Message from the board chair Trevor Danos AM
It has been a huge week in the district with a significant step forward in the fight against COVID-19. The vaccination hub at Hornsby Hospital is now up and running. The hub opened this week to health workers in Phase 1b with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. It has been a huge effort to get to this stage, so I would like to thank all staff who worked so hard to set up and get the hub ready as well as the staff who are on the ground managing the vaccinations. I would like to acknowledge our Chief Executive Deb Willcox who was asked by the Secretary of NSW Health to undertake a short secondment as Deputy Secretary Patient Experience and System Performance. This request reflects well on Deb and on the district. Deb is currently relieving Susan Pearce who has taken on full-time responsibility for the operational implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine in NSW. Thank you to the whole executive team for stepping up during this critical phase of the COVID-19 vaccination roll out and during the period of the secondment. I know the district is in very capable hands. NSLHD Medical Executive Director Tamsin Waterhouse will be Acting NSLHD Chief Executive while Deb is on secondment until April 16. More than three quarters of NSLHD’s workforce is made up of impressive women. This week across the district we celebrated these women on International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is ‘Choose to Challenge’, based on choosing to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. The day is an occasion to celebrate what has been
achieved but also to acknowledge that more needs to be done by all of us to create an even better workplace. As part of our celebrations, and in line with our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy 2020-2022 , the district launched its new Women in Leadership network. I am particularly delighted that Chief Executive Deb Willcox has taken on the position as Executive Sponsor of the network. This network is employee-led and will provide a collaborative, safe space to capture and to amplify the voices of women and those that identify as female. I am pleased to announce another new network for staff – the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) network. More than a quarter of our staff identify as having a CALD background, so this network aims to bring people together so they can share and learn from their experiences. All staff who are interested in getting involved in either of the networks can contact NSLHD-ODTeam@health.nsw.gov. au. The launch of the CALD network ties in with Harmony Week which will be celebrated from 15 to 21 March. It is a time to celebrate Australia’s rich cultural diversity and I encourage you all to think about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians. Keep your eye out for events being held to mark Harmony Week. Please show your support by wearing something orange on Friday 19 March. Trevor Danos AM Board Chair Northern Sydney Local Health District
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 4 | 12 MARCH 2021
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