Caregiver of the Year Awards 2022

Our annual Caregiver of the Year award recognises caregivers who have lived the spirit of St John of God Health Care by going above and beyond in their regular roles to demonstrate our organisational values of hospitality, compassion, respect, justice or excellence.

Last year a number of nominations were received across our three hospitals with four highly commended caregivers, along with four CEO award winners, chosen to receive this top honour

And the winners are…

Anthony Gomez

– IT Support Officer, South East Melbourne Hospitals

What motivates you to go above and beyond?

“No matter how big or small the task, while being surrounded by technology, I can take the opportunity to help the caregivers to do their work efficiently and myself to face new challenges and learn something new every day.”

Anthony works across multiple SJGHC sites including the South East Melbourne hospitals providing a professional and timely service to our caregivers. Over the past few years Anthony has been involved in a number of hospital relocations where he played a pivotal role in ensuring IT equipment was installed, tested and working on time. Anthony’s work ethic, resilience and can-do attitude is an inspiration to us all. Anthony was acknowledged for his demonstration of the value EXCELLENCE through his contribution to the wellbeing and care of patients, visitors and caregivers across Berwick, Frankston and Langmore.

Rex Flannery

– Theatre Technician, Berwick Hospital

What motivates you to go above and beyond?

“My father always ran sporting clubs and had a knack of bringing people together and I was fortunate enough to follow in his footsteps. I have been at SJOG including the Berwick Bush Nursing Hospital for 20 years and at the end of April I will be starting into my 21st year. My parents taught me to be loyal to whoever employs you and show them respect. My father worked on the waterfront for 34 years and I would like to think he was a role model for me to continue his legacy. I love watching the young caregivers come through the ranks and I enjoy watching their journey within SJOG.”

No matter the time of day Rex always goes the extra mile to ensure his fellow caregivers feel included and part of the team always looking out for them in times of need. Rex is an inspiration to his work colleagues, and his dedication and commitment to Berwick Hospital is admirable. Rex was acknowledged for his demonstration of the value EXCELLENCE through his contribution to the wellbeing and care of patients, visitors and caregivers at St John of God Berwick Hospital.

2022 Nominees

Jenny Shurdington – Speech Pathologist, Frankston Rehabilitation Hospital

What motivates you to go above and beyond?

“I want patients to feel like they have been treated with kindness, respect, feel cared about and receive the best therapy possible. I want to make whatever difference I can in their journey. The rewards are inbuilt in smiles, thankyous, and the gains the patients achieve that make a meaningful difference to their lives.”

Jenny has been instrumental in upskilling herself and the speech pathology team to work with patients after facial reanimation surgery. The work Jenny has established has seen exceptional outcomes for patient experiences. Jenny was acknowledged for her demonstration of the value EXCELLENCE through her contribution to the wellbeing and care of patients, visitors and caregivers at St John of God Frankston Rehabilitation Hospital.

Langmore Centre caregivers & SEM colleagues

Langmore Centre caregivers and SEM colleagues were recognised for their involvement in the Langmore relocation project and for their contribution to the delivery of a successful therapeutic space for our patients. Caregivers were given this award for demonstrating the organisation’s five values when caring for our patients, visitors and caregivers during the relocation of St John of God Pinelodge Clinic to St John of God Langmore Centre. Caregivers demonstrated commitment in EXCELLENCE and JUSTICE working as a team to oversee the pack up of Pinelodge Clinic and for their tireless involvement in developing orientation sessions, learning new workflows and the set-up of new departments and work areas. New caregivers and doctors were warmly welcomed by the team and the coordination of transfer of patients was done with HOSPITALITY, RESPECT and COMPASSION.

Highly Commended

Cara Tattersall – Art Therapist, Langmore (Respect)

Irene Hunter – Senior Administration Clerk, Berwick (Excellence)

Jeni Whitefield – Administration Officer Frankston (Excellence)

Seamus O’Donnell – Maintenance Officer, SEM (Excellence)

Nominees

Aldrich Malayang – RN Surgical Ward (Excellence)

Amanda Owen – NUM Maternity Ward (Excellence)

Angela Brown – Administration Officer Surgical Ward (Compassion)

Brenda Rice – Menu Monitor (Hospitality)

Cathy Rose – Pastoral Practitioner (Compassion)

Cheryl Kishere – Environmental Services Assistant (Hospitality)

Deb Cunningham – Speech Pathologist (Excellence)

Donna Howard – Patient Care Assistant (Respect)

DPU PCAs - Berwick (Compassion)

Ellie Pritchard – Midwife/Lactation Consultant (Compassion)

Front Office Team - Berwick (Excellence)

Georgia Mermigas – Food Services Assistant (Hospitality)

Juliet Auger – Care Coordinator (Compassion)

Kate Kang – ANUM Heatherton Ward (Excellence)

Kathryn Bottern – Art Therapist (Excellence)

Krystal Pratt – EN Surgical Ward (Respect)

Kylie Peterson – NUM Frankston (Excellence)

Lauro Jnr Barretto – Environmental Services Assistant (Hospitality)

Lily Bond – Granada Ward (Compassion)

Mandy Fidanza – NUM Medical Ward (Excellence)

Mandy Tapscott – EN Rehabilitation Unit (Excellence)

Monika Whitehead – ANUM Day Oncology (Excellence)

Natalie Atgiaras – EN Nursing Bank (Compassion)

OT department - Frankston (Respect and Compassion)

Paula Millar – EN Granada Ward (Compassion)

Rachael Russell – Allied Health (Excellence)

Rivka George – Occupational Therapist (Excellence)

Speech Pathology Team - Frankston (Excellence)

Stephanie Whyte – Music Therapist (Excellence)

Stephanie Wong – Pastoral Practitioner (Compassion)

Sue Patterson – Administration Clerk (Hospitality)