κάτωτων έξι ετών οδήγησε τα Κοινοτικά Κέντρα Υγείας του Yarra, του Moreland, της Μελβούρνης και του Moonee Valley νασυνεργαστούν και να δοκιμάσουν μια υπηρεσία που συμπεριλαμβάνει ομαδικές αξιολογήσεις.• Έργο Διαβίωσης με Αρμονία του Collingwood: Έχει αρχίσει ο αρχικός σχεδιασμός γι αυτό το έργο για να εστιάσει στοθέμα της οικογενειακής βίας. Κάποια χρηματοδότηση έχει ήδη εξασφαλιστεί και το έργο θα αρχίσει σύντομα.• Η Παράγκα των Ανδρών: Η νεόδμητη Παράγκα του Yarra ξεκίνησε στις 29 Ιουνίου, ενώ η Παράγκα Ανδρών του Carltonέχει λάβει κάποια χρηματοδότηση για ανακαινίσεις.• Χώρος Εκμάθησης: Το πολύ πετυχημένο έργο ‘Χώρος Εκμάθησης’ συνδέει τους μαθητές του γυμνασίου στο ΧώροΝέων του Collingwood με έναν προς έναν εθελοντές φροντιστές. Πολλά ευχαριστώ στο Lions Club της Μελβούρνης καιτα Young Lions της Μελβούρνης.• Νοητικές Εικόνες (Mind Pix): Αυτό έργο έμπνευσης έγινε δυνατόν με τη χρηματοδότηση από τον Δήμο του Yarra καιείδε πελάτες του Προγράμματος YCS (Αποκατάσταση & Στήριξη Ψυχιατρικής Αναπηρίας) να εργάζονται με τοπροσωπικό για να αναπτύξουν τις δεξιότητές τους στην φωτογραφική και ψηφιακή αφήγηση.• Έκθεση Τέχνης Εσωτερικού Χώρου(Inner Space): Το Rotary Club του Collingwood διέθεσε χρηματοδότηση για έργοτέχνης πελατών του Εσωτερικού Χώρου (Inner Space) (η υπηρεσία μας εστιάζεται στην υγεία και στις κοινωνικέςανάγκες των ατόμων που κάνουν ένεση παράνομων ναρκωτικών• Διαγωνισμός Κοινωνικής Επιχειρηματικότητας: Kατά τη διάρκεια του χρόνου συνεργαστήκαμε στενά με ΚοινωνικούςΕμπόρους (Social Traders) και τους μέντορές μας από την Westpac για να αναπτύξουμε επιχειρηματικό σχέδιο γιακοινωνική επιχείρηση. Εργαζόμαστε για την ίδρυση επιχείρησης που θα παράγει κέρδη για να στηρίξει την κύριαεργασία του NYCH.Οι επιτυχίες αυτού του χρόνου μας δίνουν καλή θέση για να αντιμετωπίσουμε τις προκλήσεις που θα έλθουν στον επόμενοχρόνο και μετά για να μπορούμε να συνεχίσουμε να παρέχουμε υπηρεσίες υψηλής ποιότητας στην κοινότητά μας.Brydie QuinnΠρόεδρος του Συμβουλίου των ΔιευθυντώνVera BostonΓενική Διευθύντρια4

Spotlight on ServicesSpeech PathologySpeech pathology services for 0 – 6 year olds are in high demand at NYCH. In 2010,NYCH and three other community health services received funding to work together todevelop a group approach to the assessment and treatment of 2 – 3 year olds. The fourcommunity health services refined the model over the year and the speech pathologistscontinue to work together to share skills, resources and learn from the experiences ofoffering the group approach in different environments.The Bumblebees group is run by two speech pathologists with parents and childrentogether. It uses play to assess the speech development and needs of the children andallows time to give parents tips to use at home. This model of care allowed NYCH tosignificantly reduce the waiting list for assessment and allows early referral to otherservices when appropriate. The four community health services have just received morefunding to continue to develop this approach.Services for peoplewho are homelessPeople who are homeless tend to have poorer healththan other members of the community and they havea harder time accessing the services they need toimprove their health. NYCH has an Access Team, whichis committed to improving access to services for peoplewho are homeless so that they can have better health.The Access Team offers many services within NYCH butalso provides services outside of our centres including:physiotherapy sessions at MAYSAR and CommonGround,Podiatry sessions at Innerspace and visits to roominghouses, parks and other settings upon request.The team also tries to look for other ways to improve thehealth of people who are homeless:Our homeless footwear program has helped manyclients improve their foot problems by providing shoesthat help with healing.Our Community Gym Memberships has given over160 clients access to the City of Yarra gyms to helpget people fitterOur café meals program has provided more than8000 meals to more than 90 peopleDietitian Katrina Doljanin with staff from the Gardenview Cafe, long time partners in the Cafe Meals ProgramCommunity Gym MembershipThe Community Gym Membership program is a partnership with the City of Yarra that allowsNYCH to purchase off-peak Yarra Leisure Centre memberships and use them to provide freeaccess to the Leisure Centres by a number of our clients with a Health Care Card.This program makes it easier for Yarra residents on a low income to self manage their physicaland mental health conditions. In 2010-11 there were approximately 4000 visits by about 160people to the Yarra Leisure centres through a