It is exciting to announce the appointment of Adjunct Assoc Prof Jo Mapes, Wendy Watson and Adjunct Prof Tanya Farrell as Deputy Executive Directors of Nursing and Midwifery (DEDONM) here at Western Health.
These newly created roles are in response to the rapid growth and in preparation for the continued expansion of Western Health services over the coming years. All 3 will be well known to you all.
Jo commenced at Western Health in 2020 as the Director of Nursing and Midwifery with divisional partnership to Perioperative and Critical Care and site responsibilities of Footscray Hospital. Jo is a Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing and on the Victorian Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. She has extensive experience as a nursing leader and has worked in both public and private health sectors both in Australia and overseas. Her experience extends to the development and implementation of strategic change with a demonstrated capacity to lead and develop people in delivering better outcomes across systems, work units, teams and consumers.
Wendy has worked at Western Health for the last 3 as the Divisional Director for the Women’s and Children’s Services and previously for over 10 years as the Director of Nursing and Midwifery for Sunshine Hospital. Wendy has over 30 years experience in the healthcare arena within Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She is highly respected for her leadership skills, clinical expertise and commitment for high quality patient care in line with the best care framework.
Wendy’s values-based leadership style results in a positive culture within teams, strengthening team performance, driving change and delivering strategic organisational outcomes.
Tanya joined Western Health earlier this year as the Director of Maternity Services. She is a midwife and a nurse and has extensive experience, expertise and leadership within maternity at a Victorian and national level, with a proven track record of an ongoing commitment to improving the care of women and babies. Tanya was previously the Senior Maternity Adviser for Victoria at Safer Care Victoria (SCV) and has also spent time as the Acting Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer for Victoria.
These 3 incredible internal applicants were the strongest candidates for these roles in a fiercely competitive field; a testimony to the calibre of nursing and midwifery leadership that we have at Western Health.
To ensure we have strategic alignment across the organisation, the DEDONM roles will work in partnership with the Deputy Chief Operating Officers (DCOOs) and their portfolios as follows:
- Jo Mapes will align with Jason Plant (DCOO), and lead the Directors of Nursing & Midwifery that align to Divisions in his portfolio.
- Wendy Watson will align with Paul Leyden (DCOO), and lead the Directors of Nursing & Midwifery that align to Divisions in his portfolio.
- Tanya Farrell will be our Senior Midwife and will retain her Director of Maternity Services role with a focus on Maternity Services and Women’s and Children.
Please join us in congratulating Jo, Wendy and Tanya on their appointments and wish them every success in their new roles.