The Ramsay Way 2019 | 04 19
HOSPITAL NEWS
Mitcham’s Early Parenting Centre marks
25 years of caring for Melbourne families
Mitcham Private Hospital has hosted a party to celebrate 25 years of caring for families and babies
through its Early Parenting Centre.
The centre was opened in 1994 to support families
experiencing postnatal difficulties in the weeks and months
following childbirth.
Nurse Unit Manager, Libby Crosby, said: “Achieving 25 years
of operation is a really good indication of the team who work
in the unit; we have a lot of different skills and qualities and
the strengths of the staff make it the success that it is.”
The six-bed inpatient unit can help with babies from birth, right
up until they are 12 months old; the main reason for babies
being admitted is to investigate sleeping and feeding issues.
Parents stay in the centre for five days with their child, while
they work through various issues with the help of medical staff.
“In dealing with a parent with a screaming and unsettled baby
there is definitely some anxiety and stress, so there is an
emotional component to our care as well,” Mrs Crosby said.
The Early Parenting Centre helps parents from all over
Victoria and interstate and looks after around 600 families
each year.
Mrs Crosby has been working at the centre for nearly two
decades and has seen the facility evolve to cater for the
growing needs of the community.
“Our program has changed a little in that time, but overall
the focus has always been on supporting families,”
Mrs Crosby said.
Peel Health Campus maternity garden
– a community effort
Residents at the Belswan Lifestyle Village in Greenfields have pitched in to help Peel Health Campus
(PHC) volunteers build a family garden outside the hospital’s maternity ward.
‘Friends of the Hospital’ President, Denise (Dee)
Rouse, said daisies, lilies and pot plants had been
donated by residents so the volunteers could create an
entertainment area for young families to enjoy.
“We were asked to build a fairy garden, mainly for children
who had a newborn brother or sister on the ward, but
obviously for other visitors too,” Dee said.
It took Dee and fellow volunteers Sue Jolly
and Kate Lamers-Rolfe several days to
complete the garden.
“The first day we spent clearing out the area
and removing all the shrubs and mapping out
where we wanted to put things,” Dee said.
“We spent $1,500 raised by our volunteer group at the
kiosk to buy little fairies, gnomes, play equipment, outdoor
furniture and plants.”
PHC Maternity Clinical Nurse Manager, Leanne Rendell,
said the garden was popular among all age groups.
Dee said the feedback about the garden had been terrific
and she was pleased it was being used regularly by
maternity patients and their families.
Dee said the Belswan residents were supportive of “their
hospital” and many of them wanted to help because they
had grandchildren who were born there.
Peel Health Campus delivers about 1, 000 local babies
every year.
Stroke Education
Mt Wilga Private Hospital has hosted the Stroke
Ed “1000 Reps a day” course, presented by
Dr Simone Dorsch. The interactive session was
made possible through Ramsay Australia’s 2019
National Scholarship program.
The course was attended by 40 staff from Mt Wilga as well
as other Ramsay hospitals, from a range of allied health and
rehabilitation nursing departments.
The event was held on Saturday 7 September and focused on:
• Evidence for a dose-response relationship between amount
of practice and outcomes
• Strategies to increase patient motivation
• Strategies to set up the environment for safe and effective
semi-supervised practice
• Strategies to increase attendance and participation in classes
• Evidence for and strategies to increase carer involvement
in practice
• Evidence for increasing adherence to independent exercise
programmes
• Implementing strategies to increase intensity of practice in
the workplace
Staff at Mt Wilga have commenced working towards
transforming their delivery of care using an evidence-based
framework in order to increase practice opportunities and
improve functional outcomes for their patients. Mt Wilga will
be reviewing research opportunities to measure, analyse and
report these outcomes.
Dee Rouse, Sue Jolly and Kate Lamers-Rolfe