As Board members visit different sites around Metro North, it’s obvious how busy it is and how hard everyone is working at the moment. With the festive season approaching, it can be a stressful time. Please remember that your wellbeing and health are vitally important.

The Board held its November meeting at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital last week. Board members were pleased to attend the opening of the impressive Sony You Can Centre and the opening of the RBWH Indigenous Hospital Liaison office which is connecting Indigenous Australians with the right care and is also a beautiful welcoming meeting space for patients and visitors. Earlier in the day the Board held its inaugural Board Community and Consumer Engagement Forum with more than 60 community partners and consumers contributing ideas for the next Metro North Strategic Plan.

As part of the meeting, the Board was briefed by the Acting Chief Executive on Metro North’s financial outlook, increasing activity across all facilities, initiatives to support wellness, and accreditation. The Board also received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, human resources, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter including STARS operational readiness.

The Board approved the revised Clinical Governance Policy and the Metro North Data and Analytics Plan as well as approving the progression of important digital health initiatives to improve patient safety and flow, including a centralised foetal monitoring system and enterprise scheduling management.

RBWH Executive Director Dr David Rosengren briefed the Board on the opportunities, challenges and exciting work underway at the hospital. The Board congratulated David and his team at the Royal for the support and teamwork in response to the increased demand over the past year.

Executive Director Medicine Clinical Stream Dr Jeffrey Rowland and Nursing Director Kevin Clark presented the key achievements and challenges for the stream over the past 12 months. With increasing referrals from outside the HHS in key specialities and increasing waiting lists, the Medicine Stream is driving important projects to improve patient care.

In the past month Board members have participated in the RBWH and Community and Oral Health accreditation, the RBWH Foundation Giving Day, and events at Caboolture Hospital and North Lakes Health precinct. Next month Board members look forward to joining staff and consumers at the RBWH Compassion Café, the Redcliffe Volunteers Christmas Lunch and the Karuna House Christmas Market.

The next Board meeting will be at The Prince Charles Hospital on 17 December and the Board looks forward to speaking with staff at the lunchtime forum. If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, please contact the Board at mnbfeedback@health.qld.gov.au.

The Board held its October meeting at Brighton Health Campus last week. Board members were pleased to talk with staff at the lunchtime forum and during the tour of the new community pharmacy. Congratulations to staff on the innovative pharmacy design.

As part of the meeting, the Board was briefed by the Chief Finance and Corporate Officer Melissa MacCabe on the HHS’s financial outlook and implementation readiness for the introduction of the Human Rights Act 2019. The Board also received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, human resources, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter including STARS operational readiness.

The Board endorsed the annual Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP), which provides a prioritised plan of new and existing assets to meet current and future growth. The plan is provided by each hospital and health service to the Department of Health. Key infrastructure projects in Metro North that have received funding since the 2018 SAMP include the Redcliffe Hospital MRI/CT, Caboolture Hospital carpark and Caboolture Hospital redevelopment stage 1.

Executive Director Community and Oral Health Tami Photinos briefed the Board on the Connecting Care for better health vision and highlighted successes such as Gannet House accreditation and the Aged Care ambassador role generating interest from other hospital and health services. The Board congratulated staff for their hard work over the past year responding to increased demand.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Unit Director Sherry Holzapfel discussed the work of the unit including opportunities for strengthening partnerships with the community health sector and recent initiatives to improve health screening via a mobile van.

In the past month Board members attended the Metro North Staff Excellence Awards, the annual Safety and Quality Forum and the Metro North Health Forum. This month Board members look forward to joining staff at the launch of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Indigenous Health Liaison Office and the launch of the Sony You Can Centre for youth with cancer.

It is a busy time as Metro North heads into accreditation this month. Thank you to all staff across Metro North for the months of work to get accreditation ready. Well done!

The next Board meeting will be at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on 19 November. The Board will be hosting an inaugural consumer engagement event that day to inform the development of the Metro North strategic plan. If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, please contact the Board at mnbfeedback@health.qld.gov.au.

The Board held its September meeting at Kilcoy Hospital last week. Board members were pleased to talk with staff at the lunchtime forum and during the tour of the hospital. Congratulations to Kilcoy staff for achieving the highest response rate in Metro North for the Have Your Say survey with staff rating the hospital as a culture of success. Well done!

Several Board members also visited Woodford Health Service and commended the team for their hard work.

As part of the meeting, the Board was briefed by the Acting Chief Executive on Metro North’s progress on resolving FSR implementation issues. The Board expressed disappointment this occurred and thanked staff for their hard work. The Board was also briefed on the recent incidence of Norovirus which unfortunately affected a number of patients and staff, especially at Redcliffe Hospital. The Board was pleased to note that prompt containment measures appeared to have been very successful.

