Perth announced to host 2024 IHHC National Conference

At the end of the 2023 IHHC National Conference held in Adelaide in November, our MC Victoria Carthew (pictured) introduced WA Branch Chair Jon Valentine to the strains of the Village People’s “Go West”, who took to the stage to announce that this year’s Conference will be held at the Crown Hotel and Casino Complex, Perth.

“It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally happening,” Jon said. “Perth was originally announced as the venue for what was to have been the 39th conference back in 2019.

“Covid put paid to those plans, and after more than 18 months of delays we regrettably had to relinquish our hosting duties to Brisbane, which put on a great show last year.

Our WA Branch committee, at the time spearheaded by Carey Bray, had put in a lot of work laying the foundations for the conference. Jon and his team are very excited to be hosting the 41st conference next year and showcasing all the state has to offer.

We are also pleased to have welcomed Carey back into the IHHC fold and will be taking advantage of the groundwork he established previously, as well as adding to and expanding those plans to ensure the 41st conference is something really special. 

We look forward to hosting you all later this year at Crown, which I can promise will provide a stunning setting for our conference program. We are well into the planning of events and the Culinary Competition in particular is set to be quite incredible!

The Conference Supporter prospectus is already issued so I encourage prospective supporters to book their spot now to avoid FOMO! 

Our theme this year is all about compassion, care and innovation and we want to showcase how that is exemplified in our industry, not just in WA but across the nation. We invite all parties interested in presenting at the Conference to submit abstracts which share experiences, goals and blue sky thinking to challenge our members. 

We also encourage you to take advantage of your trip to the Conference and extend your stay either side of the three day program. For some of you it might be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to visit our wonderful state and take a well-earned break. Why not come for a week or more and see what WA has to offer?”

As Jon said in his closing comments at last year’s conference, “I would like to quote the immortal words of The Village People and encourage you all to “Go West”!

Hospitality Workers in Healthcare Day

March 6 each year is Hospitality Workers in Healthcare Day – a day in which we publicly acknowledge and celebrate the important contribution that hospitality workers make to the healthcare sector.

We use the term hospitality in its broadest sense to encompass support services including not just foodservice, but environmental, porters and patient service and more. The responsibilities of workers across these areas are pivotal to the care and recovery of patients and residents – from preparing and delivering nutritional, dietary and culturally appropriate food which has an important role to play in healing, to maintaining a hygienically clean and fresh environment, laundering bedding and clothing, and managing and disposing of waste in a timely and efficient manner.

The day is the brainchild of former IHHC WA Chair Carey Bray, who came up with the idea back in 2018. While Covid lockdowns temporarily put its celebration on hold, last year saw a return to the larger-scale gatherings and public acknowledgements that are a hallmark of the efforts we go to in ensuring hospitality workers in healthcare are recognised.

National President Lisa Cranham explains, “In hospitals, clinical teams are recognised with their special days, but the non-clinical teams tend to not be as high profile. So this day was designed to give some extra recognition, to give those teams a higher professional profile as well as a morale boost.

“Each year it’s gained a little more momentum and now we’re seeing people and organisations celebrating it across the nation. We hope it will become a permanent feature in everyone’s calendar!”

Next issue’s column will feature some examples of how the day was celebrated in health and aged care facilities across the nation.