Western Health’s committed Allied Health professionals wore a bow tie on Tuesday 18 September to signify how important their role is in “tying it all together” so that patients receive comprehensive care within the health service and out into the community.
Western Health is celebrating Allied Health Week, 17–23 September 2018, to help raise awareness of the valuable services – from paediatrics through to geriatrics – that its 450 plus Allied Health professionals deliver at its sites and in the community.
They work together, and with Allied Health assistants, across specialisations that include nutrition, audiology, physiotherapy, speech pathology, social work, language services, occupational therapy, podiatry, pastoral care and psychology.
Senior Clinician Physiotherapist at Western Health, Clare Holdsworth, said: “We are the ‘can do’ people, and pride ourselves on how we work together to provide the best possible care for our patients and their families.
“It’s incredibly rewarding work, and that moment when you help a patient stand up for the first time after a prolonged illness is so special,” she said of her work in the Intensive Care Unit.
“As key members of a multi-disciplinary team, we are experts at identifying risks and implementing solutions that will help patients get back to living as safe, healthy and meaningful lives as possible.
“Our diverse group of skilled professionals assesses and manages the consequences of illness and disability on a daily basis. This includes managing often very complex discharges from hospital, working with patients and families to help them achieve their goals.”
At Western Health, Allied Health services are provided in the emergency department, in inpatient acute and subacute wards, and the community.
In the past year Allied Health professionals at Western Health have:
provided a huge 210,583 occasions of service to inpatients and 44,000 to outpatients
provided 47,232 interpreter services to our highly culturally diverse patients
completed around 150 research publications and presentations.
For more information about the Allied Health services we provide at Western Health see Allied Health. Also see our Facebook page to read about how our Allied Health professionals are helping people in our community every day.
Photo credit: Brimbank Star Weekly
