News NEWS
NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT NSLHD
Guy Sebastian turns Sammy’s dream into a reality
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The Corner Shop celebrates 60 years of giving Page 3
Taking action on workplace violence and aggression Page 5
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Message from the chief executive Adjunct Professor Anthony M. Schembri AM
Dear colleagues, It was a pleasure to come together recently for a roundtable focused on preventing workplace violence and aggression, which I proudly hosted alongside NSLHD Board Chair Professor Emerita Mary Chiarella AM. I want to sincerely thank Janet Schorer PSM, Commissioner of SafeWork NSW and Sascha Newton, Associate Director Safey, NSW Ambulance, for sharing their expertise and insights, and to our guest speakers and colleagues from iCare, Sydney Local Health District and NSW Health for contributing their experience and challenging our thinking about what more we can do to protect our people. The diversity of voices in the room reinforced an important truth: addressing violence and aggression is a shared responsibility that requires a whole-of- system response. I am very pleased to share that one of the key outcomes was a commitment to establish a district-wide Violence and Aggression Taskforce. The Taskforce will report directly to our Board and lead a coordinated response to workplace violence and aggression. This work will help drive meaningful action and create safer workplaces for everyone across our district. Preparations for the next phase of the Single Digital Patient Record implementation are also moving full steam ahead at Northern Beaches Hospital, with lots of training already taking place.
Thank you to the managers and our teams at Northern Beaches Hospital who have helped make this possible whilst continuing to provide exceptional care to our patients. The implementation of SDPR will bring significant benefits for our patients and staff and I look forward to following the progress of its implementation at Northern Beaches Hospital before expanding to the wider district next year. We recently wrapped up the statewide 2026 People Matter Employee Survey and I want to thank everyone who took the time to share their experiences and perspectives. Receiving feedback from our workforce is invaluable and helps us understand what we are doing well, as well as where we need to improve. Earlier this year, we launched our People Plan, which provides a clear roadmap for how we will continue building a positive, inclusive and supportive workplace where our people can thrive. My executive colleagues and I will carefully review the results and listen closely to what you have told us, and we know we are at our best when we hear directly from our people. Warm regards, Adjunct Professor Anthony M. Schembri AM Chief Executive Northern Sydney Local Health District
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Corner Shop volunteers celebrating 60 years of service
The Corner Shop celebrates 60 years of giving Royal North Shore Hospital’s much-loved Corner Shop has celebrated an incredible 60 years’ of supporting patients, staff and services.
“We’re not trained to be counsellors, but we do have a lot of life experience. When people need to offload their woes, we listen, and we support them,” she said. “We only walk in our shoes, no one else’s, and you never know what people have been through.” Congratulations and thank you to Anne, President Gary McDonald, Treasurer Glen Anthes, Secretary Rhonda Bell, and every Corner Shop volunteer, past and present, for 60 extraordinary years of service to RNSH.
Over six decades, The Corner Shop and its dedicated volunteers have raised more than $5 million through the shop, cake stalls, book stalls and associated fundraising activities - helping fund equipment, service enhancements and initiatives across many areas of the hospital. Its contribution has reached services including PARVAN, rehabilitation, spinal cord injuries, Aboriginal Health,
trauma, physiotherapy, mental health, aged care, emergency, intensive care and paediatrics, improving patient experience, wellbeing and comfort. But The Corner Shop’s impact extends well beyond fundraising. Generations of volunteers have provided a welcoming presence, friendly conversation and sense of connection for patients, visitors and staff, reflecting the strong community spirit that surrounds RNSH. Among those continuing this proud tradition is shop manager and grants coordinator Anne Green, who has contributed 38 years of service and is a finalist for Volunteer of the Year at the NSW Health Awards. Speaking at the official celebration, Anne spoke of the volunteers’ dual role in caring for others – describing how to many, The Corner Shop is far more than a retail outlet.
