Jim McGowan AM, Board Chair
Caboolture’s 30th Birthday
The Board met at Caboolture Hospital on 31 October. The Board meeting coincided with the final day of the hospital’s 30th birthday celebrations. The cutting of the birthday cakes was a highlight, with a large number of staff attending.
The month-long celebration was reflected in the very positive vibe from staff. The 30 stories for 30 years of Caboolture provided a human and personal touch to the celebrations.
There is much to look forward to at Caboolture with the imminent commissioning of the Clinical Services Building.
Acting Prime Minister’s visit to The Prince Charles Hospital
On Tuesday 24 October, we were honoured to host a visit from the Acting Prime Minister, the Hon. Richard Marles and local member and Minister for Sport and Ageing, the Hon. Annika Wells to The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH). The Common Good CEO Steve Francia and Chair Chris Morton hosted our important guests in a visit to the wonderful TPCH Village, an initiative to support patients with dementia. They also visited the paediatric department. A notable feature of the visit was the Acting Prime Minister and Minister Wells were not accompanied by the media and demonstrated a genuine interest in the two initiatives of TPCH.
The next day was the giving day for TPCH where over $100,000 was raised to support the patients and staff of the hospital.
Length of Service Awards
On Thursday 26 October, Board members Bonny Barry, Dr Rob Franz and I had the honour of presenting Length of Service Awards at TPCH. When one considers the total numbers of years of service to the health needs of our consumers, you can only marvel at the combined knowledge and experience of the recipients. While it is usually risky to single out an individual, I don’t think that this applies to Dr Pat Aldons who was presented with a certificate for 50 years’ service. Dr Aldons commenced at TPCH in 1971 when it was known as the Chermside Chest Hospital. He co-founded the Wound Clinic in 1991 and was one of the instigators in 1993 of the Queensland “Hospital in the Home” program. Dr Aldons has maintained a keen interest in medical education and clinical research. He was honoured with Life Membership of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2017. We owe Dr Aldons a great debt of gratitude.
Short Notice Accreditation
Short notice accreditation assessments were undertaken at Redcliffe Hospital in the week of 23 October. In the next week, the Community and Oral Health (COH) Directorate were assessed. As you read this, Mental Health is undertaking its short notice accreditation.
The Deputy Board Chair Dr Kim Forrester and I were interviewed as part of this critically important safety and quality assurance process. The outcomes at Redcliffe and COH were extremely positive.
There has been a great deal of work in preparation for the short notice visits. On behalf of the Board, I thank and congratulate all involved for their commitment to safety and quality in patient care. One of the observations of which people can be proud is the comment about how helpful and open our people were in their engagement with the assessors.
These accreditation processes confirm the reputation of Metro North staff to safety and quality which is what defines us.
Metro North Research Excellence Awards
The Metro North Research Excellence Awards were held at Eatons Hill Hotel on Thursday 2 November. As is always the case, such events are inspiring occasions at which I, as a lay person, continue to be amazed at both the volume and quality of the research of our people.
Congratulations to the winners and to all involved in research and innovation which is so critical if we are going to be able to meet the health challenges of the future.
Redcliffe Community Forum
In a similar vein, I was honoured to be involved in a community forum for the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Institute in Redcliffe. Professor Owen Ung and Dr Michael Wagels discussed with community members developments with Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) and 3D printed breast scaffold reconstruction surgery. These are pioneering developments in breast cancer care, originating in Metro North.
We can all be proud of our commitment to, and excellence in, medical research and innovation.
Given the significant achievement across Metro North in October, I thought couple of quotes about success might be appropriate.
“I was smart enough to go through any door that opened.” (Joan Rivers (1933-2014), Comedian, Actress and TV Host)
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” (Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), 33rd US President from 1945-1953.)
Regards,
Jim.