Today is my last day as Acting Executive Director TPCH and I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and support, especially in the current environment.

While my time here at TPCH has only been short lived, I have had ample opportunity to see the high level of teamwork and commitment clearly present throughout all areas of the hospital, which is so essential during the current winter period.

With service demands so high and with so many staff away due to sickness, it a tough gig at the moment! Staff are undertaking extraordinary efforts to allow us to accommodate these current demands, and continue providing high quality care to our patients. I know a lot is being asked of everyone, so it is important to support each other, and mostly, look after yourselves.

Some good news

TPCH has received some positive news this week. The Queensland State Budget was delivered on Tuesday, and it included a considerable investment in hospitals and healthcare across Queensland.

For TPCH, the State Budget included a commitment of $300 million to fund an expansion of our hospital which will include around 93 additional beds. These will be delivered in 2027. This announcement was one of several for Metro North Health, and I encourage everyone to read more about them.

TPCH has been and will continue to work closely with Metro North for the proposed expansion and I thank everyone who has contributed to this body of work so far. This will be an exciting step forward for TPCH in supporting the hospital to meet the growing needs of its community into the future. More information will be provided as it comes to hand.

Executive walkarounds

This week I visited a few services within Thoracic Medicine including the Respiratory Investigations Unit, Sleep Disorders Centre and Thoracic Ward accompanied by Director Thoracic Medicine, Dr Ian Yang, and Nursing Director Heart and Lung, Sue Bullock. I received a good overview by each of the areas and was very interested and impressed to learn about their specialised practices and services which support patients from across the state. Thank you to Annette Dent, Irene Szollosi and Di Armstrong for their valuable time.

Upgrade of Building 14 outdoor area

In response to feedback from the last Have Your Say staff survey, which told us that staff wanted additional outdoor spaces to have their breaks, the outdoor area of Building 14 (known as the Allied Health Building) has recently been upgraded. The updated area includes new shade sails, a redesigned garden bed with lush plants, and repurposed metal bench seats to replace previous timber ones. Check out the before and after photos below. Wow! I am sure our staff will enjoy their new outdoor area. A big thanks to Rawn Mitchell, our Supervisor Gardeners for the fabulous garden design and to the entire gardening team for their work in constructing the new garden!

Staff Profile

This week, we will profile TPCH’s new Cultural Capability Officer, Jesse Blackman.

A proud Gurang man, Jesse has spent the last 16 years working in youth justice across the West Moreton and Brisbane Youth Detention Centres, where he established and was manager of the Cultural Unit, a service supporting the Centre’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and young people.

Jesse’s knowledge and experience of the cultural challenges faced by First Nations individuals will support his new role, where he will provide and develop cultural leadership and governance for TPCH through building co-owned, co-designed and co-implemented health care practices and services, by partnering with traditional owners, elders, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers to help achieve better health outcomes.

Jesse is looking forward to working with TPCH staff to improve health outcomes for First Nations people, and fulfilling his passion of helping people better understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Outside of work, Jesse enjoys going to the movies and spending time with friends and family.
Welcome Jesse!

COVID-19 update

Masks
A reminder that staff are still required to wear masks within the hospital. As masks are no longer available at main entry points, it is recommended that staff keep their mask on while walking to and from the workplace.  Your diligence with this will help keep everyone safe.

Testing
With the closure of TPCH’s Fever Clinic last week, a reminder that PCR testing is available at GP Respiratory clinics – www.hotdoc.com.au

RAT kits are still available for TPCH staff to collect from:

• During hours – Clinical/Ward areas and EOC (Building 12) Monday to Friday, 8am – 4.30pm
• After hours – Duty Nurse Manager office (next door to Transit Lounge)

Shout out

This week, I would like to remind everyone about Metro North’s Staff Shout Out initiative. Every day we see colleagues who are putting the Metro North Values of respect, compassion, teamwork, high performance and integrity into action – our VIA VIPS!

We want to hear about these staff whose actions are building a culture of resilience, support and wellbeing which reflects positively on our colleagues, our organisation and the consumers in our care.

Staff Shout Out is an opportunity to acknowledge and thank a colleague or team who embody our organisational values including those colleagues who are a positive influence, who collaborate in new and unique ways, or who go above and beyond expectations.

Submit your Staff Shout Out

Finally

Throughout my years in health, I have seen on many occasions, the special qualities of staff who work in this field. When times get tough, like now, health care workers dig in, support each other and put their best foot forward for the shared goal of delivering great patient care. This is what’s happening at TPCH right now, so I commend each of you for your impressive level of commitment and support of our patients and each other. Keep up the excellent work you all do! Our patients are the winners because
of it!

Thank you for your support and I wish you all the very best.

Angie Dobbrick
A/Executive Director
The Prince Charles Hospital