2018 Awards – Round 1

Personal Assistant to Director Allied Health – Allied Health

Amanda is our ‘go to’ person, our agenda maker, minute taker, our smile maker. She is the glue that binds us. She keeps us organised and she does so with integrity, diligence and respect. She is trustworthy, delivers work to a high standard, and is a woman of her word. Through her personable nature, nothing is too big, too challenging or too much for Amanda to take on. She fosters and maintains professional relationships within our team but takes the time to learn about everyone on a personal level and never forgets to check in and see how everyone is getting on and how she can better support us each and every day. Amanda delivers, consistently and to a high standard. She is known for getting the job done and she does so with apparent ease and generosity. She is highly efficient and takes feedback readily, so that she can continually improve and deliver work to a high standard. Amanda is respectful, thoughtful insightful, intuitive and kind. She provides a solid listening ear, considered advice and a helping hand to anyone who needs it. Amanda has an open door policy and regardless of how busy she is, she is always able to spare five minutes to assist if needed. She is friendly, approachable and nothing ever seems to onerous for her to take on. She is committed to fostering and sustaining excellence in everything she does and in supporting others to achieve the same. Amanda is reliable, punctual and social and everyone enjoys working with her and alongside her. She is a true team player and a valued and trusted colleague.

PA to Director Allied Health and Administration Co-ordinator GP Integration – Allied Health

Amanda and Kelly are so approachable, supportive and helpful. They know everyone and they always seem to have the answers to every question. They leave their door open and are happy to be interrupted. They keep things running smoothly and keep the office filled with respect and laughter. Part of the reason we come to work is because Amanda and Kelly are here to support us. They arrange most of the social events held within the work space such as lunches, morning teas, dinners and Christmas decoration events. They role model excellent workplace relationships and still maintain a very high work 4 output. Amanda and Kelly are positive and productive and go about their work with a smile and a giggle which keeps us smiling too. They are inclusive and thoughtful of others. One specific occasion that comes to mind is when they arranged a baby shower for a staff member when she got a dog. Many of her colleagues were having baby showers so, after ensuring that she was comfortable with it, Amanda and Kelly organised one for her too. Amanda and Kelly have a huge capacity to get work done. You only need to mention a request during a corridor conversation and it will be completed. Bookings, meetings, minutes, events, all the small things that keep a workplace running smoothly are the expertise of these ladies.

ICT Operations Manager – ICT Services

Nomination 1: Bill gets along with everyone in the workplace, has strong communication skills at all times and always has a smile on his face. As a manager he has a very professional manner, is always polite and respectful and puts time and effort into learning about his employee’s goals and interests. Bill is a very supportive and compassionate person who truly cares about his employees and their wellbeing. For example, if an employee looks distressed he will take the time to assist in any way that he can to make sure that person is alright in the workplace. Bill is always clear about everyone’s health and safety responsibilities in the workplace. If he believes that something is a hazard he will addresses it immediately to eliminate the hazard to ensure that the workplace a safe environment for all to work in. Bill is accountable and responsible for all tasks given to him and our department, often staying back after hours to ensure he fulfils the needs of the organisation. Bill’s positivity is encouraging and inspirational to everyone in the workplace.

Nomination 2: Bill has an extraordinary positive outlook and a widespread use of humour which has made the department a happier place to be in. Motivation levels have increased under his friendly, positive influence. Bill is a very supportive and compassionate person who truly cares about his employees and their wellbeing. He has an open door policy, is always available to assist in any way that he can and puts time and effort into learning about everyone’s goals and interests. He treats his employees with respect and makes sure they feel important and valued by the organisation. Despite his friendly approach, Bill always maintains a professional work ethic. He has contributed to a positive workplace by making employees feel at ease, caring for and encouraging his team and promoting social lunches for the department. Bill demonstrates excellence in his attention to detail and is accountable for all tasks given to him and our department, often staying back after hours to ensure he fulfils the needs of the organisation. Bill’s positivity is encouraging and inspirational to everyone in the workplace.

