Ashly Grabski wins award for excellence in registered nursing

18 May 2021

Ashly is Nurse Unit Manager of the hospital’s Ursula Frayne Unit, a mental health facility that cares for adults over 65 years of age who are some of the community’s most vulnerable people.

Ashly was nominated for the award for her passion for mental health nursing and natural leadership style that saw her take on her first leadership role just weeks before the hospital’s accreditation survey. 

She has worked at St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital for six years before becoming the manager of the unit in 2019.

“It is a huge honour to receive this award, particularly as there are so many fantastic nurses and midwives working across Western Australia,” she said. 

“I am passionate about reducing the stigma associated with mental health and mental health nursing, and nurturing emerging mental health specialists so that we can continue to provide care to some of our community’s most vulnerable members.

“I hope that this award will help to shine a light on the continuing provision of optimum and recovery-focused mental health care for those experiencing mental health challenges.”

St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital Director of Nursing and Midwifery Vanessa Unwin said that the hospital was thrilled to celebrate Ash and her contribution to nursing and patient care.

“We are incredibly proud of Ashly and all the work she does for patients and their loved ones in the Ursula Frayne Unit.

“She demonstrates great compassion for her patients and builds connections with them and their families so that they are a partner in the care and treatment.

“Ashly is one of our rising leaders who has a natural leadership style that is inclusive and empowering, she led her team through a lot of change in a short period of time and achieved this by fostering a culture built on trust and respect.

“Her passion for mental health nursing and delivering the best possible care is contagious and inspires the team to challenge themselves to go that bit further.”

St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital is located on the banks of the Swan River and provides leading rehabilitation, maternity and specialised medical and surgical services. The Ursula Frayne Unit is a 12-bed older adult mental health unit that is publically funded to support those with depression, grief, social isolation and dementia.

(L-R) St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital Director of Nursing and Midwifery Vanessa Unwin, Nurse Unit Manager Ashly Grabski and CEO Paul Dyer.