NYCH Community Gym Membership. Through thisprogram people with back pain are able to strengthen their backs, people who are overweightcan manage or reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, older people can manage their arthritis,and people with mental health conditions can benefit from physical activity, which can be soimportant in reducing the effects of depression and anxiety. The program also encourages abroad cross section of the community to exercise and socialise together.A similar partnership with the YMCA has enabled many residents of the Carlton Housing Estateto attend the Carlton Baths.We have had outings to the cinema, comedy festivaland other locationsWe offer weekly golf outings to Aboriginal clients, inpartnership with VAHS and HomeGroundMany people think of homelessness asnot having a roof over your head, butNYCH recognises that being homelesscan also mean having a tenancy that isnot secure, being in housing that doesnot meet minimum requirements andhaving to move from one accommodationsetting to another. People who arehomeless might be sleeping on thestreet, in cars or other improviseddwellings, be in transitional houses,crisis accommodation or in refuges,couch surfing or moving from onefriend’s place to another or staying in arooming house, boarding house or hotel.NORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORT7

Better Health for our CommunityHealth PromotionMental Health and Social ConnectednessThe Mental Health & Social Connectedness working group aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of socially disadvantaged and culturally diverse communitiesin the City of Yarra and Carlton. The group includes six staff members and four community members who together work on projects that address the underlying socialand economic determinants of health. This year the group decided to concentrate on the areas of social connectedness and the primary prevention of family violence.The following projects form part of the Action Plan of theworking group:Interfaith Project: Enable the sharing of faith and increased knowledgeand awareness of different faiths between disadvantaged communitiesHealth and Wellbeing Catering: Train ten African women on the Carltonhousing estate to undertake small catering business over six months tobe able to generate some income for themselves and their families, withthe overall vision of developing a food catering business in Carlton (andthe surrounding suburbs) that caters particularly to low income earnersYoung women leadership: Bring young African women from differentbackgrounds, cultures and religions together to create a support networkthat will enable them to socialise, share ideas and experiences, fulfiltheir potential and assume leadership roles in their communities. Theyoung women can also be a valuable bridge between service providersand their community, enabling timely and appropriate service provisionfor themselves and their familiesHarmony Day: Bring residents in Carlton together with local networkagencies to plan, implement, and evaluate the annual Harmony DayeventNORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORTMens Health 4 Family Harmony: Address men’s expressedneed for greater awareness of family harmony/violence and socialconnectedness, engage men living in Carlton in social activities, informthem on the issues of physical and mental health and wellbeing, andincrease community safetyLiving in Harmony project: Planning a place-based primary preventionproject against family violence, to be implemented in 2011-2012The group uses a multi strategy approach to projects and embeds astrong community engagement approach in all of its work. The outcomesof the projects so far include increased friendships, social connections,and networks, increased knowledge and skills in a range of areas and,increased self confidence and self esteem.8Catering group members team up to provide food for the Harmony Day celebrations

