Introducing the CORE Awards finalists for 2026
Forget the MET Gala, in just under four weeks time we'll be rolling out the red carpet for the most anticipated event in the District's calendar – the CORE Awards.
This year there are 53 finalists across 18 awards categories. All the finalists exemplify excellence and innovation in care and service delivery. Among the finalists are teams driving more culturally responsive models of care for the multicultural communities we serve; research teams developing scalable solutions to clinical challenges; staff who embody the CORE values through compassionate care and leadership; and many more.
Here are the first set of finalists for 2026. See the CORE Awards page for the full listing of finalists.
Excellence in Health Innovation
Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting: Innovating Medication Safety Operations
Pharmacy Services and Emergency Departments, St George Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital
Medication errors pose major safety risks for patients. Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting, implemented at St George and Prince of Wales Hospitals, embeds credentialled pharmacists with senior doctors at admission. Enabled by NSW legislation, PPMC cuts errors to 3.3%, shortens stay, saves costs, and delivers a safer, more efficient emergency care model nationally.
EMBODY: Virtual preventative medicine translation in the first 2000 days
The Royal Hospital for Women
Rates of excessive gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, hypertension and pelvic floor dysfunction are rising in NSW, yet fewer than one third of women complete recommended exercise and pelvic floor programs despite proven benefits. The EMBODY virtual model of care at the Royal Hospital for Women reaches 75% of pregnant and postpartum women, improving prevention and early treatment and contributing to a 50% reduction in postpartum physiotherapy referrals.
Prince of Wales Hospital Ambulance to EMR Integration Project
Prince of Wales Hospital with Digital Health, e-Health and NSW Ambulance
The Prince of Wales Hospital Ambulance to EMR Integration Project replaces unreliable paper handover of Ambulance PCRs with a secure, paperless electronic workflow, ensuring immediate and permanent access to essential ambulance documentation in EMR through collaboration with eHealth NSW, NSW Ambulance and local digital teams.
Excellence in Health Research
Functional Neurological Disorders Clinic
Mindgardens and Mental Health Services
The Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) Clinic is nominated for its groundbreaking establishment as NSW’s first public multidisciplinary FND service, delivering a data‑driven, evidence‑based and cost‑effective model that improves patient outcomes within routine public mental health care. Its demonstrated clinical impact, strong cost‑effectiveness, and statewide dissemination of practice guidelines position the clinic as a scalable template for health service innovation and reform.
Accelerated Respiratory Care (ARC): Transforming COPD Recovery Pathways
Prince of Wales Hospital
The Accelerated Respiratory Care (ARC) program is a physiotherapy‑led model that embeds early inpatient rehabilitation for AECOPD within routine ward care and ensures continuity through an eight‑week home‑based community program after discharge. Developed through iterative improvement cycles, ARC has delivered earlier rehabilitation, strong functional and patient‑reported outcomes, more efficient ward resource use, and a scalable, integrated approach aligned with COPD care standards and SESLHD priorities.
St George and Sutherland Centre for Clinical Orthopaedic Research (SCORe)
The Sutherland Hospital and St George Hospital
The Orthopaedic Clinical Research Program at St George and Sutherland Hospitals, delivered through the SCORe Centre, embeds high‑impact clinical trials into routine care to answer practice‑critical questions in shoulder, hip, knee and trauma surgery. Led by expert clinician‑researchers, the program conducts rigorous multicentre randomised and registry‑nested trials that have directly influenced surgical practice and align with NSW Health priorities for sustainable, patient‑centred, evidence‑based care.
Excellence in Multicultural Healthcare
Multicultural Health Week: Supporting Healthy Ageing Together
NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service, Population and Community Health
Multicultural Health Week 2025 was nominated for its strong leadership in reducing health inequities for culturally and linguistically diverse older people through a targeted, culturally responsive Healthy Ageing initiative. Its large‑scale delivery of high‑quality multilingual resources and cross‑sector partnerships has strengthened preventative care, access, and inclusion in alignment with NSW health priorities.
