Two members of the NSWNMA have been recognised in this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) awards.
NSWNMA member Fiona Mitchell was named Swansea Local Woman of the Year for her leadership during COVID-19. Fiona, who manages Belmont Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED), was nominated for the award by her local member of parliament, Yasmin Catley MP. Fiona played a key role in designing and implementing an innovative swabbing model for the Hunter New England Local Health District, to help prevent people from catching COVID-19.
Fiona told The Lamp that at the start of the pandemic, her general manager gave her two days to come up with a model for the care and management of COVID in her ED. “My director and I designed and rolled out Hunter’s first drive-through swab clinic, which tested thousands every day.”
Their design used an initial telephone assessment, followed by a drive-through appointment. “We set up a phone line so people could register and get an appointment time,” she explained.
Clients’ details were taken over the phone, to minimise the waiting and contact times at the drive-through testing centre, which used nurses who were furloughed because they were close contacts. “When COVID started, we had registered nurses on COVID leave take the phone calls,” Fiona said.
It is gratifying to be recognised for leadership in nursing, Fiona said, especially during a time “when no one knew what we were dealing with”. She added that the award also recognises the challenges nurses are facing at the moment. As an active member of the NSWNMA, Fiona has also been an advocate for improved nurse-to-patient ratios.
“Nurses haven’t been coping for a long time,” she said, citing overcrowding, ramping, and long delays in her ED. “Our EDs just don’t have beds to put patients on. My staff … are flogged.”
“With the help of the Association, we have recently managed to increase our staffing. I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of the union.”
She added that she is grateful to champions such as Yasmin Catley, who recognise the challenges nurses are facing and advocate for them in parliament.
Aged care nurse Jocelyn Hofman was also nominated for an IWD award in 2022: the Unions NSW Lina Cabaero Award. An activist and NSWNMA member for 20 years, Jocelyn was nominated for her campaigning to improve staffing, nurse education and training, and better workplace safety in the aged care sector.
“I feel very humbled for being nominated by our Association,” Jocelyn said.
“It’s very special to be nominated by my colleagues; Lina’s are big shoes to fill.”
She said her proudest achieve-ment is the way that the issues in aged care are now being widely understood. “The community is finally finding out about our dire situation,” said Jocelyn, who has tirelessly raised awareness about the sector through doorknocking, joining community groups and talking to anyone who will listen.
The award pays tribute to the life and the contribution of the late Lina Cabaero, who worked with the national democratic movement opposing the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines, and in Australia she campaigned for the rights of workers, especially migrant women workers.