EnvironmentalSustainabilitySpring basketFood SecurityThe food security working group looks at the availability, access and use of food inthe local area. One of our main area of interest has been fruit and vegetables and inparticular, promoting the consumption of fruit and vegetables in season. This year wesupported Cultivating Communities with their ‘Edible Estates’ fruit and vegetable boxeswhich were available on the Fitzroy and Collingwood housing estates on Mondays.Once a month we provided a cooking demonstration using the seasonal ingredients inthe boxes and produced step by step photographic recipe leaflets for inclusion in theboxes for that month. Unfortunately, the boxes were not well enough supported for thisprogram to continue.In October 2010, we held the Fresh and Affordable Food Forum at the Fitzroy ReadingRoom. This was well attended by residents and local services. Presentations by a rangeof local organisations undertaking local projects focussed on growing food, rescuingfood and accessing and distributing food. The forum demonstrated that there is a lotof local interest in improving access to healthy food for local residents and provided anopportunity to share information and identify new strategies.Climate change has been called ‘the biggest global healththreat of the 21st century’ in a prominent report by theLancet medical journal and the University College London.In Australia we are not immune. We also know that what isgood for the environment is good for our health. For example,if people in Australia were to walk, take public transport andbike ride more and use cars less, and were to eat a lowcarbon diet (which is low in red meat, and processed foodsand high in vegetable matter), it is likely that we would seesignificantly less obesity, diabetes, cancers, heart disease,and other chronic conditions.NYCH takes this issue very seriously, and we have beenworking to both decrease our environmental impact as anorganisation, and to develop other responses to assist ourcommunity to respond to this important health issue. Anexample of the successes of our internal work this year hasbeen the 22% reduction in paper use in the organisation. Aswell as the potential impact on forests and animal habitats,and the carbon produced through the manufacturing ofpaper, our staff were shocked to learn that 10 litres of wateris used to make a single A4 piece of paper! NYCH also sentthree of its staff to do ‘ResourceSmart’ training, in order tocontinue strengthening our work in this area.This year we also launched the Yarra Bike Fleet. This popularprogram provides access to a fleet of bikes for all publichousing residents of Yarra. It allows low income people anopportunity to do their bit for the environment while gettingfit and having fun. In just six months the roughly forty strongmembership has spent hundreds of hours riding in the localarea.NYCH also continues to work with the City of Yarra toconvene the Yarra Environmental Sustainability Networkwhich supports other community organisations that alsorecognise the importance of the environment to our healthand wellbeing. We have also joined the Climate and HealthAlliance, a coalition of organisations and individuals acrossAustralia, which aims to contribute to evidence based publicpolicy to protect the community from the negative impactsof climate change, and to promote sustainable practices inhealth care.NORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORTMayor Alison Clarke launches the Yarra Bike Fleet for residents of public housing in the City of Yarra9

Research into Medicine UseThe NYCH Pharmacy (located at the Collingwood Centre) is the only Pharmacy within aCommunity Health Centre in Victoria, and it provides many direct benefits to our clients. It alsoenables us to examine and compare our prescribing of medicines with the rest of Australia,and during the year we asked Associate Professor Libby Roughead, Director of the QualityUse of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre at the University of South Australia to dojust that. This study found that not only was our service significantly more cost effective perprescription dispensed, but importantly that we were providing a service more in keeping withbest practice guidelines.NYCH CQI Co-ordinators Georgina Latimer and Libby WalkerChronic DiseaseManagementOne example is in our prescribing of antibiotics, which is at a much lower level than thenational average. The study concludes that, “Antibiotics are recognised as being overprescribednationally, with wide-spread use for viral infections, where antibiotics are notindicated. Antibiotic use at the North Yarra facility is much lower than the national estimates.”Our Doctors and Pharmacists are justifiably proud of the results of this study!With funding from the North East Metropolitan PrimaryCare Partnership, NYCH was able to employ NaomiKubina one day per week for a year to work with usto improve our service response to long-term illness.Whilst Naomi had many discussions with staff acrossthe organisation and ran some terrific professionaldevelopment sessions for staff, most of her workfocussed on two projects with the Chronic ConditionsTeam and the Aged and Disability Team.The focus of both projects is to work with our