Nurse, Midwife and Team of the Year Awards

Bethany Riley - WINNER

Bethany is a positive role model, professional cheer leader and advocate for women and Midwives. In 2022 Bethany took a concept and developed a training package for ENs to once again safely work in maternity units providing women centred care. Bethany cares for and mentors students and new staff in a manner that is empowering.

Judith Driscoll

Judi goes above and beyond for all her Midwifery patients. She provides care of the highest standard for both her antenatal and postnatal patients. In difficult situations Judi is compassionate and supportive to postnatal mothers in their most difficult times. Judi is passionate about her career in midwifery and the provision of the service to the community of Forbes, so women don't have to travel to access services.

Stacey Edwards

Stacey is an asset to the community of Condobolin. Stacey makes a difference to all the mothers by providing thorough and supportive care. She goes above and beyond in her role as community midwife and child and family health nurse to ensure all mothers and babies are safe.

Peta Sharkey

Peta is passionate about midwifery care, currently working in the educator role and proactive about providing up to date information, training, and support to new and existing midwives in order to ensure appropriate, exceptional care to women and babies in the Western NSW region. She has worked tirelessly in her role and is an advocate for women, babies, and families.

Lou Gillman

Lou provides an outreach midwifery service to Lightning Ridge. Providing this service, she wraps services around the women enabling them to remain in their local community for antenatal and postnatal care. Lou has created strong partnerships with local services, so the women and their families receive appropriate support in between Lou's visits.

Sharni Chimenti

Sharni has worked extremely hard in her current role. She is passionate about providing education and support to all. She has collaborated with staff to run regular Perinatal Safety Education days & Sepsis Workshops. Sharni's dedicated, hands on approach to education sessions have made them more realistic, interactive & entertaining. She has also gone out of her way to provide perinatal education to critical care staff which has been very well received.

Jennine Maher

Jennine is always trying to improve the unit; she is passionate about midwifery. She is always supportive and caring for new grads and colleagues and fantastic to work with. Always goes out of her way to help. Is passionate about education and teaching antenatal classes! I love always to feel supported and that I have knowledgeable back up when I need it.

Sarah Doel

Sarah can build a positive repour with all clients & staff members, providing an outstanding service to all. Sarah identified a need for a service outside of the WNSWLHD Footprint for women and children in the community and the results are shown in the number of patients using the drop-in clinic and the engagement from all. She is a soothing influence, is always bright & bubbly and operates at the speed of the Energiser Bunny, without ever looking rushed or unfocused.

Alex Bartlett

Alex has been a midwife in Coonamble Community Health team for many years. She has one of the most challenging caseloads in our state with a very high indigenous caseload. Despite numerous staffing shortages in Alex’s service over the years she has remained a common face for these women and always displays empathy and an excellent bedside manner.

Sarah Heath

Sarah is the epitome of a women centred midwife. Her passion and level of knowledge particularly in the antenatal and parent education space ensures the women receive with high quality care. It is a privilege to work beside Sarah, she is an asset to our team and the women of our area.

Emma Howard

Emma has shown over her extensive career a real passion for care of women across the spectrum, and this can be reflected in the high regard that she has within the Aboriginal communities. It can also be seen in her commitment to travel & care for women within remote communities, this commitment not only improves health outcomes for women, babies and families, but allows women and their families to have care closer to home, reduces barriers to health care and promotes collaboration with other services and promotes women and family centred care.

Lilly Castor

Lilly is a very passionate midwife and gives her all the woman in her care. Lilly has a lasting impact on every woman who she encounters and is an absolute joy to work with. Lilly is an inspiration and role model to the junior midwives and is always happy to give a helping hand.

Melissa Ousby

Melissa has been instrumental in building a dynamic maternity service which embraces the needs of her community, engages the local medical support services, and grows her midwifery team. Her well-planned approach to an inclusive and wholistic service encourages her team to strive for excellence in care. Melissa is approachable, kind and generous with her time but brave and open to promoting change. With Melissa developing her individual leadership skills Cowra has a strong future for maternity care and midwifery services.

