Dr Frances Hughes Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Executive Director Office and Data Integrity and Patient Safety

Dr Frances Hughes was appointed as Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Department of Health, Queensland in March 2012. In late 2014, the Queensland Health Director-General appointed Frances in the additional role of Executive Director to establish the Office of Data Integrity and Patient Safety (ODIPS).

Frances is a valued addition to the Department Management Team and is accountable directly to the Director-General for all matters pertaining to the Office of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer and ODIPS. Frances has extensive knowledge and networks in relation to health policy, particularly in the field of nursing and mental health, research, and global health issues.

For eight years, Frances held the position of Chief Nurse for New Zealand. During this time, she played a major leadership role in nursing, and was instrumental in the development of government policy around nurse prescribing, primary health care, health line and rural schemes, mental health and nurse practitioners.

Frances was the first nurse to be awarded the Harkness Fellowship in Health Care Policy from the Commonwealth Fund in New York. She spent a year in 2001 studying at the Centre for Hospital and Patient Outcomes, University of Pennsylvania with Professor Linda Aitken. During this time she was involved in research relating to nurse practitioners, costing nursing turnover and the effects of nursing on patient outcomes.

For seven years Frances served as the Commandant Colonel for the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corp, providing strategic nursing leadership to the New Zealand Army. In 2004, Frances was appointed as the first Professor of Nursing at Auckland University, Chair of Mental Health Nursing and established the Centre for Mental Health Policy, Research and Service Development. From 2005 through to 2011, Frances worked for the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the Facilitator for the Pacific Island Mental Health Network (PIMHNet). During this time she worked with 16 governments, supporting them to develop policy and plans to improve mental health. Frances also established her own consultancy firm and worked for non-government organisations (NGOs) in the areas of disability and service evaluation and mental health. She held the part-time position as Executive Officer in a national disability group and established an NGO providing community residential support to those with complex mental illness. Prior to commencing with the Department of Health, she was the Acting Deputy-Director of Mental Health for New Zealand.

Frances is an established scholar and has an extensive publication record, publishing her first book in 2007 “Have your Say - How to Influence Public Policy”. Her scholarship and research interests are mental health, health policy and nursing.

Dr Frances Hughes has a BA, MA and Doctorate in Nursing and was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005 for her Services to Mental Health. In 2011, Frances received a Fulbright Senior Scholarship, followed by a Distinguished Alumni Service Award from Massey University in New Zealand in 2013.

A collaboration between CheckUP

and the Office of the Chief Nursing &

Midwifery Officer

Associate Professor Christine Neville Acting Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work

University of Queensland

Christine commenced her role as Acting Head of School in June 2014. In addition to her position as Acting Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, Christine is the Deputy Director of UQ’s Ipswich Clinical School and coordinates the Master of Mental Health Nursing program. She has general and mental health nursing qualifications with clinical experience in both these areas and a PhD in psychiatry. For over 20 years she has been involved in the tertiary education of nurses. Christine is a Fellow of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses and was the recipient of the internationally acclaimed Stan Alchin Award for Outstanding Mental Health Nursing Practice. Christine has a strong clinical, educational and research background in mental health and aged care, particularly caring for older people with dementia. Her current research focus is on family-centred counselling for carers of people with dementia, pain rating scales for older people with dementia, managing the behavioural and psychological complexities of dementia, respite care for older people with dementia, undergraduate nurse perceptions of a career in aged care and nurse caring behaviours in mental health. In 2010, she was the recipient of a Trans-Pacific Research Fellowship undertaken at the University of Washington. Christine is the President of the Psychogeriatric Nurses Association and Chairperson of its Education and Research committee. She has been an invited speaker at many aged care and mental health forums and co-authored the book Community Mental Health for Older People. Additionally, Christine is a peer reviewer for national and international journals and research funding agencies.

Mrs Patrice Cafferky Board Member

Australian Primary Care Nurses Association

For the past 17 years Patrice has co–owned a general practice in Brisbane. From early on, Patrice recognised the absolute need to encourage nurses to join the primary health care workforce and remains passionate about supporting nurses with professional development opportunities both within the workplace and in the broader community. Patrice spent years working as a midwife and clinical nurse in the Labour ward at the Mater Mothers Hospital, which was an important training ground for true collaboration in delivery of safe and effective health care. In 2006, Patrice joined the board of a Division of General Practice and has since worked tirelessly during the healthcare reform that Australia has seen in recent years. In late 2012, Patrice was elected for a second term as a Director of Greater Metro South Brisbane Medicare Local. Patrice gained the qualification of Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2010, with valuable experience as a Director of companies and associations.

A collaborative event co-hosted by

Queensland Health’s Nursing and

Midwifery Office and CheckUP