"Kind care from nurse"

Dear Star2

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns regarding your recent experience at Newman Health Service, especially during a time when your baby needed care. We deeply apologise for the distress and discomfort you experienced due to the behaviour of some of our nursing staff. This is not the standard of care and respect we strive to uphold at Newman Health Service, and we take allegations of racism and unprofessional behaviour very seriously.

I was pleased to read that one of our nursing staff provided you and your baby with compassionate care, made you feel heard and discussed your concerns for your baby with kindness. These behaviours demonstrate the organisations values in action and is commendable, as is your advocacy for them in your feedback.

Newman Health Service is committed to providing a culturally safe and secure environment for all our patients, particularly our Aboriginal patients, and we recognise the importance of this commitment as we approach National Sorry Day and the anniversary of the National Apology. These occasions remind us of our responsibility to foster healing, understanding, and reconciliation, and to work tirelessly towards closing the gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We value the role of our Elders and community leaders in guiding our efforts to improve our health services cultural safety, and we engage in regular discussions with them to inform our practices and policies.

In light of your feedback, we wish to take immediate steps to address this issue. One of the actions we can address is ensuring that all staff attend upcoming Cultural Engagement training. We would also be grateful to learn more about what happened to be able to initiate a thorough review of the incident and invite you to call me on 0499 525 088.

Given that we have recently received similar feedback from others, we see an urgent need to come together as a community to address these concerns. I invite you and others who have shared similar experiences to meet with me and the District Director of Nursing, to discuss how we can make meaningful changes. Your participation would be invaluable as we strive to maintain Newman Health Services as a place where everyone feels safe, respected, and cared for.

Please let us know if you are open to this discussion, and any suggestions you may have for how we can improve. Your feedback is important to our ongoing efforts in the continuous improvements of Newman Health Service, ensuring a welcoming environment for all our patients, their families and carers.

Warm regards

Sas Hennings

Operations Manager – Inland

WA Country Health Service (WACHS) Pilbara