Sally Jenkins

Her leadership in the SafeStart program has facilitated fantastic communication and detailed documentation to allow the development a confinement place alongside Perinatal Infant Mental Health Services and Dubbo Community Mental Health. A multidisciplinary and multi-agency approach had to be established by services from Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst to support this person's care and provide a family-focused healthcare. Sally demonstrated her years of clinical experiences to develop a strong foundation of rapport and trust with this young woman, who has historically been very distrusting of services

Tanya Bayliss

Tanya is passionate about midwifery care, her woman and ensuring that they have continuity in care that is woman centred. Tanya goes above and beyond; she is professional and committed to ensuring the woman get what they need. Her compassion and ability to problem solve care requirements that woman need to ensure they are supported with before during and after they have their babies.

Bailee Harrison

​Bailee is an inspiring leader within Forbes Hospital. Bailee is dedicated to inspiring her team in providing patient centred care. Bailee empowers and nurtures her team to continue to develop their skills so that they can provide high quality, patient centred care. We are so fortunate that Bailee is one of our leaders at Forbes Hospital!!

Belinda Tracy

Belinda is one of the managers in the Public Health Unit.  She goes above and beyond to assist the team and to make time for each individual team member. Belinda has made the team more cohesive and organised and has increased communication amongst the team members which in turn has improved the responses times and outcomes for clients and patients.

Grace Allen

Grace is a strong asset to her role and Narromine is incredibly fortunate to have her as our Nurse manager.

Grace is dedicated and hardworking. Grace is extremely organized and focused on continuously learning and developing best practices to manage routine activities both efficiently and effectively. Grace brings a positive high energy and a personal touch. Grace has initiated multiple quality improvement initiatives over the years for managing our nursing department that thoroughly impressed all staff.

Jane Keys

Jane is an exceptional leader, she leads with compassion, empathy, and a drive to provide an adaptive service that meets the needs of the children and families that her staff support.

Jane has a background in nursing, midwifery, and women’s health. The depth of her clinical knowledge allows her to provide leadership and supervision to her team to a high level. She shares her skills and knowledge willingly and covers clinical service gaps such as home visiting when her team is short staffed.

Madelene McKenzie-Lindgren - WINNER

Madelene has an excellent commitment and dedication to her job and has been instrumental in setting up a new interventional service (Cardiac Catheter lab in Dubbo). Madelene goes above and beyond for her nurses and all other staff within the facility. She is always approachable and very friendly. Madelene has performed tasks well beyond her expected role in seeking accreditation to begin performing coronary stenting in Dubbo.

Maddy Hubbard

Maddy is an all-round wonderful midwife, be it in her office job writing policies or researching changes to patient care or when she provides face to face care with clients or provides education to all forms of staff. Maddy loves her rural and remote settings and clients in both. Maddy works above and beyond, she is compassionate about midwifery and staff wellness.

Tracey Pickette

Tracey is a very experienced nurse with an amazing amount of knowledge, not just in the nursing field. She has a gentle, very compassionate manner and is non-judgemental towards her patients/clients. She is honest with them if she doesn't know the answer to their questions & explains how she will get that information. She has a calm nature when under pressure, giving the teams a sense of calm. Tracey is a role model that every nurse could learn from.

Sandra Wharton

Sandra guided and supported all hospitals, including MPS’s across the whole district over the last three years during the Pandemic and continues to provide support with COVID outbreaks. Sandra has a wealth of knowledge and demonstrates leadership as an Infection control consultant. As an IPaC consultant, Sandra ensures that all staff are working towards improved global health through programs such as the National Hand Hygiene Initiative and antibiotic stewardship.

Jess Keady

Jess has demonstrated exceptional skill in providing clinical leadership and expert advice to her colleagues, as well as promoting best practices in patient care. This important work provides standardised education and pathways for emergency nurses working across WNSWLHD. Jess has also played a crucial role in developing and implementing new programs or initiatives such as the Critical Care Drugs Administration Guidelines to improve patient safety and outcomes.

Jess is an exceptional collaborator across the LHD and is recognised both internally and externally as an absolute wealth of knowledge. These qualities would make her a deserving candidate for an award recognising her dedication and contributions to the nursing profession.

Katrina Mulligan

Katrina has great leadership capability with a unique team building set of skills. In recent years Katrina has not only progressed in her career to reach the role of A/GM Northern, but Katrina has also sought to learn from others, sought out mentorship and showed great initiative in all her roles.

Katrina's people skills are second to none which has served to improve safety culture at many and varied sites across the LHD

Cath Ryan

Cath is an exceptionally passionate advocate for rural midwifery, especially our level 3 Maternity Sites. She provides fantastic support and encouragement to level 3 sites to think of new ways to promote our services and keep our women local and proactive as much as possible.