Corner Shop Manager Anne Green with NSLHD Chief Executive Anthony Schembri
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Professors Gemma Figtree and Mark Molloy
Kolling expertise secures funding for research into some of the biggest health challenges Internationally-recognised clinician researcher Professor Gemma Figtree will lead Fellow Kolling Institute and University of Sydney researcher Professor Mark Molloy will drive research into the rise of early-onset colorectal cancer as an investigator with the ARTEMIS Centre of Research Excellence.
a centre of research excellence to reduce heart attacks after securing coveted National Health and Medical Research Council funding. The research will aim to save lives by detecting and treating silent coronary artery disease, the underlying cause of most heart attacks. Gemma said more than half of those who experience a heart attack have no symptoms, and some are not identified as high risk. “We now have highly effective treatments that can stabilise or even reverse the build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries,” she said. “However, these treatments are generally used most intensively after someone has had a heart attack or developed symptoms. “Our centre is seeking to shift this model from reacting to heart attacks to detecting and treating coronary artery disease before a potentially life-threatening attack.” The centre will investigate how blood biomarkers and advanced imaging can detect silent disease earlier. “Our ultimate goal is to prevent heart attacks by identifying coronary artery disease while people still feel well and there is time to intervene,” she said.
Early-onset colorectal cancer has been rising rapidly in Australia since the 1990s, yet the cause is not understood. The centre will bring together patients and researchers to study the genetic, environmental, microbial and immune factors contributing to the disease. Professor Molloy has established a bowel polyp biobank at the Kolling Institute and will contribute testing of the unique samples from people with early-onset bowel disease. His team’s expertise in the analysis of proteins and immune cells will help in the hunt for biological drivers of this form of cancer. “Collectively, the ARTEMIS team will aim to build new scientific understanding of why early onset colorectal cancer develops and establish clinical tools to help prevent and treat the disease better,” said Mark. Bowel Cancer Australia has committed $3 million through the NHMRC to establish the centre, supported by additional funding of $2.8 million from participating institutions and partners.
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NSLHD Chief Executive Anthony Schembri, Manager, Regulatory Engagement SafeWork NSW Kate Podryhula and NSLHD Executive Director, Poeple and Culture Kerrie Pryke
Turning conversation into action on workplace violence and aggression
Every member of the workforce deserves to feel safe, supported and respected at work. That commitment was at the centre of a recent round-table hosted by Chief Executive Anthony Schembri, bringing together staff, leaders and experts to focus on what more can be done to prevent and respond to workplace violence and aggression across our district. Violence and aggression towards healthcare workers remains one of the most significant safety and psychosocial risks facing our workforce. Across hospitals, community services and specialty facilities, staffcan be exposed to behaviours that affect not only their physical safety, but also their wellbeing, confidence and sense of dignity at work. The round-table was an opportunity to move beyond recognising the problem and focus on practical action.
The taskforce will work with staff and partners to strengthen prevention, improve the response when incidents occur and create safer workplaces across the district. Anthony said protecting staff was a fundamental responsibility. “As chief executive, I am committed to working with our staff, leaders, Board, unions, professional associations and external partners to strengthen prevention strategies, improve our response when incidents occur, and continue building workplaces where people feel safe, supported and respected,” he said. “Every member of our workforce has the right to come to work and return home safely and this roundtable was an important step in that ongoing commitment.”
SafeWork NSW Commissioner Janet Schorer PSM and NSW Ambulance Associate Director Safety Sascha Newton shared their expertise and insights, alongside guest speakers and colleagues from iCare, Sydney Local Health District and NSW Health. Participants generously shared their experiences and challenged the group to think differently about what more can be done to protect our people. By the end of the round-table, the district had committed to establishing a dedicated district-wide violence and aggression taskforce to lead its response and strengthen accountability for this ongoing issue.
The round-table produced lots of valuable discussion
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Dedicated volunteer Wendy Bean, RNSH patient Carmen with her son Paxton, and RNSH NICU Nurse Manager Claire Blackburn A lifelong love of reading begins at RNSH
Newborn babies at Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) have received a special delivery of books to mark International Literacy Day. Celebrated annually on 8 September, International Literacy Day highlights the critical importance of literacy as a fundamental human right and the role it plays in helping people learn, communicate and participate fully in society. Each year, books are donated to babies in RNSH’s maternity ward and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), encouraging families to begin reading together from their child’s earliest days. The initiative is led by the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association, with each book wrapped and accompanied by information explaining the benefits of reading to babies from birth. Dedicated volunteer Wendy Bean has now delivered books to newborn babies at RNSH
for 19 years. “We give these books to newborn babies to encourage reading and literacy, which has so many benefits,” she said. Among the recipients this year was baby Paxton, who was receiving care in the NICU. Paxton’s mother Carmen is a passionate literacy advocate, making the gift particularly meaningful for her family. “Literacy is a very important part of children’s lives, especially from a young age,” she said. “They might not know it yet, but it starts with parents understanding how literacy can help shape their lives. The more children can communicate, the more they can explore the world and find their own course.” The annual delivery provides families with more than a first book. It offers an invitation to begin sharing stories, building connections and fostering a lifelong love of reading from the very beginning.
