Family Day Care beneficial to health service staff

East Grampians Health Service, in partnership with Let’s Go Family Day Care, officially opened its family day care facility in September, and already staff are utilising this valuable service, enabling them to access short term/short notice childcare.

The new facility allows staff, who are asked to work shifts at short notice (including night shifts), to have access to family day care facilities that are a short walk from the health service.

This service complements Ararat’s existing childcare centres, by acting as a short term/short notice facility to enable staff to still work when required if a session is not available at their usual provider.

More than 20 families expressed interest and/or registered for the service, many expressing their gratitude for this initiative.

One staff member was Madison Purtill, a theatre nurse in the EGHS Perioperative Unit, who has found the service very beneficial to her family.

Ms Purtill’s son Hudson is on a waitlist at a local childcare facility, but having the EGHS Family Day Care in the interim has allowed her to continue working and her husband to complete study, avoiding the need to take leave for child minding purposes.

“Hudson loves going to Family Day Care. The carer makes his days enjoyable through ensuring they do activities that Hudson loves…and keeping him entertained throughout the day,” Ms Purtill said.

“The facility is excellent and well suited to all age kids. I would recommend to any EGHS staff to enrol your child into Family Day Care.

“I am very happy with the service. It is such a great idea and makes working and continuing to work at EGHS very appealing to have this as an option as a mother. I am very proud of my workplace when I tell friends and family of this service.”

Caption: Pictured is Hudson Purtill at the EGHS Family Day Care Centre.