How our support staff help us provide world-class patient care |
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As Acting Secretary this week, it is my pleasure to share the latest edition of Check In.
NSW Health is the largest health organisation in Australia. We are a huge team of more than 175,000 people, but with a shared purpose – delivering health outcomes that matter most to patients and the community.
Alongside clinicians, our colleagues include cooks, mechanics, cleaners and clerks to name a few. The sheer diversity of their contributions is staggering and provided the inspiration for this edition’s focus – our support staff. They are a vital part of the team that provides world-class patient care each day. On behalf of the executive team – a huge thank you! | | |
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An important focus area at NSW Health is tackling harm caused by the misuse of volatile substances such as inhalants and solvents. Earlier this year we ran one of the largest-ever statewide consultations on the regulation of harmful nitrous oxide (sometimes called ‘nangs’) consumption. Last month, we held the NSW Health Volatile Substance Use Roundtable. Participants included the Hon. Ryan Park MP, Minister for Health, health professionals and public health experts, and more than 70 industry, community and government representatives – all coming together with the shared goal of reducing harm for young people.
Lastly, a big thank you to everyone who has shared their feedback in the 2024 People Matter Employee Survey. Remember the survey is totally anonymous, and is open until Friday 13 September. If you haven’t already, I invite you to complete the survey and have your say on how we can make NSW Health an even better place to work. |
Kind regards,
Dr Kerry Chant AO PSM
Acting Secretary, NSW Health
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At the Coffs Harbour Health Campus, a cuddle with a friendly dog makes a day brighter for patients, visitors, and staff.
"When the Community Support Dogs come in, the patients are always delighted. They love to be able to pat, stroke and cuddle the dogs," said Llyris Wood, who works in the Inpatient Mental Health Unit.
"Often patients will talk about their own dogs or happy dog memories – sometimes speaking for the first time. The Community Support Dogs always initiate smiles and laughter, from patients and staff. At times, the presence of the dogs is a breakthrough in the patient’s journey here."
Watch the video below and find out more about the program. |
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Christopher Badwater is a cleaner based in Bathurst as part of Western NSW Local Health District who finds unexpected joys in his role daily. “One of my favourite parts about my job is the people I’ve met along the way,” he said. “Often, patients are lonely and need someone to talk to. I like to be there to offer them some comfort, even if it’s just through a friendly smile.
“What brings me the most joy is knowing I’ve made someone’s day a little bit easier or brighter.” |
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Christopher's focus is keeping the hospital sparkling clean. “I take pride in knowing that after I’ve cleaned a room, it will be ready and welcoming for the next person,” said Christopher. When he’s not working, Christopher is a man of many hobbies. “In my time off I enjoy spending quality time with my husband John, gardening, cooking, photography and cleaning my car. Not to be confused with general cleaning – I do plenty of that at work!” |
| Christopher Badwater and his husband John on their wedding day |
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The Paralympic Games kick off in Paris on 28 August. Read these inspiring stories of our staff and patient Paralympians. Plus watch this cute video from Sydney Children's Hospitals Network in the spirit of the Paralympics.
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Steering success
Today Dr Jo Burnand is the Acting Medical Director at the Heath Education and Training Institute (HETI). But in 2016 Jo led her rowing team in the Rio Paralympics as a Coxswain.
“The job of the coxswain is not only to steer a straight course across the race distance of 2,000 metres, but to be the coach of the boat, to motivate the crew, and to be the race tactician,” said Jo.
“To be a good coxswain you need to have a comprehensive understanding of the technical aspects of rowing. But ultimately, it is about the relationship you build with your crew and the trust you have with each athlete, which is the most critical aspect (to going fast).”
“Rowing is the ultimate team sport. As the coxswain, it is your job to provide leadership to the crew – this starts with having respect and trust of your whole crew.