Frexy Pius

Frexy is proud to be a nurse and has a strong understanding of what it means to be a nurse. She sets an expected standard of care, supports staff to achieve this and holds people accountable when it does not happen. Frexy is an excellent role model for new and more experienced nurses. She guides, mentors and challenges nurses to do better and be better.

Frexy is a relatively new NUM who has displayed professionalism, courage, and maturity during challenging times. She has shown leadership beyond expectation - being a true advocate for her staff, patients and service when needed but also providing them with direction when emotions are high.

Catherine Sheahan

Catherine is an excellent leader in the field of mental health nursing in the community.  She is an amazing support to all of the staff in the Dubbo team as well as to those in the outlying regions.  Catherine some days never stops; she works with the clients' best needs in the forefront and ensures that the staff are supported in their roles.  Her compassion to those in crisis as well as to their families is amazing to see and her genuine love for her role is amazing to see.  Catherine is here for the love of the service and what she can provide to the community, she works hard and truly cares for those that she looks after.  She is an inspiration to all in the workplace.

Walgett - WINNER

The amazing nurses at Walgett are renowned for having a supportive team environment with encouragement towards education and future career progression. They have shown amazing commitment to continued education with over 80% staff completing the new emergency nursing pathway and embracing change with gusto.  The Walgett Nursing team excel at collaborative communication starting with safety huddles to make sure everybody has the ability to speak up about their achievements and that collaboration is recognised. The nursing staff are dedicated to enhancing client centered care including spending the time to individualise the care needs of their clients and to enhance people in being proactive at home to reduce presentations has been a major focus and achievement of Walgett health Service.

Dubbo Sub Acute Ward - Rehabilitation and Palliative Care Nursing Team

This team biggest asset is how supportive they are of each other. The team have had multiple changes though the last 6 months and each member has risen to each challenge. The team jells together, pulls each other through with kindness, laugher, and resilience. The team are known for checking in on each other and making sure they look after each other’s wellbeing. Dubbo Sub Acute ward have a monthly newsletter highlighting important health benefits, wellbeing, a few jokes, and a spotlight on a team member.

Orange Hospital Midwifery Team

This team is being nominated for being a great team with high work ethics. Orange Hospital Midwifery team work collaboratively with each other to accommodate when other birthing centres are closed. The team is committed to growing their own Midwives with and increase in student midwives in 2022 and 2023.

Grenfell MPS Nursing Team

Grenfell MPS provides care to both inpatients and outpatients, as well as 34 aged care residents in their RAC. Throughout the constant struggles of working short staffed and dealing with three COVID outbreaks during 2022, they maintained their professionalism and commitment to quality nursing care at all times. They are passionate about the future of nursing. They encourage each other to further their education. Nurses in the team wishing to upskill are supported. They are extremely supportive of nursing students and are hopeful about the future of the nursing profession.

Rylstone Health Service

Rylstone Health Service nursing team have been recognised for the excellent teamwork shown by ALL staff at the facility especially throughout the COVID outbreak in January 2023. All members of the nursing team at Rylstone MPS show continual commitment to their profession through ensuring training is up to date, volunteering for roles involving increase in knowledge and skills and ensuring this knowledge is passed on to the rest of their team. They always seek for the new ideas and ways to contribute to the care and service delivery for our patients and residents.

Western NSW SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner)Team for the IVAN (Integrated Violence Abuse and Neglect) Crisis Response Service

Those who’ve been victims of abusive or violent behaviour can have significant physical health concerns and may also exhibit signs of disordered mental health, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A SANE nurse can help determine these patients’ care needs, while also providing them with the gentleness, compassion, and warmth they need as they seek to move forward from a traumatic situation.

Our team of SANE nurses within Western provide coverage across the district when the rosters need filling, they work together and support each other. The SANE nurses have assisted in the development of the Bathurst Paediatric support model- which provides hands off support to paediatrician's undertaking child medical/ forensic examinations after a sexual assault, allowing for a child centred response and collaborative clinical support.

Dubbo Health Service Maternity

Dubbo Health Service Maternity have been nominated for pulling together to ensure that women receive the best care possible despite working with workforce challenges.

The team is united, staff are open, caring and place patient care above all else and are always honest and open when they ask "are you OK?" The team go out of their way to ensure that women and their families get the best they can provide.

