Queensland Health Awards for Excellence – congratulations to our winners!
Metro North staff have been recognised for outstanding achievements at the 2019 Queensland Health Awards for Excellence. Associate Professor Kerstin Wyssusek and Dr Peter Russell were among those recognised, as well as Metro North based Queensland Occupational Violence Strategy Unit.
Last night the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Steven Miles recognised these Metro North teams and individuals for their exemplary projects throughout the last year.
The Queensland Health Awards for Excellence recognise initiatives and teams who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence when supporting or delivering health services to Queenslanders. It’s very exciting to have several of Metro North’s finalists recognised at this level.
Congratulations to all our winners, highly commended and runners up:
Queensland Occupational Violence Strategy Unit, Metro North:
Promoting Wellbeing, winner
The Queensland Occupational Violence Strategy Unit (QOVSU) is a state-wide unit hosted by Metro North that was established in response to the Occupational Violence Prevention in Queensland Health’s Hospital and Health Services Taskforce Report 2016.
The unit explores, develops, trials, implements, and evaluates holistic and sustainable strategies to assist frontline staff prevent and manage occupational violence within the unique healthcare setting.
The team, including Manager Joanna Griffiths, Clinical Lead Lita Olsson, Statewide Training Coordinator Kris Cole and Brigid Wheaton A/Project Lead, has provided a supportive, positive, and highly engaging program to Hospital and Health Service and have been praised by staff for their generosity, OV tool kits, timeliness, and professional manner.
Kerstin Wyssusek, Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital:
Individual Award for Outstanding Achievement, winner
Minister’s Award for Excellence, second runner up
Kerstin Wyssusek is a pre-eminent staff specialist at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She is the Director of the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at RBWH, an Associate Professor at The University of Queensland and chief investigator for several research projects.
A/Prof Wyssusek is widely published in peer review journals and book chapters, is very active in quality improvement activities and is passionate about environmental sustainability in healthcare.
She is incredibly deserving of both of these awards and Metro North is extremely proud to have her on the team.
Dr Peter Russell, Oral Health Service:
Individual Award for Outstanding Achievement, highly commended
As Senior Specialist Prosthodontist, Dr Peter Russell treats Queensland’s most medically and dentally compromised patients who require complex oral prosthetic rehabilitation.
Dr Russell restores his patients’ ability to eat, speak and smile, enhancing their dignity and quality of life, and allowing them to lead as full a life as possible.
He is loved by patients for his compassion and professional care and is a great mentor and inspiration to many.
A special acknowledgment also to our finalists Eat Walk Engage: Preventing Delirium and Helping Faster Recovery in Older Inpatients and Anne Vanderleur, Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Department, TPCH.