Celebrating excellence
Making our workplaces safer
Initiatives to make our emergency departments (EDs) at Armadale Health Service (AHS) and Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) safer for staff, were recognised at the prestigious 2023 Work Health and Safety Excellence Awards.
The annual awards are held by WorkSafe and acknowledge outstanding solutions and innovations to workplace health and safety problems in WA.
EMHS was a finalist in 3 of the 5 categories, reflecting the high priority we place on staff wellbeing, especially in the high-pressure environments of our EDs.
The EMHS initiatives were chosen from 65 submissions across 25 companies. An awards ceremony was held at Optus Stadium on 27 October 2023.
Armadale Kalamunda Group – Finalist ‘Leadership excellence award’ – 200 employees or more
An AHS leadership team of ED Nurse Unit Manager Carmen Callaghan, Executive Director Neil Cowan and Nurse Coordinator Jane Husain identified and addressed psychosocial hazards exposing ED workers to a risk of burnout.
They worked with the EMHS workplace health and safety team to implement an EMHS wellbeing support program and tailored it to the department’s needs.
ED workers were engaged in focus groups, and health and safety representatives made vital contributions, leading to targeted strategies for issues including fatigue and patient aggression.
The EMHS Wellbeing Framework is now in place across our organisation, with principles that can be adapted by all workplaces, and which emphasise holistic wellbeing.
Certificate of Merit, ‘Health and safety representatives of the year’ – Ceinwen Kent and Scott Turner, AHS ED
Two clinical nurses at Armadale ED were acknowledged for their valuable contributions to the EMHS Wellbeing staff support program.
Ceinwen Kent and Scott Turner led the program launch in 2022, championing the emotional and psychological wellbeing of colleagues.
They took part in planning, logistics and risk management sessions and empowered co-workers to recognise and address psychosocial hazards.
Their efforts led to a comprehensive wellbeing management plan developed by ED workers, including the introduction of pre and post shift ‘huddles’ to address the risks of violence, trauma and exhaustion.
Certificate of Merit, ‘Best intervention to address a psychosocial hazard in the workplace’ – RPH ED, MAKESpace project
MAKESpace, a psychological first-aid initiative for staff, was developed by a RPH ED project team in response to daily challenges on the job.
Staff in the ED provide quality care in a high-pressure environment characterised by a heavy, demanding workload. MAKESpace is a peer-supported approach for immediate post-event debriefing.
During a MAKESpace session, a facilitator listens to a worker’s experience, identifies whether they may need additional support after a traumatic event and encourages them to seek it as required.
The approach promotes psychological safety, calmness and peer connection while empowering individuals to use coping strategies and access support systems as needed.
EMHS values in action
Our staff are the heart of our organisation and each year we celebrate 4 quarterly winners of the EMHS Values In Action Award, which recognises just a few of our staff who consistently demonstrate the values that hold our health service together.
In February 2024, EMHS Board Chair Pia Turcinov AM, presented overall annual winner – Marie Poole – with our 2023 Values in Action trophy and certificate at a ceremony held in Kirkman House.
Marie, Associate Nurse Unit Manager at AHS’ Rehabilitation Unit, was chosen from the quarterly winners for her integrity and commitment, and for inspiring others.
Also acknowledged at the ceremony were RPH Hygiene Orderly Mark Gajek – for his commitment to excellence and continuously doing the right thing by EMHS and the public; the EMHS Accounts Receivable Team – whose excellence, compassion and empathy have transformed the financial experience for our patients; and Acting Patient Care Assistant and Cleaning Supervisor Hassan Ali Hassan – who leads by example, with integrity and a commitment to team work.
Congratulations to all these deserving winners!
Clinical Educator of the Year for WA
The Confederation of Postgraduate Medical Education Councils recognises both junior doctors and clinical educators across Australia and New Zealand who have made valuable contributions to pre-vocational medical education and training.
St John of God Midland Public Hospital (SJGMPH) celebrated Dr Tim Bates, a long-serving caregiver, as the winner of the Clinical Educator of the Year for WA.
Psychiatrist sets gold standard for education
Outstanding teaching shapes the future of our healthcare professionals.
Dr Frans Hugo, Consultant Psychiatrist at Armadale Health Service (AHS) and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Australia (UWA), received the UWA Medical School 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award for his valuable contribution.
Frans has taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at the UWA Medical School – Psychiatry for more than a decade and has more than 25 years’ experience in mental health.
“It is wonderful to teach some of these young people and see them grow to become leaders,” he said.
Our award-winning nurses
Demonstrating high standards across our organisation, staff members were this year named the best in WA in key categories of the WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards 2024.
In May 2024, 2 EMHS nurses took out top honours.
Kalamunda Hospital Nurse Unit Manager Judy Brand was awarded the Excellence in Leadership – Emerging Leader category.
Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) Enrolled Nurse Leandri Snellenburg received the Excellence in Enrolled Nursing award.
A total of 5 nurses and one team from EMHS were finalists in the awards.
The 2024 results came after 2 EMHS nurses were finalists in the 2023 awards, held in October.
Meanwhile, the Royal Perth Bentley Group (RPBG) 2023 Nursing and Midwifery Awards in November were a precursor to our strong showing in the 2024 State awards.
State winner Leandri Snellenburg won Outstanding Early Career Nurse.
Other RPBG winners were:
- Sarah Halligan
Overall Nurse/Midwife of the Year - Fenece Collett
Excellence in Leadership – Julie Hodgson Memorial Award 2023 - Ben Su
Excellence in Nursing or Midwifery Bentley and Community - Sarah Halligan
Excellence in Nursing or Midwifery RPH - Justine Muir and Emily Gibbs
Excellence in Nursing or Midwifery Education or Research - Electroconvulsive Therapy Nursing Team
Excellence in Person-Centred Care - Caitlin Morton
Consumer Appreciation Award.
