The Western NSW Local Health District will start providing COVID-19 vaccinations to its staff from Monday, 22 March rolling out across the region.

“The Australian Government has developed a schedule that will see the most at-risk groups receive the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible,” said Western NSW Local Health District Chief Executive Scott McLachlan.

“Phase 1a includes healthcare workers who work in areas such as emergency departments and intensive care units. It also includes aged care residents, including those living in our Multipurpose Service (MPS) facilities. Phase 1b includes all other healthcare workers.

“For our healthcare workers, we will have fixed clinics in Orange and Dubbo taking bookings from 22 March, with the Bathurst clinic opening the following day.”

Additionally, there will also be two mobile clinics in operation from 22 March that will visit all the smaller health facilities over the coming weeks.

The vaccination requires two injections at least twelve weeks apart, so those clinics will be booking staff in for both their appointments.

“Our clinics will be providing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Both the current vaccines are very effective, and Oxford/AstraZeneca offers advantages for our District given the challenges of distance,” said Mr. MacLachlan.

“I would encourage people to use the Australian Government’s online eligibility checker to see when and how they can access vaccination.

“This is a really exciting development. Our staff, and our communities have, had been incredible in taking action to minimise the spread of COVID-19, and we all want the vaccination program to be a success,” he said.

“We’re fortunate to have the vaccine available and it will be a relief for our healthcare workers to have this extra layer of protection.”

Applications are welcomed from the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) from those interested in becoming a member of the board.

WNSWLHD Board Chair Scott Griffiths said a number of vacancies are opening up on the board due to the retirement of members, including himself.

“I strongly encourage anyone with an interest to put themselves forward,” he said.

“This is a skills-based board and members are required to actively contribute to the effective governance WNSWLHD, which provides a broad range of health services to the residents and visitors across our region.

“The board is responsible for overseeing an effective governance and risk management framework for the district, setting its strategic directions, ensuring high standards of professional and ethical conduct are maintained, involve providers and the community in decisions that affect them, monitoring the service delivery and financial performance of the district against its targets and holding the chief executive accountable for their performance,” he said.

“Our local board plays an important role within the Local Health District”.

To apply go to NSW Health website by Sunday, 28 February: www.health.nsw.gov.au/lhd/boards/Pages/eoi_lhdboards.aspx.

Nurses in rural and remote locations in the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) are benefiting from a new program designed to support them work at the highest level.

RG-NET, or the Rural Generalist Nurse Education Team, will work with hundreds of rural and remote nurses across the Central West, helping them refine and advance their clinical assessment and management skills.

WNSWLHD Northern Sector General Manager, Brian Bonham said, “Our rural and remote nurses are very skilled. They have a unique job to do and it’s becoming more specialised as the health needs, expectations and general health landscape changes.

“RG-NET aims to up-skill our nurses with theory and practical clinical skills to be able to perform a range of assessments when caring for patients in rural and remote sites.”

RG-NET works with nurses to provide theory and practical experience to refine their clinical skills in a number of different assessment areas including respiratory, abdominal, neurological, cardiovascular, obstetric and gynaecological, ENT and eye, mental health, drug and alcohol, geriatric nursing, palliative care, and simple acute wound closure and limb immobilisation.

“We recognise the important role our nurses play, especially in our rural and remote communities. The RG-NET program is designed to provide them with the support and clinical expertise they need.”

Better support and access to the latest information will enable the hardworking nurses of Forbes to continue to offer the best care possible to patients.

“We are extremely proud and excited to be rolling out this program across the WNSWLHD.

This will be a part of our WNSWLHD foot-print. It is also an exciting opportunity for our nurses in rural and remote locations providing a new form of professional development and mentoring,” Brian said.

Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) is urging parents and carers to keep young children at home if they are sick amid a rise in viral gastroenteritis cases in childcare centres.

WNSWLHD Director of Public Health, Priscilla Stanley, said gastroenteritis is highly infectious and may spread rapidly in childcare centres.

“The best defence is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 10 seconds before handling and eating food, and always wash your hands after using the toilet, changing nappies or assisting someone who has diarrhoea or vomiting.”

“Infants or children in childcare or school who develop vomiting or diarrhoea should stay at home for at least 48 hours after their symptoms have stopped, as should staff members and anyone whose work involves handling food or looking after children, the elderly or patients,” said Priscilla.

