Monash Health

Landline phones at our hospitals and services are now working as normal, with a telephone network provider outage now resolved. Thank you for your understanding and patience during the outage.

We are currently unable to receive calls to landlines at our hospitals and services due to a network provider outage. We are also unable to make outgoing calls on our landlines. Our services remain open. The telephone network provider is working to restore service.

A worldwide shortage of intravenous (IV) fluids due to manufacturing issues has resulted in constrained supply at health services in Australia. Senior Consultant Emergency Physician at Monash Medical Centre, Professor Diana Egerton-Warburton OAM, joined ABC Radio Canberra to discuss her research looking at the national cost of routine insertion of cannulas in case IV fluids are required. “IV cannulas in the ED have become a bit like water to fish – they are so much part of the environment that people are doing it by habit,” she said. She said cannulas are painful to have inserted and take clinicians away from other care. Prof Egerton-Warburton spoke about a project underway involving nine Australian Emergency Departments (ED) and hundreds of thousands of participants, examining the impact of routine insertion of “just in case” cannulas. “We know there are safe routes for oral treatment and [they are] much, much kinder for the patient [than cannulas],” she said. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has advised that IV fluid supply is expected to be affected through to the end of 2024. Prof Egerton-Warburton says clinical behaviour change around the routine insertion of cannulas will help health services navigate the period.

Thanks to Monash Health’s maternity and neonatal teams, premature babies now have access to their mother’s Expressed Breast Milk (EBM) quicker after birth. EBM has long been identified as the best form of nutrition for newborns, providing immunological protection and developmental advantages. “We know that breast milk is really important for vulnerable premature babies, with evidence showing it can significantly decrease the risk of complications and infections,” said Samantha Tyrer, Quality Improvement Nurse at Monash Newborn. In addition, EBM is linked to decreased length of stay and readmission rates, allowing families to be together at home sooner. ‘The Early Expression Initiative’ has been underway since 2019 and aims to reduce the median time for newborns to receive EBM to 6 hours or less after birth. The multidisciplinary team collaborating to achieve this goal includes nurses, doctors, dietitians, midwifery and neonatal clinical educators and lactation consultants. The Monash Newborn Consumer Advisory Group were also consulted to ensure any interventions met the needs of parents and carers. With the introduction of multiple interventions including early expressing kits, the initiative has successfully reduced the median time of providing EBM to newborns to 3.5 hrs, six times faster than when it first began. By providing this essential element of care to our patients, not only is the risk of life-threatening illnesses reduced, the engagement of parents in the care of premature babies is enhanced. Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to this initiative and provide care for our most vulnerable patients.

Remember to plan ahead. Monash Health has been informed that Clayton Road will be completely closed 24/7 to all non-emergency traffic south of Monash Medical Centre from Tuesday 27th of August to late October. The closure is to allow underground works to proceed as part of the Suburban Rail Loop project. 🏥 Monash Medical Centre and Monash Children’s Hospital's main entries will only be accessible to traffic and pedestrians travelling southbound on Clayton Road, between North Road and Monash Medical Centre. 🚑 Emergency vehicle access through the closed section will be maintained, between Monash Medical Centre and Clayton Train Station. No non-emergency traffic or pedestrians will have access through the construction zone. 👷 Detours and traffic management will be in place, coordinated by the Suburban Rail Loop Authority. 🚧 The work will cause significant disruption to traffic flow in and around the site for patients, visitors, employees, deliveries, couriers, and pedestrians. Clearway zones will be in place in some side streets, placing some additional pressure on parking. 📆 Visitors and patients are encouraged to plan ahead and to allow additional travel time. For more information, please visit the Suburban Rail Loop East project page: https://lnkd.in/gQiBasBW

Monash Health this week welcomed Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas MP and Member for Bentleigh, Nick Staikos MP to Moorabbin Hospital to tour our two newly refurbished Surgery Theatres.  The two theatres, used for Orthopaedic surgery, have been upgraded thanks to $4.3 million from the Victorian Government’s Metropolitan Health Infrastructure Fund.  Monash Health is Victoria’s largest provider of planned surgeries, undertaking over 32,000 planned surgeries in the past year.  The refurbished theatres and Monash Health’s surgical reform, supported by the Victorian Government, have resulted in significant improvements to patients including reduced wait times and shorter length-of-stay. 

