Helen Boocock, Executive Director

After much consideration, I have made the very difficult decision to leave STARS on Wed 31 May, starting a new role as the Senior Director Workforce Strategy with the Department of Health. My new role is responsible for working with the health services, QAS, primary care, and education and training partners to build and grow our health workforce for Queensland over the next ten years.

I am very sorry to be leaving my role at STARS; but it is time for me to spend more time with my family- our son Michael is in Year 11 this year and I’d like to be able to support him and my broader family more.

Since joining STARS in August 2021 we have faced numerous challenges including growing our newly
opened hospital and each service during a worldwide pandemic. We opened many of our planned wards and services many months (some years!) ahead of schedule and introduced new services at very little notice (such as our maintenance ward, BIRU services and our COVID-19 ward).

I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to lead STARS. Your collective effort, goodwill, resilience, talent, and most of all care, have made STARS a remarkable place to both work and receive care; I could not be prouder of what we all do each and every day.

We have our STARS Celebration Day next Friday 19 May. One of the activities we have planned for next week is a video of our services and some of our achievements. Looking back on the last two years and working with our team on our video I am reminded of our remarkable collective achievements. I look forward to being able to celebrate all those achievements with you next Friday.

Dale Dally Watkins will be the Acting Executive Director for STARS, from Thursday 1st June, and Metro North Health will then progress a permanent recruitment process in due course. I am confident Dale will do an excellent job and, please welcome Dale in her new role.

With sincere thanks,

Helen.