2016 Awards – Round 1

Continence Nurse Consultant – Western Continence Service

Ailsa Sutherland was a Continence Nurse and cherished colleague and friend to all in the Western Continence Service. Ailsa retired from Western Health in September 2015 and sadly passed away on Tuesday March 8th 2016. Her colleagues in The Western Continence Service nominated Ailsa for an INSPIRE Award and had this to say about her:

“Ailsa was a member of the WCS for seven years. She was a very flexible and adaptable employee, with a ‘just get on with it’ attitude. Her greatest values were compassion and respect. She demonstrated these consistently as she advocated strongly for all her clients and in particular the marginalised, whether they were indigenous, elderly or non-English speaking. 

She was mindful of and concerned with patient centred care and valued client feedback. Prior to her retirement, she was preparing a quality project surrounding client feedback within the service. She believed in the relationship between clinical excellence, safety and patient involvement. She had true respect for the role of the client in continence management.

Ailsa was a wealth of information and was always happy to share her professional and personal knowledge with the team. Her legacy stems far beyond Western Health. An enormous advocate for Indigenous continence health and aged care issues, Ailsa worked on several occasions in Broome and the Kimberley to assist indigenous communities in managing these issues.

Displaying values of compassion and respecting diversity, Ailsa would adapt herself to the setting. An example of this is describing that she would travel long distances in the outback and sit in the red dirt during consultations to accommodate the regular setting and practice for the population.

In 2010 she went on to display clinical excellence and accountability in her practice by her involvement with the Continence Foundation of Australia’s development of indigenous literature, material and education packages. These resources are widely available online and utilised by community based services Australia wide.

As an active committee member of Nurses for Continence Victoria for many years, Ailsa was involved in the promotion of continence issues and education of nursing staff.  Ailsa’s passion and great commitment to making a difference will be greatly missed.”

Annie was nominated by a patient for her empathy, friendly demeanour and her attention to detail. The patient said:

“On my four day stay on Ward 1 A I found the staff to be very friendly, approachable and willing to help no matter how small the need.  Having been a nurse myself for 17 years I was impressed with their compassion and professionalism. In particular I was impressed with Annie who was empathetic, had a friendly demeanour and showed particular attention to detail, ensuring all the smaller things were completed each shift. It is not often that the nursing profession is recognised for their work and it pleases me to know that the future of nursing is in such great hands here at Sunshine Hospital.”

Registered Nurse – Lower West Ward, Williamstown Hospital

“With the introduction of special needs dental service to Williamstown, Belinda has been instrumental with the high standard of care delivered. I remember on one occasion checking if she needed any help with a special needs patient in the bathroom, and found her sitting on the floor beside the intellectually disabled man reassuring him as this was his preferred position when he felt frightened. His carer was also in the bathroom and commented that ‘she had never seen nursing care like this before’. Belinda is a large part of the reason patients and family are sent home extremely happy with their care and often feedback that they felt supported during their admission. Belinda works most shifts when the special needs patients are on our ward, and she is always my first choice to look after them. She has a special quality with this cohort and her respect and empathy is exceptional”.

Registered Nurse – GEM Williamstown Hospital

Carlo was nominated by an employee for the respectful, kind and gentle care that he provides to his patients. His nominator said:

“Carlo is a pleasant, kind person to all. He gives extra time to his patients when they request something from him and he always provides such gentle, kind care. He treats his patients with respect as he does the staff and is always smiling and having a laugh with the patients to ensure they are comfortable and feel at ease. He is a quiet achiever on the ward never requiring acknowledgement for all he does.”

Senior Social Worker – Sunshine Acute Services

Catherine was nominated by a student for demonstrating excellence and accountability in her role as Field Supervisor. Her nominator said:

“As a Field Supervisor for university students on placement; Cathy has demonstrated the organisation’s values of excellence and accountability. Cathy has been proactive in guiding me through the maze of organisational nuances that make Western Health the amazing place it is. Her sense of ‘duty of care’ to me as a student and to the organisation she works for is demonstrated in her expression and adherence to policy and procedure. She is able to work across varying domains and disciplines, role modelling excellent communication, patience and understanding. Cathy’s experience as a Field Educator/Supervisor is clearly seen in action when she pre-empts possible challenges for me as a student and encourages me to work through the issues in a non-judgemental way. Western Health is lucky to have an employee like Cathy Dow.”

