CED staff receive Australia Day Achievement Awards

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Clinical Excellence Division staff have been acknowledged for their hard work and commitment with an Australia Day Achievement Award, received today.

Our Telehealth Support Unit received the customers first award for their dedication to improving patient services and outcomes. This unit works with a number of stakeholders to enable patients to receive quality care closer to home via telecommunication technology. Queensland Health has one of the largest telehealth networks in Australia, with videoconferencing systems currently available in more than 200 hospitals and community facilities across the state.

The team were described as always going 'the extra mile' to provide outstanding customer service, and for their commitment to ensuring Queenslanders receive the best quality care, regardless of where they live.

Stephanie Gettens from our Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service won the empower people category for her work in supporting Hospital and Health Services in meeting the National Safety and Quality Health Care Standards. Steph's work focuses specifically on Standards 8 and 10 (Managing Pressure Injuries and Preventing Falls and Harm from Falls).

Steph has helped developed several evidence-based resources including a risk assessment clinical form for renal dialysis pressure injury and falls, publication of a journal article on the patients’ perspective of sustaining a fall, as well as delivering the Tri Nations Falls Forum in September 2017.

Steph is described as a the most “hard working, professional and passionate patient safety and quality advocate,” and an inspiration to those who work with and around her.

For the past five years, Melleesa Cowie and Ian Johnson have provided secretariat services for our Queensland Clinical Senate. In doing so, they have helped ensure the Senate is forward-thinking and providing the health system with real, tangible changes that will improve the way care is delivered in Queensland.

Their dedication to the Senate is empowering clinicians to bring about change and connecting clinicians to share knowledge, to learn, and to work collaboratively for the benefit of patients. The small team of two have helped ensure the success of value of QCS, and today earned them the ideas in action Australia Day Achievement Award.

We congratulate all our award recipients today, as well as all the other Queensland Health staff being acknowledged for their commitment across the state in celebration of Australia Day.

PICTURED ABOVE: Stephanie Ferdinands, Matthew Page, Daniel Best, Phillip Green, Melleesa Cowie, Deputy Director-General Dr John Wakefield PSM, Andrew Bryett, Ian Johnson, and Stephanie Gettens.

Last updated: 25 January 2018