Many of you stood up remarkably over the last few days – Thank you!

While there is still a fair bit of work to do to mop up, I want to thank all of our areas, our emergency response, on-call and duty nurse manager teams, and home visiting and virtual services.

I know that many of our staff also experienced flooding of their homes and my thoughts are with everyone who has experienced any serious impacts during this difficult time.

As we continue to face some challenges around staffing and access to work and services, please focus on virtual care as a priority today until we continue to work through any issues ahead.

I would also like to emphasis the work of some key staff, including Ansuyah Padayachee for her leadership and stewardship as the executive on call over the weekend to ensure that care continued as best as possible given the circumstances.

In addition, there are many staff I would also like to acknowledge today:

BEMS, Technical support and facility management

Our BEMs, technical support and facility management team kicked into high gear to manage infrastructure issues and any problems that arose.

Nursing workforce

Our nursing workforce is a team that responds consistently behind the scenes to not only the infrastructure challenges, but the numerous staff replacements when staff can’t get to work because of road conditions and so much more.

Our workforce team play such an important role and I am very grateful for their efforts – thank you.

Emergency Response and HITH teams

A big thank you to our emergency response and Hospital in the Home teams who have had to go to extreme lengths to problem solve many episodes of care and in particular, how to deliver critical care to a gentleman on Bribie Island.

This involved lots of agencies and included transportation to Bribie Island by the Redcliffe Coast Guard.

Community Palliative Care Team

Our Palliative Care team are always there for their patients, and their families to care for their loved ones in home even with the road closures and delays to services.

Thank you for all that you do!

Virtual Ward

The Virtual Ward team continued to deliver care to those at home with COVID-19 even after they were relocated due to flooding. They also managed to put processes in place to ensure patients in Kilcoy could get assistance.

And more broadly

To all those people who covered for many of the staff who could not get to work because of flooding. Thank you all.

When we were responding to COVID or an emergency response I said I could not think of a better team than COH to be working with.

Making a difference

And, a quote I would like to share:

“I would like to compliment and thank the nurse in charge along with the night staff at Zillmere. Yesterday, I had a shift for concierge and when leaving realised I was cut off from home.

“After 1.5 hours of trying to get there I turned around and came back. Suzette was absolutely amazing.

“Not only taking me in for the night also my sister who was working at the RBWH who also became stranded. Her quick thinking helped us in a really tricky and stressful situation. We were given food, hot showers, dry clothes and a bed.

“I don’t think she realised just how much she helped us. We both have young children at home and a family that we couldn’t get to. By her being so open and kind to us it made a very stressful situation so much better.

“There were also a number of staff members who also had to stay who I am sure are just as grateful as we are.”

Staff Psychology sessions extended

We have been facing so many difficult times and as a result additional Staff Psychology Open Door sessions commence today.

Please click on the shareable or visit Staff wellbeing – Extranet (health.qld.gov.au) to find out more.

Quote to ponder

Akilnathan Logeswaran said: “Leaders are not the ones with the right position or a proclaimed or given title, the actual leaders are the people who start acting, who step up, who do change, no matter in what way or how small!”

Glynis Schultz
A/Executive Director
Community and Oral Health