March 2012
Dear . Welcome to the latest edition of Our Korero.
Board meeting next week
Waikato DHB board meets on Wednesday 28 March. The board agendas go online the Monday before the meetings.
It is worth having a look at the agenda on www.waikatodhb.health.nz/board as we’re reporting 94 per cent for the shorter stays in emergency department health target and 89 per cent for the smoking target. With electives we’re at 101 per cent.
We need good news stories
It’s no secret there have been some articles in the local newspapers in recent times that have been uncomplimentary about the services we provide the public.
By and large our staff do a stunning job under enormous pressure. In media and communications we’re determined to tell the good news stories but we need to know about them to tell them.
Please email news@waikatodhb.health.nz with your stories. We’ll tell them.
Meade Clinical Centre
Latest pdf with news about the Meade Clinical Centre
Catch up on the latest info about how the Meade Clinical Centre is progressing
Printing efficiencies saves $250,000
A new fully managed print, copy and scanning device service between Waikato District Health Board and Ricoh New Zealand will result in a $250,000 saving for the DHB in its first full year.
And the savings will continue to flow through in subsequent years as staff take on board the printing efficiencies available with new technology.
Read more
Thank you and well done – Lab upgrade complete
After 16 months of construction, upgrade of the laboratory on Waiora L3 is complete.
During construction, requirement for the laboratory to function on site and maintain a 24-hour service created interesting challenges for both laboratory staff and construction workers.
Building was done over five stages, with departments decanting and relocating around construction. Both the laboratory and construction staff worked together on the same side over this period.
Read more
Old girls getting together 70 years down the line
When you have trained together, worked together, lived together, cried together and had children together, you can’t help but become a family.
That’s how Colleen Yorwarth feels about her sisters in the Waikato Hospital Graduate Nurses Reunion Association (WHGNRA).
The association was formed in the 1940s as an ‘old girls’ association, and while “it’s not PC to use the term old girls anymore,” the aim remains the same.
Read more
HCAs graduate with L3 national certificate
A Waikato DHB on-the-job training scheme for health care assistants is attracting the interest of several other district health boards around the country.
The first group of health care assistants to complete the Level 3 National Certificate in Health, Disability and Aged Support graduated in a ceremony at Waikato Hospital last month.
Read more
Public Health Association Conference 2012
The Public Health Association of New Zealand is excited to invite you to its 2012 conference: Equity from the start – valuing our children, to be held 3-5 September in Wellington.
This is New Zealand’s premiere public health event of the year and you don’t want to miss it!
Read more
Thank you from transplant recipients
On March 8 transplant recipients around New Zealand said thank you.
Thank you to their donor, donor family, health professionals, support people, employer – anyone who has helped them on their transplantation journey.
Read more
A special guest at the Waikato Hospital Chapel blessing
Waikato Hospital patients, staff and visitors get their chapel – and their stained glass windows – back as of today.
The hospital chapel was decommissioned in June last year due to the construction work required in Menzies Building.
Today, the chapel was handed back to the chaplains, patients, staff and visitors with a special recommissioning ceremony – and there was a special congregation member present.
Read more
And things you may have missed on the intranet...
Wrong calendar dates – we know
Thanks to everyone who has written in to let us know that there are some incorrect dates in the Waikato DHB 2012 calendar. I.e. March only has 28 days according to the calendar.
We are aware and ran an intranet headline about this year.
All you need to do is write the correct dates in – there is room to move so it won’t muck up the rest of the dates – apologies for the mix up.
Smoking health target – best results yet!
Congratulations! The highest ever result of help offered to patients who smoke was captured in February - 89%.
This really is a fantastic achievement, not just because we are closing in on our health target of 95%, but it also shows the dedication of our staff who are committed to reaching this goal.
A huge thank you to everyone. The next four months to June are crucial so please continue with the intervention and the hard work, which is so evident in this issue.
Sue Hayward
Director of Nursing and Midwifery
Smokefree Health target Champion
Be part of the Amazing Race!
The Emergency Department would like to extend an invitation to all Waikato Hospital staff to join us in The Amazing Race. We would like to extend a challenge to see who can be overall champion of The Amazing Race and walk away with the trophy.
Interest is high so we urge you to get your registration forms in as early as you can to avoid disappointment. There has even been talk of teams dressing up in costume!!
Flyer
Registration closes on Friday 13 April. Call Marie Carlson ext 23752 or Chontelle Burkitt ext 23050 in ED for registration forms.
The other stuff:
- Four people in a team
- Cost per team is $40
- There will be a prize giving and social BBQ at the end of the race for your enjoyment. Costs covered in your entry
If you’re not keen to be in a team, we need challenge marshals. A great way to be involved so register your interest with Chontelle or Marie if this sounds like you.