clients toassist them to manage their health as well as possibleand set personal goals to improve their health. The roleof the NYCH staff members then becomes supportingclients to achieve these goals through a range ofachievable strategies with well coordinated services.The pilot projects are yet to be completed as theyinvolve some long term reflection on the impact of thechanged approach.Coordinated services require good communicationbetween the doctors (at NYCH and elsewhere) and theother health professionals at NYCH. We have beenworking on a project supported by the Department ofHealth to introduce a communication system betweenthe health professionals and doctors which will makesure that each of the workers seeing an individual clientat NYCH has all the information about your goals andtreatment in a simple document.Antibiotic utilisationPrescriptions per 100 persons60504030201002006 2007 2008 2009Collingwood siteNationalNORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORTSupplies in the NYCH Pharmacy11

Quality & SafetyTraining & ProfessionalDevelopmentNYCH encourages all staff to develop their skills and knowledge so they can offer clientsthe most up to date assessment and treatment available.Training opportunities and conferences are an important way for staff to keep up to datewith skills, ideas, ways to improve their practice, and to strengthen the knowledge heldwithin our organisation. Providing training opportunities is essential to improving servicesand introducing new initiatives. Whilst the vast majority of the training undertaken bystaff relates directly to their profession (e.g. finance officer, podiatrist) training was alsotargeted toward increasing cultural awareness, and improving health promotion activities.NYCH staff members also contribute to the professional development of others byregularly presenting at conferences. A few examples from the past year include:Presentation on podiatry at a paediatric seminarPresentation on mental health and obesity at the Dietitians Association of AustraliaObesity RoadshowPoster presentation at the 2010 Diversity in Health Conference titled Strength ofSharing – how to get the most out of your local settlement network.Clinical IncidentsChris Hardy with Team Leader Danny JeffcoteStaff SupervisionSupporting, supervising and mentoring staff is one of the mostimportant jobs that a Manager does, and our Managers and TeamLeaders are always looking for opportunities to improve their skillsin this important area.With this in mind Chris Hardy, Manager of Mental Health andDrug Treatment Services undertook a six day course in ClinicalSupervision offered by the Bouverie Centre over 10 weeks.“I really enjoyed the learning. It helped me tothink about supervision in a more structuredway and I’m confident that I can help my staffto think more clearly and creatively about theirwork with our clients.”As a result of Chris undertaking the course, we reviewed ourprocedures around Exit Interviews and now include an opportunityfor departing staff to reflect and comment on the quality of thesupervision they receive.NORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORT12A clinical incident is an event which could, or did, result in unintended or unnecessary harm to a person receiving care from NYCH. When a clinical incident occursor is identified, staff members record the details in an incident report, to enable management and staff to respond in an appropriate way. Information about clinicalincidents is collected and provided to the Board annually. These processes ensure that Management and the Board are aware of issues that might impact ourservices; areas where policy or procedure need to be improved; and safety and wellbeing for both staff and clients.We have found that the ability of staff to recognise when an incident has occurred, their confidence in reporting incidents, and a “no blame” culture which focuses onfinding solutions and fixing systems are the most important factors in addressing clinical incidents. In 2010/11, NYCH recorded four clinical incidents across all oursites. The details of the incidents and our responses are detailed in the table.IncidentA nurse identified that a patient had been started on aninappropriate immunisation schedule. This case identifiedproblems with co-ordination between Hospitals and GPs aboutappropriate immunisation for this person’s condition.A GP identified that one client’s results had been saved in the fileof a client who has the same name. The person who had scannedthe results did not have enough details to ensure they were savedto the correct client file.A GP