Hervey Bay Gossip

Medical support services for patients in Hervey Bay will be strengthened with a $5.3 million Clinics Building officially opened today by Health Minister Stephen Robertson.

Mr Robertson said for the first time Hervey Bay residents would be able to access health clinics at the one location.

“More than 18,000 patients are expected to use this new facility every year to attend surgical, gynaecological, antenatal, ophthalmology, oncology, renal and breast screen clinics,” he said.

“The Clinics Building at Hervey Bay Hospital is purpose built to help medical professionals to better service the Fraser Coast community.

“Enhanced services will be delivered by 35 staff based at the Clinics Building with up to 10 doctors and five nurses working on site at any one time.”

Mr Robertson said the Clinics Building included doctors’ rooms, 16 consult rooms, an ophthalmology area, nursing offices, breast screening clinic as well as administration and tele-conference areas.

“This new facility will help ensure that patients on the Fraser Coast have access to safe and quality treatment and care,” he said.

“It also reflects the Beattie Government’s strong commitment to improving health services for the growing Fraser Coast community.”

Mr Robertson said the addition of the Clinics Building was the first major extension to the Hervey Bay Hospital since it was built in 1997.

“This new clinic facility has also freed up space in Hervey Bay Hospital where renovations are currently making way for a fracture clinic facility and orthopaedic services,” he said.

“Construction was undertaken by the state’s construction arm, QBuild, and was completed in January 2006.”

All you lucky Hervey Bay residents should have received a letter from the Premier of Queensland over the weekend. If you didn’t notice it then perhaps you should all the other junk mail that arrived since Friday because we found ours mixed in with the various flyers that get delivered.

Included in that letter is a nice glossy brochure signed by the Premier and the less than lustrious Health Minister outlining the huge amounts of money they are spending to improve the hospital system.

Sadly, despite throwing lots of money at the problem the hospital system hasn’t improved much at all. Surgical waiting lists have still not been reduced according to a leaked memo written by the head of Queensland Health.

You can read the full story here

While many smokers may feel hardly done by with the introduction of laws that prohibit smoking in pubs and clubs here in Hervey Bay the fact is that second-hand smoke kills.

The United States Surgeon General has just released a 700 page report that “cites “massive and conclusive scientific evidence” of the “alarming” public health threat posed by secondhand smoke and finds smoking bans are the only way to protect non-smokers”.

The Surgeone General says that “non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of heart disease and cancer by up to 30%. Even brief exposure to smoke damages cells, beginning a process that can lead to cancer, and increases the risk of blood clots, which can cause heart attacks and strokes”.

So if you’re a smoker we non-smokers understand that you will be a little inconvenienced because you can’t smoke in pubs and clubs but at least quite a few of us now might live longer.

You cna read the full USA Today story here

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related death in women and in the United States one out of every seven women will develop breast cancer at some stage in their life.

But breast cancer is not just a disease that affects women. For every thousand women who contract the disease one man will also develop breast cancer.

A new web site has just launched in the United States that aims to educate people about the effects and treatment of breast cancer and you can find it at the Breast Cancer Notebook.

It seems that the Wide Bay will benefit from the latest Queensland budget with millions going into a number of established services covering cardiac, mental health, oncology and community health services to name a few.

Extra funding has also been provided for the Maryborough Hospital to enable it to complete the purchase of a hydrotherapy pool.

The Health Minister believes that all this extra funding will lead to an increase in staff numbers in the Bundaberg, Fraser Coast, Gympie, North Burnett and South Burnett health service districts.

Premier Peter Beattie will return to Britain this week to give a further boost to the successful doctor recruitment campaign he launched in September.

“Queensland Health needs to recruit foreign-trained professionals because the Federal Government has admitted it has not been training enough Australian doctors and that there is a massive shortage of trained nurses,” said Mr Beattie.

“I initiated a recruitment campaign in the United Kingdom in September last year with a series of advertisements and functions which attracted 649 expressions of interest from a wide variety of health professionals in Britain.

“Queensland Health has examined their credentials and carried out interviews and so far 34 doctors have either started work for us or are being appointed - and another 126 doctors are being considered for appointments.

“44 nurses, allied health workers and dentists have also either been appointed or are going through the same process.

“These professionals are joining hundreds of others who have joined Queensland Health.

“In the Health Action Plan which we announced in October we set initial targets of recruiting 300 doctors, 400 allied health workers and 500 nurses by December 2006.

“We have already employed a total of 236 extra doctors, 363 extra allied health professionals and 1,065 extra nurses - but we need more.

