The WA health system’s exceptional nurses and midwives featured prominently, with Deborah Jones – Aged Care Transition and Liaison Nurse from Rockingham General Hospital – taking out top honour as Western Australia’s 2020 Nurse of the Year.
Deborah was also awarded in the Excellence in Primary, Public and Community Care category.
Ms Jones’ work has led to a decline in adverse outcomes and readmission to hospital, with patients reporting improved understanding of their medical conditions and medications.
Other category winners from the WA health system included:
- Lisa Burt – Graduate Midwife of the Year: Women and Newborn Health Service, North Metropolitan Health Service.
- Lindsy McCall – Graduate Nurse of the Year: WA Country Health Service – Great Southern
- Jacob Brown – Excellence in Enrolled Nursing: Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group, South Metropolitan Health Service
- Sharon Rowe – Excellence in Rural and Remote Health: Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group, South Metropolitan Health Service
- Bernadette Garnier – Excellence in Aboriginal Health: WA Country Health Service – Wheatbelt
- Kasey Biggar – Excellence in Midwifery: WA Country Health Service – Bunbury Hospital
- Kylie Ekins – Excellence in Leadership: WA Country Health Service – Goldfields
The Health Hub Team, Chantelle Pears and Lauren Van der Linde from Pilbara Population Health, won the Excellence in Person-Centred Care team award for bridging the gap in access to primary health care while improving engagement satisfaction among Aboriginal populations.
Two new Lifetime Achievement Honour Awards recipients – Professor Gavin Leslie and Professor Rhonda Marriott – were also announced. The pair were honoured for the significant impact they had made to the nursing and midwifery professions on a local, national and international level.
The event was also an opportunity to recognise the efforts of the 19 Western Australian nurses deployed to Victoria to assist with the State’s COVID-19 response last year.
The WA Nursing and Midwifery Awards were organised by the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office, view the full list of WANMEA winners (external site).