New appointments

Dennett to head SA nursing

Adjunct Associate Professor Lydia Dennett has started as the new Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer for SA Health after being appointed in November. Dennett trained as a registered nurse in the UK, then completed her Intensive Care Certificate and has lived and worked in Australia for more than 20 years. She has relocated from Victoria, where she held the position of Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery for Western Health in Melbourne. Dennett has also been a surveyor for the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards since 2005. She said the impact of technology, delivering health promotion in a multicultural society and greater expectations of patients were important contemporary issues for nurses. “Health reform will create greater integration and continuity of care between primary and acute sectors, and create greater opportunities for nursing and midwifery roles, including caring for patients in their homes and in the community,” she told NR. “This is an area that in my view is not yet fully understood, however, it provides many opportunities for development.” The shift towards inter-professional practice will also make collaboration with medical and allied health colleagues an ongoing priority, she said. “I believe there are many priorities to develop and enhance nursing in South Australia, including leadership delivery to all areas of the workforce – this of course entails leadership development, but the translation into practice is the critical aspect not fully enacted, in my view. Other priorities include ensuring that emotional intelligence becomes a fundamental feature in nursing and consideration of a framework that can enhance the fundamentals of care delivery to patients.” Adjunct Professor Jenny Beutel held the position of SA Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer for four years until January 2011 and was replaced by Debra Pratt, who acted in the role until December.

Beyondblue announces new CEO

Former ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell has been appointed as Beyondblue’s new CEO. Carnell steps into the role having been a director and deputy chair of the organisation and also involved in the establishment of Headspace. She served as ACT’s chief minister for six years and the territory’s minister for health for three. More recently, Carnell has served as chief executive officer of the Australian General Practice Network, and up until this appointment, has been CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council. Carnell is a registered pharmacist and was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2006. She said there was more to be done to deliver outcomes for Australians with mental illness. “Depression and anxiety affect the lives of more than one in five Australians, so the role of Beyondblue in increasing the understanding and decreasing the stigma sometimes associated with these conditions continues to be very important.” She replaces Dawn O'Neil, who resigned last September after just eight months in the role.

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