Congratulations to the Aged Care Team in Rockhampton who won in the Mercy in Action Team category of the Mater People Awards.      

The award sought to recognise outstanding contribution made by a team in line with the Mater Mission, Values and Strategy which had a significant positive impact on the business, patients and fellow team members.

When a staff member from a fellow Rockhampton Nursing Home registered a positive case of COVID-19 in May, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer directed more than 30 aged care residents be urgently relocated and quarantined for their own safety.

Of those, 25 were transferred to the Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton, with Nurse Unit Manager Erna Allison putting her hand up to lead the challenging task of not only caring for the incoming residents but her own patients and trying to contain what could have been a potential outbreak.

A blended group of aged care professionals and acute care nurses soon became a solid team, taking charge of a crisis situation. Erna and her team are recognised for providing outstanding care at a time of great need that lessened the stress burden on the residents.

They saw to their every need, including dressing them each day in their own clothes, providing appropriate daily exercise and nourishment in a safe environment, maintaining their skin care and ensuring access to loved ones via technology.

After a three-week stay, all 25 residents, none of whom contracted COVID-19, were returned safely to their aged care home, full of smiles and just a little sad to be saying goodbye.

Erna and her team should be congratulated for taking on such a momentous task during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic providing healthcare services through a sincere commitment to the core Mater values of promoting the dignity of human life, compassion, integrity and excellence.

The team tied for first place with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison Service Team in South Brisbane and the Pastoral Care and Women’s Services Team in Townsville.