South West Hospital and Health Service PULSE OCTOBER 2019 Edition Contents 4 Board We would like to pay our respects to the traditional owners of the lands across the South 6 Board out and about West. We would also like to pay our respects to the current and future Elders who will inherit the responsibility of keeping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture alive, and creating a better life for the generations to follow. We believe the future happiness and 7 Health Service Chief Executive wellbeing of all Australians and their future generations will be enhanced by valuing and taking pride in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – the oldest living culture of humanity. 8 Where’s Linda been? South West Queensland Traditional Owners: Our Communities Augathella – Bidjara (Bid-jara) Mungindi – Kamilaroi (Car-milla-roy) 8 How the South West stayed safe during Stay Safe Month Bollon – Kooma (Coo-ma) Quilpie – Bunthamarra (Bun-tha-mar-ra) 9 South West strengthens Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership and Voice and Wangkumara (Wong-ka-mara) 10 Cunnamulla kids recognised at the Awards Showcase Charleville – Bidjara (Bid-jara) Roma – Mandandanji (Mand-an-dand-gee) 11 Community Advisory Network Roma Chair Profile - Heather Geary Cunnamulla – Kunya (Koun-yah) with other interests St George – Kooma (Coo-ma) with 12 Have your Say on the National Obesity Strategy Kamilaroi, Mandandanji, Bigambul and Dirranbandi – Kooma (Coo-ma) Gungarri interests 13 Dirranbandi celebrates its 33rd birthday Surat – Mandandanji (Mand-an-dand-gee) Injune – Kongabula (Kong-ga-bull-a) 14 ‘Testing our Health’ in the South West Mitchell – Gungurri (Gon-gari) Thargomindah – Kullila (Coo-lee-lar) Our Teams Morven – Bidjara (Bid-jara) Wallumbilla – Mandandanji (Mand-an- dand-gee) 16 South West partners with Health Consumers Queensland 18 Annual Community Advisory Network forum a great success FRONT COVER IMAGE: South West Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Linda Patat with 20 Everyone is a leader in the South West Health Consumers Queensland representative Cecilia O’Donohue and Cecilia’s carer Maria. 21 South West medical workforce goes from strength to strength Our services 22 Working hand in hand with Primary Health Network to help our consumers Our Values 23 Community Information Session updates residents on the new Roma Hospital 24 #SWspirit - Bruce Albeck - Wallumbilla Community Clinic 25 South West Hospital and Health Service Staff Awards 2019 QUALITY COMPASSION ACCOUNTABILITY ENGAGEMENT ADAPTABILITY Our resources 27 Roma Hospital Redevelopment update This newsletter is produced by the South West Hospital and Health Service (South West HHS). All feedback and contributions are welcome to [email protected]. All published material has been approved by the Health Chief Executive. The feedback from the Staff Awards Night on Monday 2019 has been excellent. Indeed, it was a great night; a bit upmarket from previous events thanks to the generous support from Watpac, the contractors for the new Roma Hospital. I would like to add my personal congratulations to all finalists and to the winners. However, I am reminded that all of these people and teams do not achieve this recognition by themselves; they could not achieve these awards without a great deal of assistance, support and ncouragement from their colleagues. The role of our volunteers, our Community Advisory Network (CAN) members, is invaluable in providing local perspectives which can point to areas and issues to improve our services. The annual CAN forum provides an opportunity for our CAN members to meet and discuss issues of broader interest. This year, the CAN chairs were encouraged to bring another member with them. While a formal report on the outcomes of this forum will be made available to the CANs and our staff, I am delighted that the forum also received very positive comments. Our challenge is to ensure that next year’s events in Charleville build on the improvements of this year. Every night the TV news bulletins carry stories of disturbing events from the Royal Commission into Aged Care. Everyone must appreciate that the Royal Commission will have implications for all who provide services to our aging parents, relatives and friends. Similarly, the new Standards are already causing us to critically rethink of service models and behaviours. I hope that we are “ahead of the game’ in the South West though our FROM THE BOARD CHAIR commitment to our behaviourally-based values of Quality, Compassion, Accountability, Engagement and Adaptability. JIM MC GOWAN, AM As I have consistently stressed, these are encapsulated by needing to see the image of mothers, fathers and loved ones in the faces of the people needing our services. If we all can hold true to this image, we will ideally be placed to meet the challenges arising from the new Aged Care Standards and the outcomes