Dear colleagues,

It is Volunteers Week. Volunteers provide support to patients in many ways across the health service and are often a friendly face when people need someone to talk to. Thank you to all of our volunteers for everything you do to improve the experience of patients, residents and visitors. 💐

We are continuing to see unprecedented activity across our emergency departments and inpatient wards and demand for our services is growing. Thank you all for your ongoing commitment and efforts to delivering the best possible care every time.

The second Have Your Say staff survey launched on Monday. All staff should have received a personalised email from BPA this week with a link to the survey, but if you didn’t receive the email you can still participate.

When we took the survey in 2019, we were aiming for a 40% response. We achieved 43% which was excellent and gave us a wealth of feedback on how staff felt about working for Metro North, what could be improved and what they thought was good. Since then we’ve done significant work to implement changes where issues were identified. I also visited every work unit across Metro North in person to chat with staff and provide an opportunity for informal feedback.

So far, 14% of staff (3213) have completed the survey. The highest number of responses so far are at RBWH (1014) and TPCH (381).

You can complete the survey online here. The survey is being conducted by BPA, an independent provider who will analyse the results and separate any identifying information from your answers.

TPCH Indigenous Hospital Liaison Service phone

Thursday 27 May marks the start of National Reconciliation Week. Across Metro North we will be holding a variety of activities to commemorate the week. Reconciliation Week highlights the work being done to strengthen relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples and non-Indigenous peoples for the benefit of all Australians.

In the health context, reconciliation is also about ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receive high quality care in a culturally safe and appropriate setting to close the gap in healthcare outcomes.

I encourage you to get involved in local Reconciliation Week activities and think about how your daily practice can help improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Prince Charles Hospital is unveiling its new Indigenous Hospital Liaison Service phone in the emergency department. Staff will be trained to assist patients and visitors to use the phone to directly reach the IHLS team for support.

Next week is also National Sorry Day on Wednesday, acknowledging the long term impact of forcible removal and mistreatment for the Stolen Generations Survivors. I highly recommend the Healing Foundation’s short podcast series to better understand the intergenerational trauma and importance of identity and culture for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the first Metro North Nursing and Midwifery Awards (see Alanna’s message for details).

Regards,