Wide Bay Hospital & Health Service

Improving health, together

What’s Inside l Penny takes on pivotal role

l Our nurse wins service award

l Bugaboo helps mums

l Bundaberg hosts launch

l Our stars hitting the mark

l 60 Seconds: Jason Simpson

HIGHLY respected Bundaberg Hospital After Hours Nurse Manager Jan McClure was farewelled by friends and colleagues last week after 37 years of service as a nurse.

A great crowd turned up, highlighting the impact she made on the careers of many nurses at Bundaberg Hospital.

“Jan was one of my mentors and I feel very privileged to have known, been mentored by her and worked with her,” WBHHS Executive Director of Nursing Fiona Sewell said.

“What I will remember most about Jan is her kind and caring nature, her maintenance of her clinical skills, which enabled her to assist when required, and her willingness to mentor and guide nurses with great ability.

“She will be missed and her legacy will continue to live on in the nurses she has mentored and grown, and in the nurses whom those people are now mentoring and growing.”

When reflecting on her career, Jan said nurse management roles suited her as a people person and she enjoyed looking after both patients and the nurses on her team.

“I always had the nurses’ wellbeing at heart and I encouraged them to look after and to look out for each other because it is a very stressful job,” Jan said.

“The after-hours role can be very challenging as you’re it. There is always a senior person on call, but a lot of the time you were the jack of all trades and the master of some.

“If anything went wrong, you had to sort it out.”

Jan said she would miss the camaraderie with the staff.

She is now looking forward to an active retirement of spending time with her children and grandchildren, volunteering as a Justice of the Peace, hitting the gym three times a week, yoga and reading.

WBHHS Executive Director of Nursing Fiona Sewell with Jan McClure at her farewell.

A STELLAR $3000 has been raised by Gayndah Hospital’s representative, Rebecca Raftery, for the Gayndah Orange Festival.

The fantastic effort led to Ms Raftery being awarded 2017 Orange Festival Queen runner-up at the Gala Ball, which was held on Saturday.

Ms Raftery, who is a senior clinical pharmacist serving our rural areas, will wear the sash at various festival events.

The Gayndah Orange Festival is celebrating its 60th year and is held on the May Day long weekend. This Friday night there will be a Wine and Cheese Art Evening, on Saturday a Grand Parade and on Sunday a Family Fun Day.

To find out more and plan a trip to the Festival visit http://www.orangefestival.com.au/ or look up Gayndah Orange Festival on Facebook.

Pharmacist pulls in festival funds

Jan saluted in fond farewell

April 26, 2017

News from across the WBHHS

A HERVEY Bay Cancer Care Registered Nurse has been appointed to the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia regional committee.

Penny Stevens, pictured right, has taken up the new role to help share and gather information that will benefit our local services and those in other areas.

“The Cancer Nurses Society has recognised the need to create opportunities for nurses in regional areas to have access to the same services and network as city-based colleagues,” Penny explained.

“The move by CNSA to develop a regional branch in Queensland means nurses will be able to receive

education and support without having to travel to Brisbane.

“They will be able to reach out to a network of regional cancer nurses and share ideas or concerns through video conferencing and other technology such

as Skype.”

Hervey Bay Cancer Care Service has already run a successful ovarian cancer awareness workshop for local health professionals but added video conferencing for people in outer areas.

Any nurse with an interest in regional cancer care - whether it’s an EN, RN or AIN - can be involved, with the aim of improving outcomes for patients in rural and regional areas,” Penny said.

“It’s about empowering nurses to create better outcomes for cancer patients.”.

Penny takes on important regional role

FOR local mums Lisa Wenham and Katherine Thompson, the simple gift of a pram from the McGrath Foundation has become so much more.

The two local mums were diagnosed with breast cancer and the prams donated by Bugaboo, via the McGrath Foundation, have proven to be practical help in their time of need.

Bundaberg and Fraser Coast Breast Care Nurses Margie Mears and Megan Lynch have been successful in gaining three of the 30 prams being distributed across Queensland by the McGrath Foundation.

“(Being diagnosed while pregnant) is definitely scary. Especially being diagnosed at 22 weeks, I didn’t know how I would cope… I put all my faith into the doctors,” said Bundaberg mum Lisa.

“Being given the pram is so overwhelming and I am in tears as

it’s such a great gift to receive.

“(Getting a pram) is so far from your mind, it will be so useful and very versatile as we can use it with our two kids.”

Since being diagnosed, Lisa has given birth to a healthy baby boy and she said her children gave her the strength to keep going through the treatment she is now undergoing.

Katherine was diagnosed with breast cancer just before Christmas and has since had two operations. She is

now undergoing chemotherapy.

“Megan arranged through the McGrath Foundation for a pram for our 18-month old baby,” Katherine said.

“I’ve had to leave work because of the treatment so it’s not easy financially, and there’s no money left for things like prams.

“I love my Bugaboo pram and I’m very grateful to the McGrath Foundation for organising it.”

Bugaboo steps in to help mums battling cancer

Left, Katherine Thompson and Kurt Yelds and, right, Lisa Wenham with her family and Margie Mears.

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News from across the WBHHS

IT was a night for celebrating when Bundaberg Hospital emergency nurse Maria-Louise Balchin was honoured with a special recognition award, supported by more than a dozen of her colleagues.

Maria-Louise was presented with an Outstanding Service trophy as part of Bundaberg East Rotary Club’s annual Brian Prince Emergency Service Awards, which honoured police, fire, ambulance and emergency department personnel.

The humble nurse made a heartfelt speech on the night, explaining her perspective on outstanding service and thanking her colleagues for their support.

Below is a slightly abridged version of what she said.

To provide an outstanding service is to race into a burning home to save someone’s life.

It is to be able to knock on someone’s door and stay calm and strong while telling them their loved one won’t ever be coming home again.

To provide outstanding service is to blaze lights and sirens to a horrific car accident and be able to save the family inside.

I have been an emergency nurse now for 18 years. I have been that nurse who has treated the person with burns who came from that house fire, who has worked on that person from the horrific car crash.

I have held a wife’s hand when her husband has just passed away. I have comforted the child who, for the first time, was seeing her mother who had just died. I have reassured the parents

whose little girl was so very sick.

There are countless other stories – not all of them with a sad ending – such as the child and the shiny pink bead, which she thought was so pretty she just had to hide it in her nose. She earned herself a sedation to retrieve it.

The point is I have not done these things alone. I have been able to do these things because I work with a team that provides outstanding service.

We work together like a well-oiled machine. We have mutual trust, a shared understanding. We communicate well and support each other to provide a great service.

Although our job certainly can be challenging, high-pressure and sometimes thankless, it is rewarding because of the team I work with.

And so I thank you, the Emergency Department, for giving me the opportunity to work with an outstanding team that provides an outstanding service, and for giving me this opportunity to be recognised.

Our nurse wins Outstanding Service award

Emergency Department Nurse Unit Manager Suzanne Smith congratulates Maria-Louise Balchin on her Brian Prince Outstanding Service Award.

ENGINEERS from Wide Bay Water recently gave staff from Hervey Bay and St Stephen’s hospitals a guided tour of the newly constructed emergency pipeline pump station at Urraween Reservoir.

After three years of planning and negotiating, the Wide Bay Public Health Unit is pleased that this $550,000 project has now come to fruition.

The emergency pipeline system is jointly funded by Wide Bay Hospital

and Health Service and Uniting Care Health, and provides both hospitals with a direct connection to the 32 million-litre reservoir, the largest of its type in the Wide Bay area.

In the event of a water supply failure, the new system – along with a dedicated back-up generator – ensures water security to both hospitals.

