Our recent STAR Award winner for Exceptional Teamwork is the Monash Children’s Hospital (MCH) Nurse Managers group.
The Exceptional Teamwork award is for an individual, group or team who demonstrates outstanding teamwork qualities, including:
- Building an inclusive, high-performing culture.
- Working together to improve systems, processes and the work environment.
- Putting quality and kindness at the heart of everything they do.
The MCH Nurse Managers group have won the award for their unwavering commitment to their teams and patients while supporting each other as well. Having a supportive network of colleagues is vital to meet the demands of the Nurse Manager role and ensures they continue to perform their duties highly. The MCH Nurse Manager group exemplifies how a high-performing team can positively influence system processes, the work environment and the quality of care.
Operationally, the MCH Nurse Managers group regularly and collaboratively strategise to improve on meeting their collective KPIs. The group meet at least once a day to discuss patient flow and works together to support high-risk areas and staffing variances. They work with their teams to support effective redeployment so that the site remains operationally safe and the staff are appropriately supported. They adopt processes from each other that support quality care outcomes and a safer environment for all.
The MCH Nurse Managers also contribute to the care planning of the known high-risk patients across the site and always attend showing kindness and support. They also cover the code grey roster along with their usual responsibilities; this can be a time-demanding responsibility, but they do it effortlessly and always maintain a patient and employee-centred focus.
Culturally, the MCH Nurse Managers ensure that the successes of a colleague or team are shared and celebrated together. The team are not challenged to talk through conflicts; discussions are done with respect and a mutual agreement to always put the patient first every time. They know that addressing conflict timely creates a stronger more robust working environment for all involved. Understanding our different challenges improves our service delivery and communication. Moving away from ‘silo’ thinking to ‘operational’ improves their ability to care for our patients and families across the site. Many an evening an MCH Nurse Manager can be found sitting with a parent, a patient, a staff member or in their office ‘just finishing something off’ so that the ward and site are meaningfully supported.
The exceptional teamwork of the MCH Nurse Managers group was highlighted recently when one of our MCH wards experienced a tragedy. The Nurse Managers mobilised their teams to provide clinical coverage to the ward to ensure that the team could be briefed in a sensitive and supportive way about the news and have the protected time required to reflect with each other appropriately. This is one of many examples whereby the Nurse Manager team have come together to provide support.
One of their colleagues shared, “This team has supported me through the toughest of times. Their positivity, reassurance, support, drive and innovation inspire me every day. They are never too busy to teach, support or give advice to each other. They consciously listen and will make themselves available to have a laugh or a cry. I am honoured to be a part of this team that truly embodies the iCARE values.”
Congratulations to the MCH Nurse Managers group for winning this STAR Award.
If you would like to nominate a colleague or team, you can do so at any time by visiting the STAR Awards portal. For more information about the STAR Awards program, Monash Health Employee Recognition Program page.
Approved by Chris McLoughlin, Executive Director People and Culture