As part of International Women’s Day 2024, we are delighted to celebrate the achievements of six women from NSW Ambulance who have been recognised in the 2024 Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA) Women in Ambulance awards.
Belinda Boothroyd, Dr Clare Richmond, Dr Frances Miao, Judith Butcher, Kha-Van Pennefather and Phoebe Wood have gone above and beyond to support their teams and this service.
Their dedication and leadership is an inspiration to everyone at NSW Ambulance.
The 2024 CAA Women in Ambulance Awards are designed to recognise and promote the hard work of incredible and inspirational women who work in ambulance services across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The campaign looks to empower and inspire future generations of women to step into ambulance careers and progress into leadership roles and management levels.
Congratulations to this year’s six recipients.
Dr Clare Richmond, Senior Staff Specialist, Aeromedical Operations
Clare is a prehospital and retrieval medicine physician with a background in emergency medicine. After joining Aeromedical Operations as a registrar in 2010, Clare worked in the UK with London Air Ambulance before returning to NSW Ambulance as a staff specialist. In 2018 Clare became Supervisor of Medical Training, and through her passion and commitment to excellence has continued to develop and improve.
Dr Frances Miao, Senior Staff Specialist, Aeromedical Operations
Frances has been a prehospital and retrieval medicine physician for more than 20 years. After joining NSW Ambulance in 2007, Frances worked in operational prehospital and retrieval medicine, and in aeromedical coordination since 2012. Frances coordinates retrieval of critically ill and injured patients from across the state, while supporting referring clinicians in the care of the patients. Frances looks after the wellbeing of her fellow staff specialists and plays an integral role in the recruitment of State Retrieval Fellows and Consultants.
Phoebe Wood, Extended Care Paramedic
Phoebe began her career in health as a registered nurse with a strong paediatric focus working at Sydney Childrens Hospital Randwick until re-training as a paramedic with NSW Ambulance in 2013. She has worked in Sydney South-East for most of her ambulance career – training at Mascot Station, a rural 12-month placement at Dorrigo, before returning to the Sydney Ambulance Centre for six years as a P1 (Qualified Paramedic). In 2022, Phoebe was accepted into the Extended Care Paramedic Specialist Course and since then has worked as a Paramedic Specialist at Northmead and Kogarah Super Stations.
Belinda Boothroyd, Project Manager, Body Worn Camera
Belinda began her career at NSW Ambulance as a paramedic, with a passion for the wellbeing of her patients and colleagues. Belinda has consistently proven herself as a reliable and empathetic professional, earning the respect of her peers. In 2022, Belinda transitioned to the Occupational Violence team, overseeing the Body Worn Camera (BWC) trial. Belinda's collaboration with Charles Sturt University has been instrumental in the ongoing assessment of the BWC's efficacy in mitigating violence against paramedics.
Judith Butcher, Duty Control Centre Officer
Judith boasts a distinguished 23-year career with NSW Ambulance, commencing as a Triple Zero (000) Emergency Medical Call Taker, and Dispatcher, and now working as a dedicated Duty Operations Centre Officer at the Western Control Centre. Judith is also the lead peer support officer for the Western Sector and Control Centre. This voluntary position reflects Judith's profound dedication to the welfare of her colleagues as she spends countless hours supporting those around her.
Kha-Van Pennefather, Deputy Director of Finance
Kha-Van has been in the role of Director Finance since January 2022. Previously, she honed her skills for eight years as the Director, Finance Business Partnering and was selected to complete the NSW Health Finance Executive Development Program. In 2019, Kha-Van proposed and successfully implemented the Finance Business Partner model for NSW Ambulance and has been instrumental in the Finance function becoming a highly regarded centre of excellence within NSW Ambulance.