Louise Oriti, Executive Director
Emergency and Trauma Centre staff
On Friday last week, I attended the second ever Southeast Queensland First Nations Health Equity in Action conference held by the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health. It was a great occasion for health providers to reaffirm our commitment to health equity. As always, it was the conversations of the Elders with the audience that was the most powerful part of the event and the impactful messages that I have taken away from the day.
Metro North’s commitment to health equity could clearly be seen through our continued implementation of programs and strategies. Here at RBWH, our Emergency and Trauma Centre received the Al Spillman Award for Culturally Safe Emergency Departments from the Australian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) in 2022, and next month members from the ETC team will travel to Canberra to accept the award.
As a hospital, our commitment to health equity for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers remains unwavering, as well as our commitment to listening to patients and their families, and planning their care with them.
Operational Services Recognition Month
Barb Smithson
This week I would like to recognise the RBWH Gardening team. They tend to and maintain the much appreciated green spaces around the otherwise very concreted hospital grounds. I wish to thank them for their dedication in providing a welcoming and tranquil environment for all.
I would also like to particularly acknowledge Barb Smithson, who first began working at RBWH in 1980. Her skill, energy and absolute enthusiasm is brought to life in the beautiful gardens she has created alongside the walkway up to the main entrance. Barb’s dedication to the hospital and generosity in making a space where patients, visitors and staff can unwind, including using her own money to buy plants, is one-of-a-kind.
Thank you Barb and the Gardening team for all that you do.
Occupational Violence Prevention forum
Safety at the hospital is everyone’s responsibility. Metro North is calling for staff members from all areas to attend the Metro North Occupational Violence Prevention Forum on Thursday 9 November, 12-4pm at Eatons Hill Hotel. The forum will discuss the renewed approach to occupational violence prevention across our health service and provide a deeper understanding of how we can better support our colleagues. The forum will also be an opportunity to workshop new ideas to prevent future occupational violence. If you, or one of your team members is interested in attending, please complete the nomination form.
Medical Emergency Response Team – MERT
I would like to remind you of the process of alerting Switch in a medical emergency. Call Switch on 55 and stay on the line. You will be asked information about the ward, bed or area, and the type of code (e.g. code blue). For inpatients, and sometimes for outpatients, you will also be asked who the treating team is.
Brief the Boss
Yesterday I hosted Brief the Boss at Switch in Block 7. I am grateful for everyone who came to share their feedback, ideas and comments with me. It is always fruitful and valuable to hear these insights from you, and I thank you all for the productive conversations. The team at Switch provide valuable support to all of us and their work is integral to the smooth running of the hospital.
On another note, I am very open to changing the name of ‘Brief the Boss’. Several people have mentioned how the name of these sessions doesn’t properly reflect what they’re about. I would love to hear your thoughts on this or any ideas for new names you may have. Please let me know by replying to this email or contacting metronorth-rbwh-communications@health.qld.gov.au.
I wish to thank you all for your work and service in taking care of our patients, their families and our community.
Kind regards,
Louise.