Local nurse takes home Celebrating Aged Care award

Faye Hancock, saw a problem and so, set about implementing a solution. This is what she does and is why the enrolled nurse from Gippsland Southern Health Service’s Koorooman House aged care facility was today announced as the winner of the Celebrating Aged Care Passion for Aged Care Award.

The incidence of skin tears and pressure injuries increases with age and can be a serious issue for older adults, with potentially debilitating effects.

Vicki Farthing, Executive Director of Nursing at Gippsland Southern Health Service, says Faye’s concern for residents, combined with her professionalism and initiative resulted in the implementation of a new work practice that speeds up clinical review of wounds and is resulting in improved outcomes for residents.

‘Faye noticed that residents within the facilities with wounds were sometimes having to wait for the wound specialist’s visit; she took the initiative to implement a new practice that means we have almost immediate response from the specialist.’

Faye takes a picture of the wound on a mobile table and sends those images to the wound specialists. She acts as the liaison between the wound specialist and clinical staff, feeding advice back to colleagues to speed up treatment and reducing the need for specialists to travel to review the wound.

‘Her can do attitude inspires others to do their best,’ says Vicki.

Winners of the Celebrating Aged Care Awards were announced at an event in Melbourne co-hosted by the Victorian Healthcare Association and the Public Sector Residential Aged Care Committee.

Tom Symondson, Chief Executive of the VHA, which is the peak body for public hospitals in Victoria, says a core strength of Victoria’s public healthcare sector is the passion of staff.

‘’The staff in our public aged care facilities do an incredible job to deliver an incredibly high level of care for but it is a tough job, both physically and emotionally, and despite that many, like Faye, go above and beyond each and every day.’

This year Celebrating Aged Care Week will be held from 10-15 September, acknowledging the enormous contributions of Victoria’s thousands of public sector aged care workers. Around 15 per cent of all residential aged care in Victoria is delivered by the public sector, making it unique in Australia.

The Celebrating Aged Care Week campaign has been running since 2012.

For more information on Celebrating Aged Care Week, visit http://agedcareleadership.org.au/