Wuchopperen Health Service’s dental team have won the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council’s (QAIHC) inaugural Patient Satisfaction and Service Excellence Award.
The QAIHC Patient Satisfaction and Service Excellence Award is presented to a Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Service team that has achieved outstanding results in 2017 through initiatives that demonstrate leadership and a commitment to excellence in customer service.
The team, made up of two dentists, two assistants and a coordinator was recognised at a special awards ceremony in Brisbane on November 14.
Wuchopperen Acting CEO Laurel McCarthy said the win was well deserved.
‘Our dental team receives great feedback from clients, and are always looking for ways to improve the dental service – this is a well-deserved award,’ she said.
Wuchopperen, a membership based community controlled health organisation, provides community –led, community – driven primary health care to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the greater – Cairns area and recognises that oral health is a key part of physical and social and emotional wellbeing.
‘We have provided free dental services to clients for a number of years and evidence suggests that the types of dental services we provide have changed from fixing problems to preventing them,’ Ms MCarthy explained.
‘In the early days people had serious, long-term oral health problems which required treatment. These days, people come in for check-ups and the focus is on preventing problems, not treating them. It’s really turned around and our committed and professional dental team are an integral part of that success story.’
Wuchopperen’s dental team is part of the organisation’s comprehensive allied health team which includes an ophthalmologist, exercise physiologist, dietitian, diabetes educator, hearing health worker, speech pathologist, podiatrist and clinical psychologist.
Image: Wuchopperen Director Lennard Watson and Deputy Chair Julianne Boneham accepting the Award on behalf of the dental team