All of us had hoped we would enter the New Year with COVID-19 behind us, but much like the start of 2021, the pandemic has persisted and it has been an incredibly busy and unpredictable time for our staff. We know many of you were not able to have the well-earned and long overdue break you and your families were looking forward to over the festive season. Many of you were working incredibly hard in our COVID-19 testing clinics, caring for COVID-19 positive patients in our hospitals and virtually, and working in our vaccination hubs to protect members of our community against severe disease. Some of you also had to endure the frustrations of being furloughed. On behalf of the Board, we would like to say a huge thank you to all our wonderful staff across the district who have been working tirelessly and with great selflessness, professionalism, dedication and commitment. The community knows how much it owes you, it fully appreciates how it has benefitted from your perseverance and goodwill. Our health system has been under immense pressure and while the modelling suggests some reasons for cautious optimism, the situation with Omicron remains a very real concern. As we have done throughout this pandemic, we must remain vigilant. The well-established practices of up-to-date booster shots and good hand hygiene, physical distancing and the appropriate use of personal protective equipment are your best defence to keeping you all safe. The district and hospital executive teams and senior clinicians have continued to harness cohesive teamwork and expertise to ensure we are best placed and well- resourced to get us through this challenging period. Protecting the wellbeing of staff and delivering high-quality care to our patients remains the number one priority. Our people are our greatest strength, especially in these challenging times. Working in the health system shows a person’s strong sense of service and humanity. With the current challenges, we
hope the goals of working together, caring for each other and knowing you are making a real difference to the lives of so many in our community will help you to push through. We would like to give a warm welcome to two new members who have joined the Northern Sydney Local Health District Board this year, Nadia Levin and Chris Greatrex. Both Nadia and Chris bring with them a wealth of experience. Nadia is the CEO and Managing Director at Research Australia. She champions transformative change in health driven by health and medical research. Chris leads and grows businesses in the technology sector. We look forward to working with Nadia and Chris and the other Board members throughout 2022 as we continue to develop our services, drive further successes for the district and launch the 2022-2027 NSLHD Strategic Plan. Sadly, we say farewell to Keith Skinner who is retiring from the Board after five years of service. Keith has made a valuable contribution and will be missed. We would like to thank Keith for his wisdom and expertise and the contribution he has made especially in the areas of finance, audit and risk. On behalf of the Board we wish Keith the very best in his future endeavours. Again, to each and every one of you, a huge thank you. When the pandemic is over, you will be able to look back on these times and know you have achieved something of real historical significance, both individually and collectively, that will be remembered for decades to come, or like the Spanish flu, for centuries to come. Trevor Danos AM Board Chair Northern Sydney Local Health District Professor Mary Chiarella AM Deputy Board Chair Northern Sydney Local Health District
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 1 | 31 JANUARY 2022
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