Registered Nurse – Ward 1 West Footscray Hospital

Cheree was nominated by an employee for her compassion and respect for patients and staff. Her nominator said:

“Cheree always starts her day with a smile for her co-workers and her patients. She has an infectiously positive personality and always goes above and beyond for all patients. She is compassionate and always respects our patients and staff. During her time on Ward 1 West Cheree is regularly singled out by patients when they come to thank the staff. Cheree puts all of the Western Health values into action every day.”

Advisor – Projects – People and Culture

Cheryl was nominated by an employee for being a ‘quiet achiever’ who goes the extra mile and lives the Western Health Values every day. Her nominator said:

“Cheryl is someone who you would describe as a “quiet achiever” who goes the extra mile and lives the Western Health Values every day and makes an enormous contribution through the quality of her work and the way she supports and shares with others. A recent example of this has been the work and the way Cheryl has gone about this to update the People Services Intranet site. This work makes the people services valuable resources available for all employees and provided an avenue to showcase the work done to the surveyors for accreditation. She had just finished the work for People Services when we realised that some work needed to be done for the Education Intranet Site. Without hesitation, Cheryl offered her assistance and within 48 hours had assisted the Education Department to deliver a more user friendly and intuitive Intranet site.”

Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse – Urology Department

Cindy was nominated by an employee for her professionalism, high standards and efficiency in the coordinated care of men with prostate cancer. Her nominator said:

“Since commencing her role as prostate cancer specialist nurse at Western Health, I have witnessed professionalism, high standards and efficiency in the co-ordinated care of men with prostate cancer at Western Health. From a colleague’s perspective, Cindy has been instrumental in improving patient standard of care by assisting in implementing pre-surgical pelvic floor muscle physiotherapy visits and altering the referral pathway and timing of referrals to Western Continence Service. This provides earlier access to continence care, with the potential for improved post-surgical urinary incontinence outcomes. Cindy identifies service gaps, such as the need for a sexual dysfunction clinic for this cohort and continually up skills and seeks opportunities to improve the patient’s experience. Patients always describe Cindy as passionate, thorough, compassionate and a good communicator. Prior to their surgery, they feel fully informed and are aware of whom to contact with any queries or concerns. Cindy’s priority is always patient care of the highest standard and she continually envisions growth of her role and service to men with prostate cancer.”

Operations Manager – Pathology Contract and Medical Imaging

Daniel was nominated by an employee for his rare management qualities. His nominator said:

“Daniel has the rare management quality of being able to focus on the task at hand as well as having empathy for others. This means that he will be flexible and evolve his quality improvement projects as he collaborates with others. There have been many comments made about Daniel, but here are a few from staff:

“Daniel is a great coach and mentor who acknowledges the individual strengths and promotes learning and growth. He is unselfish and allows others to be recognised when goals or mile stones are achieved.” “I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to learn and Daniel is a great leader, wanting to see others improve and succeed.” “Daniel can be relied upon to get things done. He always follows up and gets back to us.”

An example of Daniel’s can do attitude is when there were issues with the Mortuary Operational Managements. He was willing to take it on because he wanted to do the right thing for families who had lost a loved one. This has even been to the extent of calling the Next of Kin (a very difficult conversation) when a deceased person has been in the mortuary for a greater number of days than expected. He has also shown that in wanting to ‘do the right thing’ in these circumstances that the improvements have evolved as collaboration has occurred to solve the apparent issues.”

Senior Renal Pharmacist – Sunshine Hospital

Deanna was nominated by an employee for her role in the successful roll out of the Medicines Management Plan (MMP). Her nominator said:

“This was a large project rolled out across all campuses to improve the information available to health care providers regarding patient’s medication. It involved redesigning the previous PMP (Pharmaceutical Medication Plan) so health care providers other than just pharmacists can use it to follow up any issues or recommendations regarding patient’s medications. The procedure for the MMP is now uploaded on the intranet.”

