Staff

The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is managed by the Unit Medical Director, Warwick Butt, and the Nurse Unit Manager, Adrian Hutchinson. 

The care of each PICU patient is managed by the PICU consultant on duty, together with a team of PICU registrars, and by a non-PICU medical team consisting of a consultant, registrar and resident (eg. Cardiology, Cardiac surgery or Oncology). Other specialist services may also be consulted about the child's care.

There are 7 PICU Consultants in Intensive Care, of whom one is on duty during the day for one week and another on call at night. The day-to-day medical care is provided by a number of senior registrars based in the PICU. The PICU registrars are senior doctors with advanced training in intensive care, paediatrics, anaesthesia or emergency medicine. The RCH PICU is accredited for 2 years advanced training in intensive care by the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (RACP and ANZCA)

The unit employs approximately 110 EFT nursing staff of which most have a post registration qualification in paediatric intensive care, or are working towards it.  In addition to the nurse unit manager there are 5 associate nurse unit managers, as well as clinical nurse specialists and registered nurses. Two clinical nurse educators and two clinical nurse facilitators are based in the unit to support nursing staff at the bedside and co-ordinate several courses in the unit, for both staff within PICU and those from outside the area or hospital new to PICU.

The PICU provides paediatric ECLS (Extra Corporeal Life Support)for all of Victoria and also provides ECLS for interstate patients.  The ECLS nurse co-ordinator's role is to support and educate staff as well as rco-ordinate a yearly ECLS course and the data/research collection on all ECLS cases cared for within PICU.

Clinical liaison nurses work with all unit and hospital staff to optimise the process of admission and discharge to and from PICU. Their role is to provide support and follow-up for all discharged patients and education and support to ward nursing staff accepting patients from the PICU. This role aims to decrease re-admission rates by enhancing patient care delivery on the wards.

The clinical technology team with four technologists and a technician, provide a support service in the form of supplying, maintaining and repairing specialist equipment, support to the ICU, NNU and RCH at large,  24 hours a day. They also offer assistance with provision of complex therapies such as high frequency ventilation (HFOV), nitric oxide, and renal support, and research. The Clinical Technologists supervise the purchase and maintence of equipment for patients who require home respiratory support, on behalf of the RCH Home and Community Care service.

Other support staff include ward clerks and patient service assistants.

We are a multidisciplinary team that provides support services to the children and their families. The team includes social workers, pharmacy, play therapy, music therapy, chaplains, psychology team, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

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Director of Intensive Care                                               Nurse Unit Manager

Assoc Prof Warwick Butt                                                                                          Adrian Hutchinson
MB, BS, FRACP, FJFICM                                                                                           Telephone:  +61 3 9345 5201
e-mail: warwick.butt@rch.org.au                                                                                   e-mail: adrian.hutchinson@rch.org.au                                           
                                                                                                                                                            

Deputy Director of Intensive Care

Dr Johnny Millar
MB, ChB, PhD, MRCP, FRACP, FJFICM
e-mail: johnny.millar@rch.org.au
Ph: 61 3 93455224

Specialists in Intensive Care

Professor Frank Shann
MB, BS, FRACP, MD, FJFICM
e-mail: frank.shann@rch.org.au

Assoc Prof James Tibballs
MB, BS, B Med Sc [HONS], MEd, MBA, MD, FANZCA, FJFICM, FACTM
e-mail: james.tibballs@rch.org.au

Dr Robert Henning
MB, BS, FRCA, FANZCA, FJFICM
e-mail: robert.henning@rch.org.au

Prof. Mike South
MB, BS, DCH, MRCP [UK], FRACP, MD, FJFICM
Director, Department of General Medicine
Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne
e-mail: mike.south@rch.org.au

Assoc Prof Trevor Duke
MB, BS, FRACP, FJFICM
e-mail: trevor.duke@rch.org.au

Dr Mike Clifford
FRACP, FANZCA, FJFICM 
e-mail: mike.clifford@rch.org.au

Dr Graeme MacLaren
MBBS, FCICM, FRACP, FCCP, FCCM
e-mail: gmaclaren@iinet.net.au

Dr Felix Oberender
MRCPCH PhD FCICM
e-mail: felix.oberender@rch.org.au
T +61 3 9345 5224

PICU Data Quality and  Audit Team Leader

Carmel Delzoppo
Telephone: +61 3 9345 4766
e-mail:
carmel.delzoppo@rch.org.au

PICU Research Coordinator

Carmel Delzoppo
Telephone:  +61 3 9345 4766
e-mail:
carmel.delzoppo@rch.org.au

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ECLS Coordinator - Medical

Dr. Warwick Butt
Telephone:  +61 3 9345 5224
e-mail:
warwick.butt@rch.org.au

ECLS Coordinators - Nursing

Derek Best
Telephone:  +61 3 9345 4048 (Page 4048)
e-mail:
derek.best@rch.org.au

Amy Johansen
Telephone:  +61 3 9345 4048
email:
amy.johansen@rch.org.au

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PETS Senior Nurse Clinician

Alison Fleming
Clinical Nurse Consultant
Phone: (03) 9345 5349
Email: alison.fleming@rch.org.au

Acting PETS Medical Director (Clinical)

Dr Felix Oberender
Staff Specialist PICU
Phone: (03) 9345 5522 Page 4192
Email: felix.oberender@rch.org.au

Dr Robert Henning
Staff Specialist PICU
Phone: (03) 9345 5224
Email: robert.henning@rch.org.au

Clinical Nurse Consultant

Janine Evans

Telephone: +61 3 9345 5211

Email: janine.evans@rch.org.au

Clinical Nurse Educators

Dianne McKinley, Gabrielle Carroll, Jo McKittrick
Telephone: +61 3 9345 5211
email: icu.education@rch.org.au

Clinical Nurse Facilitators

 Kim Morriss, Jessica Cooper, Jenny Lewis
Telephone: +61 3 9345 5211
email: icu.education@rch.org.au

Clinical Liaison Nurses

Chelsea Caffin, Rebecca Tracey, Kym Bain, Mary Merriman, Sophie Atchison, Gabby Collins, Elisha Porter, Vanessa Long
Telephone: +61 3 9345 5211 (Page: 5252)
email: icu.liaison@rch.org.au

PICU Care Manager

Kristy Dea
Telephone: + 61 3 9345 5215 (Page: 5215)
email: picu.caremanager@rch.org.au

Clinical Technologists

Telephone: +61 3 9345 5218 (Page: 5218)
email: clinical.technology@rch.org.au

Mark Hochmann
M. App Sc
Senior Technologist

Bradley Carter
M. App Sc, PhD

Anthony Osborne

Rosemary Stephens
B. App Sc

Technologist Assistant

Laurie Brown
Telephone: +61 3 9345 5218

Administration Support & Personal Assistant to Medical Director & NUM

Sharon Rankin
Telephone:
+61 3 9345 5224
email: sharon.rankin@rch.org.au

PETS Administrator

Shradha Balia
Telephone +61 3 9345 5430
email:
shradha.balia@rch.org.au


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