Allied Health


Judy Holland
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.

 

 


Kellie Goldsworthy
Director 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

Speech therapists manage patients referred for acute swallowing and communication problems. Patients are referred for future management to community agencies where appropriate, in a collaborative approach.

Speech pathology provides staff, patient and families with a range of education and training activities for common speech pathology issues. The department often partners with Radiation Oncology to conduct modified Barium Swallow procedures for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Our Research Priorities:

  • Head and neck cancer clinical trials
  • Models of care for tracheostomy care

Tricia Potter
Speech Pathologist in Charge


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

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