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World Sepsis Day celebrations at Royal North Shore Hospital
NSLHD teams raise sepsis awareness Staff across Northern Sydney Local Health District marked World Sepsis Day with activities highlighting the importance of recognising and responding to sepsis early.
At Royal North Shore Hospital, the hospital’s sepsis committee hosted an interactive information stall for staff, patients, families and carers, encouraging everyone to ask, “Could it be sepsis?” The stall featured practical resources, a sepsis knowledge quiz and information about post-sepsis syndrome. RNSH Between the Flags clinical nurse consultant Kerryn Taylor said there was strong engagement throughout the day. “By partnering with patients and families, increasing awareness and encouraging everyone to ask, ‘Could it be sepsis?’, we can support earlier recognition, timely treatment and better outcomes,” Kerryn said. Northern Beaches Hospital held a week- long program featuring educational displays, sepsis-themed safety huddles, staff quizzes, clinical teaching and ward activities. The week concluded with a bake-off and pink-themed afternoon teas all centred around sepsis awareness. NBH Clinical Nurse Consultant Emma Wright said awareness was vital because sepsis is a medical emergency, time-critical and not always recognised early. “Awareness directly saves lives because earlier recognition and treatment significantly improve survival and reduce long-term disability,” Emma said.
World Sepsis Day celebrations at Northern Beaches Hospital
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NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 19| 4 OCTOBER 2024
Guy Sebastian visiting AYAH patient Sammy and her family Guy Sebastian turns Sammy’s dream into a reality For Sammy Stibbard, music has always been one of life’s great sources of joy.
Manly AYAH’s Community Partnerships Manager Laura Grant said it was an unforgettable moment for Sammy, her family and the AYAH team. “Sammy brings so much joy to everyone around her, so it was incredibly special to help make one of her dreams come true,” she said. “The visit was a beautiful reminder of the importance of creating joy, connection and meaningful memories for young people and their families.”
Through a lifetime of complex medical challenges, including 39 operations the 29-year-old is known for her extraordinary optimism, infectious smile and irrepressible love of life. Sammy came to the Manly Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice (AYAH) for respite care and quickly fell in love with the unique service and the people who care for her there. When AYAH volunteer Katy Gompes discovered that Australian singer- songwriter Guy Sebastian was one of Sammy’s absolute idols, an idea began to form. With support from Katy, her friends, the AYAH and Guy’s team, plans were quietly put in place to bring the surprise to life. Guy first recorded a personal video message for Sammy to help throw her off the scent.
Sammy then arrived at AYAH believing she was taking part in a Father’s Day breakfast. As she was drawing with her dad, Guy walked up to surprise her and instantly made a dream come true. The pair spent precious one-on-one time talking, laughing and sharing their love of music before singing Angels Brought Me Here together, which can be viewed on the AYAH’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Guy Sebastian and Sammy performed a duet of Guy’s hit song ‘Angels Brought Me Here’
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Rainbow Screening Clinic receives statewide recognition Northern Sydney Local Health District’s Rainbow Screening Clinic has received statewide recognition after being featured in the NSW Women’s Strategy 2026 Report Card. The clinic was selected as a case study under some of the barriers that can prevent LGBTIQ+ people from accessing screening and ensure participants feel welcomed, supported and respected,” Michael said. “To see it recognised at a statewide level is incredibly encouraging and reflects the strength of the partnerships and community input that helped shape the service.”
the strategy’s health and wellbeing pillar, highlighting its work to improve access to breast and chest screening for LGBTIQ+ people. Established by NSLHD in partnership with BreastScreen NSW Northern Sydney Central Coast, the clinic was co-designed with ACON and TransPride Australia to respond to barriers experienced by members of the LGBTIQ+ community. The report card highlights the clinic’s focus on first-time and under-screened participants, confidential booking support and care provided by staff trained in respectful communication and LGBTIQ+ health needs. It also notes positive feedback from participants, who reported feeling safe, respected and confident throughout the screening process. NSLHD LGBTIQ+ Project Manager Michael Sanderson said the recognition was an important acknowledgement of the clinic’s impact. “We developed the clinic to help remove
Dedicated and private screening sessions continue to be available for eligible LGBTIQ+ people, providing a supportive environment tailored to the needs of participants. Individuals and community groups interested in arranging a screening session can call 0427 414 931 or email NSLHD- BreastScreenRainbow@health.nsw.gov.au.
