Speakers

Dr Andrew Finckh, Head of Department Ambulatory, Virtual and Community Care, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. Trained in Emergency Medicine at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney. Staff Specialist in Emergency Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney from 1997 to 2014. Director of Emergency Medicine, Sutherland Hospital, Sydney from 2014 to 2021. Head of Department Ambulatory, Virtual and Community Care, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney since October 2021.

Medical Director of Sydney Local Health District, Hospital in the Home services at Balmain, Canterbury, Concord and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for the last 10 years. My background is general practice. I am currently participating in research on intellectually disabled person care in NSW and HITH, and older person care and its relevance to health and social isolation /loneliness with the University of NSW Health Equity unit.

Kirby Young, a physiotherapist (B. Physio, GC Msk Physio) and experienced senior healthcare manager (MHA), is the Chief of Allied Health and Ambulatory Services (inclusive of HITH) at Cabrini. Kirby is currently seconded to a project specifically focused on increasing growth, breadth, and efficiency of out-of-hospital services.

Lana has worked in the blood-borne virus and alcohol and other drug sectors across Queensland and the Northern Territory for more than 15 years and currently works for Hepatitis Queensland, the state-based peak for viral hepatitis and liver health. Lana is passionate about delivering workforce and community education and health promotion projects to increase health literacy and knowledge of viral hepatitis.

Mel McCusker is the Assistant Director of Nursing for Acute Care@Home, COVID@Home and CHIP services in Metro South Health. Melissa was employed in the pilot program for HITH Metro South. Mel is instrumental in the development of the service. Her clinical experience spans Medical, Critical Care, Post-Acute, and General Practice nursing.  Mel is a member of the HITH Society of Australasia and is involved with state-wide HITH working group. Mel was instrumental in the Metro South HITH pilots for Criteria Led Discharge (CLD), use of Tele-health, and Remote Patient Monitoring.

Assoc Professor Michael Montalto is the Medical Director of Hospital in the Home at Epworth Health, a large not-for-profit private hospital group in Melbourne. He has been involved in Hospital in the Home for 29 years in senior clinical roles, and has written extensively on HAH research, policy and development. He has consulted internationally to HIH groups and governments.

He is a Co-Convenor of the World Hospital At Home Congress and a Director of Mobile Radiology Australia.

Nadine Shaw is the Network Nurse Manager for Ambulatory Services, commencing with SCHN in 2015. She is also the Nurse Lead for virtualKIDS, bringing both local and international experience in designing and implementing ambulatory models of care that offer enhanced flexibility to patients. She has a passion for delivering care differently and establishing true collaboration and partnerships with local care providers

Noela is a retired registered nurse; an active advocate for people in the Community particularly the older consumers.

Currently Noela is the deputy chairperson of the Consumer Advisory  Group of the GCUH and involved as consumer representative in several committees in the University Hospital including Gold Coast Research Council; Aged Care Reform Steering Committee; Palliative Care – Model of Care: Community Services Redesign Program Steering Committee: Falls Injury Prevention: Delirium & Cognitive Impairment; Eat Walk Engage Program Development; Alliance Leadership Group.  

Noels is also a member of the Community Advisory Council of the GCPHN.  

Noela believes in the value of speaking up and making use of her 50 years in the health industry.  

Noela has a commitment to support and encourage the involvement of all persons in the health system. She believes all consumers should be encouraged to have a voice, be heard and together make a difference and create a team approach in providing care in the health services.  

With nearly forty years of nursing and executive healthcare experience in the UK and Australia Paul has led the HealthPathways Sydney program since 2013. Now the clinical decision support tool of choice for General Practice in the Central Sydney, HealthPathways is improving service access through open collaboration between Primary and Secondary care and service re-design.

A/Prof Penelope Bryant is a paediatrician and infectious diseases physician at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. She is the medical lead for their 60-bed Hospital-in-the-Home program, and is a strong advocate for getting children out of hospital. Her research through the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and University of Melbourne has resulted in an MRFF Investigator Grant to further study  how children can avoid hospital admission altogether through better use of antibiotics. She was the 2019 recipient of the Dr Nicholas Collins Fellowship.

Sonia Martin is a courageous entrepreneur. In 2019 Sonia saw patients coming through her local hospital emergency department experiencing homelessness, anxiety, loneliness, and chronic mental health issues. As a public hospital health Nurse Manager, Sonia decided to take action, quitting her job, and starting ‘Sunny Street’. Sunny Street is a health outreach service providing equitable access to healthcare for Australians experiencing homelessness. The service began from a car boot, and is now a state wide, award winning health service, which has had over 35,000 conversations and consultations. Sonia courageously continues to drive the service and her vision forward with a national focus.

Voni is Co-founder and Clinical Director of Vitalis Health & Home Care, which was established in 2015 and today is one of the fastest At-Home Health Care Services throughout Australia.

Trained originally in Scotland, Voni had 30+ years experience in Australia in Senior Clinical leadership positions in ICU, ED and Hospital in the Home (HITH), prior to founding Vitalis 7 years ago and taking on the responsibility of Clinical Director.

Voni is a Specialist Wound Fellow, a trainer and educator, and holds a Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling.

Voni is an Executive Committee Member of the Hospital in the Home Society Australasia.