Glynis Schultz, Executive Director

With only a couple more sleeps until the festive break I want to again thank everyone for another amazing year.

I am so proud to work with you all and to be the Executive Director of Community and Oral Health.

In 2023, we saw some great work, innovation and success while managing a few challenges, and here are some of the highlights:

• We paused to recognise the 15-year anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations at Brighton Health Campus (see photo above).
• We began our COH executive roadshow at North West Community Health Centre to catch up with staff for a chat and afternoon tea, and thank them for their efforts.
• Our Metro North Oral Health Services (MNOHS) took the lead in the first comprehensive oral health study of more than 5,500 school students.

Acknowledging our staff

• We introduced some great new awards as part of our Staff Excellence Awards and saw more than 170 staff and teams nominated and 26 awards handed out.
• Local awards were also held for our nursing, allied health and administration stars throughout the year.
• We hosted a special celebration for some of our 25 to 40 year Length of Service recipients at the Brightness Wellness Hub.

Delivering safe care, supporting staff and the community

• We received three years accreditation from the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards with no recommendations.
• The Aged Care Quality and Assessment Commission continue to provide big ticks of approval for the care provided at Gannet and Cooinda House.
• While we are still waiting for the formal assessment outcome, the lead for the NDIS Practice Standards Assessment at the Halwyn Centre started his feedback with a single word … “ Perfect”.
• We saw some positive feedback from the recent Metro North Have Your Say Staff Survey and look forward to continuing the gains over the next few years.
• Close to 2,000 vaccinations were delivered at the Ekka by the Flu Vaccination Clinic coordinated by our team.
• Ninety-year-old resident Brian from Cooinda House opened a cinema built in response to family and resident requests.
• Our gardeners have gone totally and sustainably green to reduce noise and improve the patient experience across our sites.

Introducing new services and improving the patient experience

• Our MNOHS services relocated to the Kallangur and Caboolture Satellite Hospitals.
• We opened the new Older Persons Assessment and Rehabilitation Service at Kallangur.
• We established the COH Rainbow Room – a fabulous new initiative that will help support diversity, inclusiveness and health outcomes across our service.
• Staff from Home Hospital are actively preparing for future demand and sustainability under the Home Hospital Future initiative.
• We established the Rapid Access to Community Care service, which is having remarkable success supporting chronically ill elderly patients stay at home and out of hospital.
• A new North Lakes Intervention Clinic has been established to support Hospital in the Home (HITH) patients with more complex health care needs and deliver safe clinical care locally.

A final shout out

Metro North Child and Adolescent Oral Health Services and Specialist Services nursing team Samantha Wacker and Heidi Virtanen are part of a highly specialised and dedicated oral health team for children.

The team is made up of highly trained orthodontists, specialist dentists and dental assistants at Queensland Children’s Hospital in partnership with Metro North Health.

“We care for some of the most medically complex, critically unwell and often challenging to manage children,” Samantha said.

Read more …

Glynis.