2024 PCV Summit - Speaker bios & abstracts

Abstract

Palliative Care Victoria (PCV) is committed to strengthening the engagement, recognition and involvement of palliative care volunteers in Victoria. PCV is dedicated to fortifying their contributions and recognising the pivotal role undertaken by leaders of volunteers.

This presentation delves into the outcomes of the latest survey conducted within the PCV Managers of Palliative Care Volunteers network, offering a snapshot of the current landscape of palliative care volunteering in Victoria.

A comparative analysis with data from the 2016/2017 survey highlights the evolution and changes within the sector. The gathered insights and identified action areas will shape PCV’s volunteering priorities for the next 2-3 years, informing strategic initiatives aimed at bolstering palliative care volunteering throughout the state. This data-driven approach ensures that PCV can concentrate efforts on impactful, state-wide activities, effectively addressing priorities and contributing significantly to the advancement of palliative care volunteering.

Bio

Heike Fleischmann is a highly skilled trainer and manager with over 10 years of experience in the disability and palliative care sector. She joined the Palliative Care Victoria team in 2018 as the Volunteer Engagement & Capacity Building Manager.

Through her volunteering with her local hospital and Zonta, she became a strong advocate for the volunteering sector, women, people with a disability and people experiencing homelessness.

Abstract

The evolving diversity of our community requires the palliative care sector to embed systematic and sustained strategies for inclusive and responsive service provision. For many years Palliative Care Victoria has tackled this challenge head on.

This unwavering commitment to raising the profile of palliative care among diverse communities has led to a successful series of co-designed community engagement projects and to embedding an inclusive approach at the heart of the organisation.

This presentation provides an overview of how PCV engages with diverse communities to introduce conversations about palliative care, build capacity within those communities and improve access to palliative care services.  A range of case-studies will illustrate the outcomes of this collaborative work.

Bio

As Community Engagement Manager at Palliative Care Victoria, Tonina is responsible for leading PCV's diversity inclusive and responsive initiatives. Her work involves collaborating with community leaders and organisations representing marginalised and vulnerable populations to promote palliative care services and improve access to end of life care.

Tonina joined the PCV team in 2023, bringing with her over 30 years' experience working with multicultural multifaith communities as a researcher, trainer and advocate.

Peter is a recipient of the Premier's Award for translating evidence into practice and a USA Fulbright scholar. Peter has a particular interest in research that improves the wellbeing of people living with serious illness and their family carers.

Abstract

A healthy workplace culture offers a myriad of benefits, significantly impacting both employee well-being and organisational success. It fosters an environment where employees feel valued, respected, and engaged, leading to higher job satisfaction and reduced turnover rates. Such a culture encourages open communication, collaboration, and inclusivity, enabling teams to work more effectively and innovate, which in turn drives productivity and business outcomes. But how do you get there? We’ve all worked at workplace that have not met the criteria for a health culture.

Developing a healthy workplace culture requires intentional effort and commitment from everyone in the team. It starts with clearly defining the organisation's values and ensuring they are integrated into every aspect of the workplace, from hiring practices to daily operations to planning to support staff engagement and turnover. We are all role models for culture. Feedback and open lines of communication are crucial, allowing employees to feel heard and involved in decision-making processes. Recognizing and rewarding employees' contributions also plays a vital role, as it boosts morale and motivates continued excellence. Lastly, prioritizing employee well-being through supportive policies and resources underscores an organisation's commitment to a healthy culture. Practical steps to evaluate, plan and develop a workplace culture will be discussed.

Bio

Adjunct Assoc Professor Kelly Rogerson stands out as an influential leader whose extensive career spans over two decades in healthcare, as a registered nurse. Her presentation today draws on her profound experience in steering organisational transformations and enhancing operational efficiencies.

Kelly, who holds an MBA and a Masters in Nursing is recognised for her strategic foresight and adeptness in nurturing high-performing teams. Throughout her distinguished career, which has evolved from critical care nursing, project management to executive leadership, she has championed the execution of pivotal projects and fostered strategic alliances, propelling organisations to success.

