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We’re delighted our Annual Report has been awarded GOLD in the 2024 Australasian Reporting Awards (ARAs).

The awards recognise excellence in reporting and transparent, balanced communications benchmarked against world best practice criteria.

Focused on Better health through partnerships and prevention, the report highlights our work with communities and 140+ organisations to deliver innovative health and social care solutions.

Merri Health Marketing and Communications Manager said, “We’re thrilled to be recognised for authentic, transparent reporting and to highlight the innovative programs and life-changing health outcomes for people in our communities.”

The national awards were announced at the 74th ARA awards in Sydney last night.

This is our second consecutive ARA gold award.

Read our 2023 Annual Report here and stay tuned for the 2024 report!

Waiting for services gets harder as we age and can have a domino effect on other important aspects of healthy living and ageing, like mental health.

Today we welcomed over 30 aged care professionals and consumers at our forum in partnership with the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration (MARC) to research the evidence and impacts of waiting for services for older people.

Two of our consumers shared their experiences at the forum and participants workshopped ideas for solutions. 

Led by the National Ageing Research Institute, MARC is collaboration between health, research, aged care and advocacy organisations. It aims to provide practical, innovative solutions to urgent issues affecting older people, their carers and health professionals.

Last year we collaborated with MARC to develop a new training resource to help aged care staff recognise the signs of prolonged grief disorder, which affects 21% of bereaved older people. Part of the PG65+ project, it features 10 micro-learning lessons. It is available on the EdApp mobile app. Survey results show staff increased their knowledge and confidence to support adults with prolonged grief disorder, and that the app is user-friendly.

We look forward to continuing to work closely with the National Ageing Research Institute and the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration, and to sharing the outcomes of the forum. 

Part of the Merri Health’s work in overseeing a successful refurbishment is to engage with relevant stakeholders as they are the experts in their field. What we did at our Glenroy site is work with the teams on an appropriate colour palette that are more dementia and vision-impaired friendly.

Through talking with the teams at our Glenroy site we learnt that dementia clients have difficulty with navigating depth, and this can prove problematic in bathrooms. A solution to this is a different colour toilet seat to that of the actual toilet, with blue being the most popular of colour. 

 We used this as an opportunity to change the seats at both the sites that operate Social Support Programs, and the staff at Glenroy and Moreland Road have been very appreciative of this small but useful change.

It was zoo-rific to join more than 150 kids yesterday as they got free dental check-ups from our friendly Smile Squad team and enjoyed interactive oral health themed activities with Dental Health Services Victoria at Melbourne Zoo.

For one day only this school holidays kids had the unique opportunity to learn more about the importance of good oral health while enjoying the wonders of the Zoo.

Merri Health is delivering free dental care to primary and secondary school kids in Merri-bek as part of Smile Squad, a Victorian Government program led by Dental Health Services Victoria and the Department of Health.

Over 2,900 children from across 17 different schools in Merri-bek and beyond have received dental checks ups and treatment from Merri Health’s Smile Squad since the program launched in July 2022.

During COVID-19, many children and families were unable to access dental appointments, resulting in children now presenting with more dental issues.

Smile Squad is helping to address this gap, taking dental care direct to schools. It’s a fantastic partnership between Dental Health Services Victoria and community health that benefits communities and schools across the state.

All government primary and secondary schools in Merri-bek have access to Smile Squad – all they have to do is sign up.

Find out more here.

People in Merri Bek who are living with Parkinson’s and their carers can now get support through our Parkinson’s Disease Group.

It is the only group of its kind in the North, North-Eastern, and Western metro regions of Melbourne that spans private, public and community health sectors. 

An estimated four in 1,000 people (or one in 100 people aged 65+ live with Parkinson’s disease in Australia.

The clinic includes specialist sessions with a range of health professionals working together to support common challenges from Parkinson’s disease, such as communication, mobility, swallowing, nutrition, foot complaints, and independence.

It aims to support community members with Parkinson’s to better manage their conditions, improve their quality of life, and connect with others who also live with Parkinson’s. Participants tell us the group is beneficial and informative, and that they’re enjoying the social connections. 

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new Well @ Home health service, proving more clinical care and choice for people with a Home Care Package (HCP).

People with a HCP can get fast access to health services with support tailored to individual needs, in their homes or at our Bell Street, Fawkner or Glenroy sites. 

Support includes: 

• Exercise services
• Nursing
• Nutrition
• Occupational therapy
• Podiatry and more!