Surgeon – Surgery Footscray Hospital

Dr Smith was nominated by a patient for his dedication and bed side manner. His nominator said:

“Dr Marty Smith is my surgeon who cared for me several months prior to my surgery. I have never met such a dedicated surgeon and there are not enough words in the dictionary to describe his beautiful bedside manner. Dr Smith is so very kind and caring. He will sit and listen to your problems and work out a solution to fix your medical condition. Dr Smith has stood by my side through thick and thin till my problem was resolved. You should consider yourself blessed to have such a dedicated surgeon in your hospital.”

Volunteer – Hazeldean Transition Care

Elena was nominated by an employee for her assistance with the Leisure and Lifestyle staff. Her nominator said:

“Elena volunteers twice a week and assists the Leisure & Lifestyle staff in providing meaningful activities designed to engage patients to enhance their physical and emotional wellbeing whilst they are a patient at Hazeldean.  Activities include memory games, gentle exercise, cooking, music, singing, dancing and socialisation.   Our patients look forward to the arrival of Elena who is committed to their enjoyment in everything she does. Elena often mentors new Volunteers into their role and goes above and beyond to support patients, their families, staff and volunteers.   Elena is a very reliable and trustworthy member of our volunteer team and always promotes a very positive and creative environment for our patients.”

Senior Clinician, Grade 3 Occupational Therapist – Occupational Therapy / Hand Therapy, Sunshine & Footscray Hospitals

Elizabeth received two nominations from employees for an award.

Her first nominator said:

“Liz always goes above and beyond in her role as senior clinician in Hand Therapy. She brings in her own resources from home to share in educating others and always has time for questions. She has a lovely, friendly nature and readily develops rapport with all her patients and colleagues. Liz has been a key driver in projects for our team, including spending many hours of her own time (weekends and after work during the week) to further projects. She motivates us all to be better therapists and encourages engagement in projects, research and presentation at conferences. She herself has been published in a journal this year and won an award through the Hand Therapy Association for her presentation at the conference. Liz has been a great advocate for hand therapy with rotating doctors in the plastics service, completing presentations and education sessions with doctors and nurses.”

Her second nominator said:

“Liz is extremely devoted to her work and always ensures best care is provided not only to her patients but the staff that she works with.  She is always willing to give up her time to answer patient and staff questions, even in moments when she is rushed off her feet.  She goes out of her way to provide written information, handouts or find resources to aid understanding of complex issues and aid learning.  Liz has been the lead in a number of quality projects to ensure excellence in service provision.  She has given numerous hours of her time, both at work and at home, to ensure the latest project advocating for an Advanced Scope Therapist Led Hand Therapy Clinic has moved forward and continues to benefit the patients involved by providing better outcomes.  Furthermore, Liz has completed a major literature review, which has since been published in a journal and was later presented as a paper at The Hand Therapy conference in Perth in 2015.  Liz is not only a great leader, but has a lovely manner and is a great example to us all.”

Clerk – Adult Specialist Clinics Referral Management Centre

Emily was nominated by an employee for her hard work and dedication to develop and deliver a training module to clerical staff. Her nominator said:

“Over the past 12 – 18 months Emily Davies has been our unofficial staff trainer for Adult Specialist Clinics. Emily assisted in creating the clerical training plan/module which includes 5 modules and many weeks of training.  Emily has taken her initiative and put this plan into action. Whilst using the training plan with staff she has facilitated many conversations and meetings around how we can improve training and edit the modules. Emily is a wonderful trainer who will cater to individual staff training requirements. Over the last 12 – 18 months Emily has trained between 30 – 40 staff and is always willing to assist staff from other departments. The feedback we receive on conclusion of staff training is that Emily is a delight, good listener, great trainer and all round nice person.”