Bloomfield Mental Health Hospital, Manara Clinic

Manara clinic has an excellent model of care, which focuses on the client’s wellbeing, stability and adaptability whether they are outside in the community or inside the hospital. Each nurse has the commitment to provide optimal patient care and promote the nursing profession.

Bathurst Community Mental Health

This team has demonstrated exceptional resilience in the face of numerous adversities, including staffing shortages, limited resources, and ongoing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, the Mental Health Team has remained committed to providing the highest quality care to their consumers. They have gone above and beyond to make difficult decisions and implement significant practice changes in order to improve the wellbeing of their consumers. One example was to implement a new Acute Response Model, that was a significant practice change in this space.

Molong Hospital

The whole team at Molong are always willing to help, friendly and professional.

Molong promotes lifelong learning and a commitment to growing your own staff - always teaching and training new staff including new grads, overseas staff and staff new to rural nursing.

Collarenebri Multipurpose Health Service

Over the last 12 months Collarenebri Nursing Staff have been working as a team to provide a high standard of care to Residents, Acute inpatients, and emergency presentations.

Collarenebri Nurses support each other and have supported the development of New Graduate RN’s. Over the last 4 months they have been supporting a student from the local High School to gain Certificate 3 qualification as an AIN and the transition of an enrolled Nurse to a Registered Nurse.

Forbes Theatre

The Forbes Theatre nurses provide a service to the town that allows the Midwifery unit to remain open. A small team of less than 5 provide 24/7 on call roster. Being on call on their days off and rarely getting a day off call. The respect between the team is utmost. They are valued and appreciated. By remaining on call they improve the outcomes for families in our rural site.

Narromine Health Service

The nursing staff and wider team at Narromine are exceptional. Their commitment to their patients, nursing profession and working culture is amazing and should be commended. Each team member in Narromine is valued and management take opportunities to build rapport as a team through different activities such as their monthly BBQs where all the team gets involved and they grow as a team. Management and senior staff are approachable, and the benefit of this positive culture spreads and the whole team has benefited from it. The staff are valued, have work satisfaction and this flows pride in their profession. This pride leads to exceptional evidenced based care for patients.

Surgical Inpatient Unit, Dubbo Health Service

The SIPU nurses display courage, resilience, and professionalism over the past 10 months to care extremely complex patients. They have been role models to others on the ward and within the facility. The SIPU nursing staff feel that nursing is about forming connections and making patients part of the care team. SIPU did this. Their professionalism makes the entire facility proud.

Coonabarabran Health Service

Coonabarabran Health Service has taken the strategy of "one hospital many locations" and translated this to "one Team many workspaces".  The nursing team members have ensured familiarity with each other's roles, functions, and tasks. This blend of knowledge and skills allows for a workforce to be adaptive across a range of services being delivered simultaneously.  Over the last 12 months significant staff shortfalls have created an environment where it is no longer possible for teams to work in isolation.  In order to achieve patient outcomes, the team identified the need to adapt to be an all-inclusive model of care that adapts to new challenges that supports skills acquisition, educates to achieve competency to enhance direct patient care.

Western NSW Public Health Nurses Team & Western NSW School Vaccination Program Team

The Public Health Unit Nursing Team has worked tirelessly since the start of the pandemic to continue to provide Communicable disease control and the school vaccination program for the people of western NSW. The Public health unit works in the background to ensure public health measures are in place to protect and prevent disease in our community. The Public Health Unit oversees immunisation programs and provides general immunisation advice as well as continuing to deliver stand up clinics such as JEV, influenza and the school vaccination program with the difficulties of the pandemic. The Public Health Unit Nursing team and a team of highly skilled and knowledgeable nursing staff who provide a level of services second to none to the community. They are Nurses who are behind the scenes working hard to keep the community safe from preventable diseases.

Haematology/Oncology nursing team at the Western Cancer Centre Dubbo

The nursing team at the Western Cancer Centre Dubbo is to be commended for the very high level of care and attention shown to their patients, many of whom travel hundreds of kilometres to receive treatment for haematological and solid tumour cancers. The nurses in this unit truly operate as a team with a visible commitment to excellence. They embrace learning, demonstrate interest in new therapies and are engaged in quality improvement. Despite a heavy workload they continue to smile and put their patients first. Communication between the nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team including pharmacists and doctors is excellent.

