Six Sets of Twins for North Shore Private They say miracles come in pairs – so it was multiple miracles for North Shore private, which delivered six set of twins in July. Maternity NUM, Stephanie Virgona, said it was a record for the hospital which delivers 2,500 babies every year. She said the hospital continues to grow from strength to strength as a hospital of choice for both single and multiple birth mums. This is thanks to its Helping Hands post-natal parenting clinic, its maternity celebration dinners and eight new private parenting suites, which allow both parents to bond with their newborns when they need it most. “It was certainly mayhem around feeding and bath time but the maternity team came together beautifully to deal with the challenges of the twins and, just as importantly, to help their parents deal with the challenges of multiple births.” She said the hospital had some of Australia’s most renowned mothercraft talent working in its clinic including author and “baby whisperer” Chris Minogue, who works at NSP two days a week. “The clinic provides a really practical, hands on, continuous circle of care even after mum and bub have left – with clinics covering everything from breastfeeding to settling and sleeping through to travelling and returning to work with a baby.” 16 The Ramsay Way 2016 | 03 Movement is Medicine… First Private Hospital Osteo Day Clinic at Hunters Hill With an ageing population, arthritis is an everyday reality in Australia with more than 3.9 million Aussies plagued by the debilitating illness, expected to grow to 5.4m million in 2030. “Today arthritis costs the health system $5.5 billion and this will grow to $7.6 billion by 2030 unless more is done to prevent and better manage the condition,” says Hunters Hill CEO Heidi Bayliss. She welcomed Sydney’s first private hospital osteoarthritis management outpatient day program at Hunters Hill Private, with the program now covered by health funds. “There has been a 54 per cent increase in total knee replacements from 2002 to 2012 in Australia, says Ms Bayliss. “Evidence shows that for people wishing to delay surgery, or who have difficulty managing stairs, doing housework or getting in and out of cars that early intervention programs can really make a difference,” she said. The clinic, which started in February already has a wait list for its afternoon sessions, with plans to expand services in the next two years. Hunters Hill Private Rheumatologist Professor David Hunter says the clinic had also been welcomed by local GPs, with a recent GP study revealing that one in five GPs consider osteoarthritis in their patients an emotionally draining condition to treat: “GPs feel they are short of effective treatments because people with osteoarthritis often have other multiple conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. That’s why it’s important for GPs and patients to act early. “Fifty per cent of people who have osteoarthritis don’t realise they have it. It’s not an inevitable consequence of ageing. In fact it’s a mistake to think of osteoarthritis and old age at the same time,” he says. “Osteoarthritis begins in relatively young people with symptoms of joint pain, stiffness, tenderness that tends to get worse at the end of the day. If it is detected and dealt with earlier, then, we can reduce pain, disability and the need for surgery later in life.” A recent Deloitte Access Economics review of patients waiting for knee surgery in several public hospitals in NSW, found that when patients were involved in day programs, their functional outcomes improved significantly. This resulted in 15 per cent of knee patients being removed from surgery wait lists as well as participants showing significant improvement at Timed Up and Go or Six Minute Walk tests. With wait lists for these programs in the public system up to nine months, Hunters Hill Private physiotherapist Hans Lee says the privately covered program has been embraced by local residents. He said the individually tailored program includes a full musculoskeletal assessment along with dietary advice (every extra kilogram is equated to a fourfold increase in force through the knee joint). “Teaching patients about sleeping positions to combat pain, hydrotherapy and gym based sessions are all part of the program which aims to educate, equip and empower patients to manage everyday tasks” he said. HOSPITAL NEWS North Shore Private Hospital midwife Judi Anne McWilliam (left) and Director of Clinical Services Sue Engele (right) with the six sets of twins born at the hospital in July.
The Ramsay Way - 03 - 2016
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