Respiratory and Medical Services

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44 North – Respiratory Unit:  Monash Medical Centre, Clayton

Ward 44 North is renowned throughout Australia as leading the way in Respiratory Medicine and is linked in with Respiratory Research to improve the management of respiratory disease.  It is an adult unit with combined Respiratory and General Medical patients.  A 4 bed High Dependency Unit provides care for patients with acute respiratory conditions, which may have otherwise required ICU admission. This care is provided utilising our cardiac monitoring equipment, non-invasive ventilators and associated equipment along with a dedicated team of nursing, medical and allied health staff.

We also specialise in the care of patients with Cystic Fibrosis who now have a pathway developed to assist them to manage their conditions uitlising the services of Hospital in the Home.

44 North offers a holistic approach to care and has a specialised team to provide the highest standard of care, with the best possible outcomes.

44 South:  Monash Medical Centre, Clayton

44 South is a busy acute adult medicine unit offering exposure to a wide variety of medical specialties such as general medicine, infectious diseases, haematology, dermatology, rheumatology and endocrine conditions. The care is provided by a dedicated team of nursing, medical and allied health staff.             Clinical links are in place with various external health care providers such as Hospital In The Home (HITH) to facilitate a seamless transition from the acute care setting to home or other health care facility.

Many of the patients cared for within the unit have multiple co-morbidities which require a multidisciplinary approach, and a high level of nursing care to ensure optimal outcomes for the patients and their families.
           
32 North – Gastroenterology:  Monash Medical Centre, Clayton

Ward 32 North provides gastroenterology medical and surgical management for patients with gastro-intestinal cancer and/or palliative care needs, chronic/benign disease and/or requiring nutritional management. Two negative pressure rooms situated in the ward provide isolation for patients with infectious diseases.   The ward is staff and family friendly with dedicated rooms for activities including nursing handover, in-services, ward meetings and relaxing. Relatives can also relax in their own private area - a comfortably fitted room situated adjacent to the ward.

33 South - Acute Medical Care Unit (AMCU):  Monash Medical Centre, Clayton

Opened in 2003 to decrease length of stay for general medical patients the Acute Medical Care Unit is a recently renovated 26 bed short stay medical ward with a target length of stay of less than 5 days duration. Patients are generally admitted via the Emergency Department with a diverse range of medical conditions, however we also admit short stay patients from a range of surgical and medical specialities. The unit is a very busy with high patient turnover; quality achievement is a high focus for the unit.

West 4:   Dandenong Hospital

West 4 is an adult medical ward which specialises in respiratory, endocrine and positive ageing initiatives.  We are working towards increasing the acuity of patients with the introduction of ward based respiratory support interventions such as BiPAP. The team carries out their care combining primary nursing with team nursing.   

South West 4:   Dandenong Hospital

South West 4 is a new acute adult medical ward catering for general medicine (opened in February 2006). We are supported by two medical units - Medical A and RAMS/ Medical D.  RAMS is a Rapid Assessment and Management Service committed to a 48 hour inpatient length of stay, with a number of allocated to clients who fit the short stay criteria.  In this way we safely manage a very large ward. SW4 also provides telemetry reception, allowing our acute coronary clients to be remotely monitored by the coronary care unit. SW4 provides a service for non acute clients and clients being investigated for their medical problems.
           
Ward C – Medical:   Casey Hospital

Ward C is an acute medical ward opened in March 2005, catering for adult inpatients with the ongoing management of their medical conditions. The more common conditions include pneumonia, asthma, tuberculosis, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive airways disease.
There is a strong multidisciplinary approach to care with close management with medical, nursing and allied health teams.  Clinical and operational issues are formally addressed by the team in regular business and nurse meetings.  Each week the medical staff hold general medical meetings which include discussion of clinical audits, case reviews and business meetings.
The layout of the ward is conducive to the collaborative care model (team nursing) and total patient care model. There is a Division 1 and Division 2 nursing staff mix so the collaborative care model ensures the most thorough care is provided to the patient utilising work-sheets that outline the plan of care for the shift.
There is an emphasis on the complete patient journey incorporating family and carer involvement. Participation with care takes place during medical clinical reviews and family meetings with medical and nursing staff and members of the allied health and community teams.  Patients/families and their carers are empowered to participate in the individual care delivered to them. 

Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Unit-

The Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Unit uses machines that provide gold standards in the measurement of body composition. We seek to assess, monitor and maintain adequate nutrition in all patients to world best practice. We have a Parenteral Nutrition (PN) team who run an inpatient PN service which includes a clinical nutrition physician, clinical nutrition registrar, pharmacist, dietitian, and PN nurse.

The nurses role in the Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Unit is varied. Tasks include monitoring admission and inpatients whilst in the unit, performing anthropometry and bio electrical impedance measurements, assisting with the DEXA and body composition reports, attending parenteral nutrition (PN) rounds three times a week and training home PN patients.