Benefitting from co-creation
It has certainly been a busy and engaging time! Bruce and I continue our national roadshows; this time in the Eastern Cape where we visited nine clinics and conducted site walkabouts at Nutun, Telesure, Ackermans, Entyce Tea and Snackworks Westmead. The experience really gave us a sense of wellness in action. The process also provided us with the opportunity to synthesize the feedback from our clients and our employees who work with them.
During this time, our business development and sales teams were engaged in several wellness events across the country, and hosted information sessions with Life Healthcare’s regional managers to build relationships and uncover mutual opportunities for leveraging these partnerships.
While on the road, “co-creation” was foremost in my mind. I strongly believe that fostering a culture of co-creation is critical for our long-term sustainability. By working collaboratively with one another, we can provide innovative solutions and new ideas that will help us stay ahead of the curve.
I encourage all of you to take an active role in the company’s future and to share your thoughts and ideas on how we can improve and grow together. Our continued success requires open communication, mutual respect and a willingness to work together towards a common goal. Together, we can create a workplace culture that supports creativity, innovation and collaboration, and that will lead to sustained success for years to come. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to our team and our business.
On the topic of success, I am incredibly proud to inform you that we have two GIBS graduates amongst us: Leanne Ebell and Delisile Sithole. The pace of change in healthcare is accelerating. As part of Life Healthcare's development programme, we aim to help our top talent adapt to the changing – and challenging – environment. We also aim to develop a new generation of innovative, empathic leaders to drive our transformation initiatives forward.Both Delisile and Leanne intend on putting the skills and knowledge to good use. When asked that they personal experience has been, this is what they had to say:
“This experience has brought me so much growth and perspective, but more than anything, I have gained confidence in the leader that I am becoming” – Delisile Sithole
“The GIBS programme has enhanced my way of thinking, allowed me to engage with colleagues who I ordinarily may not have engaged with in my day-to-day job, and provided me with skills to improve as a leader. I am eternally grateful for this personal growth opportunity.” – Leanne Ebell
My sincerest congratulations go to Leanne and Delisile.
BUSINESS NEWS
Life Health Solutions app receives stamp of approval
OutSystems – a leading international development platform – has awarded the Life Health Solutions wellness app with its Quality App Badge in recognition of its user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. JustSolve, who developed the app on behalf of Life Health Solutions, submitted the app for testing and evaluation. Obtaining this badge was no easy feat. The app was tested against rigorous technical specifications and best practices and was critiqued for its architecture, quality of code, performance, as well as its UX and UI design. To earn a quality app badge, an app must score at least 85%. The Life Health Solutions app scored 94%. Thank you to the development teams at Life Health Solutions and JustSolve who contributed to the design, development, and delivery of this application.
Celebrating International Nurses Day
On 12 May 2023, Nurses Day was celebrated across our regions. Although each region celebrated the day in its own unique way, what was unified was everyone's reflection on the significance of Nurses Day, what it represents, and how our nurses contribute meaningfully to the advancement of this profession, and our organisation. This year, I am very proud to announce the 100 Great Nurses Certificate of Excellence was presented to Chantal Erasmus (from Mahle Behr Clinic) and Ntombi Khumalo (from South32 Hillside Clinic).
This is how the Gqeberha regional team celebrated Nurses Day
[Back left to right] Ivy Mpunzi, Leonie van Rhyn, Rianda Boshoff, Faldielah Prins, Karin Strydom, Chantel Erasmus, Gloria Bagoes.
[Bottom left to right] Rene Oogies, Retha Preston, Lezinda Scholtz and Charlene Potgieter.
Great 100 nurses 2023
Ntombi Khumalo, South32 Hillside Clinic
“She wears her uniform with pride”
A great deal of commendation has been received from both patients and colleagues regarding Ntombi Khumalo who is especially known for her professionalism, clinical competence, leadership and compassion. The high quality of her work is a direct reflection of her professionalism and high ethical standards. She demonstrates clinical competence in her work and strives to provide quality service at every opportunity.
As a leader, she demonstrates her leadership skills through taking responsibility and interacting with patients and colleagues in a professional manner. Above all, her compassion is evident in how interacts with everyone and whose passion is unwavering. She is open and approachable, always advocating on behalf of her patients.
Chantal Erasmus, Mahle Behr clinic
“A go-getter and role model”
It is easy to get to know Chantel Erasmus. Despite being soft-spoken, caring and approachable, she is also assertive when needed. As true professional, she is both present and engaged at work and demonstrates an energy that is infectious. As a nurse, she is always presentable and immaculate. As a professional, her attention to detail and hard work are highly regarded by her clients. Her compassion is evident in how she interacts with everyone, taking the time to listen to their concerns and provide comfort. Whether it is her clients, her colleagues, or the company as a whole, she goes the extra mile to ensure everyone is happy. A go-getter and role model, she earns the respect of her co-workers, management, and clients. All these characteristics make her a born leader.
