Page 11 - Joondalup Health Campus Annual Report 2017
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With 25 years’ nursing experience in both Australia and the United Kingdom, JHC Director of Clinical Services Ben Irish recognises a good work culture when he sees one.
“One of the things that attracted me to this exciting role is the culture at JHC and the willingness by our employees to do their best for our patients,” Ben said.
“We’ve managed to retain the caring and community focus that small hospitals have despite this now being a 716 bed major hospital servicing the northern suburbs, which is a credit to leadership here over many years.
“The big challenge moving forward will be maintaining our strong culture as we continue to expand - an expansion that is necessary to best serve those living in the northern corridor.”
Ben has Executive responsibility for nursing, midwifery and allied health, which makes up over 1,800 staff (or around 60 per cent of the total staffing group).
“I believe in giving our staff the support and space they need to do their job well,” Ben said.
“Looking to the future, we are currently negotiating an expanded service, with more beds, more ambulatory care facilities and the opportunity to allow more patients to be treated closer to home.
“Our Strategic Intent document outlines what we are going to be and the supporting Clinical Services Plan and Safety and Quality Plan demonstrate how we are going to deliver on the objectives laid out in the Strategic Intent.
“What excites me most about the growth
of the hospital is the potential for greater collaboration with those around us – whether it is the organisations within the Joondalup Teaching Precinct or the many community service providers that care for our patients
before they come to hospital and after they leave,” Ben said.
Ben said the appointment of the new
Clinical Trials Co-ordinator would start putting medical, nursing and allied health research contributions on the map and enable us to capitalise on many of these initiatives and examples of best practice already in place.
Ben is a father to two daughters, Maddie
and Chloe, and gets enormous satisfaction in spending time with them, taking them to netball games and to their other passion - swimming.
He sits on the JHC Community Board of Advice and on the Board of Advice for Nursing and Midwifery at ECU and Curtin University.
JOONDALUP HEALTH CAMPUS | ANNUAL REPORT 2016/17
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