Louise Oriti, Executive Director
I am very pleased to announce the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital has been awarded three years’ accreditation by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS).
This concludes the process which began with an ACHS Short Notice Assessment on the week of 15 January 2024.
Thank you to all our staff for continuing to provide high-quality and safe care to our patients, and congratulations on achieving this result.
Discharge Transit Centre now open on weekends
Starting this week, the Discharge Transit Centre hours of operation will be extended to the following:
- Monday to Friday – 6.30am to 11pm (no change)
- Saturday and Sundays – 8am to 4pm (additional shifts)
For your awareness, there is a new process to support the expanded operating hours for QAS, Black and White Cabs and private providers identifying the patient collection point from 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Flexible work arrangements
Thank you all for your feedback around flexible work arrangements in the Have Your Say Survey last year. We are working on some strategies to promote working flexibly where practicable across the hospital. In the meantime, please take a look at the resources and options for working flexibly in Metro North. If you have any questions about how you might be able to work more flexibly in your role to achieve better work/life balance, please contact our AskHR team on 1800 275 275.
Metro North Spinal Injury Services Project update
The Department of Health, via the System Planning Branch (SPB) are developing a future statewide spinal service delivery model for Queensland, taking into account current and projected needs. Within the context of this SPB project, Metro North Health has been asked to develop a business case to commission 20 sub-acute Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) rehabilitation beds to be located at STARS. The associated services, including at the RBWH and STARS, required to support the STARS SCI rehabilitation beds will also be included in the business case. As a member of the Project Oversight Committee (POC), I am providing strategic recommendations to inform the development of the business case. If the business case is approved, further work will be undertaken to plan and implement the service, in collaboration with STARS, RBWH, other Metro North stakeholders and the Queensland Spinal Cord Injury Service. I will keep you updated on the progress of the business case.
Celebrating nurses and midwives
It was nice to see so many nurses and midwives coming down to Level 1 last week to grab a complimentary coffee in honour of International Day of the Midwife (Sunday 5 May) and International Nurses Day (Sunday 12 May). I hope you were all made to feel appreciated on those special days.
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea
6AS Oncology Ward Allied Health team would like to invite you to Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea.
When: Thursday 23rd May 2024
Where: Level 6 walkway (between Ned Hanlon Building and Joyce Twedell Building) outdoor area
Time: Between 10am -11am
Gold coin entry via QR code (or bring your gold coins) – to enjoy a cuppa and morning tea.
Cancer Council’s annual event raises vital funds to make a difference to those impacted by cancer. Almost one in two Australians are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85. They would love your help to reach our donation goal of $300.
If you are keen, there are few ways you can show support:
- Bake something delicious for people to enjoy – please advise Georgia of your food donation via email: georgia.janas@health.qld.gov.au
- Attend and enjoy a lovely morning tea if you are able and if you are unable to attend this year, you are also very welcome to donate to the fundraising page by visiting: Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea – Georgia Janas
Reminder: TMS has a phone support option
The People and Culture TMS phone support pilot is still running for RBWH staff and there has been a very positive response so far.
Staff who have used this service have been pleased with the zero-wait time and having their queries resolved in an average of six minutes.
If you have a TMS enquiry you can still log a ticket via IT Support, however, I encourage you to call the support line on 1800 275 275 in the first instance and trial this new service. Your experience and any feedback you have will help inform if, and how, this service might be rolled out across Metro North once the pilot ends on 30 June 2024.
On a personal note
I had the pleasure this morning of being shown around the Ophthalmology Outpatient Clinic by CNC, Sarah Patrick. This service is located on Level 8 of the Ned Hanlon Building and has recently been brightened up immensely with some beautiful Indigenous artwork. The five large pieces on permanent display, along with their symbolic meanings, are thanks to generous donors and represent stage 1 of the project. Ophthalmology welcomes many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients from right across Queensland. It is so encouraging to see the team going to such an effort to make these patients feel comfortable during their visit, demonstrating Health Equity strategies take many forms. Great work Ophthalmology!
I’d like to let you know that for two weeks from 27 May I will be acting in the role of Metro North Chief Operating Officer. In my absence, Sarah Black will act as RBWH Executive Director, while Gareth Davies will take on Sarah’s role of A/Deputy ED. It’s reassuring to know the Royal will be in very safe hands during my short absence.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to patient care and our community.
Kind regards,
Louise.