Driven to improve global emergency care

In a collaboration with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health, the trip was spearheaded by the Alfred Emergency Academic Centre (AEAC), and followed a 10-week virtual training program designed to identify and address training needs in the nation’s emergency nursing workforce.

Program Partnership Manager and former Senior Emergency Nurse Manager Emma Saddington said that seeing the strong focus on supporting the future of emergency nursing in Abu Dhabi was particularly exciting.

“Shifting the lens to grow capacity and capability into the Emergency Nursing Workforce was a strong step forward in the future of healthcare delivery,” Emma said. “It was wonderful that the Department of Health Abu Dhabi was championing the program and saw significant merit in the program’s focus on ongoing support and collaboration between the two organisations from one side of the globe to the other.

“It was great to be able to share our experiences, share our knowledge and to also learn from our colleagues in Abu Dhabi as well.”

The trip also coincided with the Global Emergency Nursing Summit, which offered further opportunities for the Alfred Emergency team to take a leading role in global discussions of the future of emergency nursing.

Chief Nurse of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu was also in attendance, with AEAC Head of Operations Jessica Hocking saying that her participation presented further opportunity to affirm The Alfred’s relationship with the WHO, and commitment to global advancement in emergency care.

“It absolutely fortified an existing relationship that Alfred Health has with the WHO,” said Jessica. “It was amazing to learn from her insights on nursing globally and get an idea of how we might continue to work with the WHO and other partners to improve health outcomes and health workforce experience in our region and around the world.”

“It was incredibly humbling meeting Dr Amelia,” Emma added. “She is a big presence and a real superstar in global healthcare and obviously even more so in global nursing.

"Having her present also demonstrated the strong focus from a global perspective on how important emergency nursing is and also on the importance of growing and developing our next leaders in this area.”

Director of the Alfred Emergency Academic Centre, Professor Peter Cameron, said that the mission in Abu Dhabi was not only a demonstration of the AEAC’s commitment to improving emergency care globally, but also offered opportunities for members of Alfred Emergency to learn from their colleagues abroad.

“I think we learn quite a lot by doing these projects,” said Prof Cameron. “The training packages, the experience, and the broader contextualisation of what we do is really quite important in developing our own program.

“It’s very much a win-win.”