Message from the board chair Trevor Danos AM FTSE
It was wonderful to see former Chief Executive Deb Willcox’s incredible contribution and leadership of NSLHD recognised recently in the NSW Parliament by Member for Pittwater, Minister Rob Stokes. The Minister paid tribute to Deb’s incredible stewardship and her calm professionalism, compassion and expertise. This is such well- deserved recognition. We wish Deb all the very best in her new position as Deputy Secretary, Health System Strategy and Planning at the NSW Ministry of Health. I would like to thank the NSLHD Executive Team, under the leadership of Interim Chief Executive Lee Gregory, for continuing the great work that has already been achieved and for progressing the NSLHD Board priorities. I very much enjoyed attending the recent NSLHD Consumer Forum which was a wonderful opportunity for our much-valued consumers to participate in discussions and propose ideas for key priorities for consumer engagement in the future. It was a fantastic event and I much enjoyed being part of the forum. Hearing the voices of our consumers, understanding their needs and factoring them into our strategic thinking is critical. I thank our consumer advisors for all their efforts to ensuring what we do aligns with consumer expectations and that our patients and the patient’s voice remains at the very centre of all that we do. The Board and I are very much looking forward to attending the upcoming joint NSLHD and Sydney North Health Network Board meeting. This is a very important and constructive meeting and provides a great opportunity for us to meet with our partners in primary care to discuss joint initiatives.
I was really pleased to see so many district staff responding to the recent annual Public Service Commission People Matter Employee Survey (PMES). There was a fantastic response rate this year with an overall 10 per cent increase in participation from 31 per cent last year to 41 per cent this year from staff across NSLHD, with Ryde Hospital seeing a 22 per cent increase in participation. This is so very important, by completing the survey, staff can help the district respond to the issues that matter to them and ensure initiatives are implemented to improve the workplace. Finally, I was so delighted to hear Professor Sue Kurrle, the district’s Aged Care and Rehabilitation Network Clinical Director, had won the very prestigious 2022 Sidney Sax Medal. This top honour is given by the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association to individuals who have contributed outstandingly to the nation’s healthcare system. NSLHD is so very fortunate to have someone of Sue’s calibre working in the district and to see her work recognised in the areas of dementia, frailty, elder abuse, successful ageing, and intergenerational care is just fantastic. I am sure many of you have enjoyed watching Sue as the expert geriatrician leading the work on the internationally award-winning ABC TV documentary series ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’ and most recently ‘Old People’s Home for Teenagers’. It is so wonderful to see Sue’s contribution recognised with this award. Trevor Danos AM FTSE Board Chair Northern Sydney Local Health District
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 19 | 7 OCTOBER 2022
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