January 19, 2024#WeAreNorthern
Meet Lynne Santamaria, Nurse Unit Manager, Hospital in the Home (HITH).
What is your coffee order?
My order is a weak latte, if I have a full strength my heart goes into overdrive.
Tell me about your role at Northern Health and what it entails?
I am the unit manager of the Hospital in the Home (HITH) program, we are based at the Northern Hospital Epping. What that really entails though is managing staff and financial resources; ensuring patient and staff satisfaction; maintaining a safe environment for staff and patients; ensuring standards and quality of care are maintained; and aligning the unit’s goals with the hospital’s strategic goals.
Our program provides care in the home that would otherwise need to be delivered within a hospital as an admitted patient. Patients who receive HITH care are classified as admitted patients and HITH is classed as an acute unit. HITH often provides an alternative to admission to a hospital or an opportunity for earlier relocation to the home than would otherwise be possible. I manage our multidisciplinary team that provides care to up to 70 adult patients and 6 paediatric patients on a daily basis.
What do you love most about your role?
I am not sure that I can say what I love most about my role – it’s more than that. I am just a part of an incredible team that works together to give our patients the best care they can. I could pick any person in this team and acknowledge what they bring to the table and how they make this team better for them being a part of it. So I guess in reality what I am saying is that being part of this team is what I love the most.
How do you like to relax or switch off after a long day at work?
I live on a 10-acre property at Sunday Creek. I have a veggie patch, orchard and garden that keep me busy and help me to unwind at the end of a day or week. I love being able to pick and cook my own produce.
My husband and I also have a small blueberry business (only 600 trees) but we need to pick by hand so that is often what I am out doing, especially at this time of year when the trees are in full production.
Do you have a bucket list item, something you would love to do?
Really just looking at when I retire, spending more time with family, exploring areas of Australia a bit more, and just enjoying the activities of day-to-day life.
