It has been a really big week across the Directorate. It has been 12 months since the independent external review into surgical services at Caboolture Hospital was conducted by eminent South Australian surgeon, Dr Jim Sweeney.

I am immensely proud of the work undertaken at Caboolture Hospital and across the Directorate to implement Dr Sweeney’s 19 recommendations and a further six from Metro North Health.

I welcomed Dr Sweeney back to Caboolture Hospital this week for the planned 12-month review of the report. His initial feedback was very positive with a formal review report due in a few weeks.

Significant to the themes from the surgical review, and our ethos more broadly, is the importance of listening to and acting on consumer stories.

Consumer engagement and partnership are not just requirements of the National Safety and Quality Health Standards … they are a proven means of delivering better health outcomes, something I know we all aspire to do as being part of CKW.

Beyond the foundations that already exist, we need to continue to look for opportunities to engage our consumers, hear their stories and understand their perspective. I encourage you to think about this in your day-to-day practice.

We can make a difference – decreased mortality, decreased re-admission rates, decreased rates of healthcare acquired infections, reduced length of stay, improved adherence to treatment regimes, improved functional status, lower costs and increased workforce satisfaction and retention (ACSQHC, 2011).

As Dr Seuss says… “Oh, the places you’ll go… you’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.”

I know we can make more of a difference than we already do. I encourage you to think about your part in making that positive impact.

Environmental audit

It was great to see our wonderful consumer representative, Jurina, at the hospital this week collaborating with the Eat Walk Engage (EWE) team to conduct an environmental audit of Ward 3B.

They asked the question “Is this ward dementia friendly?”

Ellen from the EWE team said it was great to have the consumer perspective in the audit and they will continue to work with her as the results are compiled to understand what they could mean and what we can do to improve.

Thanks, Jurina for helping to ensure the voice of our patients and community is included in
this great program.

CKW RAP launch

The CKW Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) will be launched officially on Wednesday 2 November from 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Morayfield Community Hall on Morayfield Road (behind Bunnings).

The RAP is our road map to reconciliation with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and contains many deliverables for our facilities. You can read the RAP on QHEPS.

I encourage you to attend the launch and continue working together to improve the health of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

Congratulations Matthew!

Congratulations to Caboolture Hospital School Based Trainee, Matthew Siver, who won the 2022 Queensland Training Awards School Based Trainee of the Year award at a gala ceremony in Brisbane recently.

Matthew had previously won the North Coast Region award, which put him in the running for the state-wide award. He will soon be heading to Adelaide for the national awards. Good luck!

Matthew is a Year 12 student at St Columban’s College. He wants to study paramedicine after leaving school, so the hands-on experience he has gained at Caboolture Hospital will certainly be a great start to an exciting career ahead!

Farewell Marli

Many of you will remember our previous Surgery and Intensive Care Nursing Director Marli Millas.

About 12 months ago, Marli was seconded to a senior role at Sunshine Coast University Hospital. She has now been permanently appointed and has resigned from her role at Caboolture Hospital.

It is always bittersweet to have staff pursue their dreams beyond our Directorate, but I wish Marli all of the very best and acknowledge the hard work she has done in laying the foundations on which the surgical services will fly.

The Surgical and Intensive Care Nursing Director role will be advertised in coming weeks.

What a compliment!

Here’s another great compliment received recently, this time from a local mum on the care on she received in the Emergency Department and Paediatric ward:

“I was so appreciative of how reassuring and caring all the staff were that we encountered. From Justin and Mel (nurse practitioner) in the ED, to Erin, Chrissy, Bek (and one other nurse whose name I unfortunately can’t recall) in the Children’s Ward and Victoria our Paediatrician – we couldn’t have asked for a better team to care for us.

“They communicated to me and each other well. I felt like everyone was well-informed. I was also made to feel like I had done the right thing and made the best decision for my daughter by bringing her to the hospital which was very reassuring to me as a parent.

“They all made sure we both had everything we needed – whether it be food, drinks, blankets, suction aids, toilet breaks in ED, breast pump and bottles. Was very impressed with the level of care by all staff.”

Finally,

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is now less than three months away!

It’s far too early for decorations, but we have settled on a theme ‘A Very Community Christmas’ so you can put your thinking cap on ahead of the popular annual decorations event!

As always, please enjoy your long weekend. If you are working, thank you for your commitment to our community and their healthcare.

Take care,

Angie