We will support people to live at home safely, healthily and happily so they can continue to do the things they love.

To find out how we can support you, a family member, a loved one or client visit our website page, call 03 9319 9406 or email [email protected]

Patient-centred care is at the heart of what we do! We’re proud to share results from the 2023 Victorian Health Engagement Survey.

Conducted on behalf of the Victorian Department of Health, the state-wide independent research provides valuable data on people’s experiences with community health centres. 

Merri Health outperformed the state average in more than 76% of questions!  Thank you to the 182 clients who took part. 

182 clients participated in the VHES survey with a response rate of 11%. We use the results to gain a better understanding of our client views and where we can improve.

The 2024 VHES survey runs later this month. 

2023 survey highlights included:

• 92% felt that staff based their care on what was important to them, 3.7% higher than the Victorian average
• 94.1% felt they were treated with respect and dignity, 0.1% higher than average
• 97.7% felt safe while visiting or being visited by us, 1.5% higher than average
• 86% felt they were listened to and understood by staff, 2.7% higher average
• 86.2% were involved as much as they wanted to be in making decisions about their care, 6.8% higher than average
• 76% said we arranged support if they needed help communicating or understanding English, 7.6% higher than average

The results also highlighted two key areas for improvement:

1. awareness of feedback options and 2. appointment availability for some aged care services, a trend throughout Victoria.

In response Merri Health are continuing to assess client appointments on individual needs, looking at ways to reduce wait times and appointing a new Project Coordinator in this area. We have also installed new signs to ensure our community knows how to give us feedback. 

VHES Survey 2024

The Victorian Department of Health will once again run a VHES survey in April 2024 encouraging clients to share their experience with Merri Health and other community health services during January and February this year.

Merri Health clients were contacted last month, informed of the survey and invited to participate. Participation is voluntary. Encourage your clients to participate if possible!

Once again this year, children will be represented in the survey with a dedicated section of questions intended to capture the “Voice of the child” in those aged under sixteen. To ensure valid consent is obtained, the survey is provided to a parent or guardian to complete with the child or on their behalf. 

Below is a list of services that were the focus for the survey and were in scope:

1. Aged care services (excluding residential care)
2. Allied health and diabetes education 
3. Community health nurses
4. Complex care and chronic disease care
5. Counselling
6. Dental services
7. HACC-PYP
8. Paediatric, early intervention and child health services 

On Wednesday 20th March, several carers attended the Art for Fun workshop at Sussex Neighbourhood House in Pascoe Vale.

Led by experienced Multimedia Artist Deb Gidley, the session provided participants with art materials to create their own unique pieces, which they took home afterward.

The experience was cathartic for carers, many of whom had not participated in an art class for many years. Beyond the creative activity, they appreciated the opportunity to connect with fellow carers, socialise, and enjoy a meal together.

Sandra Leone, Community Engagement Advisor at Merri Health Carer Services who organised the event, stated the day was relaxed and full of laughter. People were calm and happy, letting themselves get fully emersed in their creative work.

It was great to see the smiling faces and the encouragement they all gave each other.

The event was a great success, and the Community Engagement team looks forward to offering more creative opportunities for carers in the future.

People over 65 are set to benefit from increased mental health support through our Stepped Care for Older Adults (SCOA) program. 

SCOA is a free tailored mental health program to help older adults meet their mental health and wellbeing goals. 

We support people with mild to moderate mental illness, and/or who are at risk of social isolation and loneliness. 

Bernie, SCOA client said “Don’t give up! If you recognise that you have a problem, don’t bottle it up. Go and see a health professional, there is plenty of help out there.”

The program has had some great success since it began in 2019 including: 

• 80% of clients reported reduced loneliness
• 128 clients supported 
• increased access for clients with mobility and transport access through home visits
• welcomed the Minister for Mental Health Gabrielle Williams MP to meet staff and clients

SCOA has been extended for a further 12 months thanks to our funding partner North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network. 

Nerissa O’Keefe, Team Leader, SCOA said, “With the increase of prevalence of loneliness amongst older adults nationwide, the SCOA program will continue to work towards addressing this need.

We are currently working on building our presence in the Western Metropolitan Region, in order to support older adults located in these areas.

We are looking forward to continuing to break down barriers, increase social connection and addressing mental health needs of older adults in the community.”

If you need a little extra support, or know someone who does, please call us on 1300 637 744, email [email protected] or visit our website page for more information.