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VICTORIAN AND AUSTRALIAN SMALL EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
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 that 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 focused 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 have 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, 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 would then be representing Victoria at the Australian Training Awards in November 2023 in Hobart, Tasmania.
The National Award event was scheduled with a delegation of BSHS representatives asked to be present at the Gala event. With no prior knowledge of who would take out the top prize, everyone waited nervously for the announcement. With the awards being live streamed other Health Service staff watched on with hearts pounding; and then the announcements were made… “Third place, second place and in 1st place…Congratulations…Beaufort and Skipton Health Service!”
“It is an absolute honour and privilege to be the recipient of both the Victorian and the Australian award. This recognition is for all our staff, those who have undertaken further training and qualifications and our Education Team for their support in growing non-clinical education opportunities. In fact, it takes great dedication and commitment by a whole team to be recognised and then to be rewarded with such a prestigious award. We are all just so very proud.” Meryn stated.
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, recognising their unique aspirations, and providing individualised training options.” “This training equips our teams to enhance their skills and help others in our community.” Meryn added.
The Health Service has this past year also fostered collaborative partnerships with various organisations 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. This is the first time a Victorian Health Service has taken out this coveted National Award.