“Coxing has many analogies to medical leadership and has taught me lessons that I use every day,” she said. |
| Riding back to the top
Born into a family of Australian Stock Horse breeders and raised in Scone, the horse capital of Australia, Lisa Martin was destined for a successful equestrian career. She became an international dressage competitor and coach.
Unfortunately, Lisa was crushed by her horse in a training accident in 2019. She was rushed to John Hunter Hospital in the Hunter New England Local Health District and underwent emergency surgery with Dr Zsolt Balogh, followed by many months of rehabilitation. Despite being told she might never walk or ride again, Lisa was determined to recover – and so she did!
She is now part of Australia’s para-equestrian team competing at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. “I am very lucky to have Dr Balogh operate on me, and the nurses and staff at John Hunter Hospital were incredible,” she said.
Read more about Lisa on the Paralympics Australia website. |
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Lisa Martin and Dr Zsolt Balogh |
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Jessica Lamond, Concord Hospital Senior Speech Pathologist, is passionate about giving patients the best tools to improve their communication. She led the Concord Parkinsingers, a therapeutic singing group designed specifically for people with Parkinson’s disease and related movement disorders. “The eight-week program helped patients with breathing, speech, rhythm, vocal intensity, and social connectedness,” she said. |
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| “All attendees were linked with our large, multidisciplinary team in the Movement Disorders and Parkinson’s Disease service and integrated with other therapeutic programs available.”
Sessions were run in conjunction with a registered music therapist, using evidence-based therapy designed to enhance communication skills and general wellbeing. At the end of the term, family and carers were invited to a grand finale, where patients’ new skills took centre stage. “We’ve received wonderful, positive feedback from participants, with around two thirds reporting an increase in how they were able to communicate on a typical day,” said Jessica. “One participant said it was a delightful journey that had brought joy and a sense of worth, and another couldn’t wait for the next program to begin.”
Speech Pathology Week runs from 25 to 31 August. Watch the Parkinsinger’s performance and learn more about the program. |
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Virtual nursing and midwifery showcase
The NSW Health Nursing and Midwifery Showcase highlights the unique contribution of nurses and midwives in leading change to support effective workplace culture, safe and quality practice.
The theme of this year’s showcase is Ignite…Inspire…Influence.
Register now for a session from 16 to 20 September, 1:30pm to 3pm and find out how our nursing and midwifery workforces are enhancing patient and staff experience. |
| Value based healthcare webinar How do you adopt positive habits from the bedside to the board to improve safety and deliver better experiences and outcomes?
Join the next value based healthcare webinar on Tuesday 27 August from 11:30am to 12:30pm and hear from a panel of experts as they share practical examples of delivering high quality, high value care.
Register now to secure your spot. |
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For Nuocheng Li, his role as Food Services Assistant at Royal North Shore Hospital with HealthShare NSW is more than just delivering meals.
“The best part of my job is touching patients’ lives through small acts of service and making them smile. It may be simple, but I know that I can lift their spirits in what can be the most difficult times of their lives,” said Nuocheng. Hear more directly from Nuocheng in the video below. |
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For 15 years, Shehzad Khan has been maintaining the safety and security of staff and patients at Sydney and Sydney Eye Hospital in the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. As a security officer, Shehzad takes pride in supporting patient care.
“I strive to foster a calm, welcoming and safe environment for everyone, so that staff and patients can focus on healing and recovery,” said Shehzad. |
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“Knowing that my efforts help maintain everyone’s safety is deeply fulfilling.” Whether it’s guiding a lost visitor, assisting a patient in distress, or responding to an emergency, Shehzad leaves each shift knowing he has had a positive impact on someone’s experience at the hospital.
“My motivation to get into the world of security was simply to protect people. But this job is so much more than that. Security officers in a healthcare setting need to think quickly and creatively in unexpected situations, which is what keeps this job so dynamic and engaging.
