Adj Assoc Prof Jackie Hanson, Chief Executive
Sea of Hands at the RBWH
I have enjoyed participating in events across Metro North this week to celebrate National Reconciliation Week.
On Monday morning I took part in the Sea of Hands at the Royal which created a striking visual effect. You might see the colourful hands out the front as you drive past the hospital.
I hope you’ve had the opportunity to get involved in events at your local facility too.
The Have your Say survey is still open and I strongly encourage you to share your feedback. So far more than 5700 staff have completed the survey. The survey takes around 15-20 minutes and the results are incredibly valuable in helping us to make Metro North an even better place to work.
This week Queensland public sector respect in the workplace survey opened as well. The Queensland Government is committed to providing workplaces where employees feel included, respected, and safe. The survey will collect data about your understanding of how to report and support colleagues experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace and from those who have experienced or observed sexual harassment. Completing the survey will help the Queensland Government to understand employee experiences and how to better prevent and manage sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.
With international travel back on the agenda, it’s great to be able to support Metro North researchers to meet with their overseas partners. During May, we supported one researcher to travel to California for a clinical trial investigators meeting.
Caboolture Hospital was recognised last week for the successful implementation of the Safer Baby Bundle, a national initiative to reduce stillbirth after 28 weeks gestation. The initiative has now been embedded in routine care. At this week’s final learning sessions with Clinical Excellence Queensland, the Caboolture team was one of five units across Queensland asked to present on their successes. They also received two of the five awards for the highest consumer response rate and for going above in their successful implementation of all elements of the Safer Baby Bundle. Congratulations to the team!
Caboolture Hospital staff were also invited to present this week at a forum hosted by the Sexual Health Ministerial Advisory Committee. The team from the Caboolture Young Mothers for Young Women (CYMYW) service were part of a session highlighting the power of integrating government and non-government organisations to provide wrap around services for vulnerable populations with a health and social approach. Well done to the CYMYW team!
Winter has officially arrived. You would have seen this week that Metro North moved to Tier 1 in our acute respiratory illness response plan due to the number of people presenting to EDs and being admitted for flu, COVID-19, RSV and other respiratory illnesses. If you haven’t yet had your flu vaccine and COVID booster, please do. It’s so important to keep yourselves safe and healthy.
Kind regards,
Jackie.