Message from the Executive Director

Firstly, Happy Administrative Professionals Day!

Our administration professionals range broadly from our complaints team, to our ESOs, to our reception staff, to our Health Information team, community and consumer engagement and beyond… and while our Medical, Nursing and Allied Health staff are often well recognised, our administration teams are often the quiet background enablers or, in fact, the front of our service for patients and communities.

This means they hold a very high responsibility in influencing our community’s experience of our hospital. My job would certainly not be possible without the team of administrators that work with me to keep things on track, lead communication with our community and patients, and simply help juggle all the demands we face at CKW. Please know how important you all are and thank you!

I will send a message on Tuesday to celebrate the CKW Administration Professional Day awards nominees and winners.

Well, it has been another week of high demand across our CKW directorate and as I visited different places this week, I was reminded of the importance of team. In every area I visited, they spoke of the challenges they had been facing but the joy of the team they worked in and with.

As I visited Ward 3A and spoke to Nurse Unit Manager Tarryn Day and some of her team, they spoke about the complexity of the patients they were seeing and some of the frustrations related to the Model of Care not being what they had thought they would be working in… but they then spoke happily about the team that pulled in to make the days pass with positive patient care being provided.

I also visited Ward 2A which, although a surgical ward, has been proficiently and expertly looking after a lot of complex medical patients. I found Nurse Unit Manager Colleen Herrmann doing a ‘spring clean’ behind Pyxis machines and drug cupboards and, as we spoke, Nursing Director Jeffrey Andersen jumped in to help.

Colleen spoke about the hard days and working with her team to get through these days and how everyone pulled together.

It has certainly been a tough time up on Ward 2A with staff members having personal tragedies and as I chatted with Nurse Manager Liza Williams. We spoke about how the team had pulled in to not only fill the extra shifts required across 2A and PPW, but also to offer support to those staff affected both directly and indirectly.

I really want to remind everyone how much easier our jobs are when we work together, not only in our areas, but across our system. I so often watch teams working very, very hard but then almost butting up against another team that is also working very, very hard.

I really challenge you all to ask people if they are ok? And be overt in the question of how might we work together to get the best outcome for this patient?

I also this week travelled out to Kilcoy – as those of you know who regularly read my message, I love Kilcoy and often ponder how we might transit some of the beauty and healing calm feel from Kilcoy to Caboolture.

However, this week was tinged with a little sadness, as we remembered and recognised two very important members of the team:

I would like to note that even though some staff on site did not know these people, every staff member was mindful and respectful and had leant in to support staff who did.

Again, how important is team to our work and our working lives. Kilcoy really epitomises this with such a strong, multidisciplinary team that, to be honest, often feels more like a family.

I was also there to say thank you to Leanne Young, who has covered the NUM role for the past six weeks while Annette Tones has had a well-deserved break. Thank you, Leanne – you have done a sterling job and excited to be heading back to Caboolture Satellite Hospital to cover the NUM role there.

A little birdie told me that Leanne Hardie then takes over for a week to let Annette have a little more of a break!

I do get out and about each week to different areas and love the learnings I get from you all as you talk to me about your realities and joy at work, professionally and personally. If you have not seen me for a while or have exciting things happening, please let me know or invite me to an event in your area I really love to hear directly from you.

Nursing and Midwifery Awards

As we celebrate our staff, we begin a three-week celebration with Administrative Professionals Day today, followed by The International Day of the Midwife and then International Nurses Day, which are all extraordinarily important in our calendar.

The International Day of the Midwife is celebrated on Sunday (5 May). The theme for this year is “Sustainable Midwifery: Caring for Tomorrow’s World.”

International Nurses Day is always celebrated on May 12 the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The theme is “Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care” which is a call to action to invest more in the nursing profession.

All these days recognise the invaluable contribution our staff make to healthcare around the world.

To celebrate these events, we have the Administrative Professionals Day celebration today, as I previously mentioned, to recognise administration staff.

This will be followed closely by the Caboolture, Kilcoy and Woodford Directorate nursing and midwifery awards, in recognition of their exceptional contributions to our team and the wider healthcare community.

Nominations have now closed and I was thrilled to hear we’ve received 77 nominations over the seven categories.

We will announce the finalists next week and present the winners and highly commended recipients at the CKW Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards ceremony in the Caboolture Hospital Lecture Theatre on Wednesday 15 May from 10.30am to 11.30am.

This event is sponsored by our friends at QSuper. Thank you to QSuper for your ongoing support of CKW.

I encourage you to attend the awards presentation in person or join via Microsoft Teams. I hope that you will be able to join us to celebrate the achievements of our colleagues.

Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to our patients and our team.

USC Midwifery Event

I am also excited that the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) is hosting an International Day of the Midwife Event: Birthing Together: Celebrating Midwifery Care on Sunday.

The event will include a presentation for the USC 2024 Student Midwife of the Year and Local Midwife of the year, as voted by USC midwifery students.

The three midwives from Caboolture Hospital nominated by USC students for Midwife of the Year are Verena Nemetala, Kristy Murray and Alina Fagan. Such a great acknowledgement of your work.

CKW Women, Children and Family Service Line Nursing and Midwifery Director Marcia Morris will also present Caboolture Hospital’s midwifery Models of Care at this event.

10,000 Steps Challenge reminder

The Queensland Health Steps Challenge is underway with several CKW teams already putting their best foot forward!

At this stage, the CKW Pharmacy Team ‘Our Pill-grimage’ is the local leader with more than 800,000 steps, followed by the CKW Executive Team ‘Ctrl+Alt+Elite’ with just over 400,000 steps.

There’s still time to sign up, create, or join a team and Get Moving Together. The challenge runs until Friday 31 May.

