Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service

With school returning this week we want to shine a light on those who make it possible to offer world class educational programs to school-aged children affected by hospitalisation possible. Students of the Queensland Children's Hospital School include patients and family members of hospitalised patients across Queensland which enables educational continuity for all. Alongside new students this year, we also welcomed new faces to the teaching staff including (pictured L-R) Jo (Grade 1 & 2 teacher), Brogan (PE teacher), John Hazzard (Campus Principal) and Dannielle (Teacher's aide for Prep).

It was an exciting day at the Queensland Children's Hospital School this week as patients and siblings commenced their school year! Preppies (middle L-R) Esaar, Keerit, and Leo eagerly began their educational journey, supported by their teachers Mel and Dannielle. The day was enriched with engaging activities including meeting new classmates, creative arts, yoga sessions, and more. We extend our best wishes to all Queensland children for a fantastic start to their school year. Here's to a year full of learning, growth and new opportunities! #BackToSchool #FirstDayOfSchool #Education #Queensland #LearningJourney #ChildhoodEducation

Today the team at the Queensland Children's Hospital extended a warm welcome to 46 registered nurses that have officially commenced their graduate program with us. 👏 The enthusiastic new starters will work across various areas of the hospital including general paediatrics (Medical and Surgical), outpatients, operating suites and mental health. For the first time ever the graduates specialising in Mental Health will have an extra rotation at CHQ's Jacaranda Place, which will help provide additional care and treatment for young people with mental health needs. Our graduate nurse program enables newly registered nurses to extend their paediatric knowledge, skills and training in a supportive and educational environment. A big CHQ welcome to our new team members, we're so excited to have you on board! ❤️

As the new school year approaches, excitement and anxiety are common feelings among parents, caregivers, and children. This week, Children’s Health Queensland senior psychologist, Samantha Finnis, joined the Children's Hospital Foundation Back to School video podcast to tackle common concerns such as separation anxiety, school refusal, and adapting to new routines. It was also an opportunity to collaborate with paediatric wellbeing consultant Morgan Tyson and 7NEWS Brisbane Presenter Sarah Greenhalgh to discuss strategies for building safe support networks in the increasingly online world. Listen now 👉 https://bit.ly/4jm3REq

This week we welcomed 10 medical interns to the Queensland Children’s Hospital including Adelaide, Julia, Olivia, Emma, Will and Hanna. The interns come to us from primary allocation centres and partner hospitals, including the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital, and Mater South Brisbane. A further 40 interns will start at QCH throughout 2025 to gain invaluable experience across emergency care, paediatric neonatal surgery, urology, burns and trauma, orthopaedics, general paediatrics, respiratory, and sleep medicine. Please join us in welcoming our latest interns! #HealthcareHeroes #MedicalInterns #TeamQCH

Our commitment to environmentally responsible healthcare continues with a successful transition to using Vexel SteriFlex waste bags across the Queensland Children's Hospital. These new bags, made of 50% recycled materials, will significantly reduce the hospital's plastic waste and carbon footprint. Key highlights of this change include: ♻️ An almost 26% reduction in plastic waste across the hospital ♻️ Over 8,500kg of waste diverted from landfill annually ♻️ An impressive reduction of 18 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per year Thank you to the CHQ Green Team for leading this important initiative and continuing to make a positive impact on our environment. 🌍 #Sustainability #HealthcareInnovation #GreenInitiatives

Meet our latest #HealthHero, Cathy! 🦸♀️ Cathy serves as one of the Family Support Volunteers in the Zero to Four Family Support Service. As a volunteer, Cathy supports families with young children by empowering them through 'walking alongside' them and offering support. This could range from establishing routines, supporting play activities or outings, to providing an extra set of hands with day-to-day tasks. Cathy helps families feel more connected to their community. With over 30 years of volunteering experience, one of Cathy's favourite aspects of her role is the connections she makes with families from diverse backgrounds and the positive impact she can have on their lives. "Helping create a sense of enjoyment in parenting by engaging in activities with parents and their children is super rewarding," says Cathy. Thank you, Cathy, for your amazing service and dedication! 🙌 If being a Family Support Volunteer sounds like something you'd be interested in, you can find more information about it here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gfnKcuCJ #Volunteer #CommunitySupport #FamilySupport #HealthHero #VolunteerWork

Children and their educators affected by natural disasters are continuing to receive vital support through the Birdie’s Tree series by the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (QCPIMH) service. Following the 2022 floods in Northern Rivers, NSW, the Birdie’s Tree Early Learning Program provided resources and support to 104 educators across six centres. Alongside this, approximately 500 children that attended these centres also had the opportunity for mental health screening, while information sessions were offered to their parents and caregivers. Late last year, the Birdie’s Tree team partnered with key organisations (the Far North Early Childhood Network, Mission Australia, Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership, Cairns Regional Council, Play Matters Australia and Red Cross Australia) to deliver the Far North Queensland Early Childhood Disaster Forum, which was attended by 65 early childhood professionals from across the region. The forum equipped participants with tools and strategies to support young children’s safety, wellbeing, and resilience through disasters and severe weather events. Sharleen Keleher (pictured) of QCPIMH emphasized the program's role in fostering safe, supportive environments for children and said it remains a key part of disaster recovery services across Queensland. You can read more about the impact of Birdie's Tree in our Research Report 👉 https://lnkd.in/gwahRubX #EarlyChildhoodEducation #MentalHealth #DisasterRecovery #BirdiesTree #ChildrensHealthQueensland

We are thrilled to share CHQ's recent appearance on the Patient Experience Agency podcast 'Consumer Health Partnerships'. Emma Hart, Director of Nursing, Child and Youth Mental Health Service and Clayton Fletcher, Consumer Carer Senior Consultant jumped on the podcast to talk all things co-design and the transformative impact it has in mental health care. Emma and Clayton discussed the success story of Jacaranda Place and how bringing together consumers, carers, and clinicians in the codesign process benefitted both the physical design of facilities and delivery of services. This collaborative effort marks a significant milestone in mental health care and underscores the importance of including lived experiences in service design. 🎧 Listen now: https://bit.ly/49qxnVb #MentalHealth #CoDesign #Innovation #Healthcare #LivedExperience #ChildrensHealthQueensland

It's no secret that we love a good dance video at Children's Health Queensland - and the 10th birthday of Queensland Children's Hospital this year provided the perfect excuse for our teams to put their best feet forward again. 🕺 💃 To mark 10 years of 'working so hard' we asked everyone to cut Footloose - and they totally understood the assignment. 👏 You're welcome.