Roles & Services (M-Z)
Pingelly is situated on the northern side of the Upper Great Southern Region 158 kilometres from Perth, 49 kilometres from Narrogin and has a population of approximately 1,200. The Shire of Pingelly covers an area of 1,223 square kilometres and is the centre of the wheat, grain, sheep, cattle and pig farming regions of the state's Central South. Sport is a major social activity with swimming, netball, bowling, tennis, football, basketball and cricket all being very popular. The Pingelly Christmas Craft Sale and the Autumn Alternative are annual community attractions. The Autumn Alternative is Pingelly's annual show and incorporates the popular Yabby Feast.
Pingelly is an Integrated Health Care Service bringing together a range of health care services under the one roof. Pingelly Hospital provides a base from which several small services are operating and benefiting from sharing fixed overhead costs and scarce professional skills. This model of health care delivery has brought together under the one roof Pingelly's General Practice, acute care services, Home and Community Care, Extended Care, Aged Care, Community Health, Child Health, School Health, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Occupational Therapy, Dental Health, Meals on Wheels and the Dietician.
Accident and Emergency Services
The hospital is serviced by a resident General Practitioner and provides a 24 hour Accident and Emergency Service. There is a voluntary St.Johns Ambulance Service in the town calls for which come through to the hospital. Patients presenting at the hospital are triaged by a Registered Nurse and then referred to the GP. Following treatment patients are discharged, admitted for observation or stabilised and transferred to either Narrogin Hospital or one of the Metropolitan hospitals.
Short Term Medical Admissions
Pingelly Hospital is a 15-bed facility, three of which are allocated for Nursing Home Type Patients. There are the facilities to accommodate uncomplicated medical admissions such as chest infections, patients requiring pain control, intravenous antibiotic therapy, blood transfusions and palliative care patients.
Early Discharge
The hospital is ideally equipped to except early discharge patients from the Regional and Metropolitan hospitals. This enables the community to access the facilities of the larger hospitals for acute care but return to their community for recovery. This helps relieve the pressure not only on the beds in the Metropolitan area but also on the relatives of the patient.
Respite Care
Pingelly Hospital is able to accept one patient for respite care at any given time. This affords some relief for relatives who take care of their elderly in the community.
Outpatient and X-Ray Services
Pingelly Hospital provides routine outpatient services, treatments such as regular blood pressure checks, POP checks, dressings and removal of 'lumps and bumps' by the resident General Practitioner. Four staff members have X-Ray Operators certificates and can undertake simple radiology requests.
Extended Care Services
Preventing unnecessary admissions or readmissions of the elderly into hospital is a high priority in aged care. Pingelly provides Extended Care Services into the community three days a week by either a Registered or Enrolled Nurse. Staff undertake dressings, filling of medication boxes, showers, blood pressure checks and any basic nursing care that can be undertaken within the home environment.
Home and Community Care Services (HACC)
This service is also run out of the hospital and provides transport and general home help type services to the frail aged and younger disabled members of the community. House cleaning, gardening, shopping and social support is all part of the service. The Coordinator of HACC services also assists the Aged Care Assessment Team in assessing clients in their homes to identify services that can be provided in order for them to stay within their own environment for as long as possible.
Meals on Wheels
On average fourteen meals a day are prepared at the hospital and delivered by volunteer drivers into the community.
Pingelly Community Health Services
Pingelly Health Service and the Upper Great Southern Primary Health Service provide primary health care services to the community of Pingelly. The aim is to provide integrated community based outreach programs, which include health promotion, disease prevention, early detection and intervention for disease, development disorders and disease control.
Parenting Education
This program aims to promote parent/child interaction and increase parenting skills, thus strengthening families and reducing child behaviour problems. The key target group is first time parents.
Immunisation
This program aims to reduce the incidence of vaccine preventable disease by promoting immunisation and by providing an accessible, free and quality immunisation service to all those not accessing immunisation through General Practitioners. Main target group is children 0-14 years of age with clinics being held monthly.
School Child Screening and Surveillance
This program aims to reduce the impact of disability, reduce the incidence of adult diseases which originate in childhood, reduce preventable premature motility, enhance family functioning and reduce incidence of vaccine preventable disease. A Registered Nurse delivers this service one half day each week.
Early Childhood Screening and Surveillance
This program aims to monitor the development of children from birth to four years and aims to identify early, any deviation from the norm. Appropriate intervention to correct problems or minimise the disability include referral to a range of health professionals, The program also aims to improve the quality of child and family health and wellbeing by promoting a greater knowledge and understanding of the needs of children and of child development. This service is available one full day each week by a qualified Child Health Nurse.