Amy O’Hanlon

Amy is an exceptionally intelligent, motivated, and compassionate nurse who focuses on patient centred care while ensuring family and/or carers are involved in the patients care every step of the way. Amy always goes above and beyond for not only her patients, but also her fellow colleagues and seeks out ways to learn, improve and reflect on her practice. Amy is a delight to work with and will achieve such greatness and will develop into the sort of nurse that other staff members look up too for guidance and support.

Garima Nepal - WINNER

Garima has demonstrated excellence in care provision and leadership.  She has attained a high-level skill set allowing her to manage complex situations with minimal support or guidance.  She works well within both the nursing and multidisciplinary team and her opinion and observations of patient’s achievements are valued within both teams. Garima commenced a pathway of learning to allow early transition to undertake Triage and ED work.  She seeks every opportunity to assist her co-workers and learn new skills.  She actively engages with all patients from time of arrival to time of discharge.  She regularly speaks up for safety, is engaged in auditing against National standards and is providing support to the 2024 cohort of Graduate nurses.

Anne Lawrence

Anne has grown into a confident and strong team member. She is never afraid to ask for help, ask questions and advocate for her patients. She has strong clinical skills and is keen to learn new ones. Anne has picked up the ball and run at Sub Acute. She is a great team player, already demonstrates leadership skills and shows great initiative. Anne is often seen talking to her patients and putting a smile on their face. She has come a long way with the difficult task of looking after palliative patients and their families, she has made them feel comfortable and at home as much as possible. She checks in on her team and makes sure everyone is ok or ready to go home. She will especially check in when it’s been a horrible shift or if she thinks someone might be having a hard time - whether patient, college or family member.

Mandy Debenham

Mandy works tirelessly for all members of our LHD communities; both for consumers of all our services, and for staff alike and should be commended. Mandy’s fervent advocacy to promote safe, high-level care for patients and for staff to be supported and valued as they strive towards this goal. Mandy truly embodies the values of Collaboration, Openness, Respect, and Empowerment to every patient, family member and colleague that is fortunate enough, to be either cared for by her or working alongside her. Her passion and dedication to Nursing is inspiring and her experience in so many different aspects of Nursing make her an extremely worthy candidate for Aboriginal Nurse/Midwife of the Year.

Lee-Ann Hurst - WINNER

Lee-ann is a CNS for Ambulatory care.  She goes above and beyond in her role not only to assist the Ambulatory care unit but the wider hospital. Lee-ann is committed to improving care for all patients in our unit.  She always identifies the patient and ensure she understands their needs, potential barriers, advocates on their behalf and involves our aboriginal liaison officers to enhance their experience. Leeann introduced the REACH- adult Aboriginal poster to be displayed in the unit to encourage that "with your help together we can be a great team". Lee-ann is a true asset to our team and WNSWLHD.

Kelly Lienesch

Kelly is an Enrolled Nurse and works in the AMIHS team at Bourke. Kelly is a passionate team member who has an outstanding work ethic, working across the whole community. Kelly is a key contact for the Bourke community building a rapport with other agencies, school, NGOs and Maranguka to provide a holistic service to the women and their families. She is able to case manage the women during the antenatal period, wrapping services around them and their families to achieve the woman's individual pregnancy and birth journey goals. Kelly is always willing to lead and assist with new initiatives from antenatal education to the elders, breastfeeding yarning to the men's group, support and education to student midwives or participation in working groups for Maranguka. If Kelly can improve outcomes for women and their babies in Bourke she will! Kelly is an advocate for the women and their families in Bourke helping the midwives in providing quality, evidenced base antenatal and postnatal care. 

Monica Hawkins

Monica is a dedicated, compassionate, kind nurse who always goes above and beyond in her role as Assistant in Nursing in the residential aged Care area. Monica demonstrates an exceptionally high level of care to the residents and their families. Monica is an excellent role model and is always willing to help others.

Alison Murray

Ally is a 5th year RN who has a very caring approach to her patients, she is approachable displays empathy and compassion to patients, families, and colleagues. Ally is developing her leadership skills and shares her knowledge with others. She critically thinks and reflects on her own practice.

Ally actively participates in assisting the team to provide care and support to her people. She advocates for them and is able to guide us in what is best for them. Ally is our future, her leadership, work qualities and work ethic will help to deliver outstanding care to our patients.

Matthew Scott

Matthew is the sole Aboriginal Liaison Officer who provides culturally safe and appropriate health care to all Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander inpatients that come through the Bloomfield Health Service. Matthew will go above and beyond to provide the best care to his consumers whilst applying a cultural lens and understanding to the consumer's requirements.

