#CEOdesk

Yesterday we introduced a new online education and training platform available free of charge to health professionals and their support staff in our region. Your Practice Portal provides unlimited access to a wide range of eLearning modules, live and on-demand webinars, and resources.

We are pleased to announce that Neami National will operate the Penrith Adult Mental Health Centre, now called Penrith Head to Health, which is due to open in December 2021.

Last week, we celebrated National Reconciliation Week with a special event that included neighbouring organisations in our building. It was a chance for us to come together as a community to listen, learn, understand and further our journey towards reconciliation.

This week is Wound Awareness Week. Nearly half a million Australians suffer from chronic wounds each year, with most of those caused by pressure injuries. People with chronic diseases such as diabetes and those over 65+years are most at risk.

We are delighted to announce that headspace Katoomba is now open with a new bright and welcoming premises on Waratah Street in Katoomba.

This vital service will provide early intervention support to local young people aged 12-25 years and their families across mental health, work and study, and alcohol and other drugs.

We welcomed the opportunity to respond to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. 

Our region was one of many to be affected by the 2019-20 ‘Black Summer’ bushfires that tore through homes, businesses and communities. 

This year has certainly taken some unexpected twists and turns. We have found ourselves playing a pivotal role in coordinating communications and integration between the primary and acute care health systems, enabling us to help manage the medical response in our region during the pandemic.

We are urging anyone who visited the Crossroads Hotel or Planet Fitness in Casula, the Picton Hotel in Picton, or any other identified locations during the designated dates, to get tested for COVID-19 in line with NSW Government recommendations. We particularly encourage people in the upper Blue Mountains, who are experiencing even mild COVID-like symptoms to come forward for testing following four confirmed cases associated with the Crossroads Cluster. 

The region’s second GP-led COVID-19 Respiratory Clinic opens today in Hazelbrook.

Like the GP Respiratory Clinic that opened at the Homemaker Centre in Penrith last month, this service will assess people with mild to moderate respiratory symptoms such as a sore throat, cough and shortness of breath and offer testing for COVID-19.

We welcome Federal Government’s announcement yesterday of $76 million for mental health support in response to the current bushfire crisis.

Bushfires have directly impacted our region, particularly in the areas of Lithgow and the Hawkesbury, with early indications that as many as 100 houses may have been lost, with possibly a further 40 damaged and over 300 other structures destroyed or damaged.

It has been another busy and exciting year for us as we support quality primary care, commission valuable services and facilitate more integrated care in our region.

This year has been a rewarding year for all at Wentworth Healthcare, we were pleased to commission a variety of new services to address unmet community needs.

Our organisation has always had a strong commitment to supporting the local Aboriginal community, which is encapsulated in our Reconciliation Action Plan that we launched earlier this year.

The voice of this community is an important one, and helps us to shape how our services are designed so they culturally appropriate.

October is Mental Health Awareness Month and a reminder to all of us to take steps to look after our mental health.

Mental ill health, just like physical ill health, can effect anyone at any time. It does not discriminate. Daily life stressors or big life events such as becoming a parent, moving countries, ending a relationship, losing a loved one or experiencing a natural disaster - such as our current prolonged drought - any of these circumstances could overwhelm any one of us.

On Friday night, we were thrilled to win the Award for ‘Innovation’ in the Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence (WSABE) for the development of our NDIS Support Calculator.

The NDIS Support Calculator is a free online tool that helps people with disabilities better understand what they could be eligible for under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). 

Last Wednesday we were honoured to host The Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health and the Federal Member for Lindsay, Melissa McIntosh MP at our office.

Essential to what we do as a regional health planning and funding body, is knowing our region and understanding the primary healthcare needs of our community. This visit was an opportunity for us to not only showcase some our work but to advocate for the health needs of our region, particularly in regards to mental health and addiction support.

On Saturday, 17 August we held our first Conference - Rethinking Mental Health: New Approaches in Primary Care.

Held in the Blue Mountains, the conference brought together experts from around Australia to provide new insights on the impact of mental illness in our region and talk about new ways to manage mental health in primary care.

I am pleased to welcome Dr Tony Rombola as the new Chair of the Wentworth Healthcare Board.

In November our previous Chair, Dr Andrew Knight, will have served his maximum term as a Director and will be leaving our Board after a seven year tenure. This change of responsibility prior to Andrew's departure will allow Tony to have a smooth transition and a comprehensive handover. I would like to thank Andrew for his vision and leadership as Chair and for his support for me as CEO.

Last week, in recognition of Reconciliation week, we were proud to officially launch our first Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This RAP formalises our vision to improve the health of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people and embed their community needs into our everyday business and culture.

“Reconciliation” is not just a word - it is a process that requires a change of culture and positive action. It is an ongoing journey. Whether we’re engaging in challenging conversations or unlearning and relearning what we know, this journey requires all of us to walk together with courage.

On Tuesday, the Hon Marise Payne, Senator for Western Sydney, and Sarah Richards, Liberal candidate for the seat of Macquarie, announced that the Morrison Government will fund a new headspace service in Katoomba.

Together with the community, we have been advocating for additional youth mental health services in our region for some time and we are thrilled that Katoomba will receive a headspace service in mid-2020 to help address youth anxiety and depression.