The Royal Melbourne Hospital

You might recognise Safwan in his red RMH volunteer shirt, but soon you’ll see him in our navy scrubs when he starts as a medical intern in January! 🩺 He joined the RMH as a volunteer during his fourth year of studying medicine at Monash University, and despite it being the most “intense“ year for his degree, Safwan says his volunteer shifts provided “a sense of purpose, and a respite from the stresses of life.“ “Volunteering has taught me that showing up for someone – without judgement, without expectation - can mean more than we’ll ever realise“ 💙 Congratulations, Safwan - we can’t wait to see what you achieve next!

We’re joining forces with Austin Health to launch Victoria’s first Virtual Hospital Pilot program – providing greater access to specialist care for all Victorians. Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas MP visited the RMH today to announce the exciting initiative, which means that patients can access expert care from the comfort of their own homes or local hospitals, including from regional settings. New initiatives include: 🫀 A virtual ward for patients with heart failure and after cardiac surgey 🩺 Virtual ward rounds for regional neurology and haematology patients 🍼 A virtual foetal monitoring service, delivered in partnership with The Royal Women's Hospital Discover more on our website: https://lnkd.in/gPZsqKUV

A big shout out to the RMH Mental Health Services team, who have recently been out and about raising awareness on their life saving work and building connections to improve industry practice 🗣 The Mental Health Services team is dedicated to providing person-centred, recovery-oriented care for adults and older adults facing serious mental health challenges. Our skilled clinicians and lived experience experts work together to offer trauma-informed, evidence-based support. In their practice, the Mental Health Services team is committed to holistic treatment that champions the voices of patients and consumers, includes their family and carers, and fosters strong partnerships with community and academic organisations. This team is proud to be shaping the future of mental health care in Victoria! 💚

A-grade for our Emergency Department (ED)! 🏅 Improvements to access and flow at the RMH have been recognised with the organisation achieving an A-grade for the Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care standards. After the launch of the standards, the RMH Emergency Department increased its cubicle capacity, reallocating clinical resources and implementing a new escalation process. This process aims to eliminate instances where patients have to wait more than two hours on ambulance trolleys. In Q4 2024/25, the RMH was the best-performing tertiary hospital in Victoria, reducing the percentage of ambulance transfers that took more than two hours from 23% to 0.18%. Jackie McLeod, Chief Operating Officer at the RMH, reflects on what this means for our patients: “They are receiving more timely and safer access to emergency care. For instance, last year the RMH released 2,582 hours of ambulance availability back to our community.” Congratulations and thank you to the ED for leading this change! 💙🏥

Today is UN World Mental Health Day, and we are excited to share that Professor Christopher Davey, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Research at the Royal Melbourne Hospital Mental Health Services, will be leading a new National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence for Next Generation Treatments for Mood Disorders. 🧠 Together with experts from The Florey, Black Dog Institute and University of Sydney, the Centre will explore the use of ketamine as a safe and accessible treatment option for difficult-to-treat depression. Professor Davey says despite ketamine offering rapid onset of relief for difficult-to-treat depression, there are still many questions to answer about how to integrate it into clinical care and make it available to people who can’t afford expensive private care options: “Our CRE will directly address these questions to improve access to the many people in the community with severe depression that hasn’t responded to first-line treatments.“

🌟 Happy Emergency Nurses Day! 🧑🏻⚕️ Today, we take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible emergency nurses at the RMH. Your dedication, compassion, and expertise shine brightly in the most challenging circumstances.   Emergency nurses have been instrumental to the RMH's legacy since the very beginning of our history, laying a strong foundation for the exceptional care we provide today.   In the high-pressure environment of the RMH Emergency Department, you provide critical care and support to patients and their families during some of their most vulnerable moments. Your ability to assess, prioritise, and deliver care efficiently not only saves lives but also brings comfort to those in distress and your frontline colleagues.   We celebrate your resilience, teamwork, and unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of our community. Thank you for your hard work and for being the backbone of our emergency response 💙👏 #EmergencyNursesDay

Dear diary… what are my allergies like today? 📚🍃 A new research trial that combines a blood test and a digital diary to track symptoms could be the answer to uncovering the risk of experiencing thunderstorm asthma. Led by the University of Melbourne in partnership with the RMH, the trial hopes to identify risk indicators - or biomarkers - in people who suffer from springtime allergies, such as hay fever. Thunderstorm asthma, together with seasonal allergies and asthma, continues to be of serious public health concern in Australia, with increased emergency asthma presentations due to ryegrass pollen during spring. But did you know two-thirds of people who present to hospital for thunderstorm asthma-related emergencies are unaware that they had asthma? Professor Jo Douglass, the RMH’s Executive Director of Research and lead investigator, says: “Identifying biomarkers of asthma risk for the one-in-five people who suffer from hay fever will enable doctors to direct asthma care to those most at risk of asthma and hopefully prevent springtime asthma flareups.” Jo and patient Liz recently shared the news on ABC News Breakfast. Liz, who has suffered two asthma attacks in her lifetime, reminded the community to take their symptoms seriously and always be prepared. The CARISTA study will follow 530 people in southeast Australia, who are aged 18 to 70 and suffer from hay fever, over two years. For more information or to see if you’re eligible, visit https://lnkd.in/g3_Q7J8p

*Tram works alert!* ⚠️ Victoria and Elizabeth streets from October 6th to 27th ⚠️ If you are visiting the RMH within the next 20 days, or it's your regular commute route to work, we recommend planning your journey ahead of time. Major 24-hour tram works will affect services along Elizabeth Street and parts of Victoria Street. Roads may also be busier. Please allow extra travel time to adjust to the changes. Find out more about the road works and alternative options at https://lnkd.in/guAqhSCn

Happy 50 years at the RMH Kerrie! Kerrie joined us in 1975 as an enrolled nurse before moving to her current role as a ward clerk for the neurosurgical team in 1983. And she's never looked back since! In her years at the RMH she has seen a lot of change, but one things stayed the same - Kerrie loved the camaraderie on the ward and the people she has worked with. Thank you Kerrie for your dedication and congratulations on this milestone!

For 35 years, Dr Mike has treated our patients with a smile. Dr Mike started his career as an aged care trainee registrar in 1983. Then he completed his basic geriatric nursing course at Mount Royal, and advanced training at the Kingston Centre before starting at the RMH in 1990. As geriatrician, his philosophy is to help patients optimise function and give them support that will benefit their daily life. Dr Mike’s medical interest is in the bladder, what he calls a “non-glamorous area of medicine”, but one that can make huge difference and “shine a light at the end of the tunnel.“ In particular, he conducts clinical work in collaboration with one of our physiotherapists, Wendy, working with those suffering from nocturia - the need to wake up throughout the night to urinate. Dr Mike says “I am so grateful that we have been continually supported in advancing our urodynamic service. My favourite memories are working with like-minded people with great aspirations.“ Congratulations and thank you for your service to the RMH!