The Board received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, human resources, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter as well as the annual progress report on the Metro North Health Service Strategy 2015-2020. The Acting Chief Executive also briefed the Board on progress toward preventing occupational violence and statewide initiatives which are led by the hospital and health service.

The Board endorsed the annual Quality of Care report 2018-19 which shows patients, partners, consumers and carers a snapshot of Metro North’s services and achievements demonstrating how safe high-quality care improves lives.

Executive Director Dr Chris May presented on the Emergency Medicine and Access Coordination Stream performance report to the Board. Successes so far include expanding the Patient Access Coordination Hub (PACH) and improving performance through initiatives such as Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI).

Metro North Chief Digital Health Officer Dr Clair Sullivan briefed the Board on Metro North’s data and analytics draft plan which is a critical strategy to deliver high quality healthcare through real-time, insightful reporting. Consultation on the plan will occur via staff forums in September and October.

Executive Director Caboolture, Kilcoy and Woodford Health Service Dr Lance Le Ray provided a facility update to the Board and discussed in detail the Have Your Say survey results and actions being taken to respond to staff feedback. Psychologist Darren Pinks from Caboolture Hospital also briefed the Board on the physician burnout survey and progress to develop a physician wellness strategy.

The Board held its Executive Committee meeting on 23 September, which included discussion with Clinical Council Chairs on important matters including staff burnout and safety. The Executive Committee agenda also included key risks and strategies in place to improve emergency department performance and transfer of care were discussed as well as a proposal to improve GP engagement. The Board Safety and Quality Committee met with directorate leads to discuss preparations for accreditation which are well underway. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Unit Director Sherry Holzapfel provided an update to the Board Improving Indigenous Outcomes Committee on the research program for Close the Gap plan.

In the past month Board members attended the Clinical Excellence Showcase, TPCH Length of Service ceremony and the Caboolture Hospital White Ribbon Leadership Pledge. This month Board members look forward to joining staff at the Metro North Health Forum, the annual Metro North Staff Excellence Awards and the annual safety and quality forum.

The next Board meeting will be at Brighton Health Precinct on 29 October. Staff will be invited to attend a staff forum on the day. If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, please contact the Board at mnbfeedback@health.qld.gov.au.

The Board held its August meeting at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital last week. Board members were pleased to talk with staff at the Metro North Corporate Symposium and thanked them for the effort, commitment and dedication shown over the past few months on significant projects across the HHS.

As part of the meeting, the Board was briefed by the Acting Chief Executive on Metro North’s innovation partnerships including Whole Genome Sequencing and Cancer Cellular Therapy. The Board received the results of the Have your Say staff survey and commended the Acting CE on providing staff the opportunity to speak to her directly at subsequent staff forums.

The Board received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, HR, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter as well as a presentation on ieMR implementation and ICT risks. The Board endorsed the annual report and annual financial statements. Board members also approved the recommendations from the panel for membership of the new Community Advisory Committee, which will be a critical Board advisory group on community and consumer issues. The new committee replaces the former Community Board Advisory Group.

Executive Director Associate Professor Glen Kennedy briefed the Board on the work of the Cancer Care Services Stream. Notable achievements include the construction of the You Can Centre at RBWH funded by the Sony Foundation, a 90% growth in telehealth activity, and achieving over 100 peer-reviewed publications during 2018.

Executive Director Professor Scott Bell presented the Board with the Heart and Lung Clinical Stream’s performance report. Successes so far include the GP with Special Interest service in the cardiology clinic at TPCH and the development of a health literacy information sheet published by Cardiac Rehabilitation Workgroup. The Stream has also been awarded more than $10 million in cardiology and thoracic research grants in the past 12 months.

In the past month Board members attended the Redcliffe Hospital Staff Excellence Awards and TPCH Child Protection Week launch, and participated in a tour of the new Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) construction site. The Board also held a number of legislated committee meetings last month to consider safety and quality, finance and performance and risk and audit matters.

The next Board meeting will be at Kilcoy Hospital on 24 September. Staff will be invited to attend a staff forum on the day. If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, please contact the Board at mnbfeedback@health.qld.gov.au.

The Board held its July meeting at Redcliffe Hospital last week. Board members had the opportunity to talk with staff at the lunchtime forum and around the campus. Board members toured the refurbishment works on Levels 2 and 3 and met some of the hospital’s allied health staff including speech pathology, occupational therapy, podiatry and physiotherapy teams.

The Board was briefed by the Acting Chief Executive on the end of financial year performance and congratulated staff for the tremendous work over the past 12 months to deliver excellent care to patients. Staff are also to be commended for supporting initiatives such as the reduction of sugar sweetened beverages across Metro North facilities. Metro North has already done a lot of work in this area over the past few years which demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to leading the way in chronic illness reduction.

