Finalists in the SA Health Nursing and Midwifery Awards 2025 have been announced – and we’re delighted to see four nominations from Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) in the mix.
This year the judges received a record number of applicants from the public, private, community, aged care and non-government sectors.
We’re proud of our finalists: all are reflections of our network’s commitment to safe and connected care, and the diversity in nursing careers available at CALHN.
We look forward to the announcement of category winners on Friday 2 May 2025.
Good luck everyone!
Excellence in Clinical Specialisation: Jacinda Cox-Wilden
After several years working as a nurse in the hospital setting, Jacinda returned to university and demonstrated academic excellence and leadership throughout her studies in clinical specialisation. Jacinda collaborated with her manager to arrange a rotation from her usual cardiac unit to the intensive care unit, ensuring she could consolidate key learning and apply it in a critical care context. She earned the Critical Care Nursing Certificate and is now equipped with advanced clinical knowledge of complex medical conditions and improved understanding of critically ill patients. Jacinda has a passion for sharing her new knowledge with her colleagues and has conducted numerous education sessions and informal teaching when the opportunity presents itself. She also acts as an instructor for nursing graduates as they join the workforce. Jacinda has been endorsed by the leadership team to develop a quality improvement project to improve oral hygiene and assessment in the hospital environment.
Excellence in Education: Megan Baker
As Burns Nurse Educator in the Adult Burn Service at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Megan develops tailored educational opportunities for the nursing workforce. She designs hands-on training sessions, workshops and simulations to enhance nurse proficiency in burn care procedures. These address critical skills such as wound assessment, dressing techniques, pain management, infection prevention and the use of specialised burn equipment. In addition, Megan fosters leadership, communication and teamwork, and she develops educational materials such as courses, video resources, workbooks and programs. Megan also teaches nurses how to communicate effectively with burn patients and their families.
Excellence in Practice – Registered Nurse: Michelle Innes
Michelle is a clinical nurse in the Royal Adelaide Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she is the primary resource for delirium management. Distressing for both patients and their families, delirium is an acute change in mental state characterised by confusion, disorientation and/or not being able to think or remember clearly. Through working as a clinician and a teacher in the ICU, Michelle has been instrumental in the rollout of two delirium projects. These ensure guidance and strategy for staff managing patients with delirium, and support and resources for patients and families during their time in the ICU. Michelle is recognised nationally for her expertise on delirium and she co-convened the Australian Delirium Association’s Critical Care Masterclass.
Excellence in Practice – Team: SA Tuberculosis (TB) Team
TB is a highly infectious bacterial disease that mainly affects the lungs, and can cause significant ill health or death without identification and suitable treatment. The SA TB Team is based at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and predominantly nurse-led. The team is helping to manage a TB outbreak in the APY lands and other regions in SA, offering screening and treatment resources as close as possible to patient homes. The team works closely with any infected person and conducts contact tracing in a timely manner to limit disease spread. Team members developed a Virtual Direct Observational Therapy Service (VDOT) to support medication compliance and safe administration for patients with TB. The SA TB team also works to reduce fear and myths in communities, and educates local nurses and healthcare workers to support ongoing care. Team members are passionate about improving health and supporting communities, and in backing each other to improve the quality of their work over time.
