Sue

May 04, 2021

QLD

My name is Sue and I’ve worked at Greenslopes and Kareena Private Hospitals as well as for Head Office for almost 20 years.

Describe your job without using a position title?

My job is to look at how we can better care for the environment in a financially responsible way whilst ensuring that we continue to provide high levels of patient care.

What motivates you and why?

I have had a strong love of nature for as long as I can remember and being in a role where I can make a substantial and positive difference fills me with hope, inspiration and energy.

The situation we find ourselves in globally can be so disheartening, complex and overwhelming that it is easy to become paralysed into doing nothing. Sometimes our efforts as individuals seems insignificant, but when multiplied by a thousand, a million or a billion can make a significant impact. Our 24milllion single use plastic project proved just that. Collectively we can and did make a big impact and not only just in Ramsay Health Care but other companies and hospitals are looking at what we have been doing and also contributing to a much bigger result.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

I’d like to learn more about how we can move towards a truly circular economy in health care where we reuse, share, repair, refurbish, remanufacture and recycle to create a closed-loop system, minimising the use of resources and significantly reducing waste, pollution and carbon emissions.

What does the Year of Health and Care Workers mean to you?

I’ve seen my role as supporting those in the front line to be able to do what they do best whilst at the same time improving how we do sustainability.

Prior to starting at Ramsay Health Care I worked in Community Services for a significant time and to know that I am working in an organisation that has as its foundation helping and caring for others is something that I have been naturally drawn to.

I think the Year of Health and Care Workers provided some recognition and thanks across all countries for the incredible work these people have done and particularly in such a frightening and challenging time.

What would you say to inspire future generations of workers in health care?

Whether you have expertise and skills in hotel and catering services, finance and administration, direct care, management, safety and legal services and any number of other areas, working in health care provides you with the privilege of knowing that the work you do contributes to improving the lives of the people we care for. It may not be directly but we are part of a larger team that enables great care to be provided to real people and that makes us a pretty special group of people.