of the Royal Commission. I say this not to promote any complacency but to encourage our collective commitment to looking after I would like to add my personal those who have provided us with so much, socially, culturally and economically. We owe congratulations to all finalists and to the them a great debt. winners. However, I am reminded that all of The seemingly endless drought, which has exacerbated the impact of wild fires and which are affecting NSW and Queensland as I write this, make it important that we look out for these people and teams do not achieve this signs of distress in the people in the communities of the South West. Mental health issues recognition by themselves; they could not are often complex but support is available. In some occasions it just involves a shoulder to lean on or someone to just listen. If more clinically based interventions are needed, we achieve these awards without a great deal of should all encourage people to access the support which is available. assistance, support and encouragement from A couple of quotes to ponder. “Caring for our seniors is perhaps the greatest responsibility their colleagues. we have. Those who have walked before us have given so much and made possible the life we all enjoy.” (John Hoeven (b 1957). US Banker and Democratic Senator) Jim McGowan AM presenting Peter Bradford the Board Chair’s Award for 2019. “One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value.” (Jim Rohn (1930-2009). Author and Motivational speaker) Jim 4 South West Hospital and Health Service The Pulse October 2019 5 FROM THE BOARD CHAIR FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OUT AND ABOUT LINDA PATAT I write this message following an amazing night at our Team will be receiving their training in relation to the Annual Staff Awards. I thoroughly enjoyed our time new tool in the first week of December, and we will share with those who could attend (about 120!); it was such a further information with you in December to help start privilege to reflect and share on a ‘Year in Review’ and the rolling this out. people who choose to work with us and live our values every day (and the dancing!!) I anticipate to be sharing announcements in relation the two Executive positions I am currently recruiting The evening was followed by our Annual CAN Forum, to (Executive Director Primary and Community Care, which again, is always such a rich source of insights and Executive Director Strategy, Performance and and feedback into how we are doing, and what we Governance) prior to the Christmas break. need to focus on next. We have committed to looking into how we schedule and communicate Oral Health The work we are progressing in relation to Healthy visits; regularly share how our Medical Workforce levels Communities, strong Primary Care through our Celebrating at the 2019 SWHHS Staff Awards are are going; and prioritise the DON backfill and relief Healthcare Home Model, strengthening our Aged Care (front from left) Russell Bowles, Julie McNeil, Jim arrangements. Standards across residential and MPHS sites along with McGowan AM, Linda Patat, Loretta Johnson and Ray Chandler; with (from back), Kathleen Rogers, Dr Tim community services, and building maturity in our clinical Smart, David Sinclair and Sam Edmonds. This month we received the high level results of the governance systems will continue to be a focus for us Queensland Staff Opinion Survey, and in the coming all in the coming months. I look forward to sharing next weeks we will share these with each area. You should month’s Pulse with you, which will focus a celebration expect to have a discussion with your Team Leader or of a ‘Year in Review’ to acknowledge the amazing work Manager about the results before the end of November, that has occurred throughout 2019. The end of the year and be part of sharing ideas and suggestions regarding is drawing near quickly, and I am looking forward to what what actions we will progress to continue to improve. the year ahead brings us all. I’ll be sharing our results and our action plans through Until then, I remain yours in service, my regular All-staff HSCE Messages. I’m committed to L continuing to do everything I can to support the heart and soul of our organisation. It’s not our name, or where we work, but our unique culture that we want to not Board Chair Jim McGowan AM addresses the audience at the annual Naomi Poole, Director Consumer Partnering from the Australian Safety and Community Advisory Network Forum held recently in Roma. Quality Healthcare Commission with South West CE Linda Patat at the CAN only attract the very best, but also nurture and inspire Forum held recently. everyone here to bring their best selves to work. As part of this continuous improvement, and commitment to being our best, we are also building our own unique model of leadership - a leader landscape that will work specifically for South West.