At Catholic Healthcare we are shining a ‘light’ on our staff and the exceptional work they are all doing across our services. We share how team members are innovating, engaging and helping to make Catholic Healthcare a great place to work.
This week, meet Margaret Woods, Mission Manager based in Sydney
As Mission Manager in the close-knit Mission Team based in Sydney, Margaret’s role is to provide leadership that intentionally integrates ‘mission’ and ‘values’ into all aspects of Catholic Healthcare.
Margaret works closely in collaboration with Andrew, Director of Mission, and Nehme, Mission Manager.
“As a team, we need to manage the strategic, operational and relational aspects of delivering an integrated approach to mission. This is undoubtedly a very wide canvas to work with,” says Margaret.
Margaret and the team work to develop a strategic vision to support maintaining Catholic ethical standards. They are responsible for ensuring that the operational functions of management and decision making are exercised correctly and that they reflect Catholic Healthcare’s Mission, ethics and heritage. This includes liaising closely with various departments across Catholic Healthcare, coordinating special events (for example ‘Pause and Reflect’ sessions, Christmas, ANZAC Day and Foundation Day), and supporting the Residential and Community Managers with their reports, and in their understanding of the practice of mission being applied to their daily work. The Mission Team also work to establish and foster relationships with local Catholic parish priests and other church stakeholders.
Recently, Margaret was involved in the Ageing Well Online Masterclass Webinar Series which brought together clinical experts and professionals in the field of ageing from Catholic Healthcare, CatholicCare Sydney, Grief Care, Australian Catholic Super and the NSW Trustee & Guardian. Margaret presented the first masterclass – ‘Social connection and psychological wellbeing’, which was hosted by Kerryn Tutt from CatholicCare. This masterclass explored the importance of social connections and ways to mitigate and manage mental illness, later in life.
“Working with members from CatholicCare was a fabulous opportunity. They were very professional, kind, supportive and competent at their jobs,” says Margaret.
“At first I was a little daunted by the thought of presenting online to people I couldn’t see and who I didn’t know, but overall I found the experience to be very positive and enjoyable.”
During the recent COVID-19 lockdown period Margaret was involved in providing pastoral care and support to many of our Homes that experienced outbreaks, namely St Mary’s Villa in Dubbo.
“My one-to-one presence was particularly important to the clients and residents during this time, and they were really appreciative of this support.”
Margaret was also a part of the EmCare Team, which was formed to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
The team was responsible for calling residents and families to keep them updated with important information regarding outbreaks.
“All of the families were so grateful for our calls and for the great work that all of our staff were doing across our Homes,” says Margaret.
“I personally received a lot of positive feedback, with many family members providing compliments about the high-level of care that their loved ones were receiving.”
Margaret is passionate about providing ongoing development for the many pastoral care teams across our Catholic Healthcare Homes, providing support to many levels of staff across the entire organisation.
“’Living life to the full’ is core to our mission which I strive to promote and nurture with staff, residents and clients. For me life is an abundant gift we enjoy and that we have the privilege of sharing with others,” says Margaret.
Andrew Nee, Director of Mission, sees Margaret as a valued member of the Mission Team.
“Margaret makes a significant contribution to the work of mission at Catholic Healthcare,” says Andrew.
“Her enthusiasm for our residents, clients, patients and staff is infectious. Margaret is generous, insightful and has a fabulous sense of humour which contributes to making her a valued colleague.”
Outside of work, Margaret enjoys singing, dancing, reading, theatre and opera. She is looking forward to gathering with friends to enjoy the talents and skills of our Australian artists, in the next couple of months as restrictions begin to ease.
For more information on our Pastoral Care services call 1800 225 474 or visit: