40+ years service and loving every minute

As health systems celebrate World Mental Health Nurses Day (February 21) Latrobe Regional Health is acknowledging one of its longest serving staff members who has been working in mental health with LRH since the mid-80s.

Gill Kerr transitioned from an early career as an Intellectual Disability Nurse to mental health.

“I had completed my degree which led to me working with kids diagnosed with autism and I was fascinated by that. So from there I did my mental health training to work in psychiatry,” Gill said.

Gill’s earliest work in mental health was at the now demolished, Hobson’s Park hospital in Traralgon.

“Hobson’s Park was innovative for its time as being the first ‘non-locked door’ mental health facility in the state but looking now it feels like it was very institutionalised in lots of ways,” Gill said.

“Some of the clients were expected to stay there long term. Those admitted to the acute ward would go home but the treatments weren’t as advanced as they are now and the culture of patient’s rights was really only getting off the ground,” said Gill.

Now working in community Mental Health at the Bairnsdale Community Mental Health Service, Gill says the biggest development in treatment has been the improvement in drug therapy.

“Medications have come a long way, so I think that we have more targeted symptom management. We have better symptom profiling without the sedation. That was a constant battle for people to deal with in my earlier days. Added to that is the improvement and advances in psychosocial rehabilitation and increasing understanding of neurobiology. They’re the major steps forward I’ve seen,” Gill said.

After four decades of work in the health sector you might think that Gill is looking forward to putting her feet up and looking forward to a retirement? Not so much!

“I’m inspired! It’s great to see that we’ve got new people coming on who, academically, they have more knowledge than what I had in my training period. And so, we’ve got these really talented people that can offer so much into the future.”