Staff achievements acknowledged during challenging year for healthcare.

The achievements of Sydney Local Health District staff have been recognised, with the naming of the finalists in the 2021 NSW Premier's Awards.

"It's an acknowledgement of the hard work, commitment and resilience of our staff who are dedicated to caring for our patients, their families and the community," Dr Teresa Anderson, the District's Chief Executive, said.

"They have been at the forefront of the state's evolving response to the COVID-19 pandemic and have also continued to work together to deliver high-quality health care for all of the other patients in our District," she said.

The District has three team finalists and an individual finalist in the NSW Premier's Awards:

Putting the Customer at the Centre - Welcome to the NSW Health Mass Vaccination Centre

Sydney Local Health District manages the NSW Health Vaccination Centre at Sydney Olympic Park which is capable of vaccinating up to 10,000 people every day.

From its inception, the community was at the heart of decision-making, with the Centre's welcoming environment ensuring a positive experience for everyone being vaccinated.

The Centre's operation involves more than 400 staff and collaboration with other LHDs, government agencies, universities, private health services and companies.

And, due to its success, the Centre has become the prototype for other vaccination centres in Sydney and across NSW.

Excellence in Digital Innovation - Turning the other cheek on COVID-19 quarantine testing

A collaboration led by Sydney Local Health District and NSW Health Pathology created a COVID-19 saliva testing system, for daily use by airport, quarantine and border workers.

The innovative ICT solution makes testing accessible and comfortable for workers and makes it easier to get test samples at scale and faster to get results.

A mobile app was developed and about 50 kiosks were installed where staff collect their swabs each day which are then sent to laboratories for testing.

The bespoke system has enabled ongoing surveillance testing of quarantine and border workers and early detection of COVID transmission.

Tackling Longstanding Social Challenges - Innovations in Sydney District Pregnancy Family Conferencing

The Pregnancy Family Conferencing (PFC) program is delivered in partnership by Sydney Local Health District and the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ).

It's offered to women and their families at RPA and Canterbury hospitals where significant child protection concerns about their unborn baby have been identified.

Some have had previous children removed from their care and are fearful of engaging with services.

The program aims to provide a different experience, where families can have a voice in the process and help them to create sustained change to break the cycle of disadvantage.

Anthea Kerr Award - Bradley McEntee

Bradley is Infection Prevention and Control Nurse Manager at Special Health Accommodation.

He began at a time of high community uncertainty, fear and rapidly changing advice in how to manage COVID-19 and its impact.

He was charged with developing and implementing stringent infection control practice and training across Special Health Accommodation sites.

He demonstrates inspiring leadership and passion for his work and has empowered and encouraged staff to operate safely and collaboratively with each other and external stakeholders.

"Congratulations to all of our finalists. It demonstrates the dedication of our staff who are caring for our patients, their families and the community 24-hours a day, every day of the year," Dr Anderson said.

NSW Premier's Awards celebrate excellence in the delivery of public services to the NSW community by the public sector, not-for-profit organisations and private businesses.

The winners will be announced at the virtual event ceremony which will be livestreamed on the Premier's Awards website on Wednesday, 3 November 2021 from 4pm to 5:10pm.