Miss Sarah Stewart1, Mrs Sarah Pirere1, Mrs Natasha Hempenstall1
1Sunshine Coast Health, Australia
Biography:
Sarah Stewart, Natasha Hempenstall, and Sarah Pirere are Nursing Grade 7 (NRG7) leaders at Sunshine Coast Health. Working within Infection Management Services, they provide senior clinical leadership, oversee infection prevention and control portfolios, and lead service improvement initiatives to enhance safety and workforce sustainability.
Abstract:
Background
Portfolio management within the Infection Management Service (IMS) was historically fragmented and siloed, resulting in inefficiencies, inequitable workload distribution, and inconsistent portfolio coverage during staff leave or secondments. These gaps negatively impacted continuity, team cohesion, and strategic focus, highlighting the need for a more sustainable and equitable operating model.
Aim
This initiative aimed to improve workflow efficiency, ensure consistent portfolio coverage during staff absences, and promote equitable workload distribution, while aligning with the Infection Control Management Plan and organisational change priorities.
Intervention
A structural redesign of the IMS team was implemented, reorganising roles into four collaborative functional units (“Arms”): Prevention, Innovation, Response, and Pivot. Each Arm adopted a team-based approach with shared accountability, clearer task delegation, and defined leadership. Senior NRG7 roles focused on strategic oversight, while Clinical Nurses coordinated portfolio-level activities. Formal evaluations were conducted at 6 and 12 months, with final review completed in January 2025.
Results
Staff feedback demonstrated improved morale, role satisfaction, and perceived support within smaller, focused teams. Workload delegation became more efficient, leave coverage was more consistent, and portfolio continuity improved. NRG7s reported increased capacity for strategic work, and the model supported succession planning and professional development.
Conclusions
The ‘Arms’ model effectively addressed fragmentation by promoting equity, collaboration, and continuity. A structured yet flexible team design enhanced operational effectiveness and staff satisfaction.
Lessons Learnt
Clear ownership, stability of portfolio allocation, and adaptability to feedback were critical to success. Flexible implementation strengthened sustainability and team engagement.