Message from the chief executive Adjunct Professor Anthony M. Schembri AM
I am delighted to reflect on recent achievements across the district, beginning with the Royal North Shore Hospital Surgical Education Research and Training Institute’s annual Surgical Awards night. It was a privilege to attend the presentation of the 2026 Dr Harry Cumberland Travelling Scholarship and the Dr Ray Hollings Surgical Excellence Awards. Congratulations to this year’s recipients and finalists for your incredible contributions. I was delighted to join celebrations with the Royal North Shore Hospital Stroke Unit following their recognition with the prestigious World Stroke Organisation Angels Diamond Award. The hospital became the first in Australia to receive the award on its first assessment, and I would like to thank the entire service for their dedication and collaboration. This incredible achievement truly reflects the strength of the multidisciplinary team involved in the Royal North Shore Hospital’s stroke care. I would also like to acknowledge and congratulate all of the nominees for the 2025 Exceptional People Awards. This year we had a record 265 nominations, which reflects the talent, dedication, and impact of our workforce. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 31 March at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Applications for NSW Health’s Sustainable Futures Innovation Fund are closing soon on 15 March. This fund supports staff-led projects that improve patient care while reducing our environmental footprint, with grants of up to $50,000 per project. I encourage anyone with an idea or project that would be a good fit to apply. You can find more information and application details here: https://bit.ly/40WlH8Y.
Bookings for Respecting the Difference face-to-face training sessions are now open, with staff able to book their session via My Health Learning. The training provides valuable insight into strengthening our workplace culture and delivering high-quality care for the communities we serve. Staff can enrol for the program here: https://bit.ly/3OZ9ePg. As the transition of Northern Beaches Hospital to public ownership on 29 April approaches, a significant amount of work is underway to support a safe and smooth handover for patients, staff and the wider community. Thank you to everyone involved in the transition for the important role you are playing in this process. Finally, it is very exciting to share that NSLHD staff are actively preparing for and playing a major role in this year’s statewide Single Digital Patient Record rollout. Readiness assessments, system configuration, and training sessions are all well underway, with a large number of NSLHD staff involved in the project to help ensure we have a smooth adoption of the groundbreaking program later this year. This important work will help lay the foundations for a more connected digital health system and support the delivery of safer, more coordinated care for patients across NSW.
Warm regards,
Anthony Schembri Chief Executive Northern Sydney Local Health District
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NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 4| 13 MARCH 2026
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