Monash Health

This week, the Victorian Heart Hospital welcomed special guests, the Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas MP and Member for Oakleigh Minister Steve Dimopoulos MP, for a tour of Australia’s first dedicated cardiac hospital. Since the Health Minister opened the Heart Hospital in February 2023, the cardiac landmark in a year cared for over 11,000 patients, performed more than 1,000 cardiothoracic surgeries, and supported 1,000 patients through the Intensive Care Unit. More than 20 per cent of Victorians who suffer heart attacks are now seen at the Victorian Heart Hospital. Led by Monash Health CEO Prof Eugine Yafele, Board Chair Dipak Sanghvi, and the VHH Leadership of Prof Stephen Nicholls, Prof Derek Chew, Prof Jayme Bennetts, and Joanne McCann, the Ministers met with the talented team across the Heart Hospital to better understand the world-leading care and research performed every day.

Monash Health is proud to be part of a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming mental health care for priority populations across Australia. The ‘Whose care is left behind?’ project has been awarded a $4 million grant from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and will be led by Dr Antoni Caserta (PhD), Transformation Partner and project lead for Monash Health’s new Children's Health and Wellbeing Local. “This is a unique opportunity to address the mental health needs of some of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in our society, who often face barriers to accessing timely and appropriate care,” said Dr Antoni Caserta.   “We hope to co-create solutions with these communities that are respectful, inclusive, and effective, and that can be scaled up and translated across different settings and contexts.” Alongside 25 health agencies nationwide, the collaborative project will endeavour to increase access to prevention and treatment, foster community cohesion, and build resilience against current and future challenges. “This is a rare chance to transform the way we provide mental health care to children and young people across Australia.” “By developing evidence-based, person-centred, and culturally appropriate models of care, we will make a positive impact in the lives of many families.”

Meet Jeanette McCaughan, Team Leader of Support Services at Dandenong Hospital, and learn about the vital role of our General and Environmental Services teams. We’re proud of how our Support Services teams contribute to a safe, clean, and comfortable environment for patients and staff. Watch now to discover the rewarding opportunities in our General and Environmental Services team.

Monash Health’s Finance Team have won big at the Healthcare Financial Management Association Awards. They took top honours in four out of eight categories: 🏆 Finance Leader Award 🏆 Team Award 🏆 Contribution to the Sector Award 🏆 Revenue Performance Award. Team members were also runners-up for the Innovation Award, Rising Star Award and Finance Leader Award. The awards recognise and showcase talent, commitment, and leadership across the Australian healthcare finance sector. “Such a great effort by the Finance Team to achieve such success this year,” said Rachelle Anstey, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. “I am super proud of everyone in the team for all their hard work helping to support the organisation.” Congratulations to our Finance Team! To learn more about their award-winning work, please visit: https://lnkd.in/g2rMPJrG

Monash Health is proud to have three fantastic finalists for the 2024 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards. Our pioneering Anticoagulation Stewardship Service has been declared a finalist in the ‘Safer Care Victoria award for safety improvement’ category 👏 💊 Anticoagulant medicines are prescribed to people with a high risk of developing blood clots, to reduce their chances of developing further, more serious conditions such as strokes. They are important but high-risk medications, often associated with increased risk of bleeding and mortality. As a result, their use can place significant pressure on Emergency Department presentations and increase the duration of hospital admissions 🏥 Covering six sites (including four Emergency Departments), the Service set up a first-of-its-kind dashboard so that all adult inpatients prescribed these medicines could be reviewed in real-time. The dashboard can filter the records of thousands of inpatients to identify those at the highest risk of anticoagulant-related harm. Since it was set up in 2022, this dashboard has been life-changing for patients. So far, 11,500 patients prescribed anticoagulant medicines have been reviewed, and 2,336 interventions have been made. The dashboard has facilitated medication changes for around 650 patients, half were deemed at high risk for either major bleeding or blood clots. From all at Monash Health, well done to the team. Stay tuned - the winners will be revealed at the Awards Gala Night on 19 November! 🏆

Yesterday, our Dandenong Hospital team members were celebrated at a BBQ lunch, in recognition of their dedication to the community. A big thank you to the Rapid Relief Team Ltd (RRT) Australia who generously hosted the lunch. Their volunteers served up delicious burgers for the team to show their thanks and appreciation. We also welcomed Greater Dandenong Mayor Lana Formoso and Julian Hill MP, Member for Bruce who met with our amazing team members and joined in support. “It was great to see everyone come together to celebrate the hard work and efforts of the team at Dandenong Hospital,” said Melinda Collins, General Manager and Director of Nursing, Dandenong Hospital. “It was a very special afternoon to recognise our impact on the community and a much-appreciated gesture for all our staff”.