Acting ANUM – Medical Ambulatory Day Unit (MADU) Sunshine

Ewa was nominated by an employee for her compassion, support and dedication to her work and patient care. Her nominator said:

“I was working as the clinic haematology registrar at Sunshine and Footscray last year and I honestly couldn’t have done the work I did without Ewa. She and the Medical Ambulatory Day Unit (MADU) have contributed to our haematology unit so much in the last year. Ewa is unbelievably organised and can easily do the job of three people. She would ALWAYS fit my patients in urgently and saved a lot of them long waits for day oncology or from having to go to ED. She and MADU also helped me discharge patients earlier because I had the resources to bring patients back to MADU if they needed further blood products or procedures. She even accommodated bone marrow biopsies and saved patients an admission to hospital. Ewa’s care and dedication to her work also meant she would always flag issues with my patients ahead of time and would go out of her way to reschedule and chase patients up which saved me a lot of work. Ewa is a “yes” person and will trouble shoot and use her own initiative to get things done. One example of her amazing work was arranging transfusions around a particular patient with terminal leukaemia so that this patient could complete her “bucket list” before she died. Ewa is an incredible asset to MADU and Western Health I cannot thank her enough.”

Technical Support Officer – IT

Frank was nominated by an employee for the professional, practical and prompt service he provides. His nominator said:

“Frank is just such a delight to deal with – he is very approachable and practical.  He offers good practical solutions and even advises against something if he feels it wouldn’t be cost effective or worth the expense.   What Frank provides is good old-fashioned customer service. He follows-up and ensures the job gets done in a timely manner and with relative ease.  He has also been more than willing to meet face-to-face to advise and help if that makes it easier.”     

Registrar – Medical Imaging

Heath was nominated by an employee for leading a project that evaluated the Registrar experience within Medical Imaging. His nominator said:

“Heath consistently provides outstanding leadership within the Medical Imaging Registrar group. He recently led a project to evaluate the Registrar experience within the Medical Imaging service. This was presented to the Medical Imaging consultant body, with recommendations to improve the systems and a work flow for Registrar’s moving forward.”

Social Worker – Social Work

Jennifer was nominated by an employee for her hard work and dedication. Her nominator said:

“Jennifer demonstrates all the values of Western Health particularly in the areas of ‘Safety’ and ‘Excellence’. Her dedication and compassion is not only observed in her clinical work but through the support she provides to her co-workers. She looks out for the safety and wellbeing of others and organises and leads the wellbeing class for the Social Work Department. She encourages and motivates staff to take care of themselves through exercises, walking, yoga and healthy eating. Since Jennifer joined the Social Work department she has added her own flavour to our parties and celebrations to make team members or the celebrant/s feel very special and valued. “

Registered Nurse – Radiology, Sunshine Hospital

Joanne was nominated by an employee for her compassion and outstanding patient care and clinical response. Her nominator said:

“Joanne is a new member of the Radiology Nursing Team. In her short time she has excelled in learning all modalities of Radiology. Her patient care and clinical response is outstanding which was witnessed in a CODE BLUE call in the nurses’ station. She identified the decline in her patient’s status and quickly reacted and was instrumental in care of the patient while the CODE BLUE team attended. She has a very compassionate nature which is appreciated by her patients.”

Plaster Technician – Footscray Outpatients

John was nominated by an employee for his positive and caring attitude.  His nominator said:

“My daughter broke her foot and leg and had to have a plate inserted.  As she was still in extreme pain and had no experience of any hospital procedures she was extremely anxious the first time visiting the plaster room.  Although John at no stage had any direct contact with her, his continuing light-hearted banter and chats with his own patients immediately set her at ease and she ended up forgetting her anxiety. On subsequent visits John immediately recognised her in the waiting room and she visually relaxed as soon as she saw him. John’s positive and caring attitude improves the atmosphere of the plaster room and consequently the patient experience. All of the patients in the waiting room cannot speak highly enough about his dedication and caring attitude.  He obviously cares very much about each person he encounters and is dedicated to his job.”

