Four Bundaberg Region health professionals have been recognised in the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) Excellence Awards.
Shaun Grant, John Gamlin, Geoff Richardson and Helen Eaves were among the winners for the excellence awards which showcase quality of care and commitment throughout the past year.
Award categories at this year’s event were driven by WBHHS’s recently adopted organisational values.
Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said the WBHHS excellence awards not only celebrated achievements of a select few, but also gave all team members an opportunity to reflect on collective achievements during a challenging year.
“This year has been particularly busy and complex as we responded to COVID-19, so having this opportunity to pause and reflect on our achievements and outcomes has been really important,” she said.
“It was also fantastic to share the awards ceremony across multiple sites via technology, because this enables our staff to find out about their colleagues from other parts of the region, whom they may not interact with often, and be inspired by the work they are doing.
“And at the end of the day, while there were nine categories and 12 winners from across the region, there was one constant – our patients are better off as a result of everyone’s collective efforts. And awards aside, that’s what we come to work for each day.”
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board Chair Peta Jamieson said the awards were a great way to recognise the teams and individuals who put WBHHS’s values of Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, Excellence and Through Patients’ Eyes into action.
The top honour of the Every Value, Every Day Award went to Public Health Physician and Director of the Wide Bay Public Health Unit Dr Niall Conroy, for his immense contribution to the planning and response to COVID-19.
WBHHS Excellence Award winners 2020:
Collaboration Award
WINNER:
Shaun Grant – Nurse Unit Manager, Bundaberg Hospital Intensive Care Unit
FINALISTS:
WBHHS Telehealth Team
Tanya Bull – Acting WBHHS Paediatric Nurse Educator
Accountability Award
WINNER:
John Gamlin – Clinical Nurse Consultant, Wide Bay Infection Control Service
FINALISTS:
Prison Health Service Team – Maryborough
Tammy Street – Manager, Wide Bay Information Technology and Communications Team
Respect Award
WINNER:
Geoff Richardson – Team Leader, Bundaberg Mental Health Acute Care and Step Up Step Down teams
FINALISTS:
Vicki Files – Nurse Unit Manager, Fraser Coast Integrated Care Service Jan-Adele Hotz – Director of Nursing, Rural Facilities and Services
WBHHS Collaboration Award winner Shaun Grant – Nurse Unit Manager, Bundaberg Hospital Intensive Care Unit 
WBHHS Accountability award winner John Gamlin, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Wide Bay Infection Control Service 
WBHHS Respect Award winner Geoff Richardson – Team Leader, Bundaberg Mental Health Acute Care and Step Up Step Down teams
Excellence Award
WINNER:
Mental Health Hospital in the Home Team – Hervey Bay
FINALISTS:
David Jovic – Advanced Physiotherapist, Fraser Coast Emergency Department Fraser Coast Speech Pathology team
Wide Bay Public Health Unit team
Through Patients’ Eyes Award
WINNER:
Biggenden Multipurpose Health Service team
FINALISTS:
Katie Rogers – Clinical Nurse Consultant, Bundaberg Mental Health Inpatient Unit Dr Fiona Baker – Staff Specialist, Fraser Coast Emergency Department Bundaberg Midwifery Group Practice team
Cultural Connections Award
WINNER:
Maryborough Hospital Butchulla Artwork Project Team
FINALISTS:
BreastScreen Wide Bay
Geteno George – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advanced Health Worker, Bundaberg Mental Health
Volunteer Award
WINNER:
Trish Hummerston – President, Hervey Bay Hospital Auxiliary
FINALIST:
Margaret Marsh – Bundaberg Hospital Chaplain
Values Ambassador Awards
WINNERS:
Helen Eaves – Nurse Unit Manager, Bundaberg Hospital Palliative, Acute Rehabilitation and Acute Stroke (PARAS) Ward
Anna Van Teijlingen – Clinical Midwife, Hervey Bay Hospital Maternity Unit Leisa Jackson– Nurse Unit Manager, Maryborough Hospital Ward 3
Dr Tom Battisson – Medical Officer, Monto Hospital
Every Value, Every Day Award
WINNER: Dr Niall Conroy –Public Health Physician and Director, Wide Bay Public Health Unit
The third annual WBHHS Excellence Awards were held on December 9.