The Board received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, HR, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter as well as a presentation on the implementation of the new Human Rights Act 2019, which will come into effect on 1 January 2020. The Board also endorsed the Acting Chief Executive’s proposal to establish an aspiring leaders group to engage millennial staff in the operational and strategic challenges of the HHS. More information will be available shortly with a pilot intended for later this year.

Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services Associate Professor Alanna Geary briefed the Board on nursing and midwifery workforce initiatives including recruitment of nurse navigators and funding for innovative models of care being trialled across the HHS. Allied Health Executive Director Mark Butterworth also presented on Metro North’s progress to achieve White Ribbon Accreditation and the allied health workforce, notably the strong focus on translating research into practice.

The Board held its June meeting at Caboolture Hospital last week. Board members, including the two newest members Dr Rob Franz and Mr Neil Roberts, had the opportunity to talk with staff at the lunchtime forum and around the campus.

Board members toured the interim emergency department and look forward to the 18 new treatment spaces by August. The Board was impressed with the hard work of Caboolture’s Emergency Department staff to respond to the record number of patient presentations. Board members also toured the new medical imaging facility which demonstrates the successful partnership between I-Med radiology network and Caboolture Hospital to provide world-class imaging services to the community.

The Board was briefed by the Chief Executive and received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, HR, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter. The Board also approved the refreshed strategic plan and the approach to develop a new strategic plan for the next five years as well as the preliminary business case to be submitted to the Department of Health for the Redcliffe Hospital redevelopment. Metro North’s top infrastructure priorities were also discussed.

Executive Director Women’s and Children’s Clinical Stream Professor Leonie Callaway briefed the Board on Metro North’s achievements over the past 12 months for the stream, notably the strong collaboration with primary healthcare, the Children of Caboolture program, and success in telehealth services and GP with special interest clinics for contraception and breast health.

Caboolture Executive Director Dr Lance Le Ray presented on the achievements and challenges for the facility including progress of the hospital redevelopment, new accommodation options for administration staff and work underway to combat medical officer burnout. Nursing Director Nerys Brackman and Emergency Department Director Dr Sean Keogh briefed the Board on offender health.

Last week Board members attended the Caboolture Kilcoy Staff Excellence Awards. In the past month Board members also attended the Metro North Hospital of Origin, the RBWH length of service awards ceremony and the Redcliffe Car Park Land Smoking Ceremony. Board members will be attending the NAIDOC Caboolture Family Fun Day and the RBWH Winter Warmer later this month.

The next Board meeting will be at Redcliffe Hospital on 23 July. Staff will be invited to attend a staff forum on the day. If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, please contact the Board at mnbfeedback@health.qld.gov.au.

The Board held its May meeting at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital last week. Board members, including the two newest members Dr Rob Franz and Mr Neil Roberts, had the opportunity to talk with staff at two forums and around the campus.

Board members toured the impressive Herston Imaging Research Facility (HIRF) which is an excellent example of research and industry partnership and innovation to improve patient outcomes. There is a lot of high quality research made possible through HIRF’s imaging capabilities.

The Board was briefed by the Chief Executive and received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, HR, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter. The Board also approved the strategic and annual audit plans for Metro North, received updates on the funding and financial outlook for the Service, a briefing on ieMR progress and discussed infrastructure priorities including proposals for gastroenterology and endoscopy services.

Executive Director Research Professor Scott Bell briefed the Board on Metro North’s research achievements over the past 12 months and presented the Snapshot of Research 2018. The snapshot showcases examples of how Metro North researchers are changing the landscape of healthcare through disease prevention, diagnosis and health service improvements. Highlights include 4,745 research journal articles published over the past five years and $7 million in clinical trial revenue in 2018.

The RBWH Foundation Chair and CEO discussed the Foundation’s fundraising priorities over the next year and plans to strengthen the relationship with Metro North further. The Foundation is an exceptional partner for Metro North not only providing funding for lifesaving research but also coordination of the volunteers who give 41,600 hours each year to assist staff, patients and visitors at RBWH.

RBWH Executive Director Dr David Rosengren and Deputy Executive Director Kate Mason presented on the achievements and challenges for the facility. The Board congratulated RBWH on the outstanding honour of being named in the top 100 best hospitals in the world by Newsweek.

Last week Board members attended the fourth annual Metro North Research Excellence Awards and celebrated the winners and highly commended researchers from across the health service. In the past month Board members also attended events for Anzac Day, National Volunteers Week and Associate Professor Cliff Pollard’s retirement from the Board. Board members will be attending the NextCare Health Conference later this week which is shaping up to be an excellent leadership and professional development event.

