This week, we hosted the first of our Chief Executive Staff Forums for 2020. These quarterly forums provide us with an opportunity to share news and highlights about Northern Health’s performance, achievements and plans for the future.

I encourage you to attend an upcoming forum if you have not yet done so, and look forward to answering your questions and hearing your feedback. Please click here for forum dates and times. 

As most of you will be aware, 2020 has been declared as the International Year of Nursing and Midwifery by the World Health Organisation. During the year there will be many opportunities to celebrate the outstanding work of our nurses and midwives.

Next Friday 6 March, we host the 2020 Digital Health Futures@Northern Health. This landmark forum will launch the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Interactive Digital Technology to Transform Australia’s Chronic Disease Outcomes.

While the situation with Coronavirus (COVID-19) is continually evolving, I can confirm that there have been no cases of COVID-19 identified at Northern Health. Thank you for your work in ensuring we have practices, systems and adequate consumables in place to keep our community safe. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and update as required, and I encourage you to visit the portal on the intranet for the most up-to-date information.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate Northern Health Foundation Board Chair, John Molnar, who was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in last month’s Australia Day Honours.

John was previously a Northern Health Board Director and was instrumental in establishing the Foundation. I would also like to congratulate Lilian Leonard OAM, a well-respected nurse at Panch and Northern Hospital from 1984 to 1999, who also received an OAM and Sabine Phillips, Northern Health Board Director from 2007-2016, who received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Siva Sivarajah

Chief Executive