Security Officers – Sunshine Hospital

“During a night shift in December 2015, this team came across a male in the car park breaking car windows and ransacking the vehicle. Police were called however when the Security Team attempted to take the male, he was able to evade them and disappear. The following morning, the night shift team members had signed off and were leaving when one of them saw the male back in the car park and recognised him. Even though off duty and heading home, this team moved back into the car park and after a struggle, took the male into custody and formally arrested him. The male was highly combative and violent and was taken to the ground by the team. The offender was later found to be in the possession of several knives, a screwdriver and a large metal block. He was also in possession of all the evidence of his work throughout the night taken from people and vehicles. Police had been hunting this individual for some time. This team called the on shift security staff to assist and the male continued to struggle, fight, spit, bite and resist until Police arrived. I am very proud of these men who acted well and truly above and beyond requirements to protect Western Health, staff and patients and truly exemplify the Vision, Mission and Standards of the Western Health Security Team.”

Volunteer Coordinator – Community Engagement and Volunteers

Karin was nominated by an employee for her respectful and welcoming nature towards staff, volunteers and general public. Her nominator said:

“I shared a close work space with Karin and was impressed and taken back how lovely, respectful and welcoming she was with not only volunteers but all staff and public. Karin goes above and beyond the Western Health Values and we are very lucky to have her. When she is alone she has her head buried in what looks like a pile of work but as soon as she has contact with someone in person or over the phone she is 100% present, cheery and friendly, like that person is her sole priority. She has inspired me to be more present in the moment both at work and life in general.”

Clincal Nurse Specialist – ICU

Kathryn was nominated by an employee for displaying outstanding leadership coordinating the ICU Christmas decorations. Her nominator said:

“Kathryn developed the recycling theme for our Christmas decorations and was able to engage and motivate all members of the team to participate by either collecting materials or making decorations.  By taking on this challenge, Kathryn has helped to build a new team here at SICU and unified the service through having a common goal, to win the competition!”

Quality facilitator, Pathology and Medical Imaging – Medical Imaging

Kellie was nominated by an employee for her role coordinating and driving the Organisations diagnostic imaging Accreditation submission with NATA. Her nominator said:

“Kellie ensured the submission was made ahead of schedule and to the highest quality. Kellie has also continued to implement clinical governance’s changes and learning post submission.”

Psychologist – CBR, Sunshine Hospital

Kelly was nominated by an employee for her outstanding compassion and empathy for her clients. Her nominator said:

“Kelly embodies a number of “INSPIRE” values. From my work with her I can see that her compassion and empathy for her clients is outstanding. She is always thinking about how she can improve the outcomes for her patients. Kelly’s work ethic is an inspiration. She works tirelessly, not only with patients, but she also contributes to meetings, committees, professional development and fundraising. Kelly is an exceptionally caring, conscientious and compassionate person. When you meet her you instantly see how passionate she is about her work and what an inspiration she is to her clients, colleagues and to the organisation as a whole.”

PA to DON Williamstown – Williamstown Hospital

Leesa was nominated by an employee for going above and beyond to ensure best outcomes for the organisation as a whole. Her nominator said:

“Leesa represents the organisation and always has the organisation at heart. She goes above and beyond to balance the needs of individuals with those of the organisation to ensure best outcomes for both individual and organisation as a whole. Leesa is a true professional who treats everyone with the utmost respect. She takes her role seriously and acts as a custodian for Western Health culture. In essence, Leesa keeps confidences, looks after the wellbeing of others and always maintains professionalism even when times are tough.”

Community Integration Officer – CBR Sunshine Hospital

Leisa was nominated by an employee for her contribution to the Hydrotherapy Community Integration Programs. Her nominator said:

“Leisa does a fantastic job at connecting our patients to the broader community. She has worked hard on two fantastic community integration programs for hydrotherapy clients: a women’s only class run by the Migrant Resource Centre which resulted in a new pool hirer for Sunshine Hospital, and a Local Pool Companion Program to overcome the barrier of isolation for people wanting to continue their hydrotherapy at community pools.”

Clinical Nurse Specialist – Radiology, Sunshine

Maria was nominated by an employee for being a role model for new staff. Her nominator said:

“Maria is a new addition to the Radiology Nursing Team. She comes from a background of Emergency and she brings with her irreplaceable knowledge and experience. She has learnt all the modalities in Radiology and has excelled in areas such as DSA and being the Team Leader Nurse. She is a role model for new staff and is always there to lend a helping hand. She is always approachable and continues to strive for excellence and better care for all of our patients.”