For more information, head to the Queensland Health Steps Challenge page or contact Metro North Comms via email metronorth-events@health.qld.gov.au.

We really want CKW to come out on top for Metro North, so please make sure you are enrolled and your team is
identified as CKW. (Not that I’m competitive).

It’s the Guitar Man!

Who draws the crowd and plays so loud? It’s the guitar man!

The team was excited to hear some lovely tunes when visiting Ward 4D recently.

One of the patients brought in his guitar and started walking around signing some well recognised and loved to staff and fellow patients. He played Elvis, Tom Jones and many of the golden oldies.

I’m told it really lifted the mood in the ward and other patients, staff and visitors really appreciated the entertainment.

Music is such an important influence on our mood. I often think about how we increase music in our system without affecting people with sensory aversion to music.

Domestic and Family Violence Awareness Month

As I am sure you all know, there is a Domestic and Family Violence epidemic currently – with 28 women killed by a partner this year.

There will be very few people in our hospital who have not been affected either directly or indirectly by Domestic and Family Violence (DFV).

• If you or someone you know are experiencing Domestic and Family Violence and would like community-based specialist supports, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

• If you are experiencing Domestic and Family Violence and seeking staff wellbeing supports, contact TELUS Health 24/7 DFV Line (1300 574 516).

• DV Connect can provide support for women or men who are experiencing violence at home or from a family member.

Please be aware of Metro North Health services we have that can provide support if you have concerns patients have experienced or you suspect DFV. Find them on QHEPS.

Please also make sure your mandatory staff training Recognise, Respond, Refer module is up to date.

The month of May marks Domestic and Family Violence Awareness Month – a community and sector-led initiative held annually in Queensland to raise awareness and understanding of domestic and family violence and coercive control.

This year is a reminder that ‘It’s in our control to end coercive control’ and by coming together and rejecting the harmful attitudes and behaviours engrained in our communities that allow domestic and family violence to endure we can make Queensland safer for all.

As gendered violence disproportionately impacts women and their children, it is important we challenge these behaviours and attitudes in our societies that drive violence against women, fuel gender inequality and enable domestic and family violence and coercive control to threaten the safety of our Queensland communities.

This month presents an opportunity for Queenslanders to reaffirm their individual, community and organisational commitment to keep women and their children safe by ending all forms of domestic and family violence, including coercive control.

Recruitment to a dedicated Social Worker Advanced, Domestic and Family Violence Specialist role at Caboolture and Kilcoy hospitals, is underway.

It is designed to build the capability of the health workforce and clinical services to respond to DFV across Metro North Health.

Importantly, the position will support the integration of the domestic and family violence reform agenda through the delivery of DFV training and education, as well as provision of specialist information to frontline health workers and clinicians across Caboolture and Kilcoy Hospitals and Redcliffe-Caboolture Mental Health.

Key Appointments

Nursing Director Emergency, Kilcoy Hospital, Woodford Corrections Health: the permanent recruitment process is nearing completion.

• Bribie Island Satellite Hospital’s new Facility Manager Rachel Mullan has hit the ground running.

The Bribie Island Satellite Hospital reached an important milestone this week with its official handover to Metro North.

Rachel advises that construction of the Cancer Care Services continues but the site looks great.

The Minor Injuries and Illness Clinic and Facility Services will start their commissioning processes in the coming weeks.

“It is really great to see how far things have come, and the team is keen to get everything set up ready for opening,” Rachel said.

Positions Vacant

• Clinical Director – Minor Injury and Illness Clinics, Kilcoy Hospital and Woodford Corrections Health (closing today!)
• Clinical Director – Paediatric Emergency
• Associate Nurse Unit Manager – Paediatric Emergency
• Senior House Officer
• Registrar / Principal House Officer
• Speech Pathologist Senior
• General Practitioner – Bribie Island Minor Injury and Illness Clinic

Reflection

We are on a Tier 3 again presently and I wanted to thank everyone again for your hard work, kindness and compassionate care for our patients who turn to us when they are unwell, often vulnerable and need a helping hand.

I again reflect on the importance of team… not only your own team, but our whole of Directorate team and considering each others perspectives and how we lean in, rather than push against each other, to get the best for our patients, community and most importantly, you, our staff.

I do note while we receive complaints, we also receive just as many compliments from patients and families about the care they receive.

Recently the Health Minister sent through this compliment that she had received from a former Caboolture Hospital patient, which I really wanted to pass on to everyone:

I have been in Caboolture Hospital for surgery on 8 April to 11 April and I would love to express my gratitude and appreciation of all the staff. When I arrived and walked up to the outside path, the cleaner greeted me with a smile and hello which continued when I arrived at reception.

When going in for surgery, the nursing staff, anaesthetists and surgeons all made me feel comfortable and special. After surgery, the nurses in S2 were exceptional in every possible way with the nurses and surgeons keeping me well informed in what was happening.

Everyone I came across from dieticians, nurses, pathologists, pharmacy, cleaners and doctors were extremely supportive and I would love for you to extend my appreciation to everyone.

There is a lot of hype and bluster in the media regarding our hospitals and not enough credit to staff who must be so tired of hearing the denigrating of the hospital system.

Well done to everyone at Caboolture Hospital. You are a credit to your chosen profession. Keep up the incredible work you do.

You truly are superheroes! Thankyou!

As I finish up again, I wish to recognise and thank our administration health professionals – I really encourage you all to go out of your way to thank all the administration team members you work with. Maybe even brighten their day with a coffee or something that will make them smile.

Thank you to our administration professionals – you are amazing!

Quote

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller

Kind regards,

Karlene.