Once upon a time at Monash Children’s Hospital, an enchanting celebration of Book Week! “[It] was an opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate the joy of reading," said Colin Dobson, the Principal of Monash Children’s Hospital School. "It was colourful and busy, and lots of fun.” The event featured book readings, a range of craft activities inspired by children’s literature, and a butterfly enclosure where people could admire and hold live butterflies. Performers from the Players Theatre Company sang songs from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and students from Oxley Christian College presented extracts from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The Musical. Children were invited to pick out a free costume and select a book to take home. “We know some children will miss out on Book Week celebrations at their own schools. So, we provide this wonderful experience,” said Kylie Middlemiss, a Learning Specialist at Monash Children’s Hospital School. “There were many highlights [to the day], but it was great to see the kids and their families smile and know that we have given patients a positive experience.”

Monash Health has been informed that Clayton Road will be completely closed 24/7 to all non-emergency traffic south of Monash Medical Centre from the 27th of August. The closure will last for approximately two months and is to allow underground works to proceed as part of the Suburban Rail Loop project. The 24/7 road closure will cut off all traffic and will extend from south of the McCulloch House delivery entrance to south of the railway line. Emergency vehicle access through the closed section will be maintained. Monash Medical Centre’s main entry, Dixon Street, and delivery access will only be accessible to traffic and pedestrians travelling southbound on Clayton Road. There will be no non-emergency traffic and no pedestrians allowed to travel through the construction zone. Detours and traffic management will be in place, coordinated by the Suburban Rail Loop Authority. This will cause significant disruption to traffic flow in and around the site for patients, visitors, employees, deliveries, couriers, and pedestrians. A number of side streets close to Monash Medical Centre will become clearway zones, with no parking allowed to allow trucks to access the Suburban Rail Loop construction zone. This will place some additional pressure on parking for patients and visitors. Visitors and patients are encouraged to plan ahead and to allow additional travel time. For more information, please visit the Suburban Rail Loop East project page: https://lnkd.in/dd9wcZWj

Australian cricketer Cameron Green pitched in at Monash Children’s Hospital last week, spending some quality time with our young kidney health patients and their families. Cameron was born with Chronic Kidney Disease and is supporting the important cause in his new role as an ambassador for Kidney Health Australia. Thank you, Cameron, for sharing your story and creating special memories for the champions on our dialysis ward.

Did you know that around 90% of people who believe they are allergic to penicillin aren’t? Allergies to penicillin antibiotics are one of the most commonly reported allergies, with false ‘labels’ potentially leading to poor health outcomes and extended hospital stays. Monash Health’s Pharmacy team has been working closely with our Allergy and Immunology teams across our sites on a program that identifies and assesses patients reporting a low-risk penicillin allergy. “Many people may incorrectly believe they have a penicillin allergy if another family member has one, or if they were inaccurately diagnosed in childhood. However, penicillin allergies are not inherited, and studies have also shown that they can often disappear over time,” said Anny Nguyen, Allergy and Adverse Reactions Pharmacist. The ‘Low-Risk Penicillin Allergy De-Labelling Service’ conducts monitored allergy testing and challenges on site, to safely identify patients in our care who can use penicillin if needed. While alternative treatments may be available, the penicillin antibiotic is often the preferred treatment when an allergy is not present. “Alternative antibiotics are often broader spectrum with more side effects and medication interactions,” said Anny. “Over time, some bacteria can become resistant to broad spectrum antibiotics, which may limit antibiotic options in the future.” De-labelling false penicillin allergies for patients ensures they can receive treatment with the most effective and appropriate therapies.