The Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation recently sponsored the inaugural nursing awards at Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.
To celebrate the World Health Organization declaring 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service established an inaugural award celebration which is proudly sponsored by the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation.
There were more than 100 very competitive nominations across all five categories, and the awards were jointly announced by Foundation CEO Tony Williamson and CHHHS Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services Debra Cutler..
Nominations were short-listed by a committee and then were assessed against the criteria by a judging panel.
Excellence in Workforce – Alison Weatherstone
Alison is the Midwifery Unit Manager at Innisfail’s Maternity Department. Alison’s nomination outlined an outstanding commitment to improving work environments to ensure a safe, collaborative and collegial workplace.
Excellence in Clinical Practice – Therese Howard
Therese is a Sexual Health Nurse with Tropical Public Health Services and was nominated for her commitment and advocacy in her work with the Queensland Health Syphilis Register. Therese has dedicated the last 10+ years of her career doing this work and has done so in a respectful, friendly, supportive and efficient manner.
Excellence in Education – Paul McNamara
Paul is the Clinical Nurse Consultant with Clinical Liaison Psychiatry Services and demonstrates an outstanding commitment to teaching and learning. A familiar face on the CHHHS Facebook page with his “Clean hands, clear head initiative”, Paul dedicates a lot of his time educating and supervising colleagues whilst also keeping up with his Instagram/Twitter/Facebook page Meta4RN.
Excellence in Leadership – Kelly Pollock
Kelly is the Nurse Unit Manager at Tablelands Community Health. Since Kelly has started in her role, she has inspired the team to develop their skills in the area of patient centred care so they can offer the best practice for patients and community clients.
Excellence in Research – Bronwyn Hayes
Bronwyn is the Clinical Nurse Consultant Transplant Coordinator for CHHHS and integrates knowledge and evidence into practice to improve patient outcomes. In 2016, Bronwyn completed her PhD with her thesis focused on workforce issues in Australian and New Zealand haemodialysis units.
Prizes for the winners of each category were donated by the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation. Winners have all won an opportunity to attend next year’s Australian College of Nursing’s National Nursing Forum including flights and accommodation.
