A leader of our own

20 Jul 2022

Ahead of taking on the new role he shares why he has stayed with the organisation for more than 20 years and the opportunities he took to move from the hospital floor to senior leadership.

“I have always been impressed with the quality of the senior leadership with St John of God Health Care and there is no doubt that inspired me to take on leadership roles over the years,” Paul said.
“I have always felt well supported by the organisation and I have been very blessed to have had a lot of leadership development opportunities come my way.”

It is the last point that Paul explains has enabled him to stay with the organisation while developing his career as a leader taking up opportunities across either side of the country.

His career in nursing started in 1991 when he completed his graduate year at Bendigo Hospital after graduating from Latrobe University. As a nurse in the early 1990s, and as amazing as it sounds today, he struggled to find work in Bendigo, so he moved to Melbourne to get experience as a nurse in some busy tertiary hospitals.

Like so many country kids do, he returned to his home town to start a family and in 1999 he joined St John of God Bendigo Hospital as a casual nurse before moving into a nurse unit manager role.
“In 2003, I remember Michael Hogan being appointed CEO of the hospital. I don’t think I realised it at the time, but Michael became a mentor to me in my early years in leadership positions at Bendigo,” Paul said.

Keen to further develop his leadership skills, Paul jumped at any development opportunities on offer. He participated in the original St John of God Health Care mentorship program and was paired with former Group Director of Nursing, Kate Birrell for the year long program.

“Kate was a great mentor to me and had a big impact on my development and my career,” Paul said.

In that time, St John of God Health Care also ran a leadership development course called the Executive Development Program. This was an experiential leadership course for caregivers identified as potential senior leaders within the organisation. Over ten months, participants spent time with a variety of senior leaders in the organisation, learning from their experiences and making connections. 
“The program exposed me to some amazing leaders within our organisation. I also got to meet other up and coming leaders at the time,” Paul said.

Inspired to take on more challenges, Paul applied for the Director of Nursing position at St John of God Geraldton Hospital but was unsuccessful. Undeterred, he applied for a similar position at St John of God Frankston Rehabilitation Hospital, but again, was unsuccessful.

“I remember being called to the group office in Melbourne to hear the bad news about the Frankston job but was then offered Director of Nursing position at St John of God Burwood Hospital in Sydney by Kate Birrell the same day,” Paul said.

Determined to take up any opportunity to prove his leadership skills, and with a family eager for adventure, Paul and his wife packed up their three children and promptly moved to Sydney.
After 18 months in the Burwood role, two CEO positions became available. Paul was given the choice to stay in Sydney to lead St John of God Burwood Hospital or move to Geraldton to take up the CEO role he had previously been denied.

He chose the latter.

“I really enjoyed Burwood but, to be honest, I had never worked in a psychiatric hospital before and I strongly felt the desire to be back in a medical and surgical space. Sydney was also hideously expensive and the traffic was a nightmare, especially with a young family,” he said.

In Geraldton, Paul threw himself into the community, volunteering for community groups and chairing the board of a local not for profit organisation. After five years leading that hospital Paul and family felt the pull of the big smoke and with another opportunity at our St John of God Midland Private Hospital, Paul and family again packed up their bags and moved to Perth.

Two years after taking on the Midland private role, Paul was appointed to lead St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital.

He said his three years at Mt Lawley had been the most rewarding of his career to date.

Speaking with Paul, his passion, energy and enthusiasm for the hospital is undeniable.

“I think the biggest thing I have been able to bring is a sense of optimism around the hospital,” he said.

“When I got here, many of the caregivers thought St John of God Health Care was going to sell the hospital and move on. I think one of the most meaningful things I have done here is to get people to believe in this hospital again. That it is actually a great hospital. 

“It not as big as some of our other hospitals in Perth but the services it delivers, particularly its rehabilitation services, are just as important. 

“I think that has made a big difference in the way our workplace feels and looks. Personally, I have found positively impacting on workplace culture really satisfying.”

Now charged with leading St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals, the challenge will be different for Paul.

He is taking over from his good friend, and former boss, Michael Hogan who has returned to St John of God Bendigo Hospital as CEO to be closer to his family.

“Managing demand at the public hospital is the biggest issue we face,” Paul said.

“The obstetric demand is huge in that region and the Emergency Department is regularly seeing more than 200 presentations each day which is a real challenge with constrained inpatient capacity and staffing challenges.

“So working with the State and Federal Governments to ensure we can service the community, and have the necessary infrastructure and equipment, in addition to staff mix, will be a big focus for me.

“There is also opportunity to grow the private services at the hospital which I am also looking forward to.” 

There will be no surprises in how Paul will step up to this challenge.

“Ultimately, being a good leader in health care is all about building relationships and trust and caring for and supporting your teams,” he said.

“Genuinely, honestly and openly engaging with people, and bringing them along the journey with you, and inspiring them and giving them energy, that's what will make you successful. It's authentic, transparent, visible leadership that makes a difference.”