2026 Excellence in Leadership - Emerging Leader
Naomi Hallsworth
Naomi is Western Australia’s first Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurse Practitioner (NP), a trailblazer whose vision, courage, and clinical excellence have transformed the way critical care is delivered. As the pioneering ICU NP at Royal Perth Hospital, Naomi has embedded an innovative, advanced‑practice model that enhances patient outcomes, strengthens multidisciplinary teamwork, and sets a new benchmark for critical care nursing statewide. She is an exceptional clinician, leader, and advocate. Her pioneering work is shaping the future of critical care nursing in Western Australia and beyond.
Graduating as an NP in 2023, Naomi rapidly established herself as an advanced clinician, performing intubations, vascular access procedures, tracheostomy changes, airway management, and complex diagnostic and prescribing functions with exceptional skill. She has reviewed more than 700 patients for discharge readiness, supported safe ventilator weaning, completed over 1,500 education episodes, and facilitated 260 transfers, saving more than 150 hours of registrar time. Her leadership has directly reduced complications and improved patient flow, with only two MET calls among 118 ICU discharges she assessed, neither requiring readmission.
Naomi’s influence is equally evident in her collaborative practice. She works seamlessly with intensivists, nurses, and allied health teams. She leads discharge planning, implements behaviour and spinal injury management plans, and facilitates complex transfers historically performed by senior medical staff. Multidisciplinary feedback is exceptional: allied health rated her discharge facilitation at 9.9/10, and nursing staff rated her integration of evidence‑based care at 10/10. Her research exploring team perspectives on the ICU NP role is currently under review for publication, cementing her contribution to national NP advancement.
Despite her rapid professional rise, Naomi’s hallmark is her compassion. She is known for holistic, deeply human care such as organising “sunshine therapy” and tailored rehabilitation opportunities that restore dignity, hope, and connection. One long‑term patient said Naomi gave him “what mattered most”, a moment of joy that changed his recovery.
Lola Sikora
Lola is an outstanding trauma leader whose vision, integrity, and compassion have shaped the Western Australia Adult Trauma Service and strengthened trauma care across the state. As Trauma Program Manager at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH), the state’s Adult Major Trauma Centre, Lola plays a pivotal role in strategic planning, service development, and statewide trauma governance. Working closely with the State Director and RPH Director of Trauma, she oversees major portfolios including the WA State Trauma Registry, the WA Trauma Training and Education Unit, the Injury Prevention Program, and the P.A.R.T.Y. Program (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth), all of which have expanded under her leadership.
Lola’s commitment to excellence is evident in her leadership of trauma morbidity and mortality reviews, where she fosters transparent, multidisciplinary learning that drives continuous improvement. Her skill in data governance, clinical system design, and resource planning has been instrumental in maintaining RPH’s Level 1 Trauma Centre verification and ensuring the service remains future‑focused, innovative, and safe.
Known for her warmth and people‑centred leadership, Lola guided the trauma service through a complex restructure in 2023–24, ensuring staff felt heard, valued, and supported. She created safe spaces for dialogue, rebuilt trust in a disempowered workforce, and nurtured a high‑performing team marked by collaboration, shared purpose, and pride in their work. Under her guidance, partnerships with agencies such as WA Police, St John Ambulance and the Road Safety Commission have strengthened significantly, resulting in expanded programs and tripled external funding.
A passionate educator, Lola also lectures at the University of Western Australia and Notre Dame, shaping the next generation of clinicians with the same compassion and integrity she brings to trauma leadership. Among her most meaningful moments are seeing severely injured patients return to share their journeys through the P.A.R.T.Y. Program, reminders of the profound human impact of trauma care.
Lola’s professional excellence, strategic insight, and genuine kindness make her an exceptional leader whose influence is felt across Western Australia’s trauma system.
Nairn Sutherland
Nairn is an exceptional Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) whose leadership, compassion, and unwavering commitment to person‑centred care have transformed the Multi‑Stay Surgical Unit (MSSU) at Rockingham General Hospital. Over the past two years, he has rebuilt a unit that had experienced prolonged instability, restoring trust, morale, and cohesion. Through his calm presence, thoughtful communication, and consistent modelling of accountability, Nairn has cultivated a culture where staff feel supported, valued, and proud of the care they deliver.
As NUM, Nairn leads a diverse multidisciplinary team caring for complex surgical and medical outlier patients. He ensures safe, high‑quality care by managing physical, financial, and human resources while championing clinical excellence through education, reflective practice, and continuous improvement. His passion for developing others has empowered staff to upskill, pursue postgraduate study, and participate in ward‑based quality projects, This has resulted in fewer complaints, more compliments, stronger audit participation, and improved patient outcomes.
A strategic and collaborative leader, Nairn chairs the organisation’s Pressure Injury and Falls Subcommittee, driving innovations that reduce risk for the most vulnerable patients. He has also led significant service improvements, including the implementation of Criteria‑Led Discharge for surgical patients which is now embedded as standard practice and expanding across specialties. His partnerships extend well beyond the ward, working with allied health, pharmacy, orthopaedics, and the Australian Defence Force to create cross‑learning opportunities that enrich clinical practice.
Outside the hospital, Nairn continues to serve his community as a Lieutenant Nursing Officer in the Australian Army Reserve and as a coach and first‑aid officer for his disabled son’s football team. His values of service, dignity, and compassion extend through every part of his life.
For Nairn, his greatest achievements are not titles or initiatives, but the growth of his team. Seeing nurses gain confidence, develop professionally, and deliver care with pride is, for him, the most meaningful part of leadership.
Teresa Thomas
Teresa is an extraordinary emerging leader whose drive, compassion, and dedication to excellence have seen her rise from newly graduated Registered Nurse in 2019 to Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) Armadale Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in just six years. Her journey is a testament to resilience, vision, and an unwavering belief in the power of people and teamwork.
As NUM, Teresa leads a 45‑FTE intensive care workforce, providing strategic, operational, and clinical leadership in one of the hospital’s most complex environments. She ensures high‑quality, evidence‑based, patient‑centred care through robust governance, resource stewardship, and a strong focus on professional development. Teresa has introduced innovative tools, including an ICU Admission Guide and a Shift Coordinator Competency Framework, and developed simulation‑based learning, upskilling programs, and structured pathways that have strengthened capability and retention across the unit.
Her leadership is inclusive and values‑driven. Teresa’s open‑door approach, honesty, and warmth foster trust, psychological safety, and genuine collaboration. She celebrates her staff through appreciation initiatives, advocates fiercely for flexible and family‑centred rostering, and ensures every nurse feels heard, respected, and empowered. Her colleagues describe her as compassionate, steady, and inspiring, someone who leads with both courage and humility.
Teresa’s commitment extends to quality improvement and research, including ICU Aftercare, psychological safety during transitions, and GEKO studies on vascular access and compression devices. During high‑pressure periods, she demonstrates remarkable calm and decisiveness opening surge capacity, coordinating accreditation readiness, and uniting multidisciplinary teams around shared goals.
Her practice is grounded in humanity. Whether supporting families through grief, advocating for dignified end‑of‑life care, or guiding her team through traumatic events, Teresa leads with presence, empathy, and integrity. She is, by every measure, an exceptional nurse leader, one shaping the future of critical care through innovation, compassion, and an unshakeable commitment to people.
