For the last few months, we have all been working hard towards the opening of the Clinical Services Building (CSB) and the multi-storey car park.

I committed to letting you know if the target occupancy date changed. We now anticipate that the occupancy period will commence on 21 August 2023.

On this date, it is expected that we will commence occupancy activities in the CSB, including protective services, cleaning and waste management services. We also anticipate that the multi-storey car park will open in August, and clinical services will commence in the CSB in October.

We know the changed occupancy date will have impacts across the hospital and project, however it is important we work to these new dates to ensure the clinically safe opening of the CSB.

A special Trailblazer’s Network Forum will be held at 2pm on Tuesday 23 May in the Education Centre Lecture Theatre to discuss the new target occupancy dates. CHRP Project Director Fiona Brewin-Brown and I will be available to answer questions and provide an update on our next steps.

Thank you all for your understanding and continued commitment towards building a bigger and better hospital to improve patient care for the Caboolture community.

Dr Rosalind Crawford

Dr Rosalind Crawford joined CKW late last year as Acting Director of Medical Services.

Since that time, Dr Crawford has worked tremendously hard to uplift CKW’s medical offer and build a strong and resilient medical workforce.

Unfortunately, Dr Crawford took emergent leave recently to start treatment for a serious health concern and this week has made the difficult decision to not continue in the CKW DMS role.

I would like to sincerely thank Dr Crawford for her great work with the CKW team and I’m sure everyone will join me in wishing her well in the future.

With CKW Deputy Director of Medical Services Dr Helen Vickery on maternity leave, I have asked senior medical leaders at Metro North to assist in the short-term while we undertake a recruitment process.

I know many of you have reached out to Ros over the past few weeks and she appreciates your support.

Have Your Say survey starts today!

The Have Your Say Staff Survey starts today. This is the third time Metro North Health has run this survey.  Everyone will receive an email from the survey provider, BPA, with your survey link.

Please take the time and have your say about what it’s like to work at Caboolture, Kilcoy and Woodford, also how we can make Metro North Health a truly great place to work.

Satellite Hospital update

Recruitment for positions at the Caboolture Satellite Hospital has started. Roles will be advertised on Smart Jobs as they become available.

One of the first positions to be advertised is for a Supply Supervisor. Follow this link to find out more or to share with your network.

We’re also advertising for a General Practitioner for the Minor Injuries and Illness Clinics at Caboolture and Bribie Island. More details here.

Thanks to our volunteers!

It’s National Volunteer Week, so a great opportunity to officially said thank you to the dedicated group of volunteers at Caboolture Hospital.

We hosted a morning tea event earlier this week and presented each volunteer with a certificate as a small token of our appreciation.

Volunteers at Caboolture Hospital are coordinated by The Common Good. If you know someone who may be interested in becoming a volunteer, email  info@thecommongood.org.au or phone Karen on 5433 8634.

Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week event

Everyone is invited to events at Caboolture Hospital for Sorry Day (26 May) and National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June).

For Sorry Day, we’ll host a formal Sorry Day event at the hospital main entry (near the coffee van) from 11.30am to 12pm.

This will be followed by a launch of National Reconciliation Week, which will include a sausage sizzle, including some bush tucker meats. Ever wanted to try kangaroo? This will be your chance!

The CKW Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) team has also organised a hand art activity. You can write a few words about what reconciliation means to you on a small cardboard hand, which we’ll display on the window between the cheesegrater and main building for the week.

For our colleagues at Kilcoy, the CKW RAP team will host a National Reconciliation Week morning tea and the hand artwork activity at Kilcoy Hospital on Thursday 1^st June.

I really encourage everyone to take part in the hand art activity and read the responses.

We’re also getting ready to commemorate another key event on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander calendar soon – Mabo Day on Saturday 3 June.

Health Equity workshop

Our journey towards health equity includes eliminating institutional racism across the public health system and achieving life expectancy parity for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples by 2031.

I have invited members of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community including Traditional Owners and Elders, to a workshop on Tuesday. They will join the broader CKW leadership group as well as other staff members in assisting us gaining further understanding and in co-designing local actions to meet the achievement of Health Equity for our community.

The objective of the workshop is to work together to develop a local Health Equity Implementation Plan for Caboolture and Kilcoy Hospitals and Woodford Corrections Health (CKW).

For more details on this event, contact Cultural Capability Officer Janita Adams.

What a compliment!

This week, I wanted to share a ‘feel good’ patient story from Caboolture Hospital with you.

A patient who was with us in a four bay room recently become friends with his roommates and now catch-up with each other outside the hospital.

When we rang the patient recently to check on his recovery, he told a lovely story about showing a photo of his daughter to one of his new hospital friends.

The man’s daughter and the hospital roommate started a relationship and are now engaged.

Care of his treatment at Caboolture Hospital, this patient is now well again, has four new friends and his daughter has found her true love. What a story!

Finally,

Please save the date and visit the annual Kilcoy Hospital Auxiliary Fete, which will be held in the hospital grounds next Saturday (27 May) from 10am to 2pm at Kilcoy Hospital.

It’s always a great event!

Take Care,

Angie.