The Director of one Forbes Early Learning Care Service wanted to ensure families that they are taking appropriate measures given the heightened risk, “Our service has strict health and safety policy and procedures in place for illnesses like this, these policies and procedures keeps our children, families, and staff who utilise our service, safe. COVID-19 has brought about increased awareness, and this has led to families being advised to stay home if sick,” she said.

Anyone recovering from gastroenteritis should avoid visiting hospitals and aged care facilities to avoid spreading the infection to those most vulnerable. Any person living in a household affected by gastroenteritis should refrain from visiting these high-risk areas until at least 48 hours after the last person in the household has recovered.

All are invited to join in celebrating the achievements, commitment and skills of nurses and midwives at this year’s virtual NSW Health Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards.

This is the eighth Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards event, and the first time they have been presented virtually, allowing the community to take part in a COVID safe way.

NSW Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Jacqui Cross, said the Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards will be a little different in 2020, but will still be an opportunity to acknowledge nurses and midwives for outstanding clinical practice, leadership, and dedication to their profession and the people they care for.

“Judging the finalists and winners of this key nursing and midwifery event is always a challenging task. There is so much to be proud of and celebrate and 2020 is no exception,” Jacqui said.

“This is the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. It has been a year like no other where the contribution of nurses and midwives has been highlighted during our response to COVID-19. If there was ever a time to pause and celebrate the 53,000 nurses and midwives of NSW, who make up more than 50 per cent of the State’s public health workforce, it is now.”

“We invite everyone to join the celebration and watch the show in recognition of the exceptional care of the nurses and midwives of NSW,” Western NSW Local Health District Executive Director Quality, Clinical Safety and Nursing, Adrian Fahy said.

The Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards will be streamed at 2pm on 26 November 2020 on the NSW Health website www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing/enma. To share photos and messages of congratulations and acknowledgment through the show, tweet or post using the hashtags #ExceptionalCare and #EINMA2020.

NSW Health is contacting people who have recently arrived on flights from South Australia following the emergence of the Parafield COVID-19 cluster in Adelaide.

Passengers on recent flights to both Sydney and Broken Hill are being contacted with NSW Health advice and are being alerted to a number of venues of concern in Adelaide.

NSW Health is screening passengers arriving on flights and trains from South Australia, including asking if people have attended any of the venues of concern.

Anyone who is travelling to NSW from South Australia, or has recently done so, regardless of their mode of transport, is asked to check if they have attended any of the venues of concern.

The details of locations and times of concern, and associated health advice, are available from www.sahealth.sa.gov.au

Please contact NSW Health on 1300 066 055 if you have any queries or would like assistance in accessing testing if you have been at any venues or sites identified by SA Health.

All people travelling from South Australia, particularly Adelaide, to NSW, including recent arrivals, are asked to monitor for even the mildest of symptoms and get tested and isolate if they appear. They must remain in isolation until a negative result is received, in line with routine advice for all people in NSW.

The NSW Government has introduced the state’s first ever Suicide Monitoring System, which will provide up-to-date data for health and support services about the number of suicide deaths across the state.

NSW Nationals Upper House MP, Sam Farraway said the Suicide Monitoring System will inform critical decisions about services and local health responses in communities impacted by suicide.

“Instead of relying on two-year-old data released by the ABS, we now have near real-time data that means we can be more responsive and target services to current community needs,” Sam said.

Earlier this year, community support organisations, residents of Forbes, and farmers from across the region attended the Get Up and Go Garema gathering which was held at the Livestock Exchange.

The gathering, organised by Tom Norris, and featuring many inspiring guest speakers, including Sam Bailey, shed light on the challenges of rural life and its impacts on the mental health of those living on the land.

Accessing support out west is both a mental and practical challenge. However, with the Government using technology to better understand this challenging, tragic and often overlooked issue in the region, funding can be better distributed to where it is needed the most in order to help support those who need it.

Towards Zero Suicides is a NSW Premier’s priority and the NSW Government is investing $87 million over three years in new suicide prevention initiatives.

If you, or someone you know, is thinking about suicide or experiencing a personal crisis or distress, please seek help immediately by calling 000 or one of these services:

• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
• NSW Mental Health Line 1800 011 511