discovered the pathology results of two different clients in athird client’s file. (All three clients had the same surname and firstinitial, although their first names were different.)A client was wrongly identified as another client and booked intoan appointment under the wrong name, using the wrong clientrecord. (The two clients have very similar names and addresses).A prescription was made out in the wrong name.Our Response• The client was informed• Advice was sought from the Immunisation hotline• The client’s immunisation schedule was updated• Other NYCH GPs were informed about the issue• NYCH requested training on immunisations for GPs and Nurses• Follow-up also included liaison with the Hospital to improve advisory systems to GPs inthe community• The error was immediately corrected by reception staff• The scanning policy and procedure were updated to include more detailed checks, andtraining on the changes was provided to all receptionists• The results were relocated to the correct files• All GPs were reminded to check details carefully before assigning results to client files• This was added to the checks in the annual file audit (a compliance rate of 98% wasrecorded)• Staff corrected the prescription and ensured that all notes from the appointment weretransferred to the correct file• A warning was placed on file to indicate that there is another patient with very similarname and address

Responding to DiversityOur local community is rich in social and cultural diversity and this is something that we celebrate. We also prioritise our services for those who are disadvantagedor marginalised in our community. All this diversity means that we need to make sure that we provide our service in a way that is accessible and responsive to thedifferent parts of the community. This section of our report gives some insight into who we see at NYCH and how we respond to diverse needs.NORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORT14Our ClientsCultural DiversityDuring the last year 1784 new clients used our services for the first time. Asalways, they represent a wide cross section of the community and come fromover 80 separate countries. People born in Europe are a declining percentageof our clients, but interestingly, the category of “other” which includes theAmericas, New Zealand, the Middle East, Pacific Islands and Oceania (as wellas those who did not answer this question) increased significantly.Africa 9%Other 24%Asia 6%Europe 7%Top 10 countries of birth(non English Speaking)Australia 54%Clients born in 10 counties make up 64% of our non English speaking clientele,with those born in Greece still the largest cohort of all non English speakers.Sudan, Italy and Vietnam born clients each represent 8% of non Englishspeakers.All OthersEgyptEritreaTurkeyEthiopiaGreeceChinaSomaliaSudanItalyVietnamATSIOur services continue to be well utilised by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander(ATSI) Clients, with over 670 contacts during the year. Over 130 individualswho identified as ATSI used our services during the year and we registered anadditional 49 ATSI clients.80070060050040030020010002007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11ContactsGenderWhile women have traditionally been much more likely than men to utilisehealth services, the differential at NYCH has never been great. Women make up53% of our registered clients, but interestingly in the past 12 months more menthan women have registered as new clients. Maybe all our messages about theimportance of men also looking after their health are finally being heard!54%53%52%51%50%49%48%47%46%45%44%FemaleChildrenNewMaleOur focus on Families and Children, including initiatives such as our popularMini Mondays, is being reflected in the number of new registrations. In this yearchildren under 5 accounted for 22% of the total new registrations, and over50% of all our new clients were under 30 years of age.25.020.015.010.05.00.00 to56 to12New Clients13 to1920 to2930 to39All Clients40 to4950 to64All65 to7980 andOver

