MLHD'S Palliative Care Educator Shortlisted As Finalist For 2024 Nsw Premier’s Award

Palliative care educator Stephanie Dunstall has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2024 NSW Premier’s Awards.

Nominated in the Anthea Kerr Award category for the work she does across the district raising awareness about end-of-life options and supporting the palliative care team to provide compassionate care for individuals and their families, Ms Dunstan is just one of the 42 finalists endorsed by the Premier.

The Premier’s Awards received over 240 nominations across the eight categories this year.

Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) Chief Executive Jill Ludford said Ms Dunstall was a most worthy finalist, consistently going above and beyond to achieve remarkable outcomes.

“Steph is passionate about improving palliative and end-of-life care education across NSW,” Ms Ludford said.

“We are immensely proud of the outstanding work Steph does for people in our region.”

“Her dedication to educating our teams and engaging with our communities has made a significant impact.”

Ms Dunstan conducted a needs analysis and surveyed Nurse Unit Managers and Clinical Nurse Educators across the MLHD to identify knowledge gaps.

Using this data, she has crafted a continuous program of education for district-wide clinicians.

Over 600 clinicians across MLHD have attended palliative care education sessions in the first four months of 2024 alone.

Ms Dunstan also works with external organisations to build capacity within the aged care sector, and the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) to identify and promote education opportunities more broadly.

“We are so thrilled that Steph is a finalist in the prestigious Anthea Kerr Award,” Ms Ludford said.

“This award honours individuals who demonstrate a profound commitment to public sector values and exhibit notable leadership potential - qualities that Anthea exemplified throughout her career.”

Winners will be announced by the NSW Premier at an awards presentation in Sydney on Monday, November 18.