Matthew is a role model and a leader to the many teams he works with as they call upon his unique skills. Matthew has provided safe and appropriate cultural support to many consumers over the years and educates other staff to be able to provide safe and appropriate care should he be unavailable to attend to a consumer.

Kerry Richardson

Kerry is kind-hearted and understanding always striving to improve the ways in which the community and patients are cared for. Kerry makes sure to enhance her skillset wherever she can so that more services are available to patients and the community. Kerry is always striving for improvement in all aspects of patient care, hoping that in the future more services will be available in and for the community and that we will be much closer to closing the gap.

Narelle Andrews

Narelle is a passionate clinician and advocate for Aboriginal people.  No challenge is too great for her.  She is an inspiration to other nurses who hold her in the highest regard.  Coonabarabran recently accepted its first Aboriginal Cadetship - Nursing, and Narelle will provide support and mentorship for this employee.  Narelle is working across the age spectrum from birth to death and all moments in between and demonstrates excellence in care, compassion, and empathy in all that she undertakes.  Narelle is constantly looking for new opportunities to assist Aboriginal people in their health needs and is continuing to actively engage in self education to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people. Dialysis is an area of high Aboriginal vulnerability within Coonabarabran and Narelle is about to undertake training for Dialysis so that a culturally sensitive and appropriate care model for Aboriginal dialysis patients can progress.

Jane Mathews

Jane has been a nurse for decades and has been at Bathurst hospital for a very long time. She feels responsible for her patients and strives for positive patient outcomes. She's committed to increasing her knowledge to provide the best and most evidence-based patient care.

Jane is kind and approachable. She is happy to teach and answer questions. Jane goes out of her way to make new staff feel welcome, especially new nurses. Her knowledge of everything CT, medical imaging, radiology nursing is incredible. She has been the sole nurse in imaging for years until recently where she ran busy days full of biopsies, injections, PICC lines, Vas caths, and drainages. She makes every day better with her fun and happy personality.

Tina Robinson

Tina represents what it means to be a primary nurse - she is always thinking of all the aspects of care for her patients including treatment, surveillance, and preventative care, making sure her patients can still undertake normal duties of life. Tina provides comprehensive acute, chronic, and preventative care to her patients.  Tina has been recognised in the provision of care to many families and has been critical in many of the patients’ lives she has worked with.

Rachel (Simone) Purtell - WINNER

Simone is a strong asset to her role and Narromine is incredibly fortunate to have her as a nurse. Simone embodies the organisational values and behaviours and seeks to deliver excellence, through helping, supporting, and developing others. Simone is the nurse preceptor and wound champion at Narromine HS. At a service level, Simone ensures delivery of high-quality service, ensuring appropriate support and advice is given, and staff are supported, going above and beyond when needed. At an organisational level she is an ambassador for our expectations of values and behaviour. She delivers excellence, achieves ambitions (for herself and others) supports people in working together to ensure a good service and everything she does is underpinned by compassionate care for those she works with. Well documented research shows the benefit of engaged staff on patient care; “happy staff make happy patients.” Simone's positive outlook and attitude has a direct impact on the team around her and the staff she supports, enabling them to deliver excellent care at the heart of the community.

Maree Hawke

Maree has worked in the community child and adolescent mental health service in Orange for almost 19 years, and in the NSW health service since 1974!  Maree is a role model to all nurses entering the challenging area of child and adolescent mental health.  Maree is always the first to put her hand up to work with junior nurses and is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom.  Maree remains calm and focused even in times of challenge and stress that often occur in child and adolescent mental health, and will always come back to doing all she can to improve the wellbeing and health of the young people and families she works with.

Michelle Finnegan

Michelle is an amazing EEN nurse who can work in all areas of Parkes Hospital-Emergency, inpatient, theatre, infusion clinics. She is always striving to do the best for her patients and ensuring that processes are in place to keep them safe. She is passionate about her nursing and patient care and is always striving to do the best for her patients. She is just an awesome team member to have and working with her is a pleasure. Michelle is committed and passionate about nursing, she is a forward thinker and planner and happy to take on challenges. She wants to make a difference to patient’s experiences.

