Year in Review 2021

A word from the Chief Executive

Above WSLHD Board Chair Richard Alcock AO and Chief Executive Graeme Loy at the official opening of the Central Acute Services Building.

When 2020 came to a close, we thought it was a year never to be repeated. 2021 may have proved those predictions wrong but our health heroes stepped up again, this time to an even greater challenge.

Frontline workers from across Western Sydney worked exceptionally hard to vaccinate Sydneysiders against a virus that has claimed so many lives around the world. Our incredible vaccination clinics at Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals were only the beginning, before Qudos Bank Arena Vaccination Centre , the biggest vaccination centre in the State, delivered over 360,000 doses. On its busiest day, it administered an astonishing 26 doses per minute, helping contribute to our vaccination milestones – both in Western Sydney and across NSW. Our vaccination outreach program helped vaccinate vulnerable and priority populations at churches, temples, homeless shelters and even meat processing facilities. We partnered with Kimberwalli, the Aboriginal Centre for Excellence in Whalan, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to get vaccinated in a culturally safe, welcoming place.

The unknowns of a global pandemic rivalled with the dedication and sacrifice of our District; proof of what we were capable of in the most difficult of circumstances. Western Sydney was the epicentre of the Delta outbreak – a more devastating and virulent strain of the virus, which put subsequent pressure on our health system like we have never seen before. Our incredible staff tackled COVID-19 – through testing, treating and vaccination. Public squares became testing clinics, our hospitals transformed both wards and their models of care, and places – from community halls to concert arenas – became vaccination centres. In the face of the most difficult circumstances, the Western Sydney community proved the doubters wrong – they stepped up, rolled up their sleeves and were vaccinated in astonishing numbers to protect themselves, their loved ones, and our entire community.

Thank you to every single frontline worker who continually showed up to work in our hospitals, testing clinics and vaccination centres during the height of the pandemic. These efforts, and the willingness of the Western Sydney community, helped keep our community safe, control the spread of COVID-19, and helped re-open our State. At the same time, our resilience and versatility came to the fore as we improved services, increased our commitment to research, looked after our staff, and planned for the future of healthcare. We opened the Central Acute Services Building as the development of the $1.1 billion Westmead Health Precinct continued. As part of the new building, Westmead Hospital opened its elite trauma service – a dedicated ward to care for patients with multiple life- threatening injuries. The new Cultural Gathering Place was unveiled to local

4