If you would like any further information on Pingelly Health service please contact:-
Micky Horstman
Health Service Manager
Pingelly Health Service
PO Box 63
Pingelly. W.A. 6308
Telephone: (08) 9887 1003
Facsimile: (08) 9887 1179
E-mail: Micky.horstman@health.wa.gov.au
Wagin (meaning the Emu's Watering Place) is the centre of a thriving Merino Stud industry and proud home to the Wagin Woolorama, one of the state's largest rural shows held the first Friday and Saturday of March.
Sport plays an important role in Wagin and there are facilities for tennis, cricket, football, badminton, lawn bowls, golf, darts, shooting, trotting, go-karts, swimming and hockey.
Wagin is a friendly, welcoming community, where people know their neighbours and are in turn known by them. Centrally located for an easy 2 - 3 hour drive for a day trip to Perth, Bunbury, Albany or Wave Rock, Wagin provides easy access and a lot to see and do. A cinema showing all the latest movies, two pubs, a district club, a restaurant and a café provide plenty of entertainment for young and old. A variety of shops and banks can be found in the town centre, along with a school, and a community bus is available to all residents.
Wagin has an 18 bed hospital which consists of 6 Nursing Home Type and 12 acute. The hospital provides the following services: 24 hour accident & emergency, theatre, obstetrics, general, surgical and paediatric, extended care in the district, palliative care both in hospital and at home. Allied health services to this are all provided by the Upper Great Southern.
Health Promotion plays a very active part in the health service. This includes diabetes, incontinence, Well Women's' Clinics , Men's' Health, Stay Well for Seniors Clinics, Stay On Your Feet Exercise Classes, Ante Natal Education.
A new Accident & Emergency Department is currently under construction and is due completion February / March 2001.
Princess Margaret Hospital holds Endocrinology and Diabetic Clinics for children and adolescents of the region at this hospital 4 times a year.
Day care and craft groups meet twice weekly at the hospital.
Wagin Health Service is staffed by very capable and caring people who provide a very comprehensive service to the people of this community.
Jan Cameron
Health Service Manager
Wagin District Hospital
PO Box 222
Wagin. W.A. 6315
Telephone: (08) 9861 1033
Facsimile: (08) 9861 1747
E-mail: jan.cameron@health.wa.gov.au
Wickepin is a short two-hour drive from Perth, and has a population of 860 people.
The town boasts good examples of early Edwardian style architecture, many of them constructed around 1910. A major attraction is the Albert Facey Heritage Trail, which is an 86km self drive trail beginning at the Albert Facey Homestead. The house is described in his autobiography and now depicts life during the depression years.
Wickepin has a banking agency, post office, three general stores and a primary school. High school students can take the bus to the senior high school in Narrogin, only 38kms away.
Wickepin has a Health Centre, which is staffed by qualified, professional staff. Other health services include aged cottages, St John's Ambulance, a visiting doctor and HACC.
For further information on Wickepin Health Centre please contact
Norma Sinclair
Nurse In Charge
Wickepin Health Centre
PO Box 117
Wickepin. W.A. 6370
Telephone: (08) 9888 1104
Facsimile: (08) 9888 1075
E-mail: WickepinHealth@health.wa.gov.au
Williams is situated on the scenic Williams River, just 161kms south of Perth. A town rich in history, Williams was an important stopping place for people travelling between Albany and York in earlier days.
Present day industries are farming and growing coarse grains, sheep/wool and cattle. An engineering works and stock pelleting plant provide employment to those townspeople not living on a farm.
With a population of 1200 people, Williams is a growing community that offers a wide range of attractions. Offering a hotel which features regular live music, a district club and a selection of restaurants, it is a small yet social town. The town centre boasts a hairdresser, beautician, general store and a banking agency.
A travelling cinema visits the town once a year and facilities including a trotting track, golf course, swimming pool, bowling greens, ovals and various netball and basketball courts ensure that residents can stay fit and healthy.
The Williams Health Centre is an important facility, valued highly by the community and staffed by caring professional staff. A visiting doctor, St. Johns ambulance, Home and Community Care, Community Aged Care Packages, Primary Health and Child Health are other health services available to the people of Williams.
Corrie Lokan
Nurse In Charge
Williams Medical Centre
PO Box 42
Williams. W.A. 6391
Telephone: (08) 9885 1006
Facsimile: (08) 9885 1066
E-mail: WilliamsMedical@health.wa.gov.au