Burnside CEO leaves legacy of quality patient care

Heather Messenger, who is retiring as CEO of Adelaide's Burnside War Memorial Hospital, isn't all that comfortable talking about herself.

But as she steps back from the role she has held for eight years, she's more than willing to wax lyrical about the amazing staff at the private not-for-profit community hospital.

"This hospital is the result of a significant gift, and that philosophy of giving underpins everything that everyone does here," Heather said.

"It's the people that matter most and we have a team of people here who understand our reason for being.

"We can't do the work that we do as well as we do without each other, and even though there will be a changing of the guard, it's the people who remain who will continue to give their best every day."

Heather joined Burnside Hospital in January 2005 in the role of Director Clinical Operations, and was promoted to the position of CEO in 2013.

Her career with the hospital – established in 1944 after the historic Attunga mansion site in Toorak Gardens was gifted to the local council – has held many special moments, both in clinical operations and as CEO.

"There have been many highlights for me, one of which was an international recruitment program which was very successful, and the majority of those nurses and midwives remain on staff," she said.

"We've built a new day surgery, a new central sterile supply department, an expanded oncology centre, a state-of-the-art waste management department, and we also went through with a generator replacement plan – here in South Australia, we have in the past had some energy issues, but now we are self-reliant on our own back-up generators if needs be.

"We introduced an orthopaedic robotic program in 2015 in collaboration with a group of orthopaedic surgeons, which was the first in South Australia and only the seventh hospital in Australia to do so.

"And that's been important in terms of clinical advances and excellence in care for our patients."

What had been most satisfying over many years, Heather added, was how happy the patients had been and continued to be with their care at Burnside.

A 2021 ACHS surveyor comment highlights the great feedback from patients, reporting that the majority of Burnside patients said they would be happy to have their family members treated there, which she describes as "very gratifying".

Heather has fostered genuine relationships partnering with the hospital's visiting medical specialists and General Practitioners, some of whom have already expressed their thanks for her leadership.

One senior medical specialist said she had been a driving force responsible for significant improvements that continued to enhance the hospital's standing within the community.

Heather is also proud to have been part of an all-female executive team for seven of her eight years as CEO.

"Being a woman in this senior role has had its challenges, but I feel I have always been treated with respect and with the understanding that I have a job to do,"she said.

"I hope our nurses and midwives have been proud to have a nurse and midwife as a leader."

Anne Hinton, Chair of the Burnside Board of Directors, said Heather had enhanced the hospital's brand and reputation.

"Under her leadership, the hospital's standing as a leading provider of excellent clinical care, evidenced by continual accreditation under the Australian Council on Health Care Standards (ACHS) program, has continued to grow," she said.

"We have an enviable longstanding track record in patient safety and quality care. None of this could be achieved without Heather's commitment to a strong patient-centred culture which is deeply embedded into the organisation.

"Heather has enhanced our capacity and capability as an acute care health service whilst leading an engaged workforce and key stakeholders through her inclusive leadership style.

"Heather oversaw a series of strategic plans which continue to be the hospital's roadmap for the future, setting out our strategic and operational priorities.

"This has been balanced with meeting the capital expenditure required to support day-to-day service delivery; a significant achievement for a standalone community hospital."

Heather said she was proud of the way her staff had handled the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The past two years have been a challenging time for everyone in healthcare," she said.

"The team here have weathered the storm extremely well, and we've seen the very best of our people. I have been proud of their commitment and loyalty.

"It's been an overwhelming time for our patients too, they haven't been able to have visitors and we know that for their wellbeing, having family and friends around helps patients recover quickly."

While the search continues for her successor, Heather said she planned to get some additional exercise – both physically and mentally.

"It's going to be a new chapter in my life with some rest and relaxation to begin with," she said.

"I've previously travelled to some parts of the world hiking; most recently I've walked part of the Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

"But I've never hiked the 1,200km Heysen trail here in South Australia, so it will be good to see some more of my own backyard.

"I'm also planning to do some study – I've always been interested in art history, and maybe I will have the opportunityto give back in other ways, on not-for-profit boards or volunteering to teach English as a second language to migrants."

Heather said she would treasure "the many memories" of working at the hospital, and she was grateful for the opportunities she had been given.

"I will miss everyone here greatly, but I have complete faith that the board will recruit a new CEO who will pick up the baton and the organisation will continue to go from strength to strength."

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