Angie Dobbrick, Executive Director, Caboolture, Kilcoy & Woodford Clinical Directorate
This time of year is always exciting – new resolutions, new goals, new beginnings, new things to look forward to. CKW Directorate certainly has many things to look forward to in 2023! I am excited for the opportunities that lie ahead of us.
Welcomes
Talking of new beginnings, welcome to the new Interns who started this week, and many thanks to the outgoing Intern group who have contributed to the healthcare of our community so significantly. I attended a ceremony earlier this week where our new Interns reaffirmed their commitment to the delivery of medical care through a modernised version of the Hippocratic Oath. This part of the orientation process is always very moving, especially when I hear the senior medical staffs’ voices reaffirming their commitment mixed with the voices of their newest colleagues. This Oath embraces the values of MN and is for the most part relevant for everyone to reflect upon, I commend you to have a look. (WMA Declaration of Geneva)
Welcome also to our new CKW Deputy Director of Medical Services, Dr Helen Vickery. Helen brings a wealth of experience having commenced her medical training in Intensive Care Medicine in the UK, completing a Masters in Public Health and Health Leadership and Management, and her fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators. Most recently Helen has been acting DDMS at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Outside of work, Helen enjoys spending time with her young family, two rescue cats and French Bulldog.
Health Equity
We will be continuing local implementation of the Metro North Health Equity Strategy this year and implementation of the CKW Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which we launched in December. On Monday we were thrilled to have Aunty Sandy and Aunty Jacque at our CKW Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health Services Governance Committee. Our commitment to reconciliation and closing the gap is reflected in the approach to ensuring our new Clinical Services Building is a culturally safe and welcoming space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The RAP committee is currently planning our National Apology Day commemoration on Monday 13 February. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. All staff are invited to attend the event which will be held in the courtyard near The Common Good Café from 10-11am. Please RSVP to Cultural Capability Officer Janita Adams by 9 February for catering purposes.
Great Feedback
“My special needs daughter had a GA for dental work.
All staff from admission to discharge were fabulous. I cannot sing their praises highly enough.
I believe all went above and beyond to ensure she was well looked after, remained settled and catered to her needs as they arose.
Being able to leave her dressed in her clothes with a gown placed over top, playing her favourite song when she was wheeled into theatre (ABBA – Dancing Queen) or having us by her bedside as soon as she was in recovery made a huge difference to her outcome from the day.
We appreciate the genuineness and thoughtfulness that enabled what could have been a terrible experience, to be one that ensures she won’t be frightened to return another time.
It’s great to see staff make decisions ‘outside the box’ and put patient centred care at the forefront.
I wish I could nominate your team for well-deserved accolades for upholding the Metro North values, especially when they were just doing their business and thought no one was watching how well they do it 😉
This mum and QH employee did watch and am very pleased to give the awesome DPU team a pat on the back!”
Well done DPU team!
Finally,
Like many of you, our family is getting ready for the start of school next week. For those of you who have been contacting books…I feel your pain! 😊 I’ll be taking the week off to help my daughter settle into her new routine. Louise O’Riordan will be acting ED for the week.
For those whose kids are starting or going back to school next week, I hope it all goes smoothly.
Take Care,
Angie.