Jane Hancock, Acting Chief Executive
Today we’re celebrating Administration Professionals Day. We have admin staff in every ward across the HHS, as the first person who greets people in outpatient clinics, and in a range of other essential support roles such as our correspondence teams, our consumer liaisons, our executive support officers, our facility managers, and a range of corporate functions. We would be lost without them!
If you haven’t already, please take a moment to thank the admin professionals who help your ward, unit, or department function. Congratulations to all the admin staff receiving awards across our directorates today.
Sunday is International Day of the Midwife. Across Metro North we deliver about 8000 babies a year. Our midwifery teams play an important role in supporting pregnant people, women and families through the whole pregnancy and labour process. They are trusted professionals who help parents feel safe throughout a period of significant physical and emotional change. They are also defenders and advocates of women’s sexual and reproductive health.
The theme this year is around sustainability for the future, so let’s join with our colleagues to celebrate the contribution of the midwifery profession to our future.
DFV month
May is Domestic and Family Violence Awareness month. As healthcare workers, we are often the people who see the impacts of this violence and that can have a toll on us as humans.
Metro North has a range of resources and support for staff when a patient discloses they have experienced DFV or you suspect it is occurring, including mandatory Recognise, Respond, Refer training.
Sadly, there will also be Metro North staff who experience domestic and family violence. DV Connect can provide support for women or men who are experiencing violence at home or from a family member. If you need support or confidential advice, please contact DV Connect on 1800 811 811 or the Telus dedicated DFV line on 1300 574 516. Both services are available 24 hours.
As a colleague, here are some ways you can provide support to a team mate in a potentially unsafe situation.
As a Queensland Government employee, you can also access a range of options to assist employees affected by DFV including:
- a minimum of 10 days paid special leave
- flexible working arrangements
- reasonable workplace adjustments
- counselling support services available via Telus, the employee assistance program (EAP)
This special leave is available to employees affected by DFV, persons requiring leave to support a person directly affected by DFV (i.e. an employee’s sibling is affected by DFV) and potential perpetrators or perpetrators of DFV to encourage behaviour change (I.e. to attend counselling sessions).
The full range of resources is available on QHEPS.
Redcliffe Hospital
The Metro North Senior Executive Team met at Redcliffe Hospital today and held a staff forum while we were there. It was fantastic to have over 100 people in attendance on Teams and in the room. I enjoyed talking to people and answering questions.
There is a lot happening at Redcliffe with the major redevelopment getting underway and the rollout of ieMR, in addition to the busy clinical load. Thank you all for continuing to get the job done.
On Wednesday 26 June 2024 Redcliffe Hospital will go live with the ieMR and become Metro North Health’s second digital hospital. During the go live period, support from staff who are experienced in using the ieMR is vital to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.
If you are a clinical staff member who is experienced in using the ieMR at a digital hospital and can provide ‘at-the-elbow’ support for our Redcliffe colleagues, please let the ieMR team know by completing the Expression of Interest Form.
Staff profile – Kris Patterson, Dental Technician
After many decades, the enjoyment of carefully planning, crafting, preparing and repairing dentures and relines for oral health patients hasn’t reduced for Kris Patterson.
Kris, a senior dental technician at the Caboolture Satellite Hospital, has spent her career devoted to patient care, making patients comfortable through the construction of dentures. Metro North has had the benefit of Kris’s expertise over the last few years.
“I love working with my hands and creating something which is going to be useful or will help people,” Kris said.
“I make dentures from the first impression, through to the intermediate stage where we set the wax, and onto the final stage of preparation before it is provided to the patient.
“Each denture and repair can be very complex and have its own unique challenges.”
New Board
This week I attended the first meeting of the new Metro North Board. It was a pleasure to meet and learn more about the new Board. I was inspired and heartened by their interest, enthusiasm and commitment to public health. The Board, that welcomed six new directors including Bernard Curran as the new Board Chair, will be working with the Chief Executive and the health service to refresh the Metro North strategic priorities over the coming months.
Warm regards,
Jane.