Registered Nurses – Ward 2C

A patient’s family had the following to say about the care that Carolyn and Alana provided to their father: It’s nurses like this who make a difference. Their compassion, respect and excellent bedside manner made my father’s story a better experience. From Alana’s politeness and detailed explanation of everything she was doing to Carolyn speaking a few words of Greek to help build a relationship and trust with my father. I travel to many hospitals across Victoria, but I must say, these two nurses were exceptional. They were also honest and informative and if they weren’t sure of something they would ask and get back to you promptly.

Food Services Assistants – Food Services – Footscray Hospital

Shannon and Caterina always go above and beyond to ensure they get the job done. They lead by example and always display a positive attitude at work. They are very compassionate, making sure patients are always greeted with a smile and are always willing to assist them in any way that they can. Ward employees know Shannon as the lady wearing colourful hair bands. Caterina has a smiling face and no matter what the challenges are for the day you will always see that golden smile. They are always accountable for their work. As we work a day in advance preparing for the next day, they always make sure that we have the correct items that we will require and keep the Supervisor updated on any changes or problems. They demonstrate excellence in the way that they lead by example and are always willing to jump in and assist others to ensure that all of the work is finished on time. Shannon and Caterina contribute to a positive workplace by treating everyone with respect, having a laugh and working as a team.

Volunteer – Williamstown Hospital Opportunity Shop

Since February 2017 to March 2018 Dianne Wilson has raised $1741 for Williamstown Hospital Opportunity Shop in her volunteer role by re-selling books from the Opportunity Shop to a local school based in the Western Suburbs. This school Truganina College is newly established and this initiative has helped to establish a good quality library for local school children who are often disadvantaged in the western suburbs. Truganina College has been purchasing books from the Williamstown Op Shop for the last four years and this arrangement has meant that they have been able to offer their students an extensive selection of books and redirect the saved income to other school needs. Dianne initiated and drives this ongoing partnership. Her input spans from sorting the books, to packing, to delivering, to ensuing that invoices are generated through Western Health Foundation. This initiative also solves a sustainability and wastage problem at Williamstown Hospital Opportunity Shop where generous donations often results in an oversupply of books. Many books that would ordinarily go to recycling of landfill is helping and enriching the lives of the local community. This initiative not only raises money for Williamstown Hospital Opportunity Shop and helps the local community – it showcases how volunteers can offer innovative solutions to problems and have a stead-fast commitment and passion to give back to their community.

Ward Clerk – Day Oncology – 1 East – Sunshine Hospital

Dizmina is the face of Day Oncology and she greets people so warmly with a smile and a very positive approach. She remembers patient’s names and goes out of her way to assist them, and answer questions they have in relation to their appointments and other issues relating to their day oncology attendance. She listens to patients and empathises with them but also will go to the next level to ensure their visit runs as smoothly as possible. She ensures that patients are attended to promptly when she is at the front desk and she will follow through if there are things that need confirmation with the nursing staff in relation to a patient’s visit. Her approach to her fellow workers is always very positive and friendly. She will always thank people for their help and when you ask her to do an extra administrative task she will not hesitate and will always perform her role with a smile. In the Day Oncology Unit first impressions are very important; patients are often very scared and worried about what the future holds and what the treatment they are going to undergo will involve. To be initially greeted by someone who not only smiles warmly but engages with you and remembers who you are is a very important aspect of the role and makes a big difference.

Occupational Therapist – Sunshine Inpatient Rehabilitation Ward

Liz has such a positive, ‘can do’ attitude in all aspects of her work. She is always willing to go above and beyond to ensure that the staff that she supervises receive the necessary guidance and support that they need to develop as clinicians and provide ‘Best Care ‘to the people that they treat. Liz is constantly striving for excellence in her work and is constantly 8 improving the experiences of people who receive care on the Sunshine Inpatient Rehabilitation ward. She does this by ensuring that the staff she supervises have appropriate skills to do their job. She also does this by promoting a culture where people enjoy their work and subsequently interact with patients and colleagues in a caring, kind, respectful and compassionate manner.