The State Government is looking for a new Health Quality and Complaints Commissioner.

Advertisements will appear nationally this weekend looking for the best person to lead Queensland’s new, strengthened health watchdog, Health Minister Stephen Robertson said today.

Mr Robertson said he hoped the positions of Health Quality and Complaints Commissioner and five to seven Assistant Commissioners would attract solid, experienced candidates.

Expressions of interests will be sought across Australia from doctors, nurses and allied health professionals with clinical experience, lawyers and others with relevant experience in dealing with safety and consumer issues.

“The independent Health Quality and Complaints Commission will mark a new era in public accountability and transparency regarding our health system,” Mr Robertson said.

“The Commission will start work on 1 July with more powers, more resources and more responsibilities than the current Health Rights Commission.

“We need people with the right skills and experience to ensure it does its job effectively with fierce independence.

“Saturday’s advertisements will cast a wide net to snare those people who will provide appropriate guidance and leadership to the Commission’s staff, including the Chief Executive.”

Mr Robertson said the deadline was tight given the timeframes involved in setting up the Commission.

“We will require expressions of interest by Monday, 15 May with a view to finalising appointments by the end of June,” he said.

“Appointments will be part-time covering a period of up to four years.”

Mr Robertson said the main objective of the Commission was to assure Queenslanders that the quality of health services in Queensland, public or private, was of the highest possible standard.

He said a Parliamentary Committee will review and report on the new Commission after one year of operation.

Mental illness is one of those terrible afflictions that have an effect on the entire family. Because of the way society perceives mental illness one of those effects can be isolation from the community and from help. But that may now be changing.

Families and carers of Queenslanders with a mental illness can now access service information and share their experiences through a new health website.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said today Queensland Health’s new Carers Matter website will provide valuable support to families who have a loved one suffering mental illness.

“Learning that a family member or a friend has a mental illness can be very overwhelming.

“Many people ask themselves how can this happen to our family and what what can I do to help?

“The aim of this new website is to help answer these and other questions people ask about supporting someone with a mental illness.”

Mr Robertson said the website will be a valuable tool in assisting family members and carers to contribute positively to achieving the best outcomes for mental health sufferers.

“It provides information covering a range of areas, including a comprehensive list of community support services, legal and financial advice and other useful resources.

“It also contains first-hand accounts from family members and carers about how mental illness has affected their lives.

“Sharing these experiences may help other people cope, especially if they are confronting mental illness for the first time. ”

Mr Robertson said the Beattie Government was committed to improving mental health services in Queensland.

“Queensland is spending a record $472 million on mental health services this year and we will invest an extra $201 million funding on top of that over the next five years.

“That funding will provide extra doctors, nurses, case managers and therapy staff for community mental health services.

“It will also provide more funding support to non-government mental health service providers and address existing pressures on mental health services.”

Mr Robertson said the Carers Matter website also reflected the State Government’s commitment to the Queensland Government Carer Recognition Policy 2003.

“In 2004, more than $500,000 was allocated to15 health districts throughout Queensland for projects aimed at increasing the participation of consumers, carers and family members in the mental health decision-making processes.

“Ensuring these people are active in the decision-making process is one of Queensland Health’s highest priorities.

“The Carers Matter website is the culmination of a great deal of research and consultation with family members and carers and it is a major part of Queensland Health’s priority in embracing the recovery approach to mental illness.

“There are many misconceptions and misunderstandings in the community where mental illness is concerned and this website will help break down the some of barriers which exist,” he said.

The Carers Matter website is at: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/mhcarer

Expert advice to help Queenslanders deal with non-life threatening medical situations is just a phone call away, Premier Peter Beattie and Health Minister Stephen Robertson announced today.

Mr Beattie said the State Government’s new 24 hour health hotline - 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) - became available to all Queenslanders on Monday at 8.30am.

“13 HEALTH has proved to be a great success in North Queensland and taken well over 16,000 calls since we launched it there in February,” said Mr Beattie.

“Now the service is available to all Queenslanders, wherever they live, for the cost of a local call.”

“Experienced registered nurses staffing the hotline will provide callers with clinically-based triage advice, health information and referral services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“The hotline is designed to provide people with quick, reliable advice over the phone if they or a family member suddenly get sick and they are unsure what to do.

“Instead of rushing off in the middle of the night with a child to a hospital emergency department and having to wait for advice on something that turns out to be no more than a tummy ache, help is at the end of a phone line.