Monash Health’s infusion centre has successfully implemented evidence-based changes to some of our multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ treatments, reducing therapy duration from 5.5 hours to 2 hours, saving patients 3.5 hours spent in hospital. MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, leading to a range of neurological symptoms and disabilities. Ocrelizumab is one of the therapies that can be used in the treatment of the disease, helping slow down progression and reduce relapses. Following a review that Ocrelizumab can safely be infused over a shorter time for eligible patients, Dr. Nevin John, Head of MS Service, and Eden De Asis, MS Clinical Nurse Consultant, led an initiative to implement the changes at Monash Health to enhance our service delivery and patient care. "The implementation of the shortened infusion protocol for Ocrelizumab has been a game changer for both our patients and staff. The reduced time commitment without compromising safety has made a profound difference in our service delivery," said Eden De Asis, MS Clinical Nurse Consultant. Importantly, the reduced infusion duration has provided a better patient experience in the clinic. “Patients were thrilled with the shorter infusion times, allowing them to spend less time in hospital, and more time in their day to take care of other activities, whether that be their work or time spent with family and friends.”

Join Mark Makunike, Unit 2 Nurse Manager at Dandenong Hospital, as he shares his experiences in Mental Health Nursing at Monash Health. Our Mental Health program offers extensive career opportunities across diverse settings. Watch now to see why we’re an employer of choice in Mental Health Nursing.

What a weekend of football! And what fun was had at the AFL Footy Festival at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Members of the Monash Health Foundation team were at the festival, supporting alliance partners Hospitals United For Sick Kids (HUSK) in their fundraising efforts. Over four fabulous days, hundreds of families visited HUSK’s “feels like home” booth enjoying activities and learning about the organisation’s mascot, a lost alien called Blip. The adorable orange and purple character features in HUSK’s fundraising campaigns. When you purchase an item featuring Blip, you help fund equipment, services and research needed to provide sick kids around Australia with care at, or closer to, home. Monash Children’s Hospital is a proud member of the HUSK alliance and extends its thanks to all who contributed to the successful fundraising initiative.

The Monash Health Foundation is pleased to announce that thanks to the extraordinary generosity of an anonymous donor, Monash Health is set to purchase its first robotic surgical system. The gift of $4.2 million is the largest single donation ever received by the health service and will ensure Monash Health continues to deliver world-class care to patients now and into the future. To be installed at Casey Hospital, the equipment will initially be used for urology, colorectal and gynaecological surgeries. However, it has the scope to support a broader range of surgeries in the future. The surgical robot mirrors the hand movements of a surgeon from a console in the operating theatre, enabling them to execute surgeries with more accuracy than traditional open surgery. This less invasive approach offers numerous advantages for both patients and healthcare services. Patients experience: ✔️ a reduced length of stay in hospital ✔️ shorter recovery times ✔️ lower risk of blood loss during surgery ✔️ a reduction in post-operative pain The Director of Urology at Monash Health, Dr Scott Donnellan, helped secure the equipment. “I am very much looking forward to being able to perform surgeries using the robot, it will be very rewarding to see the majority of my patients recover so quickly from major surgeries such as a prostatectomy in just one to two days,” said Dr Donnellan. The arrival of the surgical robot system will increase the number of urological laparoscopic surgeries the team can perform each year. Monash Health’s Chief Executive, Professor Prof Eugine Yafele, says that acquiring the surgical robot system will reinforce Monash Health’s position as a leader in healthcare innovation, patient care, and surgical education. “We are delighted and overwhelmed with gratitude to receive such a generous gift from one of Monash Health’s donors. The positive impact this equipment will have on our surgical team and patients is immeasurable, and we are looking forward to its arrival,” said Professor Yafele.