Elizabeth Geddes: The NSW Health Pathology COVID-19 SMS Result Service reduced anxiety and alleviated the need for people to self-isolate longer than they needed to, providing results within 24 to 48 hours.
It also freed up frontline hospital and laboratory staff from making manual notifications by phone, and importantly, it showcased what we can do with technology to improve the outcomes for the people of NSW.
I have been incredibly fortunate to have the chance to play a leadership role during a life-changing global pandemic.
I really appreciate the opportunity to work so closely with so many people across NSW Health Pathology in NSW Health to make a difference to the lives of ordinary people in NSW by providing automated timely COVID-19 negative results within 24 to 48 hours after testing.
As a finalist, I feel over the moon. The COVID pandemic, while incredibly difficult, was a massive lever for collaboration and innovation.
Natalie Kahwajy: The south west in particular has been a district where a large number of our population of our patients have actually come from this area.
It is Jonathan and his team who essentially have led the COVID-19 task force that is actually looking after all of these patients. So that's put a lot of excess load on the respiratory or the COVID teams that were led by Jonathan.
Associate Professor Jonathan Williamson: Early on in the course of the pandemic, we realised that we need to approach COVID in a very different way to how hospitals usually run.
Every night, something different happened, and we needed to have a system that could respond to that quickly.
I think we realised early on that we had to get both the medical and nursing and executive arms of the hospital sitting together at the same time regularly to identify problems, come up with a consensus of management strategies and then implement them almost immediately.
And that was what we were able to do through the Liverpool Hospital COVID task force. I guess I feel quite privileged.
There are a lot of good people working in NSW Health.
I imagine it's a challenge to select those amongst a huge number of great potential candidates to shortlist them.
So I guess I feel very privileged to be on that short list.
Dr Shannon Nott: I'm incredibly honoured and humbled to be a finalist for the NSW Health Awards.
All of the people who are doing such fantastic work across NSW Health, and, more specifically, across Western New South Wales, in terms of getting up every day, putting smiles on their faces, and working to their best ability to be able to deliver safe and high-quality care for our patients, particularly across many of our vulnerable communities in rural and remote New South Wales.
I also want to thank and congratulate all the nominees tonight.
The work that each and every one of you do is truly amazing, and I think that as a health system, we are in incredibly great hands to be working alongside such fantastic and dedicated staff. Thank you all.
Shannon Nott: As a winner for the NSW Health Awards, I'm incredibly humbled to be considered even as a nominee for this award.
I want to thank all of the people who are doing such fantastic work across NSW Health, and more specifically, across Western NSW, in terms of getting up every day, putting smiles on their faces, and working to their best ability to be able to deliver safe and high-quality care for our patients, particularly across many of our vulnerable communities in rural and remote NSW.
I also want to thank and congratulate all the nominees tonight. The work that each and every one of you do is truly amazing. And I think that as a health system, we are in incredibly great hands to be working alongside such fantastic and dedicated staff.
Thank you all.
Helen Mears: So some of the most important things about our work is running the coffee shop, which is the best money raiser at the moment.
The girls working in the coffee shop are doing a really good job,'cause it's a lot of pressure.
Purchasing equipment for the hospital makes life easier for people when they come in.
Blanket warmers are wonderful, so we've purchased those and wheelchairs, because with the new extensions with the hospital, there's a lot more walking.
So these wheelchairs are a big help. As a finalist, I am really excited and I feel very humble.
I've been volunteering for 43 years this year, and I still enjoy it very much and I'm honoured to be chosen.
Rhonda Crowe: If you are to remember one thing about volunteering, it is this: that you make so much difference to the lives of others in need.
It's extra care the patients get that they wouldn't normally get.
It's reassurance for the family of those loved ones to know that they're being fed properly and cared for and just a smiley face to see them first thing in the morning.
It's an enormous help to the staff because it frees them up to do the more important nursing things while we're, you know, seeing to these patients.
As a finalist, I do feel honoured and excited, but being a volunteer in general, you don't look for these awards.
You do it for the love of it and because you want to help people and when you do actually receive an award, it's just overwhelming really.
Mary Vincent: My name is Mary Vincent, and I'm a volunteer with the Supportive and Palliative Care Unit at Mount Druitt Hospital in the Western Health District.
And I volunteer to support patients and their families in the palliative care environment.
We've got a beautiful kitchen that people can use. A lounge room.
It's, anyway. All care is taken to provide facilities for everyone to use, make them more comfortable, so that people can feel at home.
I'm very thrilled that I was even nominated, and I certainly didn't expect that I would be chosen as one of the finalists.
It's an honour, because I am only one part of a big team.
There's quite a few of us volunteers.
I'm feeling very honoured and surprised to be honest.
The girls working in the coffee shop are doing a really good job, 'cause it's a lot of pressure.
Blanket warmers are wonderful, so we've purchased those, and wheelchairs, because with the new extensions with the hospital, there's a lot more walking, so these wheelchairs are a big help.
As the winner of this award, I am really excited.
I just can't believe that I've been chosen, and I still love doing what I do so I keep coming to work as much as I can.
And I love all the girls, so it's lovely.
Thank you.
