Rebecca Stephens: Our health workers provide a level of care we can be proud of under difficult circumstances

Earlier this year my dad died after having spent three months in Royal Perth Hospital and Albany Health Campus, after which he was cared for at Albany Community Hospice. During this time, I constantly visited him with my family as we supported him through the many different stages in his health. This gave me a greater insight into the day-to-day running of our hospital as we interacted with staff and families of other patients on the same ward as Dad. Without a doubt, I can say my dad received the best of care while at Albany Health Campus. His health problems were complex, requiring the full suite of medical and allied health services available, and I know he would not have been better cared for anywhere else. My sister Megan is a registered nurse with more than 20 years experience who has worked in various roles, including in the Albany Health Campus emergency department, and most recently for a local private medical practice. She has worked additional hours on weekends running COVID-19 vaccination clinics and, like all our health professionals, is dedicated to providing the best care to patients. Albany has a well-equipped and resourced health campus to service the Great Southern — the quality and professionalism of the staff who provide us and our loved ones with care and support is outstanding, from cleaners, kitchen staff and orderlies, to nurses, doctors, specialists, and administrative workers. Together, they provide a level of care we can all be proud of. Keeping our health services functioning at such a high level during this global pandemic has been an enormous challenge. Some would use the pandemic and the difficult decisions that the McGowan Government is making to keep West Australians safe as a platform to score cheap political points. As your member in the McGowan Government, I regularly talk with Minister for Health Roger Cook about the needs of our hospital. Together, we have worked to find solutions and make improvements. To all our health workers, thank you so much for the dedicated work you do under often difficult circumstances. To those who seek to create division and undermine community confidence in our hospital, instead of playing these political games, please work with me to find a way forward.