Staff take a tour after our water supply is secured

Hervey Bay staff joined a tour of the new Wide Bay Water pump station.

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News from across the WBHHS

BUNDABERG Hospital was the proud host of the Stroke Foundation’s launch of its latest guide to support survivors through life after stroke.

The “easy English” version of My Stroke Journey aims to give survivors and their carers useful and practical information in a simple format, to help them understand the many and varied impacts on their life following a stroke.

Stroke Foundation Queensland State Manager Libby Dunstan said this was the second iteration of the My Stroke Journey booklet, which Bundaberg Hospital teams had been using since inception.

She said the Wide Bay region also had the highest incidence of stroke in Queensland, accounting for about 10% of all strokes in the state.

“Stroke happens in an instant, changing the lives of the survivor and their loved ones forever. There is no time to prepare for the journey ahead,” Libby said.

“The new My Stroke Journey easy English version offers survivors and their families a comprehensive overview of all the supports and services they may need following their stroke, in one convenient and easy to understand place.

“Hospital is just one step on the stroke

journey for survivors and their families; this information pack will help provide a roadmap for the rest of the way.”

Shane Isles, recreation officer at Bundaberg’s PARAS Unit and himself a stroke survivor, gave a powerful speech at the launch last week.

“I had my stroke in 2010 and I can’t begin to describe how valuable and informative My Stroke Journey would have been if it had been available then – not just to me as a patient but to my now wife,” Shane said.

“She was 23 at the time and took over the massive role of care giver.

“Some of the most helpful content is topics such as what a stroke is, the types of stroke, the function areas of the brain and the impacts on your life, including the emotional impacts.”

The launch was also attended by WBHHS staff including General Manager of Medicine Michele Gardner, Director of Speech Pathology Sara Hodgkinson, PARAS NUM Robert Scott and some of his team, and the Stroke Support Group.

Bundaberg hosts stroke resource launch

Stroke Foundation Queensland State Manager Libby Dunstan, Bundaberg Hospital recreation officer Shane Isles and Bundaberg Stroke Support Group secretary Denise McGaw.

THE gift of Easter was brought to the Hervey Bay Hospital’s children’s ward thanks to the generosity of the local Bunnings team.

Children in the unit were thrilled to see Mr Bunny, who took time out of a busy pre-Easter Sunday schedule to visit them.

The Easter Bunny and his helper spread the giving spirit through their chocolate egg themed gifts.

WBHHS would like to thank

Bunnings for arranging the special visit and to all the other community organisations and businesses that give to our hospitals during the Easter season.

Easter Bunny delivers a surprise for little Evie Oswin in Hervey Bay Hospital .

Easter Bunny hops to it for kids in hospital

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News from across the WBHHS

AFTER many months of folding, weaving and the occasional cursing, WBHHS has nearly completed its goal of making 10,000 stars for the One Million Stars to End Violence campaign.

WBHHS’s own stars have been devotedly weaving in their spare time to support artist Maryann Talia Pau’s enormous public art installation for next year’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, which aims to make a visible anti-violence statement.

Three people who have been leading the WBHHS effort – Medical Imaging’s Marian Sutton and Project Management’s Norma Stanley and Chris Ilett – spent time with the artist recently when she visited Bundaberg.

“The Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery organised the visit and Maryann made contact with me, saying she’d love to catch up with some of us,” said Norma, the Nursing Director for Projects.

“We were hoping to hand over all our stars, but we weren’t quite ready. We’re at about 9500, with more coming in, so

we’re nearly there. Maryann said she’s been overwhelmed by the support she’s received from all over for the campaign.”

Norma said like the artist, she too had been overwhelmed by the support WBHHS had received for the project, not just from staff but also from members of the community.

“We’ve also still got stars coming in from schools, church groups and rural facilities – this has just grown in momentum and taken on a life of its own,” she said.

“People wanted to be involved, not just because of the art installation but because of the reason behind it.

