BEAUFORT AND SKIPTON HEALTH SERVICE RECOGNISED IN VICTORIAN TRAINING AWARDS

Beaufort and Skipton Health Service is a small rural Health Service that is being noticed well outside the boundaries of the communities it serves.   

Dedicating and priding itself on providing excellent care, the Beaufort and Skipton Health Service supports its communities in areas such as residential community care and acute care to a population of just over 6,000. With two campuses, including a Medical Practice and allied health services, the Health Service plays a crucial role in meeting the healthcare needs of its local community.

Recently the Health Service received the news it had been nominated as a finalist in the coveted Victorian Training Awards for its outstanding contributions in the training sector. The Health Service were nominated as finalists for two prestigious awards, namely the ‘Employer Award for Apprenticeship Development’ and ‘Small Employer of the Year’.  Health Service CEO, Meryn Pease explained, “Sometimes we forget how important the work is that we do in this area, we have focussed our effort to ensure our staff and teams have every opportunity to learn and grow in their respective career choices. The community then benefits from the improvement of skills which has enabled us to continue to grow the services we offer”.

Winners were announced at the 2023 Victorian Training Awards gala Dinner held at the Melbourne, Convention and Exhibition Centre last Friday evening, with over 1000 attendees.  The Health Service were delighted to be presented as the winner of the ‘Small Employer of the Year’ award.  It was also announced that Beaufort and Skipton Health Service will now represent Victoria at the National Training Awards later this year in Hobart, Tasmania.

“We are just so excited to win this prestigious award, this is affirmation and recognition that this work and effort has been noticed.” Ms Pease added.  “We are now a finalist for the National awards, this is just great news for our Health Service and our rural communities” Ms Pease said.

“It is an absolute honour and privilege to be the recipient of this award.  This award is for all our staff, those who have undertaken further training and qualifications and our Education Team for their support and growth in non-clinical education,” Ms Pease went on to say.

Over the last two years Beaufort and Skipton Health Service have supported 64% of non-clinical permanent staff to complete a variety of courses.  These included Certificates in Health Service Administration, Certificate III in Leisure and Lifestyle, Certificate III in Commercial Cookery, Certificate III in Individual Support traineeship, Diploma of Community Health Traineeship, Diploma of Nursing (EEN) traineeships and Diploma of Community Services.

“The Health Service takes great pride in treating its employees as individuals, recognizing their unique aspirations, and providing individualized training options”.  “This training equips our teams to enhance their skills and help others in our community” Ms Pease added.

The Health Service has this past year also fostered collaborative partnerships with various organizations to enhance training opportunities for its staff. This commitment to professional development has shown that Beaufort and Skipton Health Service is leading the way as a healthcare provider in the region.

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