“The intake workers are very knowledgeableand explain things clearly.”Mini Mondays provides a friendly clinic space for babies and young childrenThe NYCH Food Security Team at the 2010 Harvest Festival in CollingwoodHelping you accessour servicesThere can be many barriers to people using healthservice. Maybe they have had negative experiencesin the past, or have a lot of issues going on in theirlives so their health takes less of a priority. Or maybethey are worried that they might face discriminationbecause of who they are or how they live. Or maybethey just can’t afford the fees.Diabetes educationSpeech Pathology (paediatric)Psychiatric Disability SupportWe also provide a range of ways that people can seeour workers. These include:PhysiotherapyDrop in Clinic for homeless people at our Fitzroy centreDrop in Clinic at 530 Lygon Street for Carlton’s public housing residentsMini Mondays clinic at our Collingwood centre for children under sixOutreach clinical services eg Physiotherapy at Elizabeth St CommonGroundPrescription session for those requiring a short doctor’s appointment for arepeat standard prescriptionIndividual home visiting for those who are unable to access the centresYouth space on the Collingwood public housing estateNYCH is committed to providing interpreters for all who need them and toproviding services at little or no cost for those who cannot afford to pay any fees.Waiting Times for servicesPodiatryOccupational TherapyWorking in a diverse community with a variety ofhealth and access needs means we really have to beaware of the issues our clients face, and make surewe respond in a way that makes it easy for them touse our services. Over the last year we have begunsome work to improve access for people from sexuallydiverse backgrounds (ie gay, lesbian, bisexual) anddiffering gender identities (eg transgender, intersex).We have also begun work on the planning for arefugee health clinic as we are aware that we seemany refugees but would like to better co-ordinate theway we provide these services.Like most community health services, we havelimited funds to provide services. We prioritise ourappointments for people with significant socialdisadvantages and high clinical need. Social groupsthat receive priority access include refugee andasylum seekers, homeless people, Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islanders and clients of Project Respect (alocal agency that works to support women in the sexindustry including trafficked women).If you need a priority appointment because of a clinicalneed, you may be asked to see our Intake workerwho will make sure you get an urgent appointment ifneeded.MedicalDieteticsCounselling - Longer TermCounselling - Single SessionHealth Coaching0 5 10 15 20 25 30 3530/06/10 30/06/11Waiting time for services (weeks)The graph gives you an idea of the average time you will wait to see our clinicalstaff however these can vary for a range of reasons.Staff are very conscious of the difficulties that long wait times can create, andregularly consider what changes can be made to keep wait times to a minimum.These might include changes to how the wait list is managed, or the type andduration of appointments offered. However, at times the factors affecting wait timesare beyond our control, such as staff shortages, a shortage of similar servicesin the local area, or cases where demand for a particular service outweighs theavailable funding. Some reasons for changes in wait times from June 2010 to June2011 include:We are no longer able to provide a diabetes education service due to lack offundingPodiatry have developed a new system of managing their wait lists.Longer waits for occupational therapy are due to staffing vacancies in otherservices in the area, thereby increasing demand on our servicesFull staffing in our counselling and psychiatric disability teams have helped us toreduce wait timesNORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORT15

PartnershipsRefugee Support Worker &the Yarra Settlement ForumActive ServiceModelNORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORTThe Refugee and Asylum Seeker Project has been located within North Yarra CommunityHealth since 2001, funded through Yarra City Council grants since July 2002. A refugeesupport worker provides community development, health promotion and direct servicework, as well as co-convening the Yarra Settlement Forum (YSF) with the City of Yarra. Thisincludes leading working groups and co-leading Refugee Week activities.The Yarra Settlement Forum is a long standing and important Local SettlementPlanning Committee. It consists of key local stakeholders, including mainstream &settlement services, as well as relevant community members. There is a recognition thatorganisations are unable to work in isolation and that consultation with other organisationsis required. Members share common values and the collaboration between organisationsand support provided between individual workers within YSF is very valuable.The main event for the YSF is our Refugee Week celebration. This year’s Refugee Weekactivity was a walk through performance and experience called Refugee Realities. Yearnine and ten