“Being a trusted and familiar presence creates a sense of community and camaraderie. This job allows me to make a meaningful difference in peoples’ lives every day.” |
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Paper records on borrowed time |
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The Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (Justice Health NSW) uses a combination of paper and digital patient records in more than 100 community, inpatient, and custodial settings. It’s time-consuming, plus filing, ordering and delivering records costs time and money. But a better system is on the way. |
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Vino Govender, Health Information and Records Service Manager at the Silverwater Correctional Facility, is eagerly anticipating the Single Digital Patient Record (SDPR) – especially its ability to transform patient data management, reduce administration, and create more time for things that matter most. “The SDPR will benefit patient care by reducing delays in clinicians accessing information. It will be a single source of truth about the care patients receive. It will save staff a lot of time that can instead be better spent on higher value duties,” said Vino.
“I think our number one challenge at present is dealing with hybrid records – part electronic and part paper format. Currently, we must make sure that when we send out documentation, both records are included so we don't compromise patient care.” “But with SDPR everything will be on there. Just one click of the mouse will provide complete patient information,” he said.
“The SDPR also offers sustainability opportunities. For example, using less paper reduces our environmental footprint and helps achieve on our net zero targets.” |
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Justice Health NSW and Hunter New England Local Health District are the first sites that will see SDPR come to life across their settings in 2026. The SDPR will then be progressively rolled out across NSW in four stages, with the entire state expected to benefit from the SDPR by 2028. Learn more about SDPR and what it will mean for you by visiting the SDPR SharePoint site.
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Keeping NSW Ambulance on the road |
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Michael Cruickshanks is a qualified technician for NSW Ambulance based in the Kempsey-Coffs Harbour area on the Mid North Coast. He has been servicing vehicles for 30 years. |
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| Michael travels far and wide to fix ambulance vehicles and other assets that need repair. “As a kid I always grew up around cars, so the next natural step was becoming a mechanic,” said Michael.
He enjoys thinking outside the box when it comes to identifying or solving local challenges. Most recently he implemented a new maintenance schedule to improve work efficiency.
“As a lot of our work is off-site, we wanted a schedule that made the best use of our time. We aligned our vehicle work with our stretcher maintenance program so we are able to fix both at the same time.”
Michael is a travelling technician, meaning he gets to be on the road to fix vehicles.
“Some days we might have to spend six hours travelling, but we do whatever it takes. I look forward to meeting great people and visiting interesting areas,” he said. |
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“It’s very rewarding to work for NSW Ambulance. I know my work keeps ambulances on the road, and ultimately helps people.” |
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NSW Ambulance staff receives Rotary award David Press, NSW Ambulance Clinical Volunteer, was named overall winner in a paid capacity at the 10th NSW Rotary Emergency Services Community Awards (RESCA). The awards are community nominated, and celebrate the community service of emergency services personnel.
He will represent NSW at the Australian RESCA ceremony in Canberra in October. Congratulations David! |
| From the Critical Intelligence Unit
The Critical Intelligence Unit (CIU) Evidence Digest highlights transformative clinical innovations.
Recent features include: - Remote vital sign monitoring, a World Health Organization tool for a behavioural insights function, paramedics and palliative care
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Good practice for evidence generation for AI health technologies, ultra-low-cost insulin pump and home-based palliative care via telehealth.
Subscribe for Wednesday morning updates or explore the CIU's living evidence table on AI in healthcare.
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Our social media team getting in the
State of Origin spirit |
| Looking for the next social superstar Do you have an interesting work story or superstar team member you want the people of NSW to know about? Are you working with exciting, game changing technology, spearheading a new initiative, or part of a team excelling in the delivery of care to the community? If so, the Social Media team wants to hear from you! We want to celebrate and showcase the wonderful people and work of NSW Health through your stories.
To get involved, check with your manager first and then email social@health.nsw.gov.au with ‘Social Media Collaboration’ in the subject line. |
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We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live and work and pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff working with the NSW Government. |
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Feeling social? Follow NSW Health |
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