Kelly's dedication to community upliftment is evident in her active engagement with mentorship programs and local non-profits, underscoring her commitment to societal betterment. Her insights today are not just reflections of her business acumen but also her profound dedication to fostering positive change, both within organisations and the wider community.

Her advocacy for creating empowering, inclusive workplaces is her passion and had been illustrated in previous roles such as Director of Nursing (Jessie McPherson Private hospital) General Manager Specialty Medicine, Cancer and Critical Care (Monash Health), Director of Nursing and Operations (Donate Life Victoria) , She is current the CEO of Palliative Care South East and Board Chair of Palliative Care Victoria.

Abstract

In late 2022, members of the Community Palliative Care CEOs Forum identified an opportunity to strengthen communication and share ideas and innovations around the standardisation of delivery of clinical care in community settings.  In response, it was agreed to establish a Community Palliative Care Clinical Managers Forum.  Originally limited to metropolitan community palliative care managers, promotion of the Forum via the Victorian Palliative Care Consortium saw membership expand 2023 to include representation from across the Victoria.

The purpose of the Community Palliative Care Clinical Managers Forum is to utilise best practice evidence and research to explore, identify and agree opportunities to standardise community palliative care systems and processes and strengthen communication and collaboration between organisations. 

In early 2023, Forum members identified workforce capacity and competency in community palliative care as a key issue and area for discussion and development.   Two discipline specific working groups were established and Allied Health and Nursing Novice to Advanced Practice frameworks have been developed and are in their final iteration. 

The eight Victorian Palliative Care Consortia have been instrumental in bringing together and supporting the clinical managers from across Victoria to be part of this Forum and support improvement initiatives including the Novice to Advanced Practice Frameworks for clinicians providing community palliative care.

This presentation describes the development approach adopted by the working groups and presents an overview of the tools which provide community palliative care services with a robust framework for recruitment, retention and capacity building as well as making community palliative care a sector of employment choice for health professionals.

Tania KingTania King, BA Soc. Sci, MA Counselling, is the General Manager of Allied Health and Volunteer Services at Eastern Palliative Care.  A passionate advocate for mental health, both for clients and workforce, her career to date spans across various not for profit organisations, including cancer support, cemeteries and crematoria, homelessness, family violence, mental health crisis support and palliative care.   Currently, Tania is working alongside senior leaders to implement value based health care models of care across EPC with aims to expand reach to the community, patient driven outcomes, improve workforce satisfaction and promote agility and sustainability in an ever changing environment.

Annie JorgensenAnnie is a Clinical nurse specialist and the current clinical manager of Goulburn Valley Hospice Care Service in Shepparton, Victoria. Annie transitioned from a busy acute ward setting to a more autonomously challenging community palliative care role 5 years ago. Annie continued to follow her passion to ensure all people have equal access and choice to specialist palliative care in the community setting, where client’s choices and wishes are supported and respected. To further support her specialist role, Annie has completed post graduate studies with a Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care. Annie has interests in continued improvement in client focused multidisciplinary care and symptom management for Palliative clients and families. Annie received the Emerging leader award in at the National Palliative Care Awards in 2023.

Nicole SpinaNicole Spina is a Registered Nurse who works at Melbourne City Mission Palliative Care as the Coordinator of Nursing. Nicole has worked in palliative care in a variety of settings in both community palliative care and inpatient palliative care units for over 20 years. Nicole has worked in various roles, including nursing, education and leadership and has a passion for supporting clients to die in their place of preference. Nicole has completed her post graduate studies with a Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care. Nicole has a keen interest in seeking ways to recruit and support staff from other areas of nursing who want to transition into specialist palliative care.

Lucy RoddaLucy is an Occupational Therapist and has been practicing for nearly 20 years. She has worked across the continuum of care within the public health system in metropolitan, regional and international services.

She has had experience with the development of new programs and projects roles. She has worked in within regional palliative care services for the past 6 years, and is currently in an allied health lead role within the Loddon Mallee Regional Specialist Palliative Care Consultancy Service.