16 The Ramsay Way 2018 | 02 COMMUNITY NEWS Hollywood Private Hospital’s Catering
Department has introduced a variety
of initiatives to reduce food and
environmental waste.
Donating food to those in need
Most recently, the team has started supplying frozen meals
to Food Rescue, a UnitingCare West program feeding
disadvantaged people in Western Australia.
The program aims to alleviate hunger by rescuing
perishable, fresh and nutritious food from cafes, caterers,
supermarket and wholesalers.
Hollywood Director of Workforce and Support Services,
Julianne Allan, said “Our support of Food Rescue is an
extension of the care we provide to our patients and visitors
every day and is part of the Ramsay Health Care philosophy
of ‘People caring for people’.”
“It’s wonderful to know food which would otherwise be
discarded is being used to help some of the most vulnerable
individuals in our society including the homeless, women
and children in crisis, indigenous communities and refugees.”
In addition to Hollywood’s relationship with Food Rescue,
the hospital also donates produce to OzHarvest, a not for
profit organisation which delivers food to more than 1,000
charities across the country.
Members of Hollywood’s catering team with food packages donated to Food Rescue
Joondalup wins hospital-community mental health partnership award
A highly successful partnership between
Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) and several
community drug and alcohol service providers
was formally acknowledged by the Mental Health
Commission in March.
The Commission named the integrated partnership between
the hospital, Joondalup Community Mental Health and
the North Metro Community Alcohol and Drug Service
(NMCADS) as the winner of the ‘partnerships’ category at
an awards ceremony during the 2018 Western Australian
Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Conference on 21 March.
The AOD Awards Ceremony recognised outstanding work
in ten categories and JHC Mental Health Services Manager
Linda Locke said she was very pleased and excited because
the award acknowledges the partnership as an important
part of how services are now delivered.
“Partnerships across services may provide better long-term
outcomes for our patients,” she said. “For patients it means
they are getting access, in a more timely way, to the help
they need both during their stay in hospital and when they
return home.”
She explained that North Metro Community Alcohol and
Drug Service is a partnership between Cyrenian House
(providers of counselling and support for individuals and
their families) and Next Step (providers of medical and
psychological services) which provides improved access to
a comprehensive range of alcohol and other drug services
from one location.
“By partnering, patients attending the hospital with drug or
alcohol issues are being given intervention, at a time when
they may be most receptive, for longer-term support,” she
said. “The three-way partnership also includes Joondalup
Community Mental Health, which means better continuity of
care for patients after they leave hospital.”
The Drug and Alcohol Clinical Liaison Inreach Service started
at JHC at the end of 2015 and provides a Monday-Friday
“inreach” service for patients throughout the hospital and
Community Mental Health.
Last year the inreach team, which comprises a clinical nurse
specialist and an addiction medicine consultant from Next Step,
received close to a thousand referrals from within the hospital.
Next Step clinical nurse specialist Greg Gordon was
appointed to the inaugural role and said that as well as
directly helping patients, his role also included running formal
and informal training for staff.
“A lot of staff shadow me clinically to help advance their skills,
knowledge and understanding of the needs of patients with
drug and alcohol issues,” he said. “I’ve also facilitated more
than 60 education and training events for health workers at
JHC and this has increased the capacity of the hospital to
respond to the needs of people who are living with drug and
alcohol issues.”
“When a nurse, doctor – or anyone else caring for a patient
– identifies that the patient may have a drug or alcohol issue,
they now ask if they would like to have contact with the Drug
and Alcohol inreach team, who can provide them with an
assessment, advice on treatment and support options.”
Next Step Director of Clinical Services Richard O’Regan,
said he hoped it would sure up the future continuation and
expansion of the project.
“This award recognises a project that has never occurred in
WA before in terms of the collaboration between these sorts
of services,” he said.
“It means that for patients who present to hospital with a drug
or alcohol issue, they are provided with an assessment and
specialised intervention.
“It’s like opening a door for these people to get the longer
term help they need. It provides opportunities for them to
access specialised ongoing care in their local area, with
access to counselling and medical treatment.”
Left to right (standing) Greg Gordon, Linda Locke; Brendon Burns,
Eben De Jager. Left to right (seated) Richard O’Regan;
Sue Helfgott, Mark Anderson