News

Accolades for MBH Mental Health services

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 03:44:00

A collaborative program that’s ensuring more integrated services for people with mental illness and drug and alcohol problems has won Mildura Base Hospital’s top staff accolade for 2019.

The program developed by MBH Mental Health Services called “Dual Diagnosis: The Journey, not the Destination” received the top hospital-wide award, the MBH Quality Award.
Mental Health clinicians Jill Gleeson and Kel Robertson developed the program, which has now been rolled out to more than 150 professionals working in mental health and alcohol and drug and other support services across Mildura.
“Our goal was to come up with a workforce development strategy that wasn’t just for our teams here at MBH, but to improve the collaboration with other service providers like Sunraysia Community Health, Mallee Family Care, Mallee Accommodation and Support Program, Mallee District Aboriginal Services and other support services,” Ms Gleeson said.
“People with dual diagnosis have both mental illness and drug and alcohol problems and disorders, and that adds complexity to assessment, diagnosis, treatment and recovery,” she said.
“We know that the more collaboration we have as service providers and clinicians, the better the outcomes are for our clients.
“The program was voluntary, but to have so many people take it up has been fantastic – and it’s certainly gone a long way to building the formal and informal relationships between agencies and clinicians and improving the quality of care as a result.”
The award was presented at the MBH Quality Awards ceremony this week.  The Awards also recognise the hospital’s Employees of the Year, who are selected through peer nomination.
The Clinical Employee of the Year was also from Mental Health Services, popular and long-serving nurse, Jason Thompson.
MBH Director of Mental Health Services David Kirby said Mr Thompson’s nomination was made by community members who are the parents of a client of Mental Health Services.
“The nomination recognised Jason for both his professionalism and compassion in his support as caseworker in the treatment of the couple’s son,” Mr Kirby said.
“Their son has received care in mental health services and hospitals all around the country since his teens, but the family’s letter said that nowhere had he received the degree of care and assistance provided by Jason,” he said.
“I am proud that this is the case for this patient, but I am also proud to say that’s the experience of every person coming under Jason’s care – he’s an exceptional clinician, thorough, caring and professional in every aspect of his job.”
Support Staff Employee of the Year was popular and multi-skilled administrative professional, Anna Compt.
“Anna is in our Library, Information Support and Performance Improvement area, which is a wide brief, but she’s also our go-to person for just about every administrative task, service or problem we run into,” said MBH CEO Adam Stevenson.
“Anna is always helpful, has a can do attitude, and is always solution focussed - a thoroughly deserving winner of this award,” he said.
The awards also recognised the hospital’s Preceptor of the Year (Maddy Toms), Graduate of the Year (James Philip) and Future Leader (Carly Batson).
The Quality Awards recognise the hospital’s top achievers in quality-improvement activities each year.
“There are individuals and teams across the hospital who are dedicated to not just doing their jobs well, but also constantly reviewing ways to streamline and improve current processes, striving to ensure we achieve excellent outcomes for all of our patients,” Mr Stevenson said.
“That’s something to be proud of as a hospital, but also as a community.”

Pictured: MBH Director of Mental Health Services David Kirby; Anna Compt (Employee of the Year – Support Staff); MBH CEO Adam Stevenson; Jill Gleeson (who was one of the developers of the award winning Mental Health project - absent Kel Robertson); Preceptor of the Year Maddy Toms and MBH Director of Nursing Janet Hicks.Absent were Jason Thompson (Clinical Employee of the Year); James Philip (Graduate of the Year) and Carly Batson (Future Leader).