Western Health

Life with a premature baby in neonatal intensive care is always very challenging, let alone during this special time of year. Thanks to the Herald Sun's Medical Editor Robyn Riley and Senior Photographer David Caird for coming to meet some of the many inspiring families in our Newborn Services Unit at Joan Kirner Women's and Children's at Sunshine Hospital – and the dedicated team caring for them. Some of these precious patients will be home in time for Christmas, others will have their homecoming in the New Year. All of them represent what our Newborn Services Nurse Unit Manager Michelle Ryan loves most about her job: "This is where staff witness incredible stories of survival and resilience, reminding us of the strength of the human spirit". Since Western Health's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) opened five years ago, we've had the privilege of caring for more than 9600 premature babies, providing a vital service for families across Melbourne's west. 📸 Photo credit: David Caird, Herald Sun 🗞️ Read the full story on the Herald Sun website: https://bit.ly/41Lreko

🏥 Transforming care for dementia patients at Sunshine Hospital 🏠 We want to create safe, supportive spaces for patients living with dementia. We've recently made some positive changes to our Dementia Management Unit (DMU), turning it into a calm, home-like environment that promotes independence and wellbeing. Some of the improvements include: ✅ Dementia-friendly signage 🚪 Colourful, familiar door designs for easy navigation 🪟 Modern switchable window films for added privacy 🪑 New home-like furniture. Our staff also took part in the immersive Enabling EDIE training by Dementia Australia to better understand life through the eyes of someone living with dementia. The virtual reality simulation has helped us deepen our understanding of the barriers in the environment for people with cognitive challenges and identify positive changes we can make to ensure our health service provides dementia-enabling spaces for patients, their families and carers: https://bit.ly/4gDrmGX

✨Congratulations to Tess Henkel, this years’ Board Chair Medal recipient. Board Chair Professor the Honourable Jill Hennessy presented Tess with her award at the 2024 AGM. ✨ Tess said she was humbled, and overwhelmed, to receive this years’ award. She was recognised for being a supportive person who takes time to educate and guide anyone who needs help. She treats all staff with respect and dignity and partners with consumers and their families to ensure a positive healthcare journey. “Coming to work each day offers an array of challenges that allow opportunities for growth and learning,” said Tess. “Being able to work within a dedicated team and division that strives to deliver best care makes coming to work each day enjoyable.” Tess is the Associate Nurse Unit Manager on ward GC at Sunshine Hospital. On the ward she works in the Geriatric Evaluation Management unit (GEM), caring for our elderly population. Additionally, she works on the Dementia Management Unit (DMU), specialised six bed dementia specific unit working with patients living with dementia. Growing up in the western suburbs herself, Tess loves being able to give back to the community is from. “I like that nursing offers opportunities to support the most vulnerable within our community. I enjoy working within a multidisciplinary team, which ward GC does really well. “I came to nursing later in life, but I feel spending that time getting life experience was really worthwhile.” 💫

✨Want to know more about accessing IVF through Public Fertility Care? Meet Nurse in Charge Dani, who heads up the service at Western Health. Dani and colleagues support patients seeking fertility treatments, including ovulation induction, IVF or intrauterine insemination. Patients include couples who have been unable to conceive naturally or through private clinics with artificial treatment, single people or couples in same sex relationships seeking donor sperm, and people requiring non-urgent medical egg freezing. Dani works within a team of nurses and doctors caring for patients throughout their fertility journey. She reviews referrals and books patients in for their initial nurse and doctor appointments. From there, she helps patients navigate the different stages, starting with educating them about their cycle and how to administer prescribed medications. Once patients are in cycle, she performs monitoring ultrasounds, works with doctors to manage treatment plans, follows people up for pregnancy tests and – all going well – viability scans before discharging them for maternity care. Western Health is a partner service of Public Fertility Care, led by the The Royal Women's Hospital . If you’re interested in the service, check your eligibility on the Royal Women’s Hospital website and then book in with your GP who can arrange tests and a referral for you. 🌐 Head to: https://bit.ly/49BSIty

🌟 Our wonderful nurses and midwives were celebrated yesterday at the 2024 Nursing and Midwifery Awards. 🏆 Western Health celebrated the outstanding contributions of nurses and midwives at the 2024 Nursing and Midwifery Awards. Nominated by their peers, these awards recognise the exceptional care by individuals and teams. Shane Crowe, Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, highlighted the vital role of over 6,000 nurses and midwives in maintaining high care standards. This year’s nominations were inspiring, making the recognition of award winners even more special. Congratulations to all finalists and recipients for exemplifying excellence in nursing and midwifery! 👏🎉

