Allied Health
Belinda Allen
Physiotherapist in Charge
Patient chronic health conditions are increasingly becoming more complex, particularly in the area of cancer services. Our long-stay patients often require significant rehabilitation in the Physiotherapy Department to improve their mobility.
Our focus includes partnering with consumers and patients on the ward, providing education sessions for cancer patients, falls management strategies, physical recovery for cancer patients both during and after treatment, as well as involvement in quality improvement activities.
Our Research Priorities:
- Exploring models of care to increase patient activity levels whilst admitted to the haematology ward for chemotherapy treatment
- Partnering with patients awaiting gastrointestinal surgery to improve their physical fitness and help improve their post-operative outcomes
- Investigation of pelvic floor exercises performed prior to reversal of stomas improves quality of life and pelvic floor function in gastrointestinal cancer patients, post-surgery
Andrew Wakely
Occupational Therapist in Charge
Occupational therapists assist people who may be limited by the physical or psychological changes of their illness. Our aim is to help patients and their carers achieve optimum safety and independence in activities of necessity or importance to them. By doing so we enable effective, timely and safe discharges from the hospital.
Our Research Priorities:
- Redesigning outpatient models with an aim to keep patients receiving treatment for life threatening illnesses, in their own home environment; thereby preventing a hospital admission or presentation to the Emergency Department.
Julie Steffner
Head of Social Work
Social workers are responsible for attending to the emotional and psychological needs of patients, their carers or families. They work with medical, nursing, allied health and support staff at the hospital to provide a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. The Social Work Department provides a comprehensive service across all inpatient and outpatient clinical areas of the hospital.
Our Research Priorities:
- Distress Screening and Psychosocial Support – initiative for patients undergoing stem cell harvesting autologous transplant
- Caring for the Professional Carers’ Study – looks at the impact of death and dying on all staff caring for patients and families
- Mood Screening – project partnering with stroke patients to identify emotional support needs
Rosemary James
Director of Pharmacy
The Pharmacy provides a comprehensive Level 6 pharmacy service to the hospital and plays an integral role in the facilitation of medication-related research. It is currently actively involved in more than 100 clinical trials.
The Pharmacy maintains its involvement in the National Medication Safety initiatives and participates in the periodic audits initiated by NSW TAG and other groups assessing medication safety. We are currently involved in 10 new quality use of medicines activities, many of them aligned with the national indicators. These in turn provide evidence that demonstrate compliance with the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.
Our Research Priorities:
- Evaluation of the Anti Microbial Stewardship Program
- The Pharmacy Clinical Trials Team partnering with Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Haematology, Neurology, Clinical Toxicology and Mental Health
Elisha Buckman
Speech Pathologist in Charge
Speech pathologists assess and treat patients with swallowing or communication difficulties.
Our focus is to provide a high quality, evidenced based speech pathology service, aligning with best practice guidelines. We work closely with patients, families and staff to support the patient to be an active participant in their care, and advocate for themselves or loved ones. We can suggest strategies and aids to support communication, such as picture communication boards, or work directly with patients and families on specific speech, language or voice goals.
Our caseload is broad, and includes neurology, geriatrics, ICU, and oncology. Often, these patients have difficulties eating and drinking, and can be at risk of aspiration, weight loss or pneumonia. We utilise a variety of strategies and work with allied health, nursing and medical teams to optimise the patient’s safety and comfort whilst eating and drinking. We are an active member of the tracheostomy multidisciplinary team, and conduct instrumental swallowing assessments (Videofluroscopic swallow study (VFSS) and Flexible Endoscopic Swallow Study (FEES).
Our speech pathology team is currently engaged in research in head and neck cancer, and with the ageing population and progressing scope of our practice, hope to expand on this in the future.
Andrew Court
Nutrition and Dietetics Manager
Dietitians are qualified to provide a range of evidenced based nutrition services which include the provision of individual dietary counselling, medical nutrition therapy, group dietary therapy and food service management.
Dietitians interpret the science of nutrition to improve health and treat diseases and conditions. We are responsible for assessing the nutritional needs of patients, planning appropriate diets, and educating patients and families on nutrition care.
Our Research Priorities:
- Nutrition support to improve patient outcomes, treatment tolerance and admission characteristics in oesophageal cancer
- Depression, malnutrition and ECOG status in head and neck cancer radiotherapy patients
- Gastrostomy dependency trends over 15 years for mucosal head and neck cancer