Clinical Nurse Specialist – ICU

Michelle was nominated by an employee for her role in a Code Black situation in the ICU. Her nominator said:

“Michelle called a code black in the ICU when she observed that a patient was potentially going to attack both nursing and security staff with a pair of scissors.  She remained calm and ensured that the entire team and the patients within the department were kept safe at all times.  All of her team members on the shift were impressed with her leadership during this very stressful situation.”

Ward Clerk – PCC

Monique was nominated by an employee for the passion and pride she has in her role. Her nominator said:

“Monique is very passionate about her job and is all about working as a team. She not only demonstrates high quality in her work but she is very respectful, approachable and hard working. I believe we need more people with the passion and pride Monique displays.”

Registered Nurse – 2East Footscray

Morgan was nominated by a patient for friendly and caring nature. Her nominator said:

“Morgan was very friendly to all, talks to everyone and is a very caring person. She explained procedures and other medical issues to me in plain English and explained why they were doing things a certain way and the objective of the procedures. She appears to care about her patients as though they were her own relatives. Morgan is one of the best nurses I have ever come across and had the privilege to meet.”

Grade 2 Radiographer – Medical Imaging, MRI

Sebastian was nominated by an employee for being an advocate for exceptional patient care and dedicated hard work. His nominator said:

“Sebastian works effortlessly to improve patient access to MRI and always goes the extra mile while ensuring an exceptional standard of work is achieved. In addition Sebastian has taken over the temporary role of rostering for the whole of the Medical Imaging radiographer/ sonographer workforce and developed a number of improvement tools assisting the management team. I truly thank Sebastian for his hard work. “

Registered Nurse – Sunshine Outpatients

“With the recent popularity of adult colouring books which support mindfulness and relaxation, Sharon thought that offering this initiative (“free” colouring pages printed from the internet and colouring pencils) to waiting patients could potentially relax patients who may be anxious/stressed and make the waiting time appear to pass quicker. The outcome has been a resounding success. Patients have taken the opportunity to colour and even offer comments on what a wonderful idea this is, so much so that some patients provided feedback that they were disappointed they couldn’t finish their picture before they were called in by the doctor. Adult Specialist Clinics has received numerous completed pictures and feedback and has displayed them in the waiting rooms”.

Another nominator said:

“Sharon was the initiator of ‘Art for Wellbeing’ Project. She simply came to work one day with an adult colouring book and pencils and thought it would be great for patients waiting for their appointments to participate in colouring hoping it would decrease anxiety in the waiting room and promote positivity and relaxation. We have received an overwhelming positive response from patients, visitors and the CEO. All the pieces of colouring are displayed on the ‘Art for Wellbeing’ wall in the waiting room.

Social Worker – CBR, Sunshine and Williamstown

Sharon was nominated by an employee for her compassion, empathy and dedication to her patients and colleagues. Her nominator said:

“Sharon’s compassion, empathy and dedication to her patients, colleagues and her work overall is second to none. She is a wonderful team player, often organising and working with multi-disciplinary team members to run family meetings, contact health services or make referrals as well as playing a key role in developing treatment and discharge plans. Sharon is also a great leader and can be relied upon for her excellence in effectively working with clients to improve their recovery whilst upholding the values of CBR and WH as a whole.”

Team Leader – CBR, Sunshine and Williamstown

Susan was nominated by an employee for being an exceptional leader. Her nominator said:

“Not only does her care and commitment towards patients and patient care shine but she is an inspirational example of great leadership, guidance and support for the whole of the CBR team. Susan is warm, friendly, approachable, kind and considerate. On any given day she always informs us of where she is and how we can contact her if needed. When we do contact her, she is always caring, considerate, understanding and supportive, and treats us with unconditional respect. I always feel like a valued part of the team and I attribute much of my enjoyment working here to her leadership, guidance and support.”