😃 We love it when a resident returns to us! 👏🏻 Meet our Director of Medical Services Dr Vivek Nigam who has rejoined Western Health 17 years after being a resident in Sunshine Hospital Emergency Department. He returns as an experienced healthcare leader who has worked in government, private and public health services, and is an advocate for high-quality education. “I knew from quite early on in my career that I wanted to be at the macro level of healthcare delivery,” Dr Nigam said. “You can have the best doctors and nurses, but you need a system and structure that supports you to make the biggest impact.” Dr Nigam has a special interest in: 📋Clinical governance enhancing patient-centric care, to help us meet the needs of our community. 🩺👩🏽⚕️Establishing Western Health as a centre of excellence in medical education and the health service of choice for trainees. “I want Western Health to be the first choice for all medical graduates to undertake their training, which will become even more important as our health service continues to grow.” “I am also passionate about improving patient outcomes through enhanced collaboration between professions,” Dr Nigam said. We can’t wait to see how your experience and expertise is applied in action. 👋 Welcome back to the west! ⭐️

We have a new roadmap to help our health service to be safer, more inclusive and equitable. Created by staff, volunteers, consumers and their families, the Best Experience: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Framework outlines our shared vision for a fair and just health system. It will help us build a workplace and a community where everyone feels valued, respected and supported. We are now developing action plans to ensure that fairness and equity sits at the heart of our work. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to developing the Framework, including consumers, patients, families, partners and other key stakeholders. Read more on our website: https://bit.ly/4ipOfzd Pictured [L to R]: Rebecca Barbara, Monica Gould, Alex Potter, Shefton Parker, Prof. Russell Harrison, Eugenia Lambis , Abi Arul

For six years, Pat Irving has been a comforting presence at Western Health, offering a smile, a kind gesture, or just a listening ear when it's needed most. Volunteering across the emergency, palliative care, and maternity wards, Pat’s simple kindness speaks volumes. 👋 Whether helping a grieving family member or assisting a new dad with a nappy, Pat’s mother’s lesson still drives her: "If you can help, why not?" Her ability to read a room and offer a quiet word or a box of tissues has touched many lives. Pat finds peace in her work, knowing that her small acts of kindness can make a big difference. It’s a rewarding experience that being her much joy. Today is International Volunteers Day, and we want to take the opportunity to thank Pat and all our wonderful volunteers who bring so much to Western Health. We have more than 500 volunteers at Western Health, 350 of those support staff, patients and visitors across Western Health sites. Some of these roles include visitor guides, in the op shops, community transport drivers and volunteering on wards. With thousands of people moving through Western Health hospitals every week, our volunteers add warmth and welcoming smiles in a space that that can be overwhelming for patients and visitors. 🙏

Please join us in congratulating our Director of Neurology and Stroke Medicine Professor Tissa Wijeratne who has been named the field leader in neurology research for 2025 by the Australian Science Magazine. ✨ ✨ This prestigious recognition highlights his significant contributions to the field, which is known for its high standards and intense competition. Over the past five years, Tissa has published an impressive 140 high-quality research papers in leading peer-reviewed journals, solidifying his position as a top researcher in neurology. Tissa balances this prolific research output with his demanding clinical responsibilities at Western Health. This dual clinician-researcher role reflects his exceptional dedication and expertise. Each year, 250 field leaders are selected across a wide range of disciplines, from economics and mathematics to health sciences. Professor Wijeratne’s recognition as the field leader in neurology not only celebrates his academic excellence but also highlights his extraordinary ability to drive advancements in brain health and stroke care while maintaining a busy clinical practice. His success is an inspiration to both researchers and clinicians around the world.

An older man battling mental health issues and substance abuse. A teenager whose experimentation with drugs was the beginning of long-term addiction issues. Or a woman recovering from surgery who develops a dependency to prescription painkillers. These are just some examples of the people who start their recovery journey with Western Health’s Drug Health Services Intake Team. Our dedicated team helps people from all walks of life on their recovery journey. They provide personalised care, connecting clients with the right programs - from detox to long-term rehabilitation. Their work is challenging, but they support each other with respect, energy, and humour. Clients are treated with care and dignity every step of the way. Thank you to Scott, Cameron, Monika, Mirjana, Henry, Vincent, and Kylie for your unwavering commitment! 💙