Welcome to 2024! I hope you had some time to relax with your family and friends during the festive period, and recharge your batteries for what will be another busy year ahead at TPCH. I spent some quiet down time with my family and friends enjoying our usual festive feast.

For those staff who were working during this period, I thank you for your commitment to the health of our patients and community. It is much appreciated.

With the turn of the new year, which happens to be a leap year, my resolution is to concentrate on being more mindful and present in the moment, and take greater care of my health and well-being. With the unexpected loss of my brother last year, I was reminded that time is precious and we need to make the most of it, through being healthy and happy and appreciating the good things in our lives. Working in health care can be challenging and overwhelming at times, so it’s about finding a balance to allow us to do our best when we come to work.

In my role as ED, I receive a report of staff across the organisation who have excess leave, so if you have excess leave, I encourage you to start thinking now about when you might take it during the year.

Priorities for 2024

Consumer Complaints Framework
As mentioned in the Metro North Chief Executive’s message last week, a main priority for the organisation this year will be the development and implementation of a Complex Consumer Complaints Framework. This framework will be co-designed with consumers and families aiming to enhance the management and resolution of complaints. In addition, a Complex Staff Complaints Framework is currently being developed to help foster a positive work environment by addressing staff concerns promptly and by supporting staff and managers through what can be a difficult process. TPCH is supportive of this approach, with our current practices already incorporating many aspects of the new framework.

Outpatients
TPCH will be investing significant effort into our outpatient services, specifically improving the management of our long waits. This will involve working closely with our clinical teams to explore alternative approaches to support more patients to be seen in a timely manner.

Infrastructure projects
Another priority area is our three major infrastructure projects – TPCH Expansion Project, new car parking facility and the Mental Health Crisis Stabilisation Unit.

Early works for our $360 million hospital expansion project are due to commence in the coming months as works get underway to prepare the site for our new Acute Services Building (ASB) which is due to commence towards the middle of the year. Another key activity to allow for major construction to commence on the new ASB is the decant and demolition of Building 14 (B14). The project team is working closely with nominated leads for the B14 decant to understand the accommodation needs of each team and ensure staff are supported to smoothly transition to alternative office accommodation. The Healing Garden will also be relocated to allow for construction to commence on the new ASB. TPCH Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services team are providing advice and guidance to the project team to identify a temporary location for the Healing Garden during the construction period and a new permanent location when construction is complete in 2027. You can read more about our infrastructure projects here.

With the large amount of works set to occur on our site this year, we will be keeping staff updated through regular updates and staff forums with the first forum being planned for early February. Details to come shortly.

Executive update

Executive changes

This week, we formally farewelled our Director of Medical Services (DMS), Dr Donna O’Sullivan. Donna first began her years at TPCH in 1985 as a Senior Medical Officer, serving as the Assistant Medical Superintendent for a period of time before taking on other leadership roles across Metro North and in the private sector. Returning to TPCH eight years ago as the DMS, Donna has made significant contributions towards improving TPCH’s safety and quality systems and processes, and supporting the delivery of high quality medical services to our patients and consumers. She is well known for her steadfast commitment to the patient, professional integrity, calm leadership, and wise and compassionate approach to patients and staff. We thank Donna for her commitment to TPCH and we wish her all the best in her retirement.

Recruitment for the Director Medical Services position is currently underway, as well for the positions of Director of

Operations Heart and Lung, and Director of Operations EPIC. We expect recruitment of these position to be finalised in March.

This week, we also welcomed a new member to our Executive Leadership Team, Kieran Costigan the new Manager for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. You can read more about Kieran in the staff profile below.

Executive walkaround
Recently, Acting Director of Operations Heart and Lung Cherie Franks and I had the opportunity to view the new Memory Lane. Memory Lane is a transformation of the corridor leading to EMU, Ward 1F and 1G/GEM Ward, where older adults are cared for and includes a variety of images from yesteryear. Patients can walk while looking at

old pictures of TPCH and Brisbane, which helps stimulate their cognitive and physical function during their

hospital stay, helping promote faster recovery. This is a wonderful patient-centred initiative and I encourage staff to take a look at the new Memory Lane when they have some time. Thank you to the Common Good who supported the initiative through Giving Day

Cherie and I also visited the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) where we spoke with patient Kelvin Shepard who was preparing to go home after having a Left Atrial appendage closure this week. Kelvin was very pleased with the care he had received at TPCH and appreciated us taking the time to chat with him, telling us that we (the hospital) had done a ‘good job.’ Thanks to CCU NUM Philip Reddicliffe for taking the time to show us around.

Also this week, members of the Executive team attended a celebration to acknowledge the conclusion of the 2023 medical internship year. We heard about the experiences and challenges of some of our interns and listened to

special guest speaker Emeritus Prof Ken Donald who shared his wisdom on working in medicine. We wish ourinterns well as they transition into JHOs.

Parents room

TPCH has a dedicated Parents Room which is located on level 1 of the Main Acute Building adjacent to the entrance of the Thoracic Ward. Like all parents rooms, this room is intended for use by staff and members of the public for activities such as breast feeding and changing babies. It is not for general use by staff. Out of respect to parents who require use of the room to support the care of their children, I ask staff to refrain from using it unless it is for the intended purpose. Thank you for your cooperation.

Staff profile

This week we will profile TPCH’s new Manager Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service, Kieran Costigan. Kieran, a proud Bundjalung man from the Logan and Beaudesert areas, joins TPCH following his previous role as A/Executive Director Aboriginal Health, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.

Kieran is responsible for providing advice, leadership and direction in relation to the management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health across TPCH, and overseeing the delivery of safe and culturally appropriate care to mob.

Kieran is looking forward to working with and supporting his team of dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and collaborating with consumers and communities to ensure the delivery of culturally safe care, as well as identifying any gaps to improve the health care journey.

He is passionate about improving health outcomes, for mob in particular, as well as for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and values collegial working relationships to ensure a common direction of achieving best care. He advocates that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is everyone’s responsibility.

In his spare time, Kieran enjoys exercise, reading and watching documentaries, and is looking forward to spending more time with family and friends now that he is back home in Queensland.

Shout out

This week’s shout out to our afterhours ward team leaders. This dedicated group of senior nurses perform their role navigating some very challenging issues such as family member behaviours, patient flow and bed moves in addition to caring for some acutely unwell patients. And they do it with absolute willingness and an unwavering patient focus. TPCH is lucky to have some an amazing team. Well done!

The other shout out goes to the staff at the recently opened Kallangur Satellite Hospital (KSH). Since opening on 11 December last year, KSH has been extremely busy, seeing an average of 60-70 patients a day. The staff are doing a great job in caring for the community, and we appreciate the challenges that come with the start-up of any new health service.

The objective of the Minor Injury and Illness Clinic is to provide episodic care for patients who have urgent but non-life threatening conditions who have been unable to see their regular GP. On any given day the top 10 conditions seen typically include viral illnesses, wounds and injuries and all kinds of aches and pains. The balance of the conditions seen cover condition as such as infections, injuries resulting from falls and sports, and eye, ear and throat aches. Keep up the great work team!

Today’s quote
“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” – Sydney Harris

Tami.