Grade 3 Physiotherapist/Team Leader – Cardiorespiratory – Sunshine Hospital

Since her commencement at Western Health, Liz has made an extremely positive impact on the Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy team. She has been acknowledged by multiple junior staff members for her excellent support and development as well as strong interpersonal skills in consistently building strong professional and personal relationships with all colleagues. Liz demonstrates compassion in her daily work with a ‘patient first’ mindset, taking the time to involve family members as well as patients in their care. She displays the perfect balance of managerial and mentorship in supporting junior staff. Liz is very respectful and ensures each member of the team is treated equally. It is very obvious in her day to day work as a physiotherapist that she has been exceptionally trained through hard work and prior experience with the NHS and Austin Health. This is a fantastic support for junior staff as through her clinical education role she is able to share these skills. Everything Liz does in the 8 hours she is at work is centred on a positive workplace. Her communication, whether it is verbal or nonverbal is always friendly, very approachable and effective.

Registered Nurse – Oncology – Sunshine Hospital

Emily was involved in the “Let’s Talk about Cancer” Pop Up Shop at Sunshine Plaza Shopping Centre in February 2018, which was a collaboration by Western Health, the Cancer Council, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network and the Victorian Government, to address research that revealed that the West of Melbourne had the lowest number of people who participate in cancer screening and prevention. Members of the public were given the opportunity to pop into the shop to discuss any concerns they had about cancer and to find out how they can improve their health. The staff and volunteers at the shop were committed to educate the public by providing information on early detection and screening options and lifestyle choices. Emily was one of the staff members who lead this project at the Shop. One of the many observations which stands out in my mind is on one occasion, when I referred a member of the public who had recently been diagnosed with cancer and who had lots of questions, to Emily. The lady was extremely anxious about what was going to happen to her in her cancer journey and after spending more than an hour with Emily, her demeanour and level of anxiety had dramatically improved. The compassion she showed towards the many people who were making enquiries was exceptional and they were very appreciative of her valuable skills, knowledge, guidance and understanding. Emily’s wealth of knowledge of cancer and cancer services including screening was exceptional and she had a great ability in conveying this information to the members of the public in a warm, friendly, non-judgemental and welcoming manner at all times. Emily showed great respect for everyone at the Pop Up Shop including volunteers, the public and colleagues by treating everyone equally and respecting their privacy and dignity at all times. Emily is a wonderful ambassador for Western Health who encompasses our values when dealing with people from all walks of life including those from cultural, linguistic and gender diverse backgrounds

Nuclear Medicine Technologist – Nuclear Medicine

A patient had the following to say about the care that Emily provided to her: Emily was not only professional, knowledgeable and efficient but warm, friendly and caring during my recent scan. She took the time to allay my fears about the procedure by providing clear information, instruction and valuable advice to help keep me calm during the procedure. She even stayed during her lunch break to complete my scan. I really appreciated the care that she provided to me and I can’t thank her enough.

Manager, Psychology Department – Sunshine Hospital

Grey provides an attentive, patient, humoured and overwhelmingly humane manner of interaction with those he deals with. This encompasses working with the strengths, weaknesses and different skill sets demonstrated by patients and employees that he deals with in such a way as to optimise their work and well being. Grey provides the epitome of person centred care, both towards patients and employees within the psychology team. He has demonstrated great care and respect in assisting team members with personal issues in an enduring manner. Grey practices what he preaches, in demonstrating collaborative relationships with all employees, and working well to develop the psychology department, whilst also being aware of team members strengths and weaknesses. He is well resourced and knowledgeable about the human condition and is deeply understanding of the challenges patients experience when in a position of ill health and dependency, so as to resource employees to more fully understand where the patient is “coming from”. Grey models respectful, clear and compassionate communication, so that patients feel validated yet challenged to explore how they may be interacting with nursing staff, so as to ensure everyone’s safety. He contributes to a positive workplace by being gently humoured, compassionate, yet “real”, and being endlessly supportive and encouraging.

