Annual Report 2017-18 | Monash Health

People with dementia and delirium are
more vulnerable to falls and pressure
injuries. Hospitals are unfamiliar
environments, which often disrupt usual
routines and can be disorientating.
To meet the challenge of providing
meaningful activities and engagement
for people with a cognitive impairment
in hospital, the general medical teams
developed a dementia and delirium
resource library.
A bake sale raised approximately
$1300 to support patient wellbeing
and engagement and helped to fund
‘dementia-safe’ sensory and tactile
resources such as gel mats, a ‘plumber’s
mate’ and magnetic building blocks.
Other resources include reminiscence
cards and a toss-and-talk ball activity
to build on person-centred care, which
can foster social and physical skills and
collaboration between consumers, their
family and the multidisciplinary team.
A range of ‘fidget blankets’ has also
been created; used to provide sensory
and tactile stimulation. People with
dementia and other forms of cognitive
impairment often find comfort in having
something to keep their hands busy,
especially those staying in an unfamiliar
environment like a hospital. Fidget
blankets can help people feel calm
while keeping them occupied.
Monash Health hosted first
Schwartz Round (19 Oct)
Monash Health hosted its first Schwartz
Round in November. The Schwartz
Rounds are a multidisciplinary forum,
where clinical and non-clinical staff can
discuss social and emotional issues that
arise in caring for consumers.
The program comes from The
Schwartz Center for Compassionate
Healthcare, an independent, nonprofit
organisation with more than
425 healthcare members in the US,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The Centre was founded by Ken
Schwartz, days before his death from
cancer in 1995. His experience as a
patient drove him to establish the
organisation with the mission to promote
compassionate care so that consumers
and their caregivers relate to one
another in a way that provides hope to
the patient, support to caregivers and
sustenance to the healing process.
In 2017, Monash Health became a
member of the Schwartz Centre. A
Schwartz Rounds Planning Committee,
chaired by Associate Professor Andrew
Block was then created to oversee all
future rounds.
Dr Anjali Dhulia, Director Medical
Services, said the program provided an
important opportunity for staff to reflect
on their experiences as caregivers.
“The Schwartz Rounds bring doctors,
nurses and allied health caregivers as
well as non-clinical staff together to
discuss the human side of healthcare,” Dr
Dhulia said.
“The purpose of Rounds is to understand
the challenges and rewards that are
central to providing care, not to solve
problems or to focus on the clinical
aspects of patient care.”
Monash Health recognised
in the 2017 Victorian Public
Healthcare Awards
The Victorian Public Healthcare Awards
recognise and celebrate excellence,
dedication and innovation in public
health, health services and service
initiatives that deliver informed and
effective health care. Areas that received
acknowledgement included:
Category: Excellence in CALD health
The GP Engagement Initiative: Building
capacity in primary healthcare to
respond to refugee health needs –
Highly Commended
Category: Excellence in public sector
aged care
Residential in Reach: Thinking outside
the box - Highly Commended
Category: Secretary’s Award for
improving integration of care for
consumers with chronic and complex
conditions
Oncopain Clinic: Provision of
multidisciplinary rapid access
cancer pain assessment and
management - Finalist .
A new world for nursing
recruitment at Monash Health
Monash Health began a six-month trial of
a Centralised Recruitment Model (CRM)
for all nursing and midwifery roles. With
well over 7000 nursing and midwifery
staff working at Monash Health, the
CRM represents a collaborative new
way of managing the recruitment of
permanent and fixed-term nursing and
midwifery roles. Clinical hiring managers
have partnered with a dedicated
recruitment specialist to support them in
the end-to-end recruitment process.
The CRM partnership has helped to
ensure only the best talent is recruited;
more quickly and at a lower cost. The
model also gives back valuable time
to our clinical nursing hiring managers
to provide exceptional care and an
enhanced patient experience
Professors David Kissane, AC
and Barbara Workman, AC
recognised in Australia
Day honours
Professor David Kissane, Head of
Department of Psychiatry, School of
Clinical Sciences at Monash Health and
Professor Barbara Workman Service
Director for Rehabilitation and Aged
Care at Monash Health were made
Companions of the Order of Australia in
the 2018 Australia Day Awards.
24 Monash Health Annual Report 2017-18