students within the City of Yarra were invited to attend. Refugee Realitieswas brought together through a collaboration with schools in the City of Yarra, ManyMoons, City of Yarra, Yarra Settlement Forum members, Spectrum, Amnesty International,the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Yarra Men’s Shed, and St Kilda Inclusion Projectparticipants.The event was attended by 200 school students and 25 adults. One student commentedthat “It was the best thing I have ever done at school”. The teachers believe that theirstudents developed an understanding of and empathy for the plight of refugees and weredisappointed that not all students could attend!An evening event for adults was also included to providean opportunity for members of the community to gainawareness about the refugee experience. Most thoughtthat is was a very worthwhile experience, with one attendeecommenting that, “I think every Australian would benefitfrom the experience of Refugee Realities. The event providedan opportunity to be ‘more appreciative of my rathercomfortable, secure existence.” Three cross cultural traineeswere also employed at the event, and all who participatedthought the training and event were useful and enjoyable.At NYCH we believe that assisting clients to return to theactivities they enjoy is the most important role of healthcare. The Active Service Model approach is being adoptedacross Victoria to assist older people and people withdisabilities to reach their goals and maintain their healthand independence. The active service model approachfits very well with the work that we have been doing onHealth Coaching and self management models for chronicillnesses.NYCH has been working in partnership with the Cities ofMelbourne and Yarra (and other services in these areas).In the City of Melbourne, this has included working closelywith staff to prepare policies and procedures and provideprofessional development for their staff and contractors.This work is continuing. In the City of Yarra, a series offive forums was held for City of Yarra staff and staff atcommunity health and other local services to discuss waysof working to implement the active service model approachin Yarra. Work will continue on assessment process andcommunication systems.16Local school students make their way through the Refugee Realities experience

Ivy at Harmony DayParticipation in actionSome examples of the way in which we have implemented the CommunityParticipation Policy during the year include:Regular and ongoing communication with the community through ourCommunity Liaison and Participation (CLAP) Committee which meetsquarterly and is attended by around 100 community members, three NYCHDirectors, the CEO and Manager of Health Promotion and CommunityBuilding, and other NYCH staff as relevant. Proceedings are translatedinto eight community languages (Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic,Italian, Dari, Yugoslav Languages and Oromo) to enable participationby community members whose first language is not English. We werepleased to host visits by representatives of the Community Participationgroups of both the Inner South Community Health Service and theWhitehorse Community Health Centre. These visits were an initiative of theCLAP committee during the previous year and our community memberstell us that they have appreciated the opportunity to hear first hand fromother Health Services.Another important role of the CLAP Committee is to enable representativesfrom different communities to share experiences with one another. This waswell summarised by Ivy from the Young Chinese Mothers’ Groups when shesaid at our June meeting,“Truth is, most of the time I only mix with Chinese, but thisway I get to meet people from so many different groups.There are not many other places we can talk. We can talk,we can say what we feel, and feel confident!”We have strengthened the participation of consumers on our HealthPromotion Working Groups and on the sub committees which flowfrom, the working groups. For example, members of the community arerepresented on the Mental Health and Social Connectedness workinggroup, but they also play an important role in organising Harmony Day, oneof the major events which the Working Group promotes.We ensure that all new pamphlets and promotional material that weproduce are checked to comply with best practice by using the guide forWell Written Resources. During the year 15 of the 16 new pamphlets thatwe produced went through this checking process.We continue to support consumers, carers and community members toincrease their skills and knowledge by