Annual Report - Northern Health

Our Achievements cont’dStrengthen leadership and develop workforce strategic Goal 5Developing, attracting and retaining a strong and talented workforce is integral to Northern Health’s successas a service provider. As the demand for health services in our community grows, so too does the need forcommitted and qualified staff, which is why strengthened leadership and workforce development is a key priorityfor our organisation.Unveiling the Northern Clinical SchoolIn May 2011, the University of Melbourne Northern ClinicalSchool became independent from its partnership with AustinClinical School, making Northern Health fully responsible forthe training of University of Melbourne medical students oncampus. The move to redevelop the program came after theUniversity of Melbourne was awarded a grant from the FederalHealth Department to develop a program that would attractmore graduates to the northern suburbs of Melbourne in orderto service our community with more qualified clinical staff.In November, a series of demountable buildings was formallyunveiled at The Northern Hospital, marking the official openingof the newly independent Northern Clinical School.By training young doctors in the northern community thereis the hope and expectation that these trained professionalswill return to practice in the north once qualified, eitherwith Northern Health or at local General Practice clinics insurrounding areas.Growing the medical workforceApproximately 200 Hospital Medical Officers and Registrarsbegan their 2012 clinical year with Northern Health and thenumber of medical interns has grown by 27 per cent in thelast two years with a record number of 47 new junior doctorsstarting as medical interns in January at The Northern Hospital.The interns will work across a range of fields, includingMedicine, Surgery and in the Emergency Department. Theywill also alternate through health areas such as Aged Care,Orthopaedics, Vascular Thoraces, Anaesthetics and MentalHealth and for the first time interns will have the opportunity towork rotations in Urology and in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.Northern Health has the first dedicated and accreditedObstetrics and Gynaecology medical intern program in Victoria,which has been of great interest to many new interns. Growthin demand for Northern Health’s intern program has grownsignificantly with 47 junior doctors being selected from 660applications received.Leadership and Management DevelopmentFrameworkA major new Leadership and Management DevelopmentFramework underpins the design and delivery of two NorthernHealth leadership programs targeting the top and middle tiers.The Leadership Directions Program engaged senior medicaland operations directors and the Transforming LeadershipProgram worked with middle managers across all directorates.The development of core management skills was anothertraining focus and more than 120 staff, including medical staff,graduated from the Diploma of Management and Certificate IVcourses.Other training activities include specific skills training in ProjectManagement and Effective Presentations and the launchof the Learning for Leaders lecture series, which receivedoverwhelming support. These lectures aim to give managersand staff effective skills and techniques offered as quick tipsand tool. Topics have focused on understanding performance,implementing change and getting the best from staff.Allied Health workforce developmentIn late 2011, Allied Health ran the second iteration of the‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ development program. This programwas offered to senior grade 1 and grade 2 clinicians. Thethree session program provided clinicians with the opportunityto examine issues around teams and teamwork, power andinfluence in organisations and some fundamental conceptsaround leadership. Participants from the first program (2010)were invited to participate in a follow up two day ‘PositiveConflict Management’ workshop.Innovative Inter-professional Practice Placement is an initiativeled by allied health, working with medical and nursingcolleagues that is making a difference to the way future healthprofessionals are trained. Through the program, studentsare encouraged to work effectively as an inter-professionalcollaborative team. They explore the process of teamwork aswell as developing the clinical skills needed to practice theirown profession. The activities supporting the program developthe leadership and facilitation skills of a range of staff fromnursing, medicine and a range of allied health disciplines.The project, funded by the Department of Health and Ageing,is broadening the way we teach future health professionalsand providing positive learning outcomes to participants.The orthoptics workforce is traditionally utilised in a multidisciplinarysetting, working alongside ophthalmology. Vitalskills in the assessment and management of eye commonconditions are often under-utilised but a Department of Healthfunded workforce innovation grant has enabled orthoptics totrial and implement orthoptics led clinics in the areas of cataract30 annual report Northern Health 11/12