Elizabeth Greaves

Liz has had a huge career in nursing caring for people and the community for a very long time. Liz is a great nurse, always compassionate to others, will go above and beyond to help the community and its patients. With the difficult times that we have faced in the last few years Liz has easily adapted to change and proved to be an enormous asset to the community and the Lightning Ridge Team.

Natalie Henry

Natalie has shown dedication and commitment to working for NSW Health over many years with her employment at Blayney Health service as an EN and now for the past years with Transitional Aged Care. Natalie is a very loved and respected member of any team she works with and has become a very valued member of TACP. Natalie shows an enormous amount of respect and caring towards all staff members, patients, family members in any area that she attends.

Natalie supports colleagues with a caring, no problem attitude which makes working in a team with her a pleasure. She shows leadership and a servant heart to all. Natalie encourages all staff with her helpful attitude and passes on knowledge to increase awareness of better supporting improved health outcomes for clients. Her ability to work through challenges are exemplary in resolving issues around health care of individuals. Natalie only ever has the goal in mind of improving a client's ability to return to a high level of functioning and achieve their best. This demonstrates to all staff that when putting the client first gives improved outcomes and will one by one will improve each person's quality of life.

Kieu Nguyen

Kieu is an absolute asset to the Surgical team, and a wonderful example of a Registered Nurse. She is calm under pressure and performs with a smile on her face. Kieu is extremely hard-working, works well within the multidisciplinary team, and has a genuinely caring nature. Kieu is very supportive and helpful to our new starters and junior staff, assisting them with any questions they may have, and assisting them to complete their tasks. She willingly shares her knowledge with her colleagues and provides a supportive environment for our junior workforce to grow and develop.

Subathra Subramniam

Suba is a senior RN who often leads the SIPU team as the In Charge nurse. She is a wealth of nursing knowledge, who shares it with everyone feely and always has time to help, to guide, and to educate any worker who has need of her. She ensures that you learn from her help, so that your own nursing skills may improve and expand so that you can provide even greater nursing cares into the future. Suba is a nurse with a lot of experience and is often leading the surgical team as Shift in Charge nurse and leads effectively. Having worked as an RN in multiple countries, she is aware of other health systems, and can integrate that working knowledge with NSW Health. She will continue to be a strong nurse into the future.

Melanie Laird

Mel has worked a long career with Western New South Wales Local Health District. Her dedication shines not only in her length of time but her engagement with the different services in the LHD. Mel is the linchpin to a patient’s dialysis journey. In her role as CNC, she comforts and supports new dialysis patient and empowers them through renal options education. She advocates for patient centred dialysis and a smooth transition to treatment. She is beloved by the staff in these units and is relied on for immense clinical knowledge and skills. Mel is also willing to help staff by taking the floor. She supported the Orange Unit through the COVID-19 pandemic taking to the floor when staff were depleted. Mel is an amazing nurse. She has taught and supported many upcoming dialysis nurse throughout her career.  She believes in the good that this profession can do and does her best in every area of her job. Mel demonstrates her commitment through the development of upcoming nurses. Mel understands the need for all nursing staff to have solid fundamentals and skills in renal nursing. She has assisted and taught many of the nurses currently across the southern sector of WNSWLHD and continues to do so. She is flexible in her teaching practices ensuring that she modifying as required by the staff member. She actively engages in coaching through providing feedback and encouraging self-development.

Lisa-Maree Patterson

Lisa has been a breath of fresh air since she started in Dubbo, she has a beautiful nature, is kind, caring and a born nurse. Lisa completes her work with enthusiasm and empathy. Lisa always looking for new ideas and keeps up to date with any new medical requirements and is involved with our Wellbeing Committee and encourages younger staff in their work.  She is an inspiration to us all. Lisa has shown her strengths through empowering others and also providing us with up-to-date information on changes or upcoming courses we may require

Bonnie McCormack

Bonnie is an autonomous and collaborative health leader. She enjoys caring for people from all walks of life. Bonnie demonstrates a passion for improving the delivery of healthcare across all our communities. She goes above and beyond for her patients and their families. Bonnie has proven herself to be a knowledgeable clinician by championing wound management principles. She embodies WNSWLHD organisational values and behaviours. In her daily dealings with consumers and colleagues she demonstrates an exemplary way of being collaborative and respectful. Ultimately, she empowers those around her. As a young nurse who has progressed her career rapidly, Bonnie has a vision for the future of nursing; innovative, technologically advanced with a continued service for high quality care and compassion.

