Hospital super hero: Small procedures making the biggest impacts

The Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) is renowned for its extraordinary lifesaving, transformative work. But often it’s the everyday procedures performed there that can make the most impact.

Andy Sullivan, the latest winner of the Juiced TV Super Hero Awards, which the QSuper team proudly supports, is a great example. Andy is an orthopaedic technician at QCH and is part of a dedicated team that sets broken bones and deals with sports injuries.

Andy has proved the adage that “it’s the little things that count”, having been nominated by young patient Taylor for the way he treated his broken thumb.

“I’m nobody special. What I do, we all do here,” Andy said.

Attitude leads to gratitude

However, his nominators disagree and, through the awards program, were able to recognise the profound difference Andy made to their hospital experience.

Taylor’s mum Katherine explained that Taylor, aged 10, had broken his thumb and was full of apprehension walking into a hospital environment.

“He was worried — overwhelmed, unsettled, and unsure,” Katherine said.

“He needed his cast changed and then, eventually removed, and the fear of not knowing the process really affected him.”

Taylor went from a state of anxiety to telling his mum that it wasn’t so bad, explaining he could go through with it all because of Andy.

Katherine found the whole experience reassuring and comforting and is pleased that through the awards program she could recognise Andy’s contribution to Taylor’s health care.

Team making a difference for kids

“I think it’s really valuable that [the QSuper team] gives the families an opportunity to recognise staff members who’ve done a good job,” Katherine said.

Andy’s way with words

“What impressed me was that Andy didn’t speak over Taylor’s head to me. He actually chose the words and the descriptions of what was going to happen so that Taylor completely understood,” Katherine said.

“Taylor knew how to hold his hand like he was holding a Coke can so that it would be positioned correctly; he knew what he had to do to look after his arm in a cast and why that was important.

“All of these conversations Andy had with Taylor, and it was so refreshing for him to be at the centre of his own care. He made it his mission to remove the fear factor,” she said.

Life experience behind healthcare approach

Andy said his career had taught him a lot about attitude and a patient-centred approach.

“You have to treat people with respect and dignity no matter who they are — if they’re a young child with their first broken bone or a sports person on to their umpteenth,” Andy said.

“My nomination was a big surprise, out of the blue, and I really appreciate Katherine and Taylor thinking about how I’ve looked after Taylor.”

Taylor is now cast free with full movement in his thumb, and without fearing going to the QCH if ever he needs to in the future.