On 12 May we join together in celebrating International Nurses Day, to honour the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
This year’s theme, “Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies”, reminds us that when we care for the people who care for our communities, we all benefit. It’s a powerful call to action from the International Council of Nurses, urging governments and organisations everywhere to invest in the wellbeing, safety and recognition of the nursing profession.
At Doutta Galla, we know that caring for our staff strengthens more than just the economy. It strengthens our homes, our communities, and our culture of care. Over the past year, we’ve made meaningful strides in not only recognising but importantly supporting the vital role that our nurses play. We have not only met required benchmarks in providing 24/7 Registered Nurse coverage and resident minutes of care, we have transformed our nursing and care model by:
- Creating a resident/client focused division led by a most experienced clinician namely our new Chief Client Officer – Shey Papanikolaou;
- Mandating that clinical and care service delivery managers must be a Registered Nurse first and foremost;
- Introducing four (4) Clinical Nurse Specialist positions in the areas of Behavioural Management, Palliative Care, Diabetes, and Wound Management to work with our clinical and care staff to achieve best practice outcomes for residents and clients across the services we provide;
- Implementing a new nursing and care staffing structure that supports local leadership at site level on a shift-by-shift basis;
- Empowering our nursing staff to achieve their best by investment in ongoing staff development through organisational membership of the Australian College of Nursing; working collaboratively with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation; providing a dynamic and relevant education program to ensure required competencies are met and importantly maintained; and supporting staff to upskill and achieve post-graduate qualifications to enhance the care we provide.
As a current Registered Nurse myself, I understand both the profound rewards and the unique challenges that come with this important role. On this day, we pause to honour the skill, dedication and compassion of nurses across all settings – especially our very own Doutta Galla registered and enrolled nurses and to express our heartfelt thanks for the care you provide every day.
Glenn Rappensberg
Chief Executive Officer