It has been a little while since the last Executive Director message and I would like to highlight a few important things. We are again in a very busy period with the flu season and an increase in COVID-19 cases across our health service.
Thank you to everyone for their kindness, compassion and significant efforts covering staff who are either unwell, unavailable or looking after their family. And, not forgetting all our dedicated teams who are supporting our hospitals by accepting patients to our bedded and home visiting
services.
Virtual ED
With clinical demand in our Emergency Department high this winter, alternative patient pathways like Metro North’s Virtual ED will become more and more important. The Virtual ED provides an alternative emergency care pathway for patients
who need urgent care but are not experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
These patients receive the clinical attention they need without physically attending our hospital’s busy Emergency Departments.
I encourage everyone to look at the Virtual ED portal and find out more about how this service can work
for our patients this winter.
NAIDOC Week (3-12 July)
NAIDOC Week is always a significant week for all of us to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The theme for this year is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! for systemic change and keep rallying around our mob, our Elders, our communities.
Next week, our Community and Oral Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Unit will be visiting and hosting a number of staff events, morning teas and BBQs at:
- North Lakes
- Pine Rivers
- Brighton
- Redcliffe
- Nundah
- Keppera.
Please Show Up and support our Aboriginal and Tores Strait Islander colleagues, patients and community.
BPA upgrades and activity
The end of the financial year is always a busy time for the Building, Engineering and Maintenance team and this year is no exception. In 2022, we committed as part of the BPA Staff Survey to upgrading staff amenities, breakout areas and some clinical areas across the directorate.
This work has now been complete and includes upgrades and refreshment of the:
- Stafford Dental Clinic surgeries (11 and 12)
- Dolphin House staff lunch room, outdoor screens and breezeway
- Brighton Brain Injury Service therapy kitchen, sensory room and staff kitchen
- Aspley kitchen and shade sails
- Brighton Auditorium green room conversation to offices
- Brighton Multi-Faith Space – Auditorium
- Zillmere Transition Care Program break out area
- North Lakes Health Precinct balcony, kitchen and Indigenous garden.
Thank you to our BEMs team for their outstanding efforts.
Welcome to Oral Health
Next month we will be welcoming Lainie White as the Manager Corporate Services to Metro North Oral Health. Lainie is currently the A/Manager Corporate Services for COH and brings extensive leadership in administration and logistics, having worked in Queensland Health for over 30 years and
across the private sector.
I would like to extend a very big thank you to Roslyn Hollett who has done a brilliant job acting in the role for the past nine months; and wish her every success in her future career.
Kelly McGowan who has been A/Director of Operations MNOHS leaves us at the end of this week to return to West Moreton. Kelly has done a tremendous job here at COH including leading some large projects during my absence. I wish to formally thank Kelly for her efforts and wish Kelly the very best in her
future undertakings.
Kallangur, Caboolture and Bribie Island satellite hospitals
There has been much planning and discussion around the Kallangur, Caboolture and Bribie Island satellite hospitals and it was good to see the recent funding announcement from the A/Chief Executive.
This is a very exciting development for all of our service lines, as it it anticipated that our directorate will be playing a significant role in the management and service delivery at these satellite hospitals. Kind regards
Mario de Silva
A/Executive Director
Community and Oral Health