Paediatric Speech Pathologist – Allied Health

Hilary Dent is an outstanding, person centred clinician and an exceptional advocate for vulnerable families and babies. Recently, Hilary advocated with the WH finance department on behalf of a family to help solve a concern impacting on service access secondary to eligibility and financial implications. She was a champion for this particularly vulnerable family, with a very complex medical history and with reduced health literacy secondary to a CALD background. The finance department responded promptly, positively and with absolute sensitivity to the needs of this family. These actions ensured timely continued ‘Best Care’ for an unwell baby and her family. Without these actions the baby would not have been seen in a timely fashion, which would have placed her at a safety risk and added significant stress to the family, who would have to access multiple separate services outside of the skilled and coordinated approach provided at Sunshine Hospital. Hilary displayed understanding and empathy for this vulnerable CALD family who’s financial situation was impacting on access to health care for their baby. She took action promptly to ensure that this baby could continue to be seen without delay.

Ward Clerk – Groundfloor Subacute at Williamstown Hospital

Jacqueline is a very kind and caring soul who is always willing to help others, often going beyond her remit to assist and support the nurses, doctors and allied health staff in any way that she can. She displays tolerance when computer luddites like myself require more assistance, even when its probably extra work for her. Jacqueline is very efficient and organised, always ensuring that tasks are completed and that things are running smoothly. For example, she will check up on behalf of allied health to make sure that interpreters are attending appointments. Jacqueline is very polite, well mannered and respectful in all of her dealings with staff and patients. She fosters a positive workplace by always being a helpful, kindly soul to staff, patients and visitors alike.

Clinical Education Resource Nurse – Centre for Education

Janet has been an integral part of Western Health for over 20years. She has consistently strived for best practice and supported staff in their development and education, through many multifaceted roles, to provide excellent and passionate patient centred care. Janet supported staff when they had a incident with an aggressive patient in the workplace. She advocated and ensured staff felt safe and secure coming back into their workplace. Janet is diligent with support for undergraduates, graduates and senior nursing staff. She has also been heavily involved with the pressure injury committee to decrease numbers of pressure injuries throughout the organisation. Janet is a team player – she works well within her team, is well respected and is seen as a mentor to others. This is shown in the delivery of care that is given every day and she helps to support others to be able to achieve this. Janet is well respected, approachable, professional and an asset to the organisation.

Senior Pain Physiotherapist – Sunshine Community Based Rehabilitation

Kelly works with chronic pain patients one on one and in group scenarios to assist them in achieving their goals, learn how to independently selfmanage their pain, improve their quality of life and engage in everyday activities. Kelly deals with complex and difficult patients on a daily basis and she demonstrates never ending patience, sensitivity and encouragement working with them to achieve goals that are important to them. Kelly demonstrates respect in all that she encounters, is always happy to help others and always welcomes input and advice from colleagues / team members regarding complex patients. Kelly is always up to date with the latest evidence and literature in the chronic pain field and is always working to up-skill and educate her colleagues and implement this into practice. Kelly has done a lot of work in CBR to implement and run groups for management of chronic pain patients through the ‘Move Do Live Program’, modifying the program to correlate with best practice. She works closely with the specialist pain clinics doctors and nursing staff to provide seamless multidisciplinary care for her patients. Kelly is always smiling and is a pleasure to have in the office and around Sunshine CBR. She is always encouraging and kind to both her patients and colleagues and always takes the time to assist other staff members with difficult patients no matter how busy she is.

Social Worker, Team Leader – Women’s and Children’s – Sunshine Hospital

Karina has provided care and support beyond the expectations of her role. This has included many occasions of unpaid afterhours time supporting staff and patients with sensitive issues such as children at risk and family violence. Karina’s work ensures that women and children are discharged safer than when they arrive and with the services and support they need. She always prioritises the best interest of the patient and approaches them with a non-judgmental and supporting attitude. She always ensures that all process are followed and that the rights of the patients are at the centre of any decisions taken. Her open, sensitive approach means that she gains the respect of the staff and patients. Karina demonstrates excellence by ensuring that the best outcome is achieved for both the staff and patient and her main priority is always about keeping women and children safe. Karina is a great mentor to her team and is always there to support them.