Whiteboards needed please
Our Emergency Management team are once again taking part in the multi-agency Emergo Train exercise next month.
They will again focus on a v8s accident scenario where there is an admission of 100 patients to ED, but this time the exercise is focusing on surgeries required and using the new hospital layout.
Emergency Management manager Trevor Ecclestone needs 12 large magnetic whiteboards on stands to carry out the exercise.
He and his team are happy to come and pick them up and return them. They will be required from Wednesday 18 April and returned the following day.
Please email Trevor if you can help.
Trevor.Ecclestone@waikatodhb.health.nz
100 per cent for ED health target
Last week signalled a milestone in our quest to reach the required six hour target for acute care patients in the Emergency Department.
100 per cent of patients that presented and were assessed and diagnosed by both ED staff and specialty staff had this occur within six hours.
This was an outstanding result and occurred on a day that had 177 patients to be seen.
Of particular note was the improvement in the time taken to allocate beds once these were notified to the bed manager.
Thank you to all staff who by their focus and commitment are making the patient journey through their acute care phase shorter.
Kevin Harris
Assistant Group Manager
Hospital Operations
It’s influenza season again!
It’s influenza vaccination time again and this year we hope Waikato DHB staff will up the ante and get vaccinated for the safety of their vulnerable patients, families and the thousands of visitors to our hospitals every week.
This year, Health and Safety is making it as easy as possible for you to access your free influenza vaccine.
“Coverage rates for healthcare workers in New Zealand need to improve,” says National Immunisation Specialist Group spokesperson and virologist Dr Lance Jennings.
“Often the most at-risk patients do not themselves respond well to flu vaccines and rely upon those around them not spreading influenza. Furthermore, flu can be spread prior to knowing you even have it.
“Ethically, I challenge all healthcare workers to think about our actions; particularly for the protection of our patients.
NISG and the Ministry of Health have strongly encouraged healthcare workers to be vaccinated this year. In 2011, 46 per cent of DHB staff were vaccinated, according to figures supplied to the Ministry of Health by DHBs.
Although rates have improved in the past two years, only 53 per cent of doctors, 44 per cent of allied staff, 42 per cent of nurses (registered and enrolled), and 33 per cent of midwives were vaccinated, according to the report.
“I’m sure we can do better than this,” said Dr Jennings.
“In 2011, all DHBs offered free immunisation to their staff and some DHBs recorded an overall uptake as high as 62 per cent. We would like to see levels like this across the board in 2012.”
What you need to know:
- Influenza immunisation is free for DHB employees and many other healthcare workers.
- The 2012 seasonal influenza vaccines are manufactured using technology which has been in use for 60 years, and which has an excellent safety record.
- Influenza immunisation cannot give you the flu because it does not contain live viruses. There can be side effects, and these usually disappear within 1-2 days without treatment.
- Although people with underlying health conditions are most at risk from influenza-associated complications, previously healthy people can still become seriously ill.
- Influenza is not just a ‘bad cold’. Although some of the symptoms may be similar, influenza is much more severe.
- Influenza may lead to serious complications, particularly in people with an existing medical condition.
- For further information visit www.influenza.org.nz or www.moh.govt.nz or call 0800 IMMUNE (466 863).
Arbor Day – 1 june – interested in taking part?
Are you interested in a team building exercise this winter, or want to cultivate a clean green image?
This year’s Arbor Day will be at at Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park on Friday 1 June.
Hamilton City Council is targeting 1,500 people planting 23,000 trees, and approaching all manner of agencies and business to volunteer on the day. As always school participation will be large.
If you are interested in being a contact point or coordinator for a particular area or in general, please let us know at News email and we will put your name up on the intranet for others to make contact with you (i.e. add you to the list below). Being part of a group adds to the fun, but is not essential.
Note: we are not organising individual volunteers through News, so please don't email News unless you are willing to be a coordinator/contact point yourself.
Contacts for Arbor Day
Dell Hood is willing to be a contact point/coordinator for anyone in Population Health who wants to participate.
Cytotoxic compounding unit back at Waikato
From 2 April, Waikato District Health Board Pharmacy will be providing cytotoxic medicines (pharmaceutical products mainly used for the treatment of cancer) from their new Cytotoxic Compounding Unit.
The unit is based in the old Baxter Healthcare Ltd space in the Lomas Building at Waikato Hospital.
Read more
Amazing letter to the editor and the article that followed
I am writing in response to the recent spate of bad press criticising the Waikato District Health Board.
On the 1 September 2011, I was admitted to the Waikato Hospital, Emergency Department.
Read more
Linking you to other information
News and Views
Read the latest edition of News and Views, put out monthly by Knowledge Services manager Linda Pryor
For further information on anything in Our Korero contact:
Mary Anne Gill
Communications Director
Waikato District Health Board
021 705 213
maryanne.gill@waikatodhb.health.nz