Vince Connellan and Rex O’Rourke celebrate the Wujal Wujal team’s dedication to their community after claiming an award for excellence in Brisbane. Photo: Supplied.
Wujal Wujal’s health flood heroes have come out on top at the Queensland Health Awards for Excellence after caring for a patient on the clinic roof as it almost went underwater.
The Wujal Wujal primary health care centre (PHCC) team was named winner of the Director-General’s Award for Excellence at the prestigious annual awards held in Brisbane last week.
The team, which included nursing staff, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, and operational and administration staff, were finalists in the Strengthening Our Patients’ Care category.
They were one of two Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) entries named finalists at the awards.
TCHHS chief executive Rex O’Rourke commended the Wujal Wujal staff, who looked adversity in the face during the December 2023 flood event caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, during which the entire community was evacuated.
“To each member of the Wujal Wujal team, I extend my congratulations and heartfelt thanks,” he said.
“The Wujal Wujal community members have shown such immense resilience during this challenging time, and I’m so pleased we have been able to return clinically and culturally safe health services to the community so quickly with the construction of the temporary facility.”
Wujal Wujal director of nursing Vincent Connellan said he was incredibly proud of his team for their unwavering dedication to their community during and after the disaster.
“We were very lucky that night in that our patient remained stable and safe, and myself and my colleagues weren’t harmed, but the community of Wujal Wujal has not been so lucky,” he said.
“This award is not just a recognition of our team’s hard work; it is a celebration of the values that define us as healthcare professionals and our dedication to both clinical and cultural safety.”
