Surgical exercise builds connections in the NT

Royal Australian Air Force medical personnel from Health Services Wing conducted a joint surgical exercise at Katherine Hospital this month.

CAPTION: Royal Australian Air Force general surgeon Squadron Leader Peter Yuide from 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron discusses treatment options with Steve, a local patient in the Katherine Hospital. Story by Flight Lieutenant Claire Campbell. Photos by Sergeant Andrew Eddie.

The activity involved Royal Australian Air Force personnel working as a cohesive team alongside Katherine Hospital staff to boost the hospital’s surgical capabilities.

Nursing officer Flight Lieutenant Tristan Checkley said the experience allowed all clinicians to work together to provide safe, surgical care for patients.

“We’re really appreciative that the staff at Katherine Hospital have been so inviting and so welcoming, we’ve had the ability to showcase interoperability,” Flight Lieutenant Checkley said.

“We’ve got that common language and knowledge; whether you’ve trained here, Darwin or Melbourne, it doesn’t matter.

“So we’ve been able to bring RAAF Health into NT Health and work seamlessly.”

During the week, there was an increase in surgical services at Katherine Hospital, shortening waiting lists for electives.

Northern Territory Health and the ADF have a strong partnership that allows Royal Australian Air Force staff to work at Katherine and boost skills sharing between the two organisations.

General surgeon and Squadron Leader Peter Yuide said the exercise was the second time a team of Royal Australian Air Force personnel had worked at Katherine Hospital this year and was a building block for further integration.

“This exercise is a service to the community, demonstrating that we can provide … to a town that provides everything to us as a large Royal Australian Air Force base,” Squadron Leader Yuide said.

“It’s a great opportunity for full-time air-force personnel to get exposure in a civilian workplace and for us [reservists] to be immersed in the military.”

Permanent and reserve Royal Australian Air Force personnel from Health Services Wing participated in this exercise, travelling in from locations all across Australia.

Nursing officer Squadron Leader Jennifer Payne said feedback from patients and Katherine Hospital was extremely positive overall.

“Exercises like this enhance everybody’s skills; to be able to come into a workplace where you don’t know anybody and contribute to the team,” Squadron Leader Payne said.

“We’re also bringing that back into our own jobs in Defence.

“It’s building us as people and making us more adaptable.”

CAPTION: Royal Australian Air Force health personnel, from left, Squadron Leader Jennifer Payne, Flight Lieutenants Lyne Kitane and Tristan Checkley, Flying Officers Kylie Poppleton and Tye Brown, and Squadron Leaders Matthew Lee and Peter Yuide outside the Emergency Department at the Katherine Hospital.

 

CONTACT believes RAAF is deliberately dropping ‘Royal Australian’ from its name – despite Defence assuring us it isn’t true. Campaigning against this name-change-by-stealth, CONTACT has appropriately ‘repaired’ several references in this official story. See here for more details

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