Values shine as Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service presents Excellence Awards

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service celebrated the achievements of its staff and volunteers at its third annual Excellence Awards yesterday, with the diversity of winners showcasing outstanding quality of care and commitment throughout the past year.

The award categories at this year’s event were driven by WBHHS’s recently adopted organisational values, and also included a Volunteer Award, a new Cultural Connections Award and four Values Ambassador Awards for employees across the region.

The top honour of the Every Value, Every Day Award went to Public Health Physician and Director of the Wide Bay Public Health Unit Dr Niall Conroy, for his immense contribution to the planning and response to COVID-19.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board Chair Peta Jamieson said the awards were a great way to recognise the teams and individuals who put WBHHS’s values of Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, Excellence and Through Patients’ Eyes into action.

“The awards are an opportunity to celebrate the work of our staff and volunteers who epitomise our values and champion them to their colleagues,” Ms Jamieson said.

“As an organisation, we can’t achieve anything without our staff, so the awards are a great opportunity for us not only to congratulate our finalists and winners on their efforts, but also to say thank you for doing a really important job that helps to improve the lives of our community.

“From our clinical and operational staff through to our administration, professional and ancillary staff, WBHHS team members and volunteers are constantly striving to improve the experience of patients and consumers so they receive the best possible care each day.

“In doing so, our staff show their values of collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence - which is what we recognise at the Excellence Awards.”

Awards were presented at multiple sites and simulcast via an online celebration ceremony to staff across WBHHS.

WBHHS Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said the annual awards not only celebrated achievements of a select few, but also gave all team members an opportunity to reflect on collective achievements during a challenging year.

“This year has been particularly busy and complex as we responded to COVID-19, so having this opportunity to pause and reflect on our achievements and outcomes has been really important,” she said.

“It was also fantastic to share the awards ceremony across multiple sites via technology, because this enables our staff to find out about their colleagues from other parts of the region, whom they may not interact with often, and be inspired by the work they are doing.

“And at the end of the day, while there were nine categories and 12 winners from across the region, there was one constant – our patients are better off as a result of everyone’s collective efforts. And awards aside, that’s what we come to work for each day.”

Collaboration Award

WINNER:

Shaun Grant – Nurse Unit Manager, Bundaberg Hospital Intensive Care Unit

FINALISTS:

WBHHS Telehealth Team
Tanya Bull – Acting WBHHS Paediatric Nurse Educator

Accountability Award

WINNER:

John Gamlin– Clinical Nurse Consultant, Wide Bay Infection Control Service

FINALISTS:

Prison Health Service Team – Maryborough

Tammy Street – Manager, Wide Bay Information Technology and Communications Team

Respect Award

WINNER:

Geoff Richardson– Team Leader, Bundaberg Mental Health Acute Care and Step Up Step Down teams

FINALISTS:

Vicki Files – Nurse Unit Manager, Fraser Coast Integrated Care Service

Jan-Adele Hotz – Director of Nursing, Rural Facilities and Services

Excellence Award

WINNER:

Mental Health Hospital in the Home Team – Hervey Bay

FINALISTS:

David Jovic – Advanced Physiotherapist, Fraser Coast Emergency Department

Fraser Coast Speech Pathology team

Wide Bay Public Health Unit team

Through Patients’ Eyes Award

WINNER:

Biggenden Multipurpose Health Service team

FINALISTS:

Katie Rogers – Clinical Nurse Consultant, Bundaberg Mental Health Inpatient Unit

Dr Fiona Baker – Staff Specialist, Fraser Coast Emergency Department

Bundaberg Midwifery Group Practice team

Cultural Connections Award

WINNER:

Maryborough Hospital Butchulla Artwork Project Team

FINALISTS:

BreastScreen Wide Bay

Geteno George – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advanced Health Worker, Bundaberg Mental Health

Volunteer Award

WINNER:

Trish Hummerston – President, Hervey Bay Hospital Auxiliary

FINALIST:

Margaret Marsh – Bundaberg Hospital Chaplain

Values Ambassador Awards

WINNERS:

Helen Eaves – Nurse Unit Manager, Bundaberg Hospital Palliative, Acute Rehabilitation and Acute Stroke (PARAS) Ward

Anna Van Teijlingen – Clinical Midwife, Hervey Bay Hospital Maternity Unit

Leisa Jackson– Nurse Unit Manager, Maryborough Hospital Ward 3

Dr Tom Battisson – Medical Officer, Monto Hospital

Every Value, Every Day Award

WINNER: Dr Niall Conroy –Public Health Physician and Director, Wide Bay Public Health Unit