Director of Pharmacy – Western Health

Kent has lead the pharmacy team through a series of improvement strategies which have contributed to improved workflows and workplace culture. Kent has demonstrated compassion, consideration and respect by providing support and mentoring to the pharmacy team, making time for staff to address any concerns and clearly communicating what actions will be taken in response. Kent is a positive role model within the department – not only does he demonstrate a high standard of work, he also recognises those qualities in staff members working within the team, from his direct reports to the most junior staff member. Kent actively promotes safety within the department by listening to the concerns of all staff members working within the team, ensuring that all incidents are documented and followed up within the defined deadlines and encourages the reporting and investigation of ‘potential’ risks before they become incidents. Kent has actively supported the implementation of guided discussions within the Pharmacy teams across all sites, and has championed improved transparency around decision making for actions that affect staff directly.

Clinical Trials Pharmacist – Pharmacy Sunshine Hospital

Lei-Ching ensures that safe, excellent and compassionate clinical trial care is delivered to our research patients. She enables patients to have access to new and emerging drug and trial treatments, often providing additional treatment options which at times have resulted in improvement or cure for our patients. Lei Ching will always works towards what is best for patients and with the ever changing timelines for trial drug doses and visit dates in Research, she will always work hard to deliver the trial drugs at the requested times. This ensures that patients do not have to spend unnecessary time in the hospital waiting for trial drugs and treatments. All work with clinical trial drugs is very closely monitored by external monitors and I often receive feedback from them about the excellent, well run clinical trial pharmacy services Lei-Ching provides. All interactions I have observed between Lei Ching, the Research team and external trial monitors have been very professional and respectful. This is particularly notable as Lei Ching often has a lot of competing demands on her time. Lei Ching adheres to the high standards required for trial drug management and trial drug dispensing, always following up on inconsistent drug orders and checking all scripts against trial protocol requirements to ensure that the patient always receives the right dose. This is an immense task as dosing is constantly changing for trial drugs. She is not afraid to point out and follow up on errors to ensure excellent and safe clinical trial care.

Supervisor – Environmental Services Williamstown Hospital

Lorraine has a positive attitude, is a hard worker and demonstrates leadership in all that she does. She has and eye for detail and ensures that the hospital is maintained to a high standard. Nothing is too hard for Lorraine. She is a very caring and friendly person who is supportive of her fellow workers and understanding of other people’s needs. She is very respectful of those from different cultural backgrounds, both staff and visitors alike. Lorraine is committed to ensuring that a high standard of care is maintained in a positive, friendly and productive manner. The safety of employees and visitors is of high importance to Lorraine and she is always there to remind the staff to use the appropriate floor signs and to report any faulty equipment. Lorraine contributes to a positive and productive workplace with her a positive ‘can do’ attitude, her strong work ethic and her constant willingness to help others.

Nurse Unit Manager 2E – Sunshine Hospital

Maria is a hardworking, dedicated, tenacious Nurse Unit Manager who is diligent in her role and is outstanding in every area. She demonstrates enormous compassion for her patients, staff and colleagues, consistently fights for best outcomes and cares for all those in her sphere of influence. In every area, Maria strives to maintain the high standards that are held by Western Health. She takes on projects with passion and purpose. Maria shows respect to all staff members regardless of their position and patients and family are treated compassionately and respectfully at all times. Maria oversaw the implementation of SSKINS with an aim for ‘100 days PI free.’ Under her guidance 2E achieved 199 days PI free at the end of 2017. Maria ensures her staff always follow policy and procedure to ensure that safe care and best practice is provided to all patients. Maria is a very positive manager who encourages good communication between staff, teams and patients, regularly arranging debriefing sessions to keep everyone up to date.

