Health’s best recognised for dedication to care
16 September 2010
HNE Health 2010 Achievement and Quality Awards
Hunter New England Health employees from across the region celebrated a year of achievement and innovation last night at the 2010 Achievement Awards Gala Dinner.
The Achievement Awards Gala Dinner is held each year to celebrate the people and projects that are influential in improving patient care across our health service.
The winners and finalists celebrated their achievements with Chief Executive Dr Nigel Lyons, who had the pleasure of congratulating the award winners.
“Hunter New England Health staff have worked hard to improve our services and patient care in the past year, and, it was a pleasure to congratulate all the winners and finalists on their achievements,” Dr Lyons said.
“It is important we recognise the many quality improvements and innovative projects that are being undertaken by our staff members to improve the health of our communities and the care we provide to our patients and clients."
The Staff Achievement Awards are designed to acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by staff and volunteers, and the Quality Awards recognise innovative projects aimed at further improving the quality of care our patients receive.
Hunter New England Health is extremely grateful to the businesses who have supported the 2010 Achievement Awards event. Sponsors for the 2010 event include: Quality Hotel Powerhouse Tamworth and Armidale; Prosperity; Travelworld Newcastle; Carestream Health; First State Super; Telstra; Newcastle Permanent; Computer Systems Australia; Print National; and Australis Diamond Beach Resort.
Please see the following two pages for a full list of the 2010 Staff Achievement Awards and Quality Awards winners. For more information about any of the finalists, call the HNE Health Communication Unit on (02) 4985 5522.
2010 Staff Achievement Award winners
Clinical Leader of the Year:
Assoc Prof Adrian Dunlop, Area Director Drug and Alcohol Services
Dr Dunlop provides exceptional medical leadership for drug and alcohol issues across Hunter New England Health. He demonstrates a commitment to, and respect for, the patients of Drug and Alcohol services and has driven the service to become more patient-centred and focused. Dr Dunlop is committed to research and encourages staff to investigate and use evidence-based care.
Manager of the Year:
Melissa Mills, Tamworth and Nundle Community Health
Melissa displays integrity in all dealings with her staff and peers and leads by example. Always striving to achieve excellence for herself and her managers, Melissa is a well-respected leader who actively leads change based on client needs and the values of HNE Health. Melissa has built a Tamworth and Nundle Community Health team who are proud of their service and strive for excellence.
Healthcare Unit of the Year:
HNE Health Oral Health Service
HNE Health’s Oral Health Service (HNEOH) is a valuable resource in NSW. HNEOH has created a new graduate clinical program enabling case study presentation, discussion and mentoring. Rural Clinician rotation programs have enabled HNEOH to provide enhance support to rural communities. The unit is bold enough to try new programs, such as the redesign of child programs (Little Smiles, Super Smiles, Better Smiles, ECOH), the Aboriginal Trainee Program, Better Oral Health in Residential Aged Care and the Oral Health Contact Centre.
Support Unit of the Year:
Area Construction Team, based in Tamworth
They may be a small team, but the Area Construction Team (ACT) has a combined total of more than 80 years of trades experience. Their work often takes them away from home and this year has seen them working from Boggabilla in North West NSW to Murrurundi in the Upper Hunter. The team has more recently become the principal contractor for the Quirindi Health One development, the largest and most significant project the team has undertaken to date.
Outstanding Contribution of the Year:
Julie Smith, Manager Aboriginal Employment and Equity, Workforce Development
According to colleagues, Julie shows genuine care and compassion for her employees and consistently aims for the highest standard of management. Julie has been responsible for securing the funding for many government incentives that support the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Hunter New England Health. Julie’s efforts to secure funding has seen increases in the number of Aboriginal employees within the Area and the support available to existing Aboriginal employees are directly attributable to Julie’s achievements and commitment to her role.
Tomorrow’s Leader Award:
Leigh Philpott, Senior Clinical Social Work Consultant, HNE Mental Health (Tamworth)
Leigh is passionate about rural mental health practice and enjoys living and demonstrating the benefits of working in a rural setting. He is always looking for ways to maximise opportunities for mental health promotion. Leigh is a keen motivator and has the capacity, energy and intellect that holds people’s attention.
Volunteer of the Year:
Tony Adams and his dog Angus (Delta Pets for Therapy, Morisset Hospital)
For seven years, Tony Adams and his dog Angus have been part of the Specialist Mental Health Service for Older People (MHSOP) unit at Morisset’s Ibis Lodge, providing a much appreciated volunteer service to the residents and their families. Angus is often hugged, patted and brushed by the residents and families, some of whom have dementia. Tony is not fazed by the challenging behaviours that are sometimes exhibited by clients but rather, he and Angus provide a calming atmosphere for them.
