Summary
From Canberra to Cairns, Brisbane to Bamaga and Kalgoorlie to K’gari, Paolo La Penna has built a 25-year nursing career across metropolitan hospitals, regional health services and some of Queensland’s most remote communities.
As Sarina Hospital’s newly appointed director of nursing and facility manager, he is drawing on that experience to lead care and help deliver a new 17-bed modular transition care ward.
The project will expand the hospital’s capacity to support patients from across our region who no longer need acute hospital treatment but are waiting for their next stage of care.
His role is central to planning and preparing Sarina Hospital for the new service, including the operational and workforce arrangements needed to integrate the ward with existing services.
“The new transition ward is going to uplift our services, and that’s really exciting,” Paolo said.
“It allows opportunity for growth in the workforce and to support the broader health service. It’s an innovative approach to a contemporary issue.
“We’re not trying to do the same thing and expect a different result. We’re actually doing something different.”
The project brings together his experience in clinical care, healthcare improvement and hospital operations, while offering an opportunity to strengthen services for the region.
Paolo completed his nursing studies and began his career almost three decades ago in Canberra.
“My reasons for choosing nursing began with an early interest in health and fitness. Seeing nurses care for patients during my own hospital visits also helped me recognise the difference I could make to the lives of others,” he said.
“I thought it was an ideal profession to combine the study of the human body and apply that to caring for people.”
After leaving Canberra, Paolo moved to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, then Deniliquin in New South Wales, before spending several years in Brisbane.
“I worked in radiology nursing and interventional diagnostics while in Brisbane, including advanced procedures for patients with cancer. I then moved into quality and standards, contributing to work associated with the development of national standards, before moving into investigations where I developed my knowledge of patient safety and complaints management,” he said.
“My first experience with hospital infrastructure projects was at Mareeba Hospital working with the team to upgrade their fire systems and electrical switchboards.
“I joined Mackay Hospital and Health Service (HHS) in 2014 working across patient safety, nursing workforce and informatics before moving to Cairns and Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service.
“I’ve always been drawn to smaller hospitals and have a strong interest in remote healthcare and Indigenous health. That interest eventually took me to Bamaga Hospital, where I became director of nursing and facility manager of the nine-bed hospital serving the Northern Peninsula Area.”
The role gave Paolo his first opportunity to lead a hospital and manage the challenges of delivering healthcare in a remote community, where access to maintenance, technical support and other resources could be limited.
“It was my first director of nursing role. I learned so much about maintaining a functioning hospital without the resources you might have in a larger centre,” he said.
“You can do all the training, but nothing really prepares you until you’re in a community delivering remote health services.
“Bamaga gave me a deeper understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and the importance of culturally appropriate care. I’ve carried this experience and continue to draw on it in my role with Mackay HHS”.
At Sarina Hospital, Paolo sees a strong foundation to integrate the new transition ward, building on existing services to support patients with different care needs.
“My focus is helping staff prepare for the new service and navigating the changes that come with it,” he said.
“Healthcare is challenging but we shouldn’t be afraid of change. We need to be agile and ready to flex with that change.”
The Sarina Hospital Transition Ward forms part of the broader Mackay Hospital Expansion Project providing a dedicated unit for suitable patients awaiting aged care, support or other longer-term care arrangements.
Expressions of interest will be advertised in the coming months to recruit nursing, allied health and support services staff to meet the future growth of Sarina Hospital.