Echuca Regional Health recently welcomed a special guest - Victoria’s Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer Karrie Long.
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ERH executive director of nursing Maree Woodhouse said it was great for team spirit to have Ms Long come and visit the nurses and midwives.
“It’s been really exciting for her to come up to Echuca and to meet the nurses and midwives who do amazing work at the coalface every day,” she said.
Ms Woodhouse said an important point of discussion between her and Ms Long was the new rostering project that ERH has helped spearhead.
“We’ve been talking about the amazing projects that our team in Echuca has been involved in like the Emergency Care Collaborative, which is all based around patient flow,” Ms Long said.
“Another really exciting project that we’ve been involved in for 12 months is the rostering project about designing guidelines for nurses and midwives’ rosters to create more flexibility.
ERH - Karrie Long Visit. Left - Victoria's Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer Karrie Long and Executive Director of Nursing & Midwifery/ Chief Nursing & Midwifery officer Maree Woodhouse.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
“There’s only three hospitals in the state in that project. The other two are metropolitan hospitals. So we’re really flying the flag for regional and rural hospitals.”
Ms Long said that she was impressed by the work that ERH was doing and pointed to the particular challenges that faced nurses and midwives in regional hospitals.
“The facilities here are amazing and it’s really great to see the energy and to just acknowledge all the hard work that people have done,” she said.
“They were not only responding to COVID, but floods as well. This is at the same time that you’re going to work and you’re also serving your neighbours and your family and your friends.”
Visiting regional hospitals and talking to nursing and midwives not just about the issues they’re facing but about new ideas is an important part of the job according to Ms Long.
“People might say I’m not in the office enough but I think it’s more important to be out, particularly post COVID,” she said.
“It’s really important to be connecting with people and making sure that we really understand the challenges and the opportunities and the innovations and share them across the state.”
Ms Woodhouse said the nurses and midwives in Echuca were excited to welcome their special guest.
“I think for the nurses and midwives on the ground, well, she’s the Chief nurse and midwife for the State of Victoria and to have her wanting to come out and meet the team on the ground here is wonderful. We feel really privileged and really proud that she’s been able to get out to meet us,” she said.
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