The Board held its April meeting at Chermside Community Health Centre last week. This is the second Board meeting held this year in a Community and Oral Health facility and Board members are always greeted with a warm and friendly welcome from staff.

The Board also held a staff forum as part of their visit and talked with staff around the busy community health centre.

The Board was briefed by the Chief Executive and received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, HR, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter. Dr Jeffrey Rowland, Executive Director Medicine Stream, briefed the Board on progress of the Palliative Care, Kidney Health and Rehabilitation clinical service plans.

Dr John Clouston from the Value Based Healthcare team presented the team’s work to date on finding out what matters to patients, increasing health literacy, measuring relevant clinical outcomes, and understanding the economic value of the care being provided. The Board were pleased to receive the Oral Health Services Plan which demonstrated the excellent work with university partners to deliver oral health services for people experiencing homelessness and providing highly specialised services such as treating children with cleft palates at Children’s Health Queensland.

The Board also considered the accommodation strategy for Metro North for the next five years and plans for clinical and non-clinical space. Funding options for the implementation ieMR were discussed along with a review of consumer and community engagement.

The Board Improving Indigenous Outcomes Committee met earlier in the day and commended the progress to date on Close the Gap initiatives across Metro North. It was recognised that much more needs to be done to enhance services across Metro North through closer collaboration with its external partners.

This was the final Board meeting for Associate Professor Cliff Pollard who is retiring from the Board this month. Cliff will still be a regular visitor to Metro North as part of his work with Jamieson Trauma Institute. On behalf of the Board and Executive I would like to thank Cliff for his immense contribution to the good governance of our organisation.

The Board held its March meeting at North Lakes Health precinct last week. As part of the meeting, Board members were shown the busy precinct by Executive Director Community and Oral Health Directorate Tami Photinos and her team. Board members were impressed by the warm and friendly welcome from staff.

The Board also held a staff forum as part of their visit and were impressed with the hard work of all staff across the directorate to respond to the increasing demand for services and continually strive to provide the highest value of care to the community.

Since the Board’s previous visit there has been a significant amount of activity across the directorate, including the restructure of the governance, completion of the facility moves, and strategies to improve access and activities across Metro North Oral Health services.

The Board was briefed by the Chief Executive and received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, HR, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter. The Surgery Clinical Stream performance report was also discussed with the Board commending performance to respond to the increasing demand.

Acting Director of the Indigenous Health Unit Paul Drahm briefed the Board on the Close the Gap action plan and initiatives including health screening. The Board were briefed on the Nurse Navigators initiative and its implementation across Metro North, and approved the draft HHS strategic plan for broader consultation across Metro North.

The Board held its Executive Committee meeting on 18 March, which included discussion of the Metro North wellbeing plan which is being developed, as well as the work of the transformation hub to drive improvements to our services. During the past month, Board members have participated in several events across the HHS including welcoming new nursing and midwifery graduates at various facilities, the 10^th Queensland Trauma Symposium, the LINK and SEED showcase, the Herston Biofabrication Institute conference, and the Close the Gap community consultation at Brighton.

The next Board meeting will be at the Chermside Community Health Centre on 16 April. Staff will be invited to attend a staff forum on the day.

The Board held its February meeting at The Prince Charles Hospital last week. It’s always a pleasure to visit the hospital and talk to staff throughout the facility as well as at the staff forums.

Board members visited the Rehabilitation and Acute Stroke Unit Green Room and the Quality and Effectiveness Service Team (QuEST) and were impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment displayed by these high performing teams.

The Board was briefed by the Chief Executive and received the usual management updates on patient safety and quality performance, clinical services, HR, finance, operations, and the Herston Quarter. Board members were impressed with the performance of cardiology services with a significant year on year increase in valve procedures.

As part of the meeting, the Board was briefed by Dr Chris May on the work of the Emergency Medicine and Access Coordination (EMAC) stream and noted that 89% of all inter-hospital patient transfers are completed within 48 hours. The Board also noted the nursing and midwifery professional leads report.

The new Executive Director of The Prince Charles Hospital Ms Michele Gardner commenced on Monday 18 February and the Board welcomed Michele at the meeting.

TPCH Foundation Chair Christopher Moreton and CEO Michael Hornby briefed the Board on The Common Good research areas and initiatives. Research is such a crucial part of improving healthcare and it’s excellent to hear about the great work happening in that space at TPCH.

During the past month, Board members have participated in several events across the HHS including welcoming the 2019 medical interns and nursing graduates, the launch of Metro North’s bid for White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation, BreastScreen Queensland Northside’s 21^st birthday celebrations, and the Metro North Australia Day Achievement Awards.

Board members also attended the extremely popular Trauma Symposium and I had the pleasure of commemorating the career and immense contribution of Associate Professor Cliff Pollard AM during the symposium.