Message from the Executive Director

Well, it certainly has been a busy and challenging week which peaked with the terrible Tuesday weather and surrounding flooding. As a result, we engaged a Code Brown which most of you know, meant that ambulances were redirected to other sites (unless patients were critically ill or would be detrimentally affected by an extended transit), we also limited some services such as the Satellite Hospital which closed early. This helped us manage our services safely while many staff and patients struggled to travel to us due to local and surrounding road closures and flooding.

I really want to thank all our staff who leant in and did extra hours, shifts and showed care for both our staff and patients who were impacted by the weather.

Having been personally affected by flooding in 2022, I am always mindful that for many of us life returns quickly to normal like it did on Wednesday with beautiful blue skies and the return to normal business.  What a difference a day makes, however I appreciate that for some staff the impacts are often much longer lasting.  I want to send my thoughts and strength to all our staff who were (and continue to be) impacted by this event. Kia Kaha (or stay strong) it will improve. I know I was still living with the effects some 14-months later and it certainly felt challenging and lonely!  Please check in on your colleagues, you seldom know what is truly going on for them.

Visit to Kilcoy

This week I had the pleasure of visiting Kilcoy, where I met one of our newest staff members new graduate Nurse Kobie Roberts, and one of our longest serving staff members Audrey Colby (who has worked at Kilcoy for 23 years and also lives just down the road). I also met fellow Kiwi, Clinical Nurse Paula Rowe.

They all spoke about the great supportive team at Kilcoy and what a wonderful place it is to work at.

As well as the benefits, they also spoke about some of the challenges of working at Kilcoy. It is important for us to think about the realities for each other when we consider patient placement at Kilcoy. At Kilcoy the staff on the ward also manage the Emergency Care Centre (ECC) and at night this means that if an unwell patient comes in,  staff go across to the ECC to help which leaves minimal staff on the ward.  Additionally, it is very hard to get extra staff to manage patients with delirium or needing special support. 

We get amazing feedback from patients who are cared for at Kilcoy, many of whom do not live nearby, however if we transfer patients who can’t be managed safely at Kilcoy and are required to be transferred back to Caboolture, it can be distressing, disruptive and confusing for the patient and their families.  This is not a positive expeMetro North Clinical Assistant Leadership Awardrience for our patients and families; nor is it good use of our services such as Patient Transport.

Please can I ask that anyone included in the process of transferring patients does two things:

1. Ensure the site you are transferring to has the facilities and capability to effectively manage the patient’s needs.
2. Ensure that the handover provided is comprehensive and accurate.

These two things ensure the safety and quality of care of our patients and enhances their healthcare experience which positively impacts their recovery. Furthermore, this is an important consideration for patient flow and highlights everyone’s responsibility in the process.

New Common Good café open for business

This week we also celebrated the opening of the new Common Good café at Caboolture. I was a little disappointed as I missed the celebratory cake but the bonus was that the coffee was great and the staff are really happy in their new space.  It has certainly made our entrance area ‘hum’ which is wonderful. I do note some feedback reported from our reception area and volunteers, and we will work through this over the next few weeks.

Tour of the CSB

Yesterday some of you may have seen us showing Federal Member for Longman Terry Young MP around the CSB. Terry was keen to see our new facility and talk to staff about how the new building is going.  He thanked us for welcoming him so warmly and wanted to let staff know how impressed he was.  Thank you to everyone – it was great to hear your reflections about the move.

Professional development opportunities

I want to draw your attention to the following professional/ personal development opportunities. I am very passionate about ongoing personal and professional development, and support investing in staff and supporting them to achieve their goals. Please refer to the links below:

1: Professional development workshops

These are virtual workshops which are varying in duration from 2 to 8 hours and address a diverse spectrum of topics:

• Personality and Performance Culture
• Workload, Email and Meeting Management
• Conversations that Make a Difference
• Maximising Project Outcomes
• Solutions Thinking
• Leading Innovation
• Quality and Healthcare Improvement
• Customer First
• Leading Through Meetings

Please visit the Staff Development Workshops QHEPS page or email MNTraining@health.qld.gov.au for further information.

2: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Program

This program aligns with our commitment to health equity by addressing key themes related to employee retention, and the professional development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in Metro North Health. It includes a 2-day face-to-face workshop with mentoring and ongoing supporting activities, providing participants with opportunities to build confidence, deepen cultural awareness and explore development opportunities. Full program overview.

May I ask CKW Managers to consider nominating and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait staff members who may benefit from this opportunity.  Nominations close on 8 March. For further details on nominating an employee, please visit the program QHEPS page. Additionally, if you would like to be involved in the program as a mentor, please considering joining the program. Mentors will play a crucial role in supporting participants throughout this leadership development journey. Please click here to submit an Expression of Interest.

3: Training opportunity

What an excellent opportunity for people interested in gaining knowledge and experience in conducting systematic reviews.

The Australasian Cerebral Palsy Clinical Trials Network (AusCP-CTN) is conducting a 8-week interactive workshop on which aims to enable the attendees to gain a comprehensive knowledge and practical experience in conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of efficacy of treatment, a clinimetric review of measures, and/or a review of diagnostic criteria for a clinical area.

The workshop commences today, however it is possible to also join from next week. The flyer can be accessed online here.

4: Social and Emotional Wellbeing Program

I look forward to welcoming Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing Officers Jesse Blackman and Nickita Wylie to CKW later this month when they host the Social and Wellbeing Program.  The drop-in sessions will provide a culturally safe, private and respectful service to support and work alongside staff to ensure their needs are identified and supported.

Our CKW workforce includes great diversity and includes a team of over 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This diversity helps to create an open, inclusive environment that promotes teamwork, and helps to address health inequities.

Please put these dates in your diary:

• Caboolture Hospital February 15 and 27 at 10am – 12pm (location TBC)
• Caboolture Satellite Hospital 15 and 27 at 1pm – 3pm (location TBC)

For more information please visit the SEWB QHEPS Page or email the SEWB team

Metro North Clinical Assistant Leadership Award

The MN Clinical Assistant Leadership Award 2024 recognises a Clinical Assistant who makes a significant contribution to the workplace and demonstrates a strong commitment to Metro North’s values – respect, teamwork, compassion, high performance, and integrity. The awardee will receive a certificate and up to $500 towards a relevant professional development activity (to be spent by 30 June 2024). Nominations close 5pm Tuesday 5 March 2024. Nominate here

CKW Caring Together: Living our values charter

I would like to share some more of the sentiments conveyed by staff at the recent CKW Caring Together: Living Our Values Charter launch about what the values mean to them:

Reflection of the week:

Well after such a busy week, and acknowledging for the majority of you your week does not run Monday to Friday, it is important that we take time to rest and also check in and look after each other.  When your days off come around, please take time to recuperate and make sure you have your next holidays booked and planned so that you have something to look forward to. 

Annual leave is for the specific purpose of rest and recuperation which is why we need to take at least two weeks together in a 12-month period. It’s an essential part of supporting your health and well-being. My boys are very good at doing both rest and care for each other! We really can learn from our animals, can’t we?

‘Learn to relax. Your body is precious, it houses your mind and spirit.  Inner peace begins with a relaxed body’ Norman Vincent Peale

As always, I would love to hear your ideas, thoughts, messages or questions. Please contact  me on the email link below: