Royal North Shore Hospital

24/07/2025

NSLHD News 🙌

The latest edition of our district newsletter is out now read all about:
o NAIDOC Week celebrations across NSLHD
o NSLHD supports Dignity Winter Warmer campaign
o Vale Clinical Associate Professor John Vandervord
o Combining medication and exercise could greatly reduce osteoporosis risk

Click the link here to view:

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24/07/2025

HONOURING OUR SECURITY OFFICERS ON INTERNATIONAL SECURITY OFFICERS DAY

International Security Officers Day is on 24 July.

Today, we thank the Royal North Shore Hospital security team for their vital role in keeping patients, visitors and staff safe.

To all security supervisors, officers and staff, thank you — your dedication truly matters.
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24/07/2025

RNSH SPINAL UNIT BAKES FOR A CAUSE

Twice a year, the dedicated team from the Royal North Shore Hospital Spinal Unit rolls up their sleeves for a bake sale, raising funds to support education, equipment, resources, and specialist courses.

This week’s event brought together staff from across NSLHD and members of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia to support the cause — and enjoy some delicious treats.

All proceeds go directly back into enhancing care and outcomes for people with spinal cord injuries.

11/07/2025

🎓 FIRST NEUROPSYCHOLOGY REGISTRARS COMPLETE PROGRAM AT RNSH 🎓

Royal North Shore Hospital has marked a major milestone with the first cohort of neuropsychology registrars completing the state's only dedicated registrar program.

Launched in 2023, the two-year program bridges the gap between study and independent clinical practice, offering hands-on experience across a range of hospital settings including neurology, geriatrics and mental health.

Nicola McKern and Sally Byrne are the first to complete the program, which Nicola described as a “supportive and collaborative environment” that helped her build strong clinical foundations.

Program lead and Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist Vince Oxenham said the completion of the first intake was a major step forward for neuropsychology in the public health system.

Read more:
🔗 https://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/News/Pages/Neuropsychology-registrar-program-wraps-up-first-intake-at-RNSH.aspx

11/07/2025

NSLHD News 🙌

The latest edition of our district newsletter is out now read all about:
• 2025 Quality and Improvement Awards
• Shining a spotlight on admin professionals across NSLHD
• Neuropsychology registrar program wraps up first intake at RNSH
• Unique online resource launched for Menière disease

Click the link here to view:

NEWS NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT NSLHD Main story Short blurb 2025 quality and improvement awards Pages 4 & 5 Read more on Page x Honour for 40

10/07/2025

CELEBRATING NAIDOC WEEK IN NICU 💛❤️🖤

This week, RNSH’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is caring for three tiny babies whose families identify as Aboriginal.

To honour NAIDOC Week, the NICU created special “My first NAIDOC” cards for each baby, featuring their current weight, length, and head circumference. The cards proudly display this year’s NAIDOC Week artwork by Jeremy Morgan Worrall — who just happens to be one of our staff member’s nephews.

We’ve also invited families to join RNSH’s NAIDOC Smoke Ceremony — a special moment to recognise and connect with culture and Country.

“Looking ahead, we’re already planning for next year: more “My first NAIDOC” cards, Aboriginal print bedlinen, and an even bigger celebration of culture for our tiniest community member,” said Suzette Riva, Clinical Nurse Educator.

09/07/2025

🖤💛❤️ CELEBRATING NAIDOC WEEK AT RNSH ❤️💛🖤

Royal North Shore Hospital proudly marked NAIDOC Week 2025 with a special event, embracing this year’s theme: “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy.”

Staff, patients and community members gathered for a Welcome to Country, cultural performances and reflections from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the strength, leadership and legacy of First Nations peoples across our district.

08/07/2025

All this week 6-13 July, we are celebrating NAIDOC Week. We have asked some of our staff what NAIDOC means to them and what inspired them to work in health.

27/06/2025

NSLHD News 🙌

The latest edition of our district newsletter is out now! Read all about:
o NSLHD launches podcast
o Muru Dali Gili Gili Employee Network Day at NSLHD
o NSLHD shines at the SDPR awards
o Hornsby’s neonatal team wins national award

Click the link here to view:

NEWS NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT NSLHD Main story Short blurb the muru Dali Gili Gili Employee Network Day at NSLHD Read more on Page x Page 3 eva

24/06/2025

🎙️ Tomorrow’s Medicine Today – A New Podcast from NSLHD

Tomorrow’s Medicine Today is a new podcast series from Northern Sydney Local Health District, produced in partnership with the Kolling Institute.

The series highlights breakthrough research, innovative models of care, and inspiring stories from clinicians, researchers and teams leading the way in healthcare.

🎧 Episode 1 is now live, featuring Professor Sarah Glastras on the future of diabetes care and prevention.
New episodes released fortnightly.

Listen, subscribe and share: https://bit.ly/nslhd-tmt
Also available on Spotify: https://bit.ly/448P755

💬 Feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email: NSLHD-tmt@health.nsw.gov.au

23/06/2025

🌟 SHINING A LIGHT ON OUR NURSING AND MIDWIFERY STARS🌟

We recently celebrated the incredible contributions of our nurses and midwives at the annual NSLHD Nursing and Midwifery Awards 💙💐

Held after International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day, the event recognises outstanding care, leadership, and dedication across our district.

Chief Executive Anthony Schembri said:
"Reward and recognition of nursing and midwifery staff is incredibly important to our district."

👏 Congratulations to our 2025 award winners:
🏆 Gradstart of the Year – Annie Henderson (Ryde Hospital)
🏆 Enrolled Nurse of the Year – Deidre Fitzgibbon (Ku-ring-gai PACH)
🏆 Registered Midwife of the Year – Kezia Riggs (Hornsby Hospital)
🏆 Registered Nurse of the Year – Ashley Cockerton (Macquarie Hospital)
🏆 Leadership Award – Mary Separovich (RNSH)
🏆 Excellence in Practice – Usha Simkhada (Hornsby Hospital)
🏆 Mary Chiarella Medal – Prof Margaret Fry AM

💙 A heartfelt thank you to all our nursing and midwifery staff for everything you do, every day.

20/06/2025

World Hand Hygiene Day 2025 celebrated across NSLHD

NSLHD marked World Hand Hygiene Day with events across our hospitals and services, led by the infection prevention and control (IPAC) team.

This year’s theme, “It might be gloves. It’s always hand hygiene,” served as a strong reminder of the importance of good hand hygiene in all clinical settings.

Royal North Shore Hospital hosted skin hydration checks, games, and a special jingle performance by the RNSH Child Care Centre Choir. At Macquarie Hospital, staff enjoyed outdoor activities, coffee and doughnuts. Hornsby ran roving bingo and quizzes, and Ryde Hospital and Northern Beaches Community Mental Health Services also joined in with a range of engaging activities.

Clinical Nurse Consultant Mae Sia summed it up perfectly:
“Hand hygiene is one of the simplest yet most powerful precautions we can take to protect our patients, our colleagues, and ourselves.”

Thank you to our IPAC team, IPAC champions, sponsors and staff for bringing the message to life.

19/06/2025

🧬 AUSTRALIA’S FIRST STUDY TO IMPROVE CANCER DETECTION IN YOUTH WITH NF1 🧬

Researchers from Royal North Shore Hospital are leading the country’s first whole-body screening study for young people with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic condition that increases cancer risk.

The project, led by Dr Sue-Faye Siow from the Department of Clinical Genetics, was funded through the Royal North Shore Hospital Campus Research Grants Scheme with an additional $30,000 from the NORTH Foundation.

NF1 affects 1 in 2,500 people and significantly increases the risk of cancer, yet no national imaging guidelines exist in Australia.

The study will assess the value of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening in 50 patients aged 18 to 40, with a focus on early detection and psychosocial outcomes.

“This is the first study of whole-body MRI screening in individuals with NF1 in Australia,” said Dr Siow.

“We have the opportunity for early detection in this group of young individuals with a devastating cancer-predisposing disorder.”

Read more about the research:
https://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/News/Pages/Improving-Cancer-Detection-in-Youth-with-NF-1.aspx

16/06/2025

NEW TECH IMPROVES INTENSIVE CARE AT RNSH

A new device is streamlining critical care at Royal North Shore Hospital’s intensive care unit by making procedures faster, safer and more efficient.

The C3 Wave uses electrocardiogram technology to confirm peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line placement without needing a chest X-ray, reducing delays and radiation exposure.

Nurse practitioners can now confirm placement themselves, speeding up care and freeing up radiology teams.

“We’re able to complete procedures much more quickly and safely,” said Intensive Care Unit Nurse Practitioner Katie Kelleway.

She said the real-time feedback is already making a world of difference in the unit.

Read more about the innovation:
https://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/News/Pages/New-tech-improvements-at-RNSH-ICU.aspx

13/06/2025

💡 STAFF IDEAS SHINE IN 2025 INNOVATION PITCH 💡

Finalists from across the district came together at Royal North Shore Hospital to pitch their bold ideas for improving healthcare.

Six impressive projects were presented, with three teams awarded funding to bring their ideas to life.

The judging panel included NSLHD Chief Executive Anthony Schembri, Agency for Clinical Innovation Chief Executive Adjunct Professor Jean-Frederic Levesque MD, NSLHD Chair of Research Professor Bruce Robinson AC, and NORTH Foundation Board Director Tanya Bowes.

Anthony thanked all participants and praised the creativity on display.

“It was exciting to be back on the judging panel and getting to see so many fantastic ideas brought to the forefront,” he said.

The winners were:
🔹 HypoHACs: Reducing incidence of hospital acquired hypoglycaemia with predictive modelling, and targeted care - RNSH Endocrinology ($150,000)
🔹 RNSH Campus Care Compass (CCC): Digital wayfinding system implementation across the Royal North Shore Campus - RNSH Site Operations & Corporate Services ($80,000)
🔹 Adult Complex Needs Clinic - Primary and Community Health ($55,000)

Read more about the event and all six finalists:
🔗 https://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/News/Pages/staff-ideas-shine-in-innovation-pitch-program.aspx

13/06/2025

NSLHD News 🙌

The latest edition of our district newsletter is out now read all about:
o Winners of the Innovation Pitch Program
o New technology improvements at RNSH ICU
o NSW Health Secretary visits Hornsby Hospital
o Shining a light on our nursing and midwifery stars

Click the link here to view:

NEWS NORTHERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT NSLHD Main story Short blurb shining a light on nursing and midwifery stars Read more on Page x Page 7 New tech im

12/06/2025

🍰 RNSH STAFF AND VISITORS ENJOY A CUPPA AND A CAKE 🍰

Royal North Shore Hospital turned up the sweetness for the Biggest Morning Tea, raising over $6000 for cancer research!

Staff rolled up their sleeves and got baking, serving up scrolls, cupcakes, and more across the hospital – including a stall from the Resident Medical Officers Association and a buzzing tea in ED with paramedics, patients, visitors and staff all getting involved.

Every cuppa counts – and this one made a real difference. More than $6000 was raised by the hospital to go to supporting cancer research.

07/06/2025

CELEBRATING THE QUIET ACHIEVERS BEHIND CLINICAL TRIAL SUCCESS 🔬💙

International Clinical Trials Day was a moment to recognise the dedicated staff, researchers and patients behind more than 300 clinical trials across Northern Sydney Local Health District.
From life-changing medications to cutting-edge technologies, these trials are key to medical progress — and they’re happening right here at Royal North Shore, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai, Ryde, Macquarie and Mona Vale hospitals.

Two special events marked the occasion, including a keynote presentation at the Kolling Institute and a vibrant hospital foyer display celebrating our trials workforce.
NSLHD Chief Executive Anthony Schembri said trials are being embedded as therapy — giving patients access to the latest innovations in care. A new clinical trials centre, NORTH STAR, is also on the way to expand access and impact.

“At the heart of every breakthrough are the patients who generously volunteer,” Anthony said. “We’re deeply grateful.”

👉 Read more here:https://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/News/Pages/Celebrating-the-quiet-achievers-behind-clinical-trial-success.aspx

06/06/2025

STEPPING UP FOR THE RIGHT CAUSE 👟💙

Royal North Shore Hospital’s Clinical Genetics team is on the move — walking 150km to honour the 150 children born with neurofibromatosis (NF) each year.

Led by Head of Clinical Genetics Dr Yemima (Mimi) Berman, the team is taking part in the Children’s Tumour Foundation's Step Up for NF virtual challenge to raise awareness and funds for this rare and devastating condition.

Neurofibromatosis is a complex genetic disorder that causes tumours to grow on nerves anywhere in the body — impacting hearing, vision, mobility, learning, and even leading to cancer.
“Starting with tumours on the nerve of the eye in infants, through to malignant tumours in young adults, the impact is relentless,” said Dr Berman.

Support the team and help shine a light on NF:
👉 www.stepupfornf.com.au

05/06/2025

🩺 NEW EMEDS SYSTEM SUPPORTS SAFER CARE FOR MUMS AND BUBS 🩺

Royal North Shore and Hornsby Ku-ring-gai hospitals have introduced the eMeds electronic medication management system in their maternity and neonatal units, replacing paper medication charts in antenatal clinics and neonatal wards.

This upgrade delivers safer, more connected care by reducing handwriting errors, improving access to medication records, and automatically reporting vaccinations to the Australian Immunisation Register.

Midwife Kezia Riggs from Hornsby’s special care nursery said, “It’s super helpful that doctors can now update medication orders remotely.”

Mary Cameron, Maternity Unit Manager at RNSH, praised the collaboration behind the launch: “This implementation reflects the fantastic teamwork of midwives, neonatologists, pharmacists, and digital health staff. Thank you to everyone who made this important improvement possible.”

05/06/2025

🌟 You can support life-changing healthcare by donating to our official charity partner, the NORTH Foundation!🌟

Sepsis changed Libby’s life forever, leaving her critically ill and a quadruple amputee. But with determination and rehabilitation, she has reignited and redefined her career as an artist.

Each year, around 55,000 Australians experience sepsis, and it is the leading cause of death from infection worldwide.

That’s why one of our leading researchers, A/Professor Naomi Hammond, who is the district’s Executive Director of Research, is driving vital research to improve sepsis awareness and treatment.

If you're grateful for the care you or your family received at Royal North Shore Hospital or if you want to make a lasting impact on the future of healthcare - now is the time to give.

👉 Make a tax-deductible donation before 30 June! https://bit.ly/4dNWdjV

03/06/2025

MABO DAY AT NSLHD

Today, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service team held a stall at Royal North Shore Hospital to mark Mabo Day and share information about the significance of this important date.

Mabo Day is marked annually on 3 June. It commemorates Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his successful efforts to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullius — the idea that the land belonged to no-one prior to British colonisation.

The landmark Mabo v Queensland (No 2) decision in 1992 recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have occupied and cared for this land for thousands of years, with their own languages, laws and customs — and a deep and ongoing connection to Country.

Thank you to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service team for helping to keep this history alive and meaningful within our district.

31/05/2025

As a JMO with NSW Health, you will unlock learning, support and mentoring from leading specialists. Grow your career with the largest healthcare system in Australia. Early round applications are now open for some specialties. Main round applications open 15 July. Find out more: www.health.nsw.gov.au/jmo

30/05/2025

NSLHD News 🙌

The latest edition of our district newsletter is out now read all about:
o Clinical Trials Day celebrations
o NSLHD awarded for leadership in LGBTIQ+ inclusive care
o Making emergency departments greener across NSLHD
o New eMeds system supports safer care for mums and bubs
o Beryl and Jack Jacobs Travel Awards announced
o Stepping up for the right cause

Click the link here to view:

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28/05/2025

GradStart offers nursing and midwifery graduates the tools they need to kickstart their career at NSW Health.

An established nursing and midwifery graduate training program, through GradStart you can explore a variety of roles, locations and opportunities.

Applications for 2026 GradStart open on 17 June 2025: www.health.nsw.gov.au/gradstart