providing and facilitating attendanceat relevant training. During the year we assisted community members toattend training on topics such as grant writing, food handling, managingconflict, leadership and undertaking evaluations.Case Study inParticipationThe Collingwood Living in Harmony projectis an example of community membersworking with agencies to plan and developa project which will address issues relatedto family violence on the CollingwoodHousing Estate. Residents of the Estate siton the steering committee, contribute thedevelopment of funding applications andwill be involved throughout the delivery ofthe project. This process will enhance theskills of the community members, but moreimportantly it will ensure that the projectdelivers outcomes which are ‘owned’ by thecommunity.NORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORTAnthony and Frank entertain the crowds at the Harvest Festival19

ovide high quality and responsive disempowerment.and services to all members of ourcommunity. We respect people’s choices and supportthem to make informed decisions toork with people prevent to overcome illness and promote their health andtheir experiences of well-being.vantage, discrimination andEMENTdisempowerment. We encourage active participation in ourservices and in the life of our community.ty ect Health people’s choices and supportto and make responsive informed decisions ABOUT to NYCHll members of ourCollingwood Centrelness and promote their health and365 Hoddle Stwell-being.North Yarra Community Health was Collingwood formed 3066overcome 1994, from the amalgamation of three Ph: previously (03) 9411 4333s urage of active participation in ourination and in and the life of our community.Singleton opened his Free Medical Service andnt.Dispensary in Wellington Street Collingwood. SinceNYCH CONTACT DETAILSNorthNYCH independent CONTACTYarraHealth Centres. DETAILSCommunityHowever, we have aFax: (03) 9411 4300Healthhistory that stretches back to 1869, when DrABOUT NYCHthat time we have been working with thes and supportcommunity Collingwood to bring about Centre changes that Fitzroy improve Centre theecisions to health and 365 well Hoddle being of St the community 75 Brunswick around us. Stra heir Community health and Health was formed inToday NYCH Collingwood is an independent 3066 not-for-profit Fitzroy 3065the amalgamation of three previouslyorganisation Ph: which (03) is governed 9411 4333 by its Ph: own Board (03) 9411 of 3555nt Health Centres.Directors.However, we have a Fax: (03) 9411 3500cipation t stretches in back our to 1869, when Fax: Dr (03) 9411 4300opened r community. his Free To Medical become Service a member and of NYCH, go toy in Wellington Street www.nych.org.au Collingwood. and Since download the form or speake have been working to Reception with the at any of our centres for a copy.y CH to bringCollingwoodabout changesCentrethat Fitzroy improveFitzroy Centre theCentreCarltonCarltonCentreCentrewell being 365 of Hoddle the community St 75 around 75 Brunswick us. St St 622 Lygon 622 Lygon St Stwas formed Collingwood 3066 For Fitzroy more Fitzroy 3065 information 3065 go Carlton Carlton 3054 3054CH is an independent not-for-profitf three previously Ph: www.nych.org.au(03) 9411 3555onPh: (03) 9349 7333owever,which Ph:weis (03)havegoverned 9411 4333aby its own Ph: Board (03) 9411 of 3555Ph: (03) 9349 7333Fax: (03) 9411 3500 Fax: (03) 9349 7300869, when Fax: Dr (03) 9411 4300 Fax: (03) 9411 3500 Fax: (03) 9349 7300e ical a member Service and of NYCH, go tot .org.au Collingwood. and download Since the form or speakiong withat anytheof our centres for a copy.ges that improve the Carlton Centremmunity around us.InnerSpace622 Lygon St4 Johnston Stt not-for-profitCarlton 3054Collingwood 3066Collingwood Centre365 Hoddle StFitzrCollingwood 3066 75 BPh: (03) 9411 4333 FitzrFax: (03) 9411 4300 Ph:Faxorbymoreits owninformationBoard ofgo Ph: to (03) 9349 7333For more information go towww.nych.org.auPh: (03) 9468 2800Fax: (03) 9349 7300www.nych.org.auFax: (03) 9417 1499, go tod the form or speakres for a copy.NoFitzroy Centre75 Brunswick StFitzroy 3065Ph: (03) 9411 3555Car622YaCarPh:Fax: (03) 9411 3500FaxNorthCoCarlton Centre622 Lygon St InneCarlton 3054Ph: (03) 9349 7333 CollFax: (03) 9349 7300Ph:FaxYarraHe4 JoCommuniInnerSpaceInnerSpace4 Johnston St4 Johnston StCollingwood 3066Collingwood 3066Ph: (03) 9468 2800Ph: (03) 9468 2800Fax: (03) 9417 1499Fax: (03) 9417 1499HealthFor more infowww.nycion go to.auInnerSpace4 Johnston StFor more information go toCollingwoodFor3066more information go toPh: (03) www.nych.org.au9468 2800Fax: (03) 9417 1499Fo