WA health’s heavy hitters celebrate the stars of COVID

This content was sponsored and supplied by the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM).

A message from the WA Minister for Health

It’s a real privilege for me to acknowledge the Stars of COVID-19 campaign launched by the WA branch of the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM).

As the peak professional body for health managers in Australasia, it’s fitting that the ACHSM should recognise the exceptional leadership displayed by individuals or teams in the health industry throughout this ongoing pandemic.

Since the scope of COVID-19 became apparent to the McGowan Government, we have attempted to provide the necessary leadership and management to contain the virus in Western Australia.

The success of our efforts has been fundamentally dependent on the leadership displayed by the entire health sector, so it’s pleasing that those efforts are being acknowledged and celebrated with such an overwhelming response to the Stars of COVID-19 campaign.

It’s even more pleasing that, despite the outstanding level of participation in this campaign, it’s not a competition.

Celebrating the effort, commitment and diligence displayed by individuals and teams in the health industry is a very appropriate way to acknowledge just how far we’ve come over the last few months since the COVID-19 virus entered the community.

The health industry rose to the challenge in a spirit of selflessness, sacrifice and co-operation. This was mirrored at every level of leadership, and it was this unity of purpose that guided us to a point where the McGowan Government is in a position to gradually and strategically ease restrictions put in place to contain the virus.

I commend the Australasian College of Health Service Management for this campaign and the principled leadership it has provided in rising to the many challenges posed to the Western Australian community by COVID-19.

I thank those who nominated their colleagues, family members and teams from across all sectors.

Enjoy the stories of so many Stars from across our health sector. Celebrate their achievements and reflect on what a fantastic community Western Australians have the luck and privilege to belong to.

We’re all in this together and together we will get through.

Minister for Health Roger Cook

A message from ACHSM State President

The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed all of our lives. At the forefront of preparing to deal with, and then manage the myriad of complex issues embedded within this crisis, has been the dedicated staff from all over WA’s health care, aged care and community care sectors.

One of the reasons WA has fared so well in this pandemic is because we have seen individuals and teams in all of the public, private, community and NGO sectors show brilliant leadership.

The Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) is the peak body for health care managers and leaders in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and many other nearby countries, with over 2000 members. Our mission is to assist health care leaders grow to be better in their leadership in health in any way possible, building better health systems, hospitals, wards, facilities and organisations; thus, creating healthier communities.

One way our WA branch wished to show their appreciation to so many people was by hosting the Stars of COVID-19 campaign. We invited our colleagues to nominate individuals or teams who they felt showed the characteristics of compassionate and excellent leadership during the pandemic.

We received over 220 nominations. This was not a competition, rather an opportunity to celebrate effort, commitment and very hard work. The nominations demonstrate that great leadership in health care occurs at every level in any organisation. It is not about a title. It is about making a difference.

If you go to the ACHSM website (www.achsm.org.au) you can read the reasons why the Stars of COVID-19 were nominated. It is inspiring and humbling.

How grateful we all should be as West Australians to know that there is so much great leadership out there in our clinics, our hospitals, our community and aged care settings, our general practices and in our public health units.

The ACHSM salutes all the people listed here and sees them as a representation of all the other leadership shown every day, in every decision that is made, and in the everyday care that is so professionally provided.

Dr Neale Fong

WA and National President

This content was sponsored and supplied by the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM).

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