I’m always excited to see the new clinical services building and multi-storey car park quickly taking shape.

Scaffolding has been gradually removed from the car park in recent weeks with the first stencil of the Bunya Pine artwork appearing on the wall facing McKean Street – which is five stories high!

This artwork and other culturally appropriate infrastructure design elements coming soon will make a real difference and help ensure our community feel culturally safe when visiting Caboolture Hospital.

Metro North Health Chief Executive Jackie Hanson, Chief Operating Officer Jane Hancock and Executive Directors from across Metro North will tour the clinical services building next Friday, as part of the Clinical Directorate Leadership Team meeting which will be held in Caboolture rather than Herston.

It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase Caboolture Hospital and the great work underway across the CKW Directorate.

Q-Flow is coming to Caboolture and Kilcoy hospitals

Q-Flow will replace Q-Manager and Patient Automated Arrival System (PAAS) improving visibility of patient movement across ambulatory outpatient areas. Information boards will update patients, carers and families on wait times and allow better communication with patients.

Caboolture and Kilcoy will join STARS, Redcliffe Hospital and The Prince Charles Hospital in using Q-Flow.

Change Champion sessions will be available from late February to support you during the transition.  Training is available through TMS and iLearn.

If you have any questions at this stage, send an email to mnhhs-quickflow@health.qld.gov.au

Temporary changes to booking non-urgent travel

With the Black and White Cabs booking system currently off-line, we have implemented a temporary work-around for non-urgent patient transport.

Please contact Central Admissions during business hours or the Hospital Coordinator after hours, who can organise an e-ticket and book a taxi from another company.

This temporary change will continue until the issue at Black and White Cabs is resolved.

Operational and Food Serviced donation helping local families

Late last year, Caboolture Hospital’s Operational and Food Services teams gathered non-perishable food and sundries for St Vincent De Paul to distribute at Christmas time.

Unfortunately, the donation was delayed due to COVID-19 complications, but I’m pleased to say the donation has now been dropped off and helping several families across Caboolture.

Here’s a great shot of the donation made and some of the staff who helped make it happen. Well done!Enrol today in CKW cultural training programs

A reminder to enrol in the Cultural Practice Program and Identification Sessions being organised by the CKW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services Team. The courses help build cultural capability and are an important part of Metro North’s commitment to Health Equity.

The Cultural Practice Program provides practical advice, tools and resources to embed the four guiding principles of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability Framework 2010-2033. The next session will be held on Tuesday 7 March from 10am to 2.30pm.

The Indigenous Identification sessions highlight how accurate Indigenous identification status is fundamental for monitoring, evaluating and planning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services. The next session will be held on Wednesday 15 March from 10am to 11.30am.

For more information, phone 5316 5348 or email CKW_A_TSI_HealthServices@health.qld.gov.au

Fee-free nursing courses for priority groups

Are you interested in studying a Diploma of Nursing this year?

First Nations Queenslanders, people with a disability and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can study a Diploma of Nursing fee-free during 2023. Eligibility criteria is managed by TAFE Queensland and Central Queensland University.

QNMU members who are not eligible for the free course initiative can still receive reduced training fees while studying a Diploma of Nursing at TAFE. The Queensland Government continues to subsidise up to $10,000 of course costs.

Click here for more information.

Vale Lauren and John

The Caboolture Hospital Ward 4A family sadly lost a much-loved member of their team recently. Nurse Lauren Watts was a new graduate nurse who started at Caboolture Hospital in June 2022. She was 40 years of age.

A Go Fund Me page set up to help Lauren’s husband Drew and her young family has already raised more than $36,000. Our thoughts are with Lauren’s loved ones.

I was also saddened to hear of the passing of former CKW Director of Pharmacy Services John Doonan recently. John will be fondly remembered for his significant contribution developing clinical pharmacy services at Caboolture and Kilcoy hospitals and Woodford Correctional Centre.

As always, support is available if you need it – this includes contacting a CKW Peer Responder or contacting Benestar on 1300 360 364 and let them know you’re a Metro North Health staff member.

What a compliment!

Here’s a great compliment we received recently from a patient who had been in Ward 2A:

“The nurses were very warm and humble in their care, as well as checking my mental wellbeing during my recovery was unmistakably remarkable.

“The support offered from the chaplains and the drug and alcohol counsellor was a relieving experience also.”

Finally,

It’s a date! The next Caboolture Hospital Trailblazers Network Forum will be held on Valentine’s Day (Tuesday 14 February) from 11am to 12.30pm.

On a serious note, the Trailblazer forums have become a real priority to ensure we’re ready to start the exciting next chapter in the history of Caboolture Hospital.

Take care, particularly during this heat!

Angie.