Programs to help mental health clients to be more physically active, increase the leadership capacity of nurses and midwives, and process referrals using artificial intelligence were among the initiatives showcased at Northern NSW Local Health District’s annual Quality Awards. 

Acting Chief Executive, Lynne Weir, congratulated the nine finalists across five team categories, as well as several individual award winners who picked up their awards at the ceremony in Goonellabah in June. 

“Our communities and our staff are the real beneficiaries of the great work on display at our awards night, and I want to congratulate every one of our colleagues who contributed to these improvement projects,” Ms Weir said. 

“We have an incredibly innovative workforce, who are always striving to improve the care we provide to our patients, and the way that patients experience our health services.  

“It was a pleasure to acknowledge nine teams this year for their hard work across a variety of categories including mental health care, research and innovation, and patient safety.”  

Individual staff members and volunteers were also honoured, with the Collaborative Staff Member of the Year Award going to Gerald May, Community Engagement Manager, for his ongoing commitment to engaging community in co-design activities and health service improvement programs.  

Diane Johnson, President of The Tweed Hospital Pink Ladies received the Volunteer of the Year Award, while Lismore Base Hospital Quality and Safety Manager Melissa Ingram was awarded a Chief Executive Special Acknowledgement Award for her work in embedding a culture of excellence in patient safety across the hospital.  

Winners of the NNSWLHD awards will be nominated for the state-wide 2023 NSW Health awards, which will be held in October.  

A full list of this year’s category winners is below:  

Excellence in the Provision of Mental Health Services 

Winner: Water-Based Activity: Keep Your Mental Health Afloat - Leah Everingham, Angie D’Elboux and Inika Reinhardt, Tuckeroo Sub Acute Mental Health Unit, Byron Central Hospital 

Health Research and Innovation 

Winner: Faxed Referral Handling in the Cloud with AI – faster, more accurate, secure and scalable - Tim Marsh, Vish Sapaliga, Olaf Wrieden and Matthew Woods 

Patient Safety First 

Winner: Reducing Hospital-Acquired Falls and Pressure Injuries in Clarence Health service - Sharon Wright, Bianca Reimer, Craig Archer, Belinda Simpson, Rebecca Stanton, Narelle Robison, Jennifer Barton, Jane Kulas and Deb Jansen 

Runner up: Lismore Base Hospital - timely patient risk screening, assessment, and management to improve patient safety - Melissa Ingram, Narelle Gleeson, Sandra Vidler, Joel Organ, Leanne Seiffert, Charmaine Murphy and Nicola Scanlon 

People and Culture 

Winner: Optimising Leadership: Informed, Interactive and Sustainable Gateway - Louise Thurston and the Nursing and Midwifery Unit Manager Leadership Academy 

Runner up: Education Transformation – engaging the workforce in Clarence Health Service - Fiona MacCallum and Deb Jansen 

Transforming Patient Experience 

Winner: Mo’s Journey - Amanda St Clair, Lea Mcallister, Dr Naomi Pickford and the LBH security team 

Runner up: Specialist Palliative Care After Hours Support - Michelle Bridges and the Palliative Care Team 

Runner up: Through Our Eyes: Improving hospital experiences for people with disability - Ged May, Amanda McRae and consumer representatives Andrew Graeme-Cook, Catherine Graeme-Cook, Debra Perger and Zac Perger 

2023 Collaborative Staff Member of the Year: Gerald May, NNSWLHD Community Engagement Manager. 

2023 Volunteer of the Year Award: Diane Johnson, President, The Tweed Hospital Pink Ladies. 

Chief Executive Special Acknowledgement Award: Melissa Ingram, Lismore Base Hospital Safety and Quality Manager