Gitty's evolution of roles at Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital
Rotorua nurse Gitty Paalvast-Borkes spends more of her time in work boots than theatre scrubs these days. In May 2023, the experienced urology theatre nurse took on the Facilities Manager role at Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital, joining the hospital’s seven-member, all women leadership team.
“I’ve always liked to learn new things to improve my knowledge and Southern Cross has helped me do that,” she says. Since July 2019, Gