EMHS Board Chair and Chief Executive introduction
On behalf of the EMHS Board and Executive, we feel privileged to present the 2021-22 EMHS Annual Report.
While COVID-19 continued to test EMHS on multiple fronts during 2021–22, it did not stop us in our commitment to deliver on our vision of healthy people, amazing care.
This year, EMHS achieved a multitude of great things while also managing COVID, which is testament to the exceptional commitment shown by our 10,503 staff.
We attribute this success to keeping our staff healthy — physically and mentally. This was a key priority during the year, and subsequently a number of initiatives were implemented to assist in achieving that outcome, including the implementation of our Staff Wellbeing During COVID strategy, which helped keep staff safe so they could focus their attention on continuing to deliver the best possible care to our patients.
We also implemented a number of technology initiatives from the EMHS Digital Strategy, making a real difference in 2021–22. For patients, the real game changer was the ability to access free Wi-Fi — fulfilling the final milestone in the EMHS’ Digital Infrastructure Enablement (EDIE) Wi-Fi project, which started in 2020.
Our plans to modernise the management of medications across EMHS also moved a step closer to fruition with a contract to design, build and commission EMHS’ Electronic Medication Management solution (EMMs) awarded. This, and our multi-award winning innovative Health in a Virtual Environment (HIVE) expansion program, both present exciting opportunities for the future.
Our capital projects heralded a new era of care, with RPH’s first involuntary Mental Health Unit (MHU) and new heliport and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) having opened this past year — collectively representing a significant investment in delivering superior care for the community. We also started the KH redevelopment and made great progress on modular units at BHS.
As always, EMHS has ended the year with outstanding accolades for research undertaken, with a number of our staff receiving state, national and international recognition for their progress and achievements.
Diversity has continued to be a focus for us with a range of initiatives especially designed for the Aboriginal population, including an Aboriginal Family Garden at RPH, which provides a supportive space for family members.
The COVID emergency reinforced what we, as the Board and Chief Executive, have known all along – that EMHS has an extraordinary team, which despite recent challenges, has remained uncompromising in its commitment to delivering amazing and compassionate care to our patients, the community and one another.
As we emerge from this pandemic, we look forward to building on the achievements of the past 12 months and to forging new frontiers to create a better tomorrow for the EMHS community in 2022–23.
Liz MacLeod
Chief Executive, EMHS
Ian Smith PSM
Board Chair, EMHS