Moving From Voice to Vision
The Sutherland Hospital
This project implemented a culturally responsive model of care at The Sutherland Hospital by transitioning preadmission consultations from telephone to pre‑booked video interpreting, addressing longstanding communication and safety issues for CALD patients. Rapid uptake and high patient satisfaction demonstrate improved communication quality, engagement and equity, embedding a sustainable approach to safer, patient‑centred care.
CORE Values in Action
Stuart Lo, Corporate Services
Stuart Lo exemplifies the SESLHD CORE values by voluntarily leading training, system improvement and capability building across multiple hospital engineering services, strengthening asset and facilities management and supporting safe, effective hospital operations well beyond his role expectations.
Cassandra Read, Organ and Tissue Donation Service
Cassie is a strong nominee for the CORE Values in Action Award because her collaborative, respectful and inclusive leadership consistently supports staff, builds confidence and trust during change, and positively strengthens team culture and service delivery within the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service.
Brendan Suffield, Prince of Wales Hospital
Brendan exemplifies the CORE values through compassionate, patient‑centred physiotherapy in community palliative care, combining calm leadership, multidisciplinary collaboration, and mentorship to enhance patient dignity, staff development, and team culture at Prince of Wales Hospital.
Kay Maddison, Sydney/Sydney Eye Hospital
Kay Maddison exemplifies CORE Values in Action by leading the THIS WALL initiative at Sydney Hospital Hand Unit, creating a compassionate, collaborative and patient‑centred space that embeds lived experience, dignity and hope into the recovery journey for people with traumatic hand injuries.
Jane O’Gorman, the Royal Hospital for Women
Jane exemplifies the CORE Values in Action through her compassionate leadership in the NICU, consistently advocating for families, strengthening developmental care practices, and ensuring parents are informed, supported and empowered while improving outcomes for the unit’s most vulnerable patients.
Lisa Black, The Sutherland Hospital
Lisa Black exemplifies NSW Health CORE Values in Action through inclusive, compassionate leadership that strengthens volunteer engagement, builds community partnerships, and delivers meaningful improvements to patient care, staff wellbeing, and hospital culture.
Outstanding Service to the Organisation
Ruth Hennessy, Population and Community Health
Ruth Hennessy exemplifies CORE Values in Action through more than 25 years of dedicated leadership at The Albion Centre, championing psychology in HIV care, mentoring clinicians across SESLHD, and quietly building a safe, high‑performing, compassionate service with impact far beyond her role.
Kylie Mikelsons, Strategy, Innovation and Digital Health
Kylie exemplifies an unsung hero through her sustained, behind‑the‑scenes leadership of the eFRAMP EMR change program, embedding safer falls‑risk assessment, strengthening clinician practice, and significantly improving patient safety and outcomes across SESLHD.
Allan Ajami, St George Hospital
Allan exemplifies empowering leadership through his strategic insight, clinical expertise and emotional intelligence, consistently developing others and strengthening leadership capability while guiding the complex St George Hospital Redevelopment with vision and care.
Volunteer of the Year
Nancy Knott, Sydney/Sydney Eye Hospital
Nancy exemplifies the SSEH Volunteer of the Year criteria through her outstanding dedication, professionalism, and impact. She enriches visitor experiences with engaging tours, ensures the preservation of the museum’s collections through careful archiving and inventory management, and consistently goes above and beyond to support the mission of the Lucy Osburn Nightingale Museum. Her commitment demonstrates leadership, reliability, and a passion for service.
The RADIUS Volunteer Team, The Sutherland Hospital
The RADIUS Volunteer Team embodies “Volunteer of the Year” through its compassionate, concierge‑style support at Sutherland Hospital, enhancing patient dignity, strengthening multidisciplinary care, and delivering outstanding patient and staff experiences in alignment with NSW Health’s CORE values.
