Hospital's caregivers at the heart of celebration

St John of God Day (March 8) is the feast day for the patron saint of hospitals, nurses and the sick – and St John of God Subiaco Hospital uses this day to thank its caregivers for their efforts to heal and comfort patients throughout the year.

18 Mar 2019

18 March 2019

The dedication of caregivers was at the heart of St John of God Subiaco Hospital’s annual celebration.

As well as holding a caregiver fiesta lunch, the hospital presents awards to outstanding individuals and teams who go ‘above and beyond’, to consistently display the St John of God values of hospitality, compassion, respect, justice and excellence.

The Wexford Award for an outstanding team was presented to Allied Health, for their leadership in caring for patients with a cognitive impairment.

The team worked with the hospital’s volunteer coordinator to develop a companionship program, which gives emotional support and practical help to vulnerable patients with dementia and delirium.

The teams behind the hospital’s two cafes received the “highly commended” Wexford award for their high level of service.

The team members warmly welcome and show hospitality towards patients, visitors and caregivers, and have restructured their service model to ensure they always provide a pleasant environment in which to work and visit.

Outstanding individuals who were recognised with Pomegranate Awards were senior speech pathologist Kate Swan, ward clerk Gemma Clarke, Ward 35 clinical nurse Martina Cusack, manual task consultant Shane O'Brien, and maintenance planner Vivian Daniels.

The awards were presented by St John of God Subiaco Hospital Chief Executive officer Professor Shirley Bowen, who said the caregivers exhibited the core value of hospitality.

“The caregivers who were recognised in these awards are continuing a great history of service, which was entrusted to us by the hospital’s founders," she said.

“Here at St John of God Subiaco Hospital, we believe that relationships are central to everything we do, and that every encounter we have is an opportunity to have far-reaching effects on patients, our colleagues, and the wider community.

St John of God helped the sick and poor 500 years ago in Spain – and so the event was a Spanish themed outdoor paella lunch fiesta, which members of the executive served to all caregivers, with Spanish musicians and dancers to create a festive atmosphere.