Yesterday was the official start of spring. This is a timely reminder that we have passed through the worst of winter and are now looking ahead to getting back to business as usual – as well as some much awaited warmer weather!

With the recent change to Tier 2, we have now resumed most of our planned care, and we’re back to face-to-face training too. Let’s hope we keep to this course as we head towards the end of the year.

Between now and the end of the year, we have plenty of good things to celebrate and look forward to including our annual TPCH Charlies Week celebrations. This year, TPCH Charlies Week will be held from Monday 28 November to Friday 2 December to ensure we are well and truly out of the peak period. To help us make this year’s TPCH Week better than ever before, I encourage you to complete TPCH Charlies Week survey by Wednesday 7 September.

Shortly we will be opening up nominations for our annual TPCH Staff Excellence Awards, which will be held on Friday 2 December as the finale to TPCH Week. These awards are a great opportunity to acknowledge those staff at TPCH who do outstanding work in supporting the delivery of quality patient care and research within our hospital. More information to come soon!

Nominations for the broader Metro North Staff Excellence Awards are also currently open until 5pm Friday 16 September.  For more information and to nominate a colleague who is excellent at what they do, visit Metro North Staff Excellence Awards 2022

This week I’ve been offsite at the Australian Institute of Company Directors course. It has been an intense information overload to say the least, but very valuable in knowing more about how boards operate. Today is my last day there, but I’ll be back out and about next week.

Executive Update

Executive Walkaround

This week, members of the Executive Leadership team, Social Work team and other staff joined up in the Café for the Common Good to acknowledge TPCH’s efforts towards Metro North achieving White Ribbon Accreditation later this year. Becoming a White Ribbon Accredited Workplace demonstrates our responsibility to uphold zero tolerance against violence. It means standing up against attitudes and behaviours that go against our values, promoting a respectful workplace and supporting those whose lives are affected by domestic and family violence.

To help earn our White Ribbon Accreditation, all staff are now required to complete the mandatory domestic and family violence online training – Recognise, Respond, Refer. This is an important initiative for our organisation, so please get on board by completing the training via TMS by 18 September 2022.

TPCH Governance Review Implementation update

Many staff would be aware most of the changes from TPCH Governance Review Implementation plan took effect from yesterday, Thursday 1 September. If staff have any issues with what is appearing in MyHR please email: Katie.Tully@health.qld.gov.au.

Please note: There will be a myHR team member on site at TPCH on Monday 4 September to assist with any myHR issues. If you need assistance please email Katie.Tully@health.qld.gov.au or call 0472 868 037 and you will be connected with the myHR team member.

We appreciate it has been a complex process to make the relevant establishment changes across the organisation, and we thank everyone for their assistance and feedback.

Transitioning EOC

TPCH has operated an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) since early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began. At the peak of our response, our EOC was running seven days a week, managing health directions and coordinating our efforts with other Metro North facilities to provide care for our COVID ambulatory and inpatients. It has been a huge undertaking.

As COVID increasingly becomes part of our business as usual, we’ve started to scale back our EOC and transition its functions to a more sustainable model. All going well, our EOC will stand down on Friday 22 September 2022. Like the concierge and fever clinic, our EOC team has been an essential part of our COVID response, and we extend a sincere thanks to the team for everything they’ve done over the past two and a half years.

FAST FACTS

This week, we will share some fast facts about TPCH Child Protection Unit, in light of Sunday being the start of National Child Protection Week.

Did you know?

• TPCH Child Protection Unit (CPU) provides a consultation and clinical service to all clinical departments across TPCH including inpatient Mental Health Units, in addition to the community-based Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol service centres at Nundah, Pine Rivers, Chermside and Biala (Roma St)
• TPCH Child Protection Unit is one of four CPUs across Metro North – others are based at RBWH, Redcliffe and Caboolture Hospitals.
• In the last 12 months, TPCH Child Protection Unit has:
  • Processed 193 reports of Suspicion of Harm made to Child Safety by TPCH clinicians
  • Provided written responses to 2,078 Requests for Information received from Child Safety
  • Provided 272 consultations for clinicians regarding child protection matters
  • Provided 398 staff with face-to-face training, as part of mandatory training requirements

This is certainly some awesome work from our Child Protection Unit in supporting TPCH to help keep children safe.

Staff Profile

In the lead up to National Child Protection Week, we will profile Child Protection Liaison Officer (CPLO) and Paediatric Social Worker, Nikki Beaumont.

AS CPLO, Nikki is responsible for providing mandatory child protection training to all TPCH staff, and professional consultation and advice to staff about child protection matters. She also responds to daily requests from the Department of Child Safety for the release of information on families they are working with.

Having worked as a social worker in the child protection sector both in Australia and overseas, as well as in foster care services, and residential services for adolescents, and mothers and babies, Nikki understands the important role health workers play in supporting and protecting children. For Nikki, protecting children is everyone’s responsibility and she feels privileged and passionate about supporting people and their children when they are at their most vulnerable, and helping staff to do the same.

When not supporting children at work, she is kept busy with her own two very active boys, fulfilling the very important role of ‘mum taxi’ to swimming, rugby, water polo and volleyball training. And the list goes on!

Sad farewell

This week, we share the sad news of the recent passing of TPCH staff member, Patricia (Trish) Mair. Trish was a Registered Nurse and member of the Nursing Clinical Placements team at TPCH.  Well known and loved by many staff across the hospital, Trish was recognised for her dedication to her patients and student nurses, her kindness, great laugh and bright lipstick.

With a diverse nursing career spanning four decades, Trish’s professional strength was in developing the next generation of nurses, evident through her most recent student facilitation role. Over the last seven years, Trish facilitated the learning of around 600 nursing students, having a profound effect on all the students she supported and guided during their clinical placement. Teaching the art of nursing and role modelling best practice was something Trish was passionate about.  She firmly believed in providing quality nursing care, a principle she conveyed to her students with great and admirable enthusiasm.

Trish’s commitment to improving nursing education did not stop with her students, but inspired her to advance her professional knowledge, through completing her Master of Clinical Education with a focus on student evaluation. She was not one to sit still for long, so when not restoring furniture or lead lighting, Trish added credentialed Nurse Immuniser to her resume and was working towards her Certificate 4 in Training and Assessment.

Trish was an incredibly strong, resilient woman who tackled every challenge she faced with great determination and a positive mindset.  She was an inspiration to those who had the privilege to work with her and know her.  She is survived by her three daughters and her Great Dane Humphrey.

Shout out

This week’s shout out goes to Claudia Procopis, Administration Officer, Private Practice Clinic.

Claudia received the following compliment from a patient who was extremely impressed by her warm and helpful approach.

“Claudia always greets you with a warm smile. Claudia has handled some problems I have had with prescriptions from Tasmania going missing and always is so helpful and efficient no matter how big or small the problem Claudia’s phone manner is professional and amazing.

What a valuable employee Claudia is to the Prince Charles Private Practice Clinic. I love attending the clinic with Claudia at the reception desk as she makes one feel cared for and important. I do hope this commendation will be passed on to Claudia. She should be appreciated by all staff and patients. What an amazing asset this employee is.”

Great work Claudia! A well-deserved compliment!

Today’s quote

“If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges.” – Pat Riley

Tami Photinos
Executive Director