Aged care excellence recognised in 2022 HESTA awards
The 2022 HESTA Excellence Award winners have been recognised for their inspiring work across the disability, allied health, aged care and community services sectors.
Nursing employer HealthX and the falls improvement program team from Brightwater Care Group received the Outstanding Organisation – Aged Care and Team Excellence – Aged Care awards, respectively. The winners will share in a $60,000 prize money pool to be used for further education, service improvement or team development, courtesy of longstanding HESTA Awards supporter ME.
HESTA CEO Debby Blakey congratulated the winners and finalists and acknowledged their inspiring work.
“A huge congratulations to all our winners and finalists. These teams and organisations have gone above and beyond to deliver critical services, making a real difference for so many people in need across Australia,” Blakey said.
“We are so grateful for the contributions these professionals make each day to support our communities and keep our nation safe and healthy. It’s a great honour for the HESTA team to help recognise their vital work.”
Outstanding Organisation – Aged Care
- HealthX – Petrie Terrace, Qld
Health X has developed innovative programs to help address Australia’s aged care workforce shortages. These initiatives boost long-term staff capacity to improve the overall wellbeing of individuals, families and communities.
HealthX Chief Operations Officer Andrew McAuliffe said the team was honoured to be recognised, alongside Australia’s leading healthcare providers.
“We see this as an acknowledgement of our high level of service, our ability to react quickly in times of crisis and the relentless dedication of all HealthX employees,” McAuliffe said.
The prize money will be directed back into supporting their employees with professional and personal development, to help their health, wellbeing and sense of community and belonging.
Team Excellence – Aged Care
- Falls Improvement Program Team, Brightwater Care Group – Inglewood, WA
The team produced evidence-based strategies in falls prevention to reduce fall rates, better support aged care residents and improve overall knowledge gaps.
The program saw a 28% decline in fall rates within six months.
Professor Catherine Stoddart PSM, Brightwater CEO, said winning a HESTA Award meant so much to the organisation.
“We are so proud of our Falls Improvement Team. This award is an acknowledgement of the wonderful work our staff do every day to ensure we can support our residents to continue to be independent and live well.
“To put falls prevention in the spotlight through this award we hope will trigger a cultural shift in the wider health sector as we have shown that falls in older Australians are preventable. The prize money will enable us to take this program even further,” Stoddart said.
ME CEO Martine Jager praised the winners and thanked them for their work.
“A huge congratulations to all of these truly deserving winners. Your exceptional work helping communities most in need absolutely deserves to be celebrated. On behalf of ME, thank you for your dedication, passion and incredibly hard work.”
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