King's honour for 'transformational leader'

A longtime stalwart of Sydney Adventist Hospital has been recognised in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours List.

Rose-Marie Radley was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to community health and nursing.

Adventist HealthCare CEO Brett Goods said he was delighted Ms Radley had been recognised for her efforts in shaping the growth of New South Wales' largest private hospital, also known as the San.

"She was a transformational leader who modernised nursing training, hospital administration and clinical services," he said.

Ms Radley's grandparents played a pivotal role in establishing the hospital in the early 1900s, and her mother received nursing training there.

In 1953, Ms Radley followed in her footsteps, graduating as a nurse at the San and then working in the public hospital system for a short while.

She also travelled overseas, gaining valuable experience working in hospitals in Canada, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Mr Goods said her skills, intuition, compassion and progressive were all put to good use when she returned to Australia to work at the San, where she became its longest-serving Director of Nursing before eventually retiring.

"With grace, Ms Radley guided the hospital through a period of intense change," he said.

"She had the challenging task of coping with the demands of accelerating technological advancements placed on her nursing workforce, as well as caring for rapidly-increasing numbers of patients under new, shortened length-of-stay requirements.

"She also led the hospital through an intense period of transition when an independent commission implemented a new process of accreditation which all hospitals in NSW had to comply with."

Ms Radley helped facilitate the development of new and improved clinical areas within the hospital, including commissioning an angiography laboratory, implementing a cardiac surgery program, rebuilding the intensive care unit, and commissioning a coronary care unit, emergency unit and day surgery unit.

She also oversaw the redevelopment of the maternity unit, operating theatres and recovery, and the commissioning of a renal dialysis unit, paediatric sleep centre and the rebuilding of the school of nursing.

Ms Radley made a significant contribution to nursing education by facilitating the transfer of the hospital-based training program to a tertiary-level course.

"Ms Radley is one of the most loved and revered members of the hospital community, touching the lives of countless patients and health professionals both here and overseas," Mr Goods said.

"Her concern for others and belief in the power of education have left a lasting impact on the nursing culture at Sydney Adventist Hospital, which is still evident today in the care we provide our patients."

Read more: APHA President honoured in King's List

Read more: Double distinction for San's quality of care

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