NEW EMPLOYEE ANNOUNCEMENT
Introducing Sethu Makina
We welcome Sethu Makina who joins Life Health Solutions as a Test Analyst. He will work with the development team to further develop the Primary Healthcare virtual services. Before joining us, Sethu worked in the corporate space as a consultant for the Department of Home Affairs. He was promoted to Software Tester and Analyst two years later, and has been loving it ever since. Some of the clients he has tested for include UIF, City of Joburg, and Department of Home Affairs. Sethu's current responsibilities include static and dynamic testing against systems and business requirements, verify and revise quality assurance standards, and recommend areas for process improvement. He will also serve as a liaison between developers and business analysts. Fun fact. On his off days, Sethu is a commercial model. He has already featured on a television advertisement; and despite his busy schedule, still finds time to attend television castings. Welcome on board, Sethu!
LONG-SERVICE RECOGNITION
Kerry-Lee celebrates 20 years of service
Kerry-Lee Robson joined EOH as a bid administrator in 2003 where she advanced to Client Relationship Manager. Following Life Health Solutions' acquisition of EOH, Kerry-Lee was appointed as the Marketing and Business Development Consultant. By 2018, Kerry-Lee was the Regional Business Development Manager for Life Health Solutions. Our organisation has benefited greatly from Kerry-Lee's knowledge and expertise. We express our gratitude for all her hard work, commitment, and positive contributions to the company.
Congratulations, Kerry-Lee.
Karin Strydom celebrates 15 years of service
The Long Service Award was handed to Karen Strydom for her 15 years of dedicated service. Congratulations to Karin Strydom, West Coast Business Manager, on completing her 15 years of service. Karin started with Life Occupational Health on 10 March 2008 as an Operations Manager and has continued to provide support to the staff and clients in the area she serves. Karin has proven herself a loyal and trustworthy member of the Life Health Solutions team.
Thank you, Karin.
GRADUATIONS
Olivia Lackay awarded her Master's Degree in Radiography
Olivia Lackay has received her Master’s Degree in Radiography from the Central University of Technology (CUT) of the Free State. Olivia, a radiographer at the Beeshoek Clinic in the Northern Cape, graduated earlier this month after completing a two-year degree. Having attained her BTech and Master’s Degree in Radiography, Olivia believes the knowledge she has gained will greatly benefit her profession as a radiation worker. When asked why she chose to study radiography, Olivia explains that radiography is a dynamic field in the medical profession. “It helps in making a diagnosis when pathology is suspected. The images we acquire during radiological examinations assist doctors in making decisions and determining prognoses. Also, X-rays are very cool to look at." She achieved the Best Master Oral Presentation Student Award at the Prestige Research Day from CUT Faculty of Health and Environmental Science and was honored for her dissertation at the Department of Clinical Science Radiography Award Ceremony. Congratulations, Olivia, on this impressive achievement.
CLIENT AND COMMUNITY EVENTS
Unitrans national sites host a Wellness Day, hosted by Life Health Solutions
To commemorate Hypertension Awareness Day on 17 May, Life Health Solutions hosted a wellness day for our national client, Unitrans. The on-site activations took place on the same day at three of Unitrans national sites namely, the Tulisa Park depot in Johannesburg, the Clairwood depot in Durban, and their Brackenfell depot in Cape Town. The employee participation was impressive. On the day of the event, hundreds of blood pressure tests were conducted. The Unitrans Tulisa Park depot employs over 500 people, and our nurses conducted 269 blood pressure checks alone. In total, over 400 blood pressure tests were conducted at all three national sites! As a result of hosting the health screening programme for our client, our team was able to identify potential health risks among their employees and demonstrate to our client how our services can mitigate potential health risks, and simultaneously enhance their employee well-being. This initiative is particularly noteworthy for the collaborative efforts it involved and the results it produced for our client. This collaborative effort involved our Key Account Manager (Madeleine Jacobs), the Wellness Coordinator for Unitrans (Natasha Dom) who made a special trip from Cape Town to join us for this hosting, the support team in Gauteng (Sr Engela Rademeyer and Marietjie Daubert), as well as the Business Managers from the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal (Leilani Kruger and Duncan Malwane). Well done, team!
[Left] Madeleine Jacobs, Natasha Dom (Unitrans Wellness Coordinator), Sr Engela Rademeyer and Marietjie Daubert
Ackermans gets a lesson in mental health at their Wellness Day
An employee wellness day was held at the Ackermans regional office in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal, on 12 May 2023. Sr Sherise Mallanna organised the one-day event, which was well attended by Ackermans employees. Ackermans is a valued client of ours. The company employs more than 1,000 people, including contract workers, and 70% of its employees are women. Approximately ten service providers attended the event, including Alex Forbes, Virgin Active, and Old Mutual. Dylan Ramsay, our Business Manager, was on-site to provide mental health education. Among the traditional topics, Dylan also discussed normalising culture-bound syndrome – a mental health condition specific to a particular culture or society that is often not recognised by other cultures. By raising awareness about this and other traditional matters, Dylan was able to create an enriching learning environment and allow people to gain a better understanding of it. Based on the turnout and feedback, the wellness day was a huge success and enjoyed by both the client and employees.
