Dale Dally-Watkins, Executive Director
Staff Council co-chairs Ben Frost and Ollie Mason and Staff Council member Kiran Paul serving at the Staff BBQ
Last Wednesday we held a Staff BBQ for all staff, generously supported by the STARS Staff Council. It was very nice to see so many staff able to come to the BBQ and get a sausage or vegetable pattie. If you also took the time to fill out a feedback form while you were waiting, thank you very much. This information is very valuable and will assist the Staff Council in coming up with new initiatives for both patients and staff. If you didn’t get a chance to fill in the feedback from you can do so here.
Brief the Boss
One of the pieces of feedback I received from the Have your Say survey last year was to provide more opportunities for staff to engage with the senior executive team. I am pleased to announce that from May I will be holding a regular Brief the Boss event, similar to that which occurs at the RBWH. 
The STARS Brief the Boss sessions will provide staff with an opportunity to come and have an informal chat about any new initiatives they might have or things they think we could improve here at STARS. The Brief the Boss events will occur on the first Thursday of every month and will be advertised in the weekly staff bulletin. The first will be happening on Thursday 2 May, 11 am on the Ground Floor at STARS (in the area near the stairwell).
Change in dates for Staff Forum
To accommodate the Brief the Boss event, we will be changing the schedule of our Staff Forums. These will now be held on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month at 11 am. The next Staff Forum will be held on Thursday 11 April. If you have any suggestions for the agenda, you can email them to me or submit them via the suggestion form.
National Doctors Day 30 March
This Saturday is National Doctors Day. To all our medical staff at STARS, thank you for always going above and beyond to provide exceptional care to our patients and our community. Your hard work and dedication are truly invaluable and does not go unnoticed. To acknowledge National Doctor’s Day, our DMS, A/Prof Gail Robinson and the STARS Medical Workforce Team delivered sweet treats on behalf of the STARS medical leads as a small token of appreciation.
Pride in Metro North launch
On Wednesday Pride in Metro North was launched in the RBWH atrium. Pride in Metro North is a safe-space and forum for collaboration, to share experiences, ideas and resources, provide advice on matters affecting LGBTQIA+ peoples, identify opportunities for improvement in our service and facilities, and implement change initiatives.
Pride in Metro North has been established as part of Metro North Health’s commitment to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all employees and consumers regardless of their sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics or sexual orientation.
As part of the launch there are now fantastic swing cards available which feature the flag and a helpful guide to using inclusive language.
If you would like to be involved in Pride in Metro North you can sign up here.
Easter best wishes
Lastly, the RBWH Foundation have been kindly giving out Easter eggs today to staff and patients. While Easter is a time that many of us indulge in chocolate, for some of our staff, Easter is a very significant religious event celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, with eggs symbolising new life.
No matter what you have in store for Easter or how you celebrate, I hope it memorable. For those of you who are working over the Easter break, thank you so much for continuing to care for our patients.
If you are travelling for a break over this long weekend, take care and stay safe. We look forward to everyone’s safe return to STARS.
Kind regards,
Dale.