King’s Birthday Honours for dedicated service
On 10 June 2024, EMHS Area Director of Aboriginal Health Francine Eades, and Board Member Vanessa Elliott, were recognised in the prestigious 2024 King’s Birthday Honours list.
Francine was awarded a Public Service Medal (PSM) for her outstanding public service through improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vanessa was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the Indigenous community, the mining industry, and to public administration. Her core belief is that healing begins with care for Country, community and families, and that at our most vulnerable moments, our health system is critical to our State’s wellbeing.
Mental, Aboriginal and remote health services ‘best in state’
EMHS was recognised for mental, Aboriginal and remote health in 2023-24.
Our Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team (CRHTT), Boodjari Yorgas Midwifery Group Practice (BYMGP), and work with North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) to make kidney transplants more accessible for Aboriginal peoples in the Kimberley, received top awards at the 2023 WA Health Excellence Awards in December 2023.
Excellence in Mental Health Award
CRHTT provides mental health care in the home and is an alternative to voluntary hospital care.
The team includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, occupational therapists, psychologists, peer support workers and Aboriginal health liaison workers, and is based at AHS.
130 people used the service this financial year.
Excellence in Aboriginal Health Award
BYMGP, established in 2007, consists of a team of midwives, a senior health officer and a grandmother liaison officer who provide culturally safe maternity care for Aboriginal women who are pregnant or women having an Aboriginal baby.
The practice assisted 186 women in 2023-24.
Excellence in rural and remote health care
A multidisciplinary approach, in collaboration with NMHS, is making kidney transplants more accessible for Aboriginal peoples in the Kimberley.
The initiative is a partnership between RPH Departments of Nephrology and Renal Transplant and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital’s Department of Renal Medicine and Transplantation. It has included streamlining evaluations, outreach clinics and assessments on Country.
Excellence Symposium 2023
The EMHS Excellence Symposium 2023 showed why our staff and services are at the forefront of health care.
Held annually, the event celebrates a snapshot of the efforts, achievements and milestones of our staff and the varied arms of our organisation.
They capture our value of excellence.
Five projects were chosen from more than 30 applications and showcased at a special breakfast in November 2023.
Short Back and Sidewalks – Positive Connections
This year’s special guest speaker was Founder and CEO of Short Back and Sidewalks, Craig Hollywood. Craig was named Local Hero as part of the Australia Day Awards in 2022.
An engineer by trade – Craig outlined how in 2015, he pitched the idea of offering free haircuts for the homeless to his local barbershop in Perth, labelling the concept ‘short back and sidewalks.’
Since then, his idea has grown into a national initiative that has gone from strength to strength.
“We started with just one apprehensive patron in a carpark in Northbridge, to now more than 250 volunteers,” Craig told the audience.
“At last count, we have provided more than 6,500 free haircuts across Australia.”
Craig mentioned how humbled he felt to be able to help vulnerable and marginalised community members and encouraged everyone to not be afraid of enacting an idea, especially if it has the ability to assist others not as fortunate as themselves.
eMedication project
The Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) and Bentley Health Service (BHS) electronic prescription project revolutionised the way WA patients
could get their scripts and has set the bar nationally.
RPH was the first public hospital in Australia to give doctors, nurse practitioners and patients the choice of an electronic prescription through its outpatient clinics in July 2022.
Electronic prescriptions are now available for inpatients and outpatients across RPH and BHS and to people visiting the RPH Emergency Department (ED).
About 1,300 electronic scripts are issued at RPH and BHS each week.
Armadale Health Service (AHS) and Kalamunda Hospital introduced electronic prescriptions in the ED and outpatient clinics in May 2024 and are currently issuing approximately 550 per week.
Health Justice Partnership
Health care and legal assistance joined forces to support the most vulnerable in our community in a WA first at EMHS.
The EMHS and Legal Aid (WA) – Health Justice Partnership (HJP) broke new ground in the WA public health system when it launched on 25 July 2023.
The HJP provides legal services to patients in need and is the first of its kind in WA public hospitals.
Since its commencement in July 2023, 172 patients across RPH and BHS have accessed the HJP service.
St John of God Midland Public Hospital Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit
The Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit (AECU) at St John of God Midland Public Hospital (SJGMPH) redefined the safe and timely delivery of care to patients visiting its ED.
Located close to the SJGMPH ED, the AECU was designed to reduce waiting times, improve patient flow, avoid unnecessary overnight admissions and enhance patient experience.
It established a new model of care that is being adopted by other hospitals.
Eligible patients are identified in the ED and prioritised for transfer to the AECU for same-day assessment and management. If required, patients return to the unit the following day for an outpatient follow-up appointment.
The AECU saw 3,134 patients this financial year.
Every Week Counts National Preterm Birth Prevention Collaboration Program
Preterm births have fallen in the Armadale Health Service (AHS) area following education programs and new strategies, giving mothers and babies the best chance of healthy lives.
AHS is part of Every Week Counts National Preterm Birth Prevention Collaboration Program, which is supporting more than 60 Australian maternity hospitals in a shared goal to safely lower the rate of preterm and early term births by 20 per cent.
Babies born preterm and early term face health implications, including an increased need for medical treatment at birth and potential effects on brain development and learning abilities (click here for more information).
Centre for Wellbeing and Sustainable Practice
The Centre for Wellbeing and Sustainable Practice at RPH and BHS aims to improve the wellbeing of our staff and patients with compassionate care services and empowering education programs.
Services and programs include spiritual care for patients, wellbeing support for our teams and individual care for employees needing assistance.
The centre was used by 550 staff members and 5,762 patients this financial year.
It has an important role in preserving the humanity in our health care.