Thursday March 9, 2023

Eastern Health is celebrating some of our incredible women during the week of International Women’s Day (8 March).

Manager Support Services, Robyn Berry has taken adaptability to the next level and has been acknowledged for her ‘can do’ attitude during challenging times and continuous workforce pressures.

“The big ongoing theme through COVID has been that things have rapidly changed. Sometimes you you’ll come in expecting something at the start of the day and it can totally flip in an instant. It’s about being flexible and not being too overwhelmed with a situation. I just look at things in a practical manner to be able to work through it,” she said.

Ms Berry’s role entails organising the ‘back of house’ of the hospital including, but not limited to food services, cleaning and transport.

Every day she seeks ways to improve the processes of her staff, to ensure they can work effectively and efficiently in running the behind-the-scenes of Maroondah Hospital.

“I’m a good listener and I like talking to people and problem solving. I work with my team to figure out solutions to things that might be day to day issues, and finding way to fix them long term,” Ms Berry said.

“It could be a piece of equipment that makes a real difference, or the safety aspect of the work or the ease of a task that might have been quite labour intensive. It’s about getting our people involved in making them feel a part of these improvements.”

Manager Support Services, Robyn Berry
Manager Support Services, Robyn Berry Image: Eastern Health

Although Ms Berry and her cohort are not always consumer facing, their roles are paramount to ensuring that patients are receiving the best outcomes possible during their time at Eastern Health.

“Our teams may sometimes feel that they are at the lower end of the importance range, my aim is to really lift them up and making them feel that they are is important and valued. Without them, all of us would tumble down because they have so many important roles to support the running of the hospital.”

As part of celebrating the incredible women at Eastern Health, the executive leadership team have chosen to recognise six women for their efforts in embodying our values and striving towards our strategic goals.

“It feels quite special to be acknowledged, especially when I’m just going about my day as I see normal,” Ms Berry said.