“With only 2,600 of the 16,600 callers to the North Queensland service being advised to attend an emergency department, many of the 14,000 other callers would have been saved a trip to hospital - and the queues at emergency departments would have been reduced.

“For example, a child may wake in the middle of the night with a fever or stomach pains and mum is unsure whether to rush off to hospital.

“By calling 13 HEALTH, mum will receive clinically-based advice on the best course of action to take; including whether to attend a hospital emergency department, see a local GP, or administer home care.

“I stress this service is for non-life threatening situations only and not meant to replace medical consultations.

“People with life-threatening emergencies should always call Triple O for urgent assistance from the Queensland Ambulance Service,” Mr Beattie said.

Mr Robertson said 13 HEALTH honours a government election commitment and will cost $25 million to operate over three years.

“Queensland Health has 34 clinical and registered nurses staffing the hotline at a Brisbane call centre.

“They are all highly experienced nurses recruited from both Queensland Health and the private sector.

“None have been recruited at the expense of public hospital emergency departments.

“13 HEALTH represents an extra level of health care we are providing to Queenslanders and will also help ease pressure on busy hospital emergency departments.

“The public response proves there is a community need and demand for the hotline service.”

Mr Robertson said 13 HEALTH attracted 16,604 calls during its first two months of operation in North Queensland.

A breakdown of triage calls include:

·2,587 or 18.6% of calls were advised to attend a hospital emergency department.

·1,721 or 12.4% of calls were advised to see their GP in 1-4 hours.

·1,456 or 10.5% were advised to see their GP within 12 hours.

·1,127 or 8.1% of calls were transferred to the Queensland Ambulance Service.

·969 or of 7% of calls were advised to see a GP within 1-3 days.

·511 or 3.7% of calls were provided with self-management advice.

A further 32% of callers indicating they needed triage advice actually had no symptoms but needed information clarified, such as preparation for day surgery, understanding medication and post-operative care.

The most common symptoms raised by callers include: infant or toddler fever, adult abdominal pain, vomiting, unwell or irritable infant, headache, chest pain, insect bite, dizziness or vertigo, rash, back pain and lumps.

The major staff restructure at Queensland Health is now complete and savings of $16 million a year will be directed back into patient care, Health Minister Stephen Robertson said today.

Mr Robertson also told State Parliament the Beattie Government was making significant progress towards improving the workplace culture within Queensland Health.

“The massive restructure is now complete with three Area Health Services established and operating effectively as is Queensland Health’s new executive management team,” Mr Robertson said.

“As promised, we have abolished 168 corporate office positions. The majority were abolished last year with the last few cut during the past few weeks.

“This equates to savings of around $16 million a year which will be redirected to our health services.

“In addition, we have finished transferring 1,150 positions to areas and districts. This is 471 more positions than recommended in the Queensland Health Systems Review.

“These transferred positions translate to more people located closer to patient care supporting our doctors and nurses and other services delivered in local communities.”

Mr Robertson said another key feature of the new Queensland Health was the major shake-up of its workplace culture.

“A negative workplace place culture cripples an organisation, especially one as large as Queensland Health with over 50,000 employees,” he said.

“The State Government is making significant progress in this area with a new, more appropriate Code of Conduct for all Queensland Health staff now in place.

“One-hour workshops will soon be held across the state informing staff about the new principles and values of the new Code and how to treat and follow the Code.

“An on-line learning tool about the Code is also being developed for the Queensland Health internal website.

“We are also making real inroads in establishing a new Workplace Culture and Leadership Centre with a $3 million investment over two years to kick it off.

“The centre will help build workplaces where our staff want to work, where they are treated with respect, and appropriately supported to undertake their valuable work.

“Research has shown that staff attitudes and behaviours also impact significantly on our patients and clients.

“One of the centre’s first projects will be to run a Leadership Development Program that will kick off next month for the top 300 senior Queensland Health staff.

“The centre will also start a major roll-out of staff opinion surveys this month.

“Around a quarter of all staff will anonymously participate in the first round covering eight health service districts - Cairns, Mount Isa, Fraser Coast, Royal Brisbane, Bundaberg, Northern Downs, QEII and Roma.

“The information out of the surveys will be used to create better workplaces for our staff at all levels.

“All Queensland Health staff will have the opportunity to participate in the surveys over the next two years.”

Mr Robertson said all of the measures follow recommendations of the Review.

“We are determined to make ours the best health system in Australia,” he said.

“Improving our workplace culture, either in a hospital or an office building, is crucial in achieving this objective.”