St John of God Bunbury Hospital

20/09/2025

Congratulations to Dr Simon Smith.
Thanks to South Western Times for sharing the story in the paper this week.
In the story, Dr Smith talks about his appreciation for the Orthopaedic Unit including his specialist colleagues and the caregivers who support his work.
We know these doctors and caregivers don’t expect recognition but we are so grateful for the difference they make to our patients’ lives.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Simon Smith has officially completed his 5,000th joint replacement surgery at St John of God Bunbury Hospital!

For more than 15 years, Dr Smith has been caring for South West patients with expertise in hip and knee replacements, and a particular clinical interest in partial knee procedures.

Dr Smith said he was proud to work alongside a dedicated multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and allied health professionals, to provide patient-centred care.

“It’s a privilege to be part of a team committed to supporting South West patients through their surgical journey and recovery,” Dr Smith said.

This milestone also highlights our ongoing investment in orthopaedic services – from joint replacements to sports injury management. For patients without private health insurance, we offer a self-funded care option with tailored quotes and payment plans.

📸 Orthopaedic Technician Jenelle Wigley, Registered Nurse Marilyn Gawith, Surgical Assistant Dr Patrick Thornton, Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Simon Smith, Manager Perioperative Services Nigel Mallaber and Anaesthetist Dr Jim McGirr.

19/09/2025

Thanks to our amazing Quality team for helping promote World Patient Safety Day this week 🧡🧡🧡

Our Quality, Risk and Patient Experience team work with our caregivers across the hospital, including nurses like Mandy, to support patient safety, ensuring we reduce risks and provide a high quality experience for our patients.

World Patient Safety Day, celebrated on 17 September each year, is a World Health Organisation global initiative focused on promoting safer healthcare practices and minimising patient harm.

The slogan for 2025 is “Patient safety from the start!”. This theme emphasises the need to act early and consistently to prevent harm throughout childhood, and yield benefits across the life course.

We recently worked with other St John of God Health Care hospitals to develop a special story book for our paediatric patients to take home explaining, in simple language, what children and their families can expect before and after a visit for a surgical procedure.

17/09/2025

Our caregiver Colorectal Clinic Nurse Specialist Alyssa on the front cover of the Spring edition.
Sharing our Bunbury success stories thanks to the support of our community and the St John of God Foundation.

🌸 Celebrating stories of care and generosity 🌸

The Spring edition of Giving Insight is here! Inside, you’ll discover stories of hope, impact and compassion - all made possible by the generosity of our wonderful donors and supporters.

In this edition, we share how the kindness of people like you is bringing expert care closer to home, supporting inclusive and compassionate emergency care for patients, clients and families across our communities.

Download your free copy today ➡️
https://www.sjogfoundation.org.au/your-impact/2025-giving-insight-spring

12/09/2025

Our caregivers make a difference to the lives of our patients every day.
We asked them to take some time out for morning or afternoon tea on R U Ok? Day - to catch up briefly and check-in with each other.
Thank you to everyone who supported this day - by making or planning a morning tea and showing up for each other.

11/09/2025

Caregiver wellbeing dog in training Clancy was looking smart in his yellow bow tie today for R U Ok? Day🫶

We'll share some more photos of our amazing caregivers in their yellow accessories tomorrow.

Thank you to our caregivers for supporting each other and taking time out from your busy day to check-in with your teams. Sometimes a small gesture can make a big difference.

05/09/2025

We thought you might like to know what our caregiver wellbeing dog Clancy gets up to on the weekends? 🐾🐾🐾

Just like all puppies our Clancy is learning to have fun and explore while at home on the weekend – digging in his backyard and playing at the beach for the first time.
What a gorgeous boy!

04/09/2025

Thank you to Jessica for sharing some words about her experience working in our incredible Comprehensive Cancer Centre 🧡🧡🧡

Jessica is a registered nurse who has worked for St John of God Health Care since February 2024. She loves being able to help her patients through what can be a daunting experience.

As a caregiver who is passionate about cancer care Jessica would tell any nurse thinking about working in this area that it’s extremely rewarding.

Jessica explained that by treating our patients as individuals, not numbers, we have an opportunity to get to know the patients and their families and find out what is important to them – providing emotional support to aide them through this journey.

Thank you Jessica for all you do for our patients.🌟

22/08/2025

Congratulations to our July Caregiver of the Month Carla 🌟🌟🌟

Clinical Nurse Educator Carla consistently demonstrates the St John of God Health Care Values through all her interactions with colleagues and patients.

Carla’s commitment to providing excellent, compassionate care is evident whether she is coordinating or in her educator role. Her commitment to doing what is best for her team makes Carla a wonderful leader in our hospital.

Would you like to nominate one of our caregivers for a Caregiver of the Month award? Find the details on our website here:
https://www.sjog.org.au/our-locations/st-john-of-god-bunbury-hospital/about/caregiver-of-the-month

14/08/2025

On Cancer Nurses Day we want to shout out our cancer caregivers for their dedicated care, resilience and skills.

We know the nurses in our Comprehensive Cancer Centre are amazing because our patients tell us how much they appreciate them.

One of these incredible nurses Gemma shared why she loves being a cancer nurse with us:
"I love being able to make a positive impact ... Being able to provide emotional support, guidance and hope throughout their cancer journey. The best part of my job is building strong patient relationships, getting to know my patients and being able to create a safe, stress free environment when they are having their treatment.
"A special part of my job is being able to have the privilege to celebrate milestones with my patients and their families."

I'm sure anyone who has met our Oncology nursing team would agree that our nurses are unique.
Gemma said:
"What makes us special is our amazing oncology nurses, we are all compassionate and empathic nurses who strive for the best outcome for our patients."

For any nurses or nursing students thinking about working in Oncology Gemma said:
"Working within an oncology unit can be emotionally challenging, however, having a supportive work environment and building resilience can help strengthen your own wellbeing and improve patient care. Working as an oncology nurse is incredibly rewarding."

We'll share more Cancer nurses profiles this week.

Thank you Gemma for sharing this and thank you to all our cancer nurses for making a difference to the lives of our patients and supporting each other.

12/08/2025

If you are caring for a parent, friend or relative My Emergency Doctor might be just what you need. Get the support you need after hours, or on the weekend, from an Australian qualified Medical Emergency Doctor, to decide if your loved one needs further medical attention or admission to hospital 🫶
If the patient has private health insurance this online telemedicine service provides the option to be admitted directly to St John of God Bunbury Hospital.
If you are admitted to our hospital the fee for My Emergency Doctor will be refunded.
Find all the details on our website👉
https://www.sjog.org.au/bunburyonlinedoctor

Home page for St John of God Health Care, a leading Catholic not-for-profit health care provider in Australia.

11/08/2025

It’s Clancy first day on the job! – well in training for his new job 🐶

Meet Clancy our absolutely adorable new Caregiver Wellbeing Groodle. Clancy is starting out as a puppy with us so he can adjust to his role and be properly trained in working in a hospital environment.

Clancy has the right type of temperament for a hospital but he is still learning so you may not see him as much on the wards, or doing patients visits, just yet. We are sure he will learn (and grow) quickly.

We know many of our caregivers will be excited to meet Clancy and welcome him to our team.
What a superstar you have been on your first day Clancy – Gold Star! 🌟

09/08/2025

Did you hear the story on ABC Radio this week? 🐾🐕

Our beautiful volunteer Gary and his pawfect friend Levi shared their story with ABC South West at our hospital and it went Statewide.
Gary and Levi bring comfort to patients and caregivers when they visit. They have become very popular members of our amazing volunteer team.
You can read the full story and see more photos on ABC South West online:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-09/veteran-calls-for-more-recognition-of-ptsd-service-dog/105595440?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web