Georgia Langham

Georgia is an exemplary anaesthetic nurse, delivering an extremely high standard of care to her patients, providing strong advocacy on their behalf when they are anaesthetised. She is a valuable team member who demonstrates excellent clinical judgement and technical skills expertise.

Georgia demonstrates every day that her, and nurses like her, are an indispensable asset to the workings of a complex environment like the operating theatre. The operating theatre would simply not function without nurses like her.

Mathew Grant

Mat always put his patients and co-workers as his priority. He always supports other nurses even those who do not work on the ward. He is respected not only by his colleges and patients but management for his hard work and dedication. Mat advocates for safe nursing practices. He leads by example and does not think his fellow nurses should do something he does not.

Emily James

Emily is a very knowledgeable Nurse and is always proactive in seeking assistance if she is unsure about something and going back over something to help her understand the ins and outs of her patients’ presentations. Emily has been a benefit to the Dubbo Emergency Department nursing team working well with all staff and also being there to help support her fellow junior Nurses when they've required it. Since completing her New Grad year Emily has expressed her commitment to emergency nursing and has decided to go on and complete for Rural Critical Care Rotation Program.

Anne Roth

Anne has spent over 30 years working within the field of CFHN for Western NSW LHD.  During this time Anne has always worked above and beyond her role as CNC to ensure staff are well supported to provide the best care possible to children and families.  Anne's passion and drive has always been to ensure children and families are at the forefront of clinical practice, service delivery and the LHD's priorities.  Anne has always been a voice of advocacy for the service, staff, and families.  Anne has been a consistent professional and personable representative of the LHD at various state forums. The continued efforts that Anne has made to this LHD demonstrates why she is very worthy of this award.  Her ability to work with teams, families, facilities and MoH is testament to her skills, professionalism, and knowledge. 

Jeothy Tom

Jeothy is an excellent nurse. She is reliable, compassionate, client centred, trauma informed, good team player and an excellent communicator, providing safe care for clients. Jeothy is passionate about assisting clients to regain their mental health stability. Jeothy is a great role model for other people and her colleagues.

Faoelua Fakatlolo

Lua provided safe, professional, and compassionate care to all her patients, especially in end-of-life care. Lua demonstrates a kind and compassionate nature, providing excellent care which goes above and beyond. Lua presents herself with the utmost professionalism and is very humble in regard to her amazing qualities and strengths. The presence of caring nurses such as Lua in the workplace will ensure that excellence is upheld, both in nursing practice and in humanity.

Amelia Vickary

Amelia is a wonderful Registered Nurse who first completed her EEN training in Cowra and then went on to complete her Registered Nursing. She is a Cowra local and works through multiple domains in the hospital including emergency, theatre, and general ward. She is an enormous asset to the Cowra Hospital and Community overall. Amelia is committed to her growth as a nurse, her learning and support of her patients and colleagues. She is committed to providing the Cowra community with nursing skills of the highest value and expanding her skills to stay current with evidence-based practice.

Cassandra Heywood

Cass is an extraordinary person! She is a highly skilled, extremely knowledgeable, compassionate team player who consistently displays and promotes the highest ethical standards. She effectively demonstrates the true meaning of patient care. Cass is a positive role model and a collaborative interdisciplinary team player. She continually advances her own personal knowledge and exemplifies what it means to be a lifelong learner. In addition, she mentors and coaches’ others in achieving professional goals and development.

Kay Northcott

Kay is a very approachable nurse who always listens and abides by the CORE values of NSW Health. I believe Kay is an asset to Bathurst Hospital. She is professional in all aspects of her work and is always friendly to all staff, patients allied Health and Doctors. Kay is always there to support the younger nurses and helps them understand her role and is keen to support and assist staff no matter what the job is. Kay is a very respected part of the team at Bathurst and needs to be acknowledged. Kay is always approachable and has excellent communication skills, which is demonstrated by her success as the AARCS nurse at Bathurst. 

Maddison Freedman

Maddison is a highly passionate nurse who enthusiastically engages patients. She is devoted to ensuring all mental health patients receive high standards of care and is willing to go beyond to meet their needs. Maddison is a dedicated nurse that does a fantastic job in ensuring patients receive the best possible health outcomes and maintains a high standard of professionalism.

Maddison has been employed in MHD&A since January 2020, she is currently studying Bachelor of Nursing and intends on continuing her career supporting patients with Mental Health conditions.