Nursing director role For Suzanne Lawes

Suzanne Lawes is passionate about nursing and the challenges it provides which is why she’s so excited about her appointment to the Waikato Hospital nursing director’s position.

Mrs Lawes, 42, currently service manager for women and children’s services at Waikato Hospital, starts in the nursing director’s role, a new position, on November 23.

She will be responsible for more than 2100 nurses at Waikato Hospital a job group manager Dr Grant Howard says suits someone who can “change cultures within an organisation and who has the drive and perseverance to finish what they start.”

Mrs Lawes, who immigrated to New Zealand from the UK in 2006, trained as a nurse in Hastings, East Sussex and as a paediatric nurse in Brighton, Sussex.

“We all come into nursing because we want to care for people,” she said.

“We want to make a difference to patients.”

She worked in the UK in various nursing roles throughout paediatrics, held a variety of health management positions, and facilitated the National Health Service professional development programme for leaders within the East London Foundation Trust.

Her first priority as nursing director will be to recruit to the nurse managers’ positions identified in the nursing and midwifery review earlier this year.

Hayley Goodall will be acting service manager in the women and children’s service when Mrs Lawes takes up her new position next month.

Date: 27 October 2009

Contact:

Mary Anne Gill
Director
Media and Communications
Waikato District Health Board
Ph: 07 834 3684
Fax: 07 839 8680
Mobile: 021 705 213