Page 110 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
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Minister for Urban Renewal) (5.37): Today, Canberra Health Services welcomed 130 graduate nurses. Nurse graduates are a vital part of our health system, as you are no doubt familiar, Madam Speaker. They provide essential healthcare to the Canberra region and will continue to do so, I hope, for many years to come for each of them. The graduate nurses will complete a four-day orientation program before working across a range of areas in Canberra Health Services, including our medical wards, operating theatres, emergency department and intensive care and at the University of Canberra Hospital.
I want to thank the teams at Canberra Health Services who will be supporting our graduate nurses, and also the Australian College of Nursing, which encourages, educates and supports our nurses. We know that starting any new job can be intimidating. I have certainly heard from nurses themselves that the first time you are there on your own in charge of looking after patients can be tough, so it is great to see that there is so much support now for our graduate nurses in Canberra Health Services. I also encourage all of them to check out the support offered by their union, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, if they have not already done so.
Many of the nurses who are starting today will go on to become leaders in their chosen areas, with the strong support and the backing of the College of Nursing. They will continue to be supported by Canberra Health Services through formal training programs, mentorships and support from the clinical teams in their placement areas. I wish them all the very best.
Last week I met some of our fantastic nursing staff at Canberra Health Services on World Cancer Day. It is held internationally every year on 4 February. The theme of this year’s World Cancer Day was “I am and I will”. The theme recognises that progress is possible, and that, whoever you are, your actions big and small can make lasting, positive change.
World Cancer Today is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on how we as a community, including government and healthcare workers can act to reduce the incidence and the impact of cancer. There are many ways we can do this: encouraging a friend to quit smoking; having regular breast checks ourselves; or supporting cancer research. Canberra Health Services staff at the Canberra Region Cancer Centre help hundreds of patients every week by providing exceptional cancer care and support to our community. Every weekday, staff at the Canberra Region Cancer Centre on average treat a hundred patients a day with radiation therapy, conduct 110 medical appointments and provide between 50 and 100 chemotherapy and other treatments.
Madam Speaker, as you know, facing cancer diagnosis and treatment can be a challenge physically, mentally and emotionally. Our Canberra Health Services staff are passionate about delivering exceptional health care to all people living with cancer. Among the “I am and I will” quotes pasted around the Canberra Region Cancer Centre last week, the one that struck me was, “I am and I will hold your hand.” This is what our nurses do in addition to providing exceptional professional health care.
As a community we are also grateful for the generous bequests that have been provided through the Canberra Hospital Foundation. Similarly fundraising events
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