WA genetics pioneer honoured for life's work

• 2016 WA Health Excellence Awards recognise wide-ranging achievement
• Professor Jack Goldblatt AM wins prestigious Minister for Health Award

Professor Jack Goldblatt AM has capped a stellar career as a Western Australian pioneer of genetic services by winning one of WA's top health honours, the Minister for Health Award.

Announcing the 2016 WA Health Excellence Awards last night, Health Minister John Day said Professor Goldblatt had made an indelible mark in the area of human genetics during his 27-year career at WA Health.

"As the director of Genetic Services for nearly three decades, Professor Goldblatt has grown a modest team of three into a world-class organisation of 30 people, recognised and respected across the globe for leading the way in genetics innovation," Mr Day said.

"His commitment to increasing the knowledge and evidence base in this increasingly important field has helped secure more than $22 million in research grants, countless scientific articles, and representation on numerous advisory committees and boards in Australia and overseas.

"He has also participated in the education of hundreds of budding clinicians, and has been an integral part of the leadership team at Women and Newborn Health Services."

The Minister said Professor Goldblatt, who is retiring this year, was both a superb clinician and a fearless leader, possessing extraordinary vision and great advocacy skills.

Also honoured at the WA Health Excellence Awards was the WA Trachoma Program - a collaborative initiative on track to eliminate the potentially blinding bacterial eye infection from Aboriginal communities in rural and remote WA by 2020.

"This program is changing lives and cutting the risk of blindness.  Nearly one-quarter of people in rural and remote Aboriginal communities had the trachoma infection when the program began 10 years ago," Mr Day said.

"That is now down to less than three per cent, thanks to a co-ordinated approach and greatly increased screening."

Fact File

• The annual WA Health Excellence Awards honour top achievements in health service planning and delivery across WA
• This year, eight projects, one team and three individuals were singled out for their outstanding contributions to better health outcomes for West Australians
• For more information on winners, visit http://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Our-performance/WA-Health-Excellence-Awards

Minister's office - 6552 6200

Project Category Winners

Improving service delivery

Project: Ngatti House

Team: North Metropolitan Health Service - YouthReach South and Life Without Barriers

Managing resources effectively and efficiently

Project: Clinical Engagement Achieves Sustainable Change

Team: South Metropolitan Health Service - Rockingham General Hospital

Engaging with consumers, carers and the community

Project: SolarisCare

Team: North Metropolitan Health Service - SolarisCare

Achieving better health outcomes for Aboriginal people

Project: WA Trachoma Program

Team: WA Country Health Service, Goldfields - WA Trachoma Reference Group

Developing sustainable solutions for out-of-hospital healthcare

Project: Hospital in the Home Telehealth service

Team: East Metropolitan Health Service - Royal Perth Hospital, Home Intravenous Antibiotics Service

Overcoming inequities

Project: Telehealth - Improving Access to Care for Adults with Cystic Fibrosis in Rural and Remote WA

Team: North Metropolitan Health Service - Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Adult Cystic Fibrosis Team

Innovative solutions for improving safety and quality

Project: Combined Bedside Risk Assessment (CoBRA) Audit

Team: East Metropolitan Health Service - Royal Perth Hospital, CoBRA Collaboration

Promoting healthy habits and preventing illness and injury

Project: Easy Movers

Team: WA Country Health Service - Great Southern Population Health

Other individual awards:

Peter Baldwin Memorial Award for Human Resource Management

Debra Thornborough-Owen, Manager HR Transition, Workforce, North Metropolitan Health Service

Jill Porteous Memorial Award for Quality and Safety

Susan Kitchen, A/Clinical Nurse Specialist, Falls Management and Clinical Practice Improvement Coordinator, North Metropolitan Health Service