South Metropolitan Health Service

Rockingham General Hospital’s (RGH) Auxiliary have generously funded a new piece of specialist equipment to provide the best possible care for women closer to home.   Considered a gold standard in practice, the equipment – The MyoSure – allows for more women to have uterine fibroids or polyps removed without having to undergo major surgery. For women needing to undergo these procedures who are also hoping to fall pregnant in the future, MyoSure provides a less invasive treatment option for them to consider.   Previously, Rockingham-based women needed to travel to Fiona Stanley, Fremantle or King Edward Memorial hospitals for this treatment, but now thanks the auxiliary, can visit RGH instead. 

Over the weekend we celebrated 30 years of heart and 20 years of lung transplantation and the medical innovations that have changed the lives of hundreds of patients. The two-day WA Thoracic Organ Transplant Symposium at Fiona Stanley Hospital saw a tailored masterclass showcasing the journey of a transplant patient. Attendees also heard from insightful guest speakers and reminisced about the past while also looking to the future as we continue to deliver a quality service for the people of Western Australia. Read more about our state cardiac and lung transplant service major milestones online 👉 https://lnkd.in/gGsvsSnY

Calling all mental health nurses! Representatives from South Metro Health Service will be attending the International Mental Health Nursing Conference in Perth later this week. If you’re a passionate and dedicated mental health nurse interested in making a difference, come along to hear about what we can offer. The conference will be held over three days at the Westin Perth – Wednesday 30 October to Friday 1 November, 9am to 6pm. For more information or to register, visit 👉 https://lnkd.in/gXqWnAuT

We’re excited to announce our new staff feature, ‘We are SMHS’, helping you get to know the faces behind our health service and their diverse roles in providing excellent care. To kick off, meet Nurse Practitioner Clare Fazackerley who has been at the WA Cardiac Transplant Service since its beginnings in ’94, and at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) since 2015 when it transferred over as one of our statewide services. Hailing from the UK where she completed her nurse training at 19, Clare has been in cardiac transplantation since ’89 🫀 Clare’s role, along with her team, is to holistically support transplant patients and their families through the lifechanging, and daunting, process of receiving a new heart. Being the contact for all West Australians undergoing cardiac transplant, Clare said it’s getting to follow patients through their journey that she finds most rewarding. “There aren’t many nurses who get the opportunity to support a patient over 30 years of their recovery,” Clare said, “one of our patients was the first heart transplant recipient in WA, and still visits the clinic today.” We’re so fortunate to have individuals like Clare on our team. Together, We are SMHS 💜

What you can see, is a photo of a Mum with her two beautiful daughters 💕 What you can't see, is a gene two of these women share which predisposes them both to breast and ovarian cancers – breast cancer gene 2, also known as BRCA2. Mum Jenny and daughter Mel (pictured centre and right) both have BRCA2, with Jenny diagnosed with breast cancer and more recently ovarian cancer. Following genetic testing, Mel found out she had the inherited and increased risk of being diagnosed with these cancers herself, and decided to undergo preventative surgery to remove her ovaries, fallopian tubes and more recently a bilateral mastectomy. Physicians and nurses from the FSH Breast Assessment Unit have not only cared for Mel, but provided her with the necessary support and advice before, during and after her surgeries. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, read Mel’s story online 👉 https://lnkd.in/gieJAR9y

This month WA celebrates 30 years of heart and 20 years of lung transplantation, and the medical innovations that in that time have changed the lives of so many. As the proud home of the state cardiac and lung transplant services, Fiona Stanley Hospital will be hosting the WA Thoracic Organ Transplant Symposium this weekend – providing an opportunity for experts in the field (including some of our own!) to come together and share cutting-edge learnings on the future of transplantation. We couldn’t be prouder to commemorate this milestone for the WA community and for our brilliant staff, especially those who have been part of the service since the beginning. We kick off today with a masterclass on all things patient journey, ethics, and allied health, and look forward to the main event tomorrow!

Last but not least, it is our pleasure to share the team winners from the SMHS Excellence Awards last Thursday evening 👏 Our stars of SMHS! ✨ A huge congratulations to: 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 sponsored by Health Professionals Bank Mimidi Park restrictive practice reduction, RkPG 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Sip to send, FSFHG 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 sponsored by Paywise Midwifery team, RkPG 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 Integrated cancer services, RkPG 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Conscious sedation in endoscopy, FSFHG 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Sustainability supply tracker, FSFHG Check out all our 2024 SMHS Excellence Awards winners here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gcNhvWz

We are delighted to share our individual winners from the SMHS Excellence Awards last Thursday evening 💜 Our stars of SMHS! ✨ A huge congratulations to: 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 Marie Paterson, RkPG 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 sponsored by Smartsalary Associate Professor Laurens Manning, FSFHG 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗷 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 Mirko Hessel, RkPG Check out all our 2024 SMHS Excellence Awards winners here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gcNhvWz

It’s Virtual Care Awareness Week and we’re highlighting the improved accessibility and benefits virtual healthcare offers to our patients, such as Manjimup woman Teresa. Teresa took advantage of virtual care to manage her chronic skin eczema from the Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) Virtual Immunology Clinic for General Practice (VIC-GP) in partnership with the @Western Australian Primary Healthcare Alliance (WAPHA) and GPs, dramatically improving her quality of life. Virtual Care enabled Teresa to receive specialist care close to home, with her local GP referring her directly to FSH Clinical Immunologist Dr Dominic Mallon via a virtual appointment in real time, improving access to clinical immunology and allergy expertise. Read more about Teresa’s experience receiving virtual care online 👉https://lnkd.in/gyi8jSWg Why not consider this for yourself….when was the last time you asked whether your next healthcare appointment could be virtual?

This OT Week we’re celebrating our wonderful occupational therapists who play a crucial role in caring for our patients 💜 From assisting patients with everyday tasks to helping them improve their independence, hear from our very own Steph Coates and Shae Hawkes as they personally reflect on the evolution and advancements of occupational therapy over the years, acknowledging this year’s theme ‘Celebrating 80 years of Connections’.