Nurse Unit Manager 2E and Operations Manager Cancer Services – Emergency, Medicine & Cancer Services

Maria and Ilana managed the relatively sudden death of a renal patient on Ward 2E with sensitivity, compassion and respect. They maintained kindness, composure and the highest standard of care amongst a significant degree of aggression, complexity and very strained family relations. The patient was very unwell and declined quickly. There was a lot of tension amongst the family members with explosive emotional outbursts in the patient’s room and in the corridors, loudly enough that it could be heard from some distance away. In amongst all of the chaos, Maria and Ilana laid the patient’s body out, quietly, reverently and respectfully, pausing only to try to soothe an emotional family member who refused to leave the room while this most sensitive task was completed. As the morning wore on, I observed Ilana and Maria continuing to treat this family with care and concern, as well as offering a bit of extra support to the patients in the surrounding rooms, who were also aware that something traumatic had happened. It was clear in those moments why these two women hold the positions of responsibility that they do. It had been a traumatic experience for a number of members of the nursing staff, and Maria and Ilana ‘lead from the front’, held their composure, made provision for staff debriefing, and again, did everything they possibly could to make a terrible moment easier.

Registered Nurse (Acting ANUM) – Adult Specialist Clinics – Sunshine Hospital

Mary is a quiet achiever, and her solid dedication to the efficient running of the Plastics Outpatient clinic is motivating. She has worked at Western Health for 15+ years and her knowledge is inspiring. Other staff members utilise her expertise and knowledge particularly in regard to wound management for plastics patients. The doctors also use her as their main resource. Her knowledge and efficiency allow the clinic to see more patients than allocated spots and still finish within a reasonable time frame. The standard of care from Mary is exceptional, both at a clinical and emotional level. Mary demonstrates compassion by providing care to patients without judgement or question. Whatever the patients circumstance she treats them all with the same respect and compassion and engages her patients to take part in their own care. Mary has extensive knowledge and often will liaise with Doctors/surgeons for the best patient outcomes. She is always accountable, keeps her knowledge up to date and readily shares her knowledge and expertise with others. Mary is consistent and has a great ability to work under the varied circumstances that present itself in Outpatients. Mary always has time to connect with her colleagues and is always approachable.

Aged Care Assessment Service Assessor – Footscray Campus 2 West (Western ACAS)

Monica Carroll assisted Western ACAS to transition from a waitlist system to the new My Aged Care National Queue. Monica’s role was to identify clients on the previous system and assist with transitioning to the new system, which involved identifying vulnerable clients, creating an education package for all Western ACAS assessors and completing monthly data to send to DHHS. Monica in her many conversations with clients and families was able to identify stressors and provide support in the transitioning process. Many clients provided feedback regarding Monica’s excellent manner, communication style and ability to create results on behalf of the client. Monica was required to provide monthly reports to show progress of the project and estimated timeframes for completion. Monica always demonstrated a high level of respect towards all clients/families/stakeholders and ensured that all parties were provided the opportunity to express themselves and contribute to the support plan development and agreement. Monica received over 20 positive compliments during her time as project officer providing evidence of her level of experience and excellence in service delivery. Monica showed great enthusiasm in her work at all times and was always happy to discuss the project with other team members and stakeholders to Western ACAS. She ensured that positive outcomes were provided to clients which created a real sense of achievement.

Senior Physiotherapists – Ward 3B Aged Care – Footscray Hospital

On a daily basis this “dynamic duo” are exceptional professional and personal mentors for multiple junior staff. In particular I have often approached either, or both Vanessa and Candice for advice since starting at Western Health, for clinical support in working with aged care or amputee patients as well as professional advice when addressing various learning issues or working towards my professional development plan goals. Whilst neither have been a direct supervisor, I am consistently inspired by their hard work, exceptional leadership skills and respect for Best Care in their clinical work with patients and their families. They are a huge reason of why I love working at Western Health. As senior clinicians, they consistently provide professional and personal support for colleagues. Patient advocacy is at the forefront in their day to day clinical practice demonstrating a willingness to listen and respect for all patients and their families. They demonstrate excellence by building strong relationships with the multidisciplinary team on 3B and facilitate optimal holistic outcomes for all patients during their Rehab stay. Vanessa and Candice are always willing to train junior employees in specialised areas such as amputees. In addition to their workplace support, they also attend many social functions with colleagues outside work hours.