This morning, Northern Health hosted the Staff Recognition Awards, virtually coming together to honour and celebrate the exceptional contributions of our staff.

The ceremony was hosted by Michelle Fenwick, Executive Director, People and Culture.

“Northern Health has thousands of staff who work across a range of areas, departments and sites, dedicated to providing care to our community each and every day,” Ms Fenwick said.

“I am proud to work in an organisation where staff are collaborative and kind and turn up to work every day to provide such incredible care to our patients and community.”

“We thank you all for your hard work and dedication,” she added.

The ceremony celebrates the winners from Quarter 2, 2024 in seven categories, with each award matched against Northern Health’s values and strategic priorities.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Team, Community Therapy Services, was presented with the Innovation Award for working tirelessly to design and develop a Virtual Cardiac Rehabilitation Service with CLEO. This service allows participants to receive a full six-week hybrid cardiac rehabilitation program in their own time from the comfort of their home.

“The team has been amazing to work with. They have shown a can-do attitude and genuine excitement for the service they can provide through their innovation and perseverance. They have rapidly expanded the virtual service to accommodate for demand and will make a positive difference for patients recovering from heart disease in our community. Well done!” said their nominator, Elisha O’Dowd.

The Patient Experience Award went to the Outpatients Nursing/Midwifery Teams. They were nominated by Elizabeth Ward.

“The Northern Hospital Epping Outpatient Nursing and Midwifery teams always go above and beyond to ensure safe, kind and together emergency care delivery at Code Blue calls in the outpatient areas. Code blue calls for deteriorating patients or visitors in the outpatient areas are a common occurrence and the team respond efficiently to ensure that excellence in patient safety is upheld whilst awaiting Code Blue team attendance,” said Ms Ward in her nomination.

Jason Nebbs, Director or Workforce, VVED, took home the Excellence in Leadership Award, for consistently demonstrating remarkable leadership and determination in managing the VVED medical workforce.

“Under his leadership, our department has seen improved operational efficiencies, a testament to his strategic planning abilities. He has implemented staffing solutions that have not only optimised our workforce but also enhanced patient care and staff satisfaction, reflecting his commitment to our department and team,” said his nominator Hayley Gray, NUM, VVED.

The Education Award was presented to Andrea Clancy, ICT Admin Support. Andrea was nominated by David Calvo, for her outstanding dedication and commitment to upscaling a student in the ICT department over the past year.

“Andrea’s patience, expertise, and willingness to share her knowledge have been truly commendable. Her ability to balance her everyday responsibilities with the mentoring role is a testament to her exceptional time management and organizational skills. She has set a shining example for all of us to follow,” said Mr Calvo.

Public Affairs very own Steve Carnell, Content Producer, Public Affairs, won the Rising Star Award. Steve was nominated by his colleague, Jessica Reynolds.

“Steve is the voice behind Northern Health’s very first podcast, he is the voice you hear at the start of the Window, he is the voice you hear during many animations for Northern Health events. Since the launch of the very first podcast for Northern Health in 2023, he has definitely risen to the occasion – not only does he work closely with his podcast guests and gets to know them on a personal level, he often puts in a lot of after-hours work to ensure the podcast, and any other work he has on, is his best work,” wrote Ms Reynolds in her nomination.

“He is such an incredible asset to the Public Affairs team and has grown so much in his role.”

BankVic representatives, Rebecca Attard, Senior Relationship Manager and Rachel Morley, Chief Growth and Experience Officer, attended the ceremony and presented the last two awards – Clinical Excellence and Excellence in Safety.

Kasuni Punchi, Senior Nurse at Hume Community, Craig Kleeman, was presented with the Clinical Excellence Award. Kasuni was nominated by Ginny Hartley, who said in her nomination, “Kasuni has been with the clinic for approximately five years and in this time, she has transformed the clinic component of the work offered here at Broadmeadows, by taking the lead on developing a database of dates and having a unique ability to engage mental health consumers sensitively and respectfully.”

Lastly, Julia Fotiadis, ANUM, Emergency Department, won the Excellence in Safety Award. Julia was nominated by Laura Hughes, who said in her nomination, “Julia has led improvement in the ED relating to AV offload for patients arriving with a CODE stroke and stroke symptoms. Her idea has shown improvements across key data metrics, with positive feedback also from the stroke teams and our patients. Great to see how small ideas can make transformations at Northern Health for our patients and staff.”

Congratulations to all the award winners! Onwards and upwards!

The Staff Recognition Awards are proudly sponsored by BankVic and Northern Health Foundation.

Click here to watch a recording of the ceremony.