Michael Sanderson and Meredith Kay
Better Connected at the Douglas Building The Royal North Shore campus’ Douglas Building has officially transitioned to the Health Grade Enterprise Network (HGEN), marking another significant milestone in NSLHD’s digital transformation journey. As part of the upgrade, the building is now operating on a modern network platform that provides enhanced performance, reliability and improved Wi-Fi coverage throughout the facility. The successful cutover represents another important step towards modernising technology infrastructure and strengthening the digital services that support staff, clinicians and patients.
“The technical expertise, commitment and willingness of our team to tackle challenges along the way were critical to achieving a successful outcome”, said Stephen Golder, senior manager, Digital Health Services. With both Northern Beaches Hospital and the Douglas Building now operating on the HGEN platform, NSLHD continues to build momentum towards a more modern, secure and resilient network environment.
Digital Health Services team
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Professor Ravi Bhindi convening the CSANZ Annual Scientific Meeting
RNSH Showcases Cardiovascular Excellence at CSANZ Scientific Meeting 2026
Royal North Shore Hospital campus was showcased as one of Australia’s leading centres for cardiovascular excellence at national cardiac conference. The hospital campus clinicians and researchers played a central role in bringing the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand’s (CSANZ) flagship Annual Scientific Meeting to Sydney. Their collective impact reinforced the campus’s standing as a nationally and internationally recognised leader in cardiovascular care, research and education. RNSH cardiologist and researcher Professor Ravi Bhindi convened the meeting and was joined by scientific co-chair Professor Gemma Figtree, and colleagues Associate Professor Rebcca Kozor, Dr Johnathon Ciofani and Alexandra Baer to showcase the latest advances in cardiovascular medicine, research and innovation. The landmark meeting attracted more than 3500 delegates and leading cardiovascular experts from Australia, New Zealand and around the world. The record attendance made the CSANZ ASM 2026 the largest annual scientific meeting in the society’s 74-year history.
“We had a fantastic program, a tonne of amazing, diverse international speakers. It was an absolute delight seeing the amazing early and mid-career researchers coming through from Australia, making an impact,” said Gemma. The campus’s contribution extended well
beyond the organising committee. Across the four- day program, consultants, trainees, nurses, scientists, allied health professionals and researchers from Royal North Shore Hospital and North Shore Private Hospital featured prominently as invited speakers, session chairs, moderators, educators and presenters.
Dr Johnathon Ciofani
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Landmark trial confirms the benefits of physiotherapist- led emergency care Clinician researchers at Ryde Hospital
in emergency departments,” she said. “It created a rare chance to introduce a primary contact physiotherapy service to the Ryde Hospital emergency department, enabling physiotherapists to assess and manage musculoskeletal presentations as the first point of contact within the ED. “The study provided valuable insights into the benefits of this innovative model of care, she said” This trial also demonstrated the financial benefits of the approach, with an economic evaluation confirming that physiotherapist-led care in emergency departments could save NSW hospitals $19 million a year.
have had a crucial role in a large-scale trial which found that physiotherapist-led care significantly reduced emergency department waiting and treatment times for people presenting with musculoskeletal conditions. Close to 1500 patients were involved in the trial across five emergency departments, with patients receiving either standard care by emergency physicians or nurse practitioners; or physiotherapist-led care. Dubbed RESHAP-ED, the trial found there were significant differences in the musculoskeletal care provided by physiotherapists, with better patient satisfaction and a reduction in the time spent in the emergency department.
Patients who received the physio- led care spent an hour less in ED, were assessed 40 minutes faster and were three times more likely to be seen within the recommended triage timeframes. Importantly, the trial found that physiotherapy-led care did not compromise patient outcomes or safety.
The research comes at an important time with
musculoskeletal conditions leading to more than 1.3 million ED visits in
Australia each year. Ryde Hospital senior
physiotherapist Sharon Xu welcomed the chance to be involved in the multi-site trial saying it was an extremely rewarding experience. “The trial provided a valuable opportunity to contribute to research that has now demonstrated the benefits of physiotherapist-led models of care
Sharon Xu, Breanna Frendo and Patrick Law at Ryde Hospital
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