“The amount of people I’ve met along the way who had been in crisis and who didn’t have anyone to talk to, and who felt isolated … they were able to sit around a table with others and feel part of a community and not alone.

“So that alone has made it worthwhile – it started a conversation.”

Our stars are hitting their mark

Marian Sutton, artist Maryann Talia Pau, Norma Stanley and Chris Ilett at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery.

PLANS for Maryborough Hospital’s 130th Anniversary Fun Day are shaping up, with a number of great attractions for families and history buffs alike.

The fun day, which runs from 10am-2pm on Saturday, May 20, aims to bring together staff and the community to celebrate the central role the hospital has played in Maryborough throughout the years.

A number of community groups

are working with WBHHS to run the event, which will include a spectacular birthday cake, games and entertainment for children, vintage bric-a-brac, vintage car displays and reptile encounters.

For those with an appreciation for history, there will be tours both of the hospital’s historic buildings as well as the Wide Bay Hospitals Museum, which houses a fascinating array of memorabilia dating back to

the hospital’s earliest days.

There will be a sausage sizzle, plus a selection of affordable food and drink options available.

There will also be souvenirs such as reusable coffee cups, wine glasses and teatowels that staff will be able to purchase closer to the day.

Watch out for updates and bring your families along to celebrate!

Fun adds up for Maryborough’s 130th birthday bash

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News from across the WBHHS

Your role? Bundaberg Hospital Director of Physiotherapy. Within WBHHS and across the state, I’m also one of a few Lead Patient Handling Trainers.

How long have you been with WBHHS? I worked in the Rural Allied Health team in the North Burnett as a new graduate physiotherapist and relocated to Bundaberg from Brisbane in January 2003 as Director of Physiotherapy.

How do you describe what you do? I treat patients across all the clinical areas but have most knowledge in Critical Care and Musculoskeletal. As Director, I co-ordinate and reorganise the physiotherapy caseloads across the hospital and outpatient services.

What’s best about your job? We help people when life may be at the worst and they can’t function. There’s great satisfaction in guiding and improving patients through these times and making a difference.

When you’re not at work, you are… Father to two young active children, and a passionate volleyball player and coach.

Tell us something people may not know about you. Before I decided to retrain as a physiotherapist, I’d started my PhD in Zoology. I guess I preferred talking to people more.

What can’t you do without? Exercise, being near the ocean, music, tea, bread and fruit.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Binge-watching TV shows, Corona and lime in summer (naturally I endorse responsible drinking).

DON’T forget to sign up for your free staff flu vaccination if you haven’t already.

The 2017 quadrivalent flu vaccine protects against two ‘A’ and two ‘B’ strains of influenza and staff are encouraged get a shot to prevent the spread of the virus through local health facilities.

The vaccinations are available throughout April and May and can be booked by calling our specialist outpatient departments and reserving a timeslot.

To book, consult with your line manager and call 4325 6470 (Fraser Coast), 4303 8233 or 4303 8222 (Bundaberg). Jason enjoys bringing hope

to people in troubled times

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JasonSimpson What’s On

April 28: Registrations close for statewide nursing symposium, Passionate About Practice 2017, being held May 9 at RBWH. Find out more and register here.May 1: Start of Heart Week, Motor Neurone Disease Week.May 5: World Asthma DayMay 9: International Day of the MidwifeMay 6–7: Relay for Life, Maryborough May 12: International Nurses DayMay 12: Give Me Five for Kids trivia night, raising money for Bundaberg Hospital children’s ward. From 6.30pm at Bundaberg Services Club. Tables of 6, tickets $10 per person. For details or to book, phone 4155 4333.May 20: Maryborough Hospital 130th Anniversary Fun Day, 10am–2pm, Maryborough Hospital grounds.

Jason Simpson is Bundaberg Hospital’s Director of Physiotherapy.

Get your flu shot now

Stacey Price gets her flu shot at the Margaret Rose Centre, in Bundaberg.

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