Extended Excellence Award:
Dr Andrew Bisits, former Director Obstetrics and Delivery Suite, John Hunter Hospital
Prior to his departure from HNE Health in August this year, Dr Bisits was the dedicated leader of the Director of John Hunter Hospital’s Obstetrics and Delivery Suite for six years. Many women travelled from around the country to seek his support, expertise and clinical management. Dr Bisits has long been an advocate on continuity of midwifery care models and was a driving force behind the development of the Belmont Birthing Service.
2010 Quality Award winners
Category: Promoting Health
Winner: Breastfeeding – Promotion Protection and Support
Project description: John Hunter Hospital Maternity Service has designed a comprehensive education program for staff to promote breastfeeding support to mothers. Breastfeeding education was introduced into antenatal care to improve both the number of women who breastfed their child and the duration of breastfeeding.
Category: Improving Quality and Safety
Winner: “Getting Started” Advanced Care Planning Implementation
Project description: Advance Care Planning is a process that supports individuals, their families and carers to think about, and plan for, future medical decisions. It is of particular relevance in the aged care sector, as many people will have reduced capacity for decision making, and medical decisions may be made on their behalf by their ‘person responsible’ (substitute decision maker). This project is a partnership between HNE Health and residential aged care facilities in the Hunter that supports the implementation of Advance Care Planning into routine practice for residents.
Category: Improving Access to Services When and Where Needed
Winner: Pre Hospital Thrombolysis
Project description: This project has advanced the processes for delivering early treatment for stroke patients. By partnering with the NSW ambulance Service, HNE Health is delivering early care to patients and improving outcomes for people with stroke.
Category: Improving Patient Experience
Winner: Improving Medication Safety in the Rural Palliative Care Home Setting
Project description: This project aimed to educate and inform the family and carers of a person receiving palliative care to safely give the person medication at home with support of health service professionals.
Category: Improving Primary Health and Continuing Care in the Community
Winner: Responsive Redesign: Tamworth Aboriginal Mothers & Babies
Project description: This project aimed to better understand why many Aboriginal women were not attending or delaying attendance at antenatal clinics offered by Tamworth Community Health and to redesign the service to improve outcomes for Aboriginal women and their babies.
Category: Building Partnerships for Health
Winner: Healthy Budget Bites - Partnering for Healthy Communities
Project description: Healthy Budget Bites is an innovative partnership project between Coalfields Healthy Heartbeat (Samaritans) and Cessnock Hospital Nutrition and the Cessnock Dietetics Department. The project aims to provide education resources about healthy eating on a budget for community and health workers to use with families in the Cessnock local government area.
Category: Making Smart Choices
Winner: Dialysis Equipment: A Stream Approach
Project description: Across Hunter New England Health there were three separate financial arrangements to purchase dialysis equipment and supplies. The major drawbacks were lack of standardised equipment, loss of advantage in economy of scale and the capital required to purchase new machines. HNE Health now has updated dialysis machines which are standard across the area. The contract has resulted in financial savings and most importantly, is providing ongoing, high quality treatment to dialysis dependant clients across the entire HNE Health.
Category: Building a Health Workforce (Joint Winner)
Winner: Sustaining the Nephrology Nursing Workforce
Project description: In 2007 nursing staff levels at the John Hunter Hospital Nephrology Department including the Wansey Dialysis and Maitland Dialysis Unit was reaching an unmanageable low. Three years later six new specifically trained staff members have joined the unit with another three being trained. The significant turnaround is thanks to a new academic program.
Category: Building a Health Workforce (Joint Winner)
Winner: Identifying and Developing our Syndicated Leaders
Project description: Developing HNE Health’s best and brightest is the core focus of the ‘Syndicated Leaders’ program, an initiative designed to improve HNE Health’s ability to identify leadership potential and ultimately fill senior leadership positions.
Category: Being Ready for New Risks and Opportunities
Winner: Protecting our Mob
Project description: This project was rapid response to rising concerns in remote Aboriginal communities (Toomelah and Boggabilla, Wee Waa and Pilliga) during the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic in 2009. It was only through a large team working together that within five days including a weekend, a team of clinicians, support personnel and managers from as far afield as Newcastle and Moree were consulting with local communities, had arranged delivery of medical supplies and enacted the mobile flu clinic team on site at Toomelah, delivering culturally appropriate clinical services assessing and treating flu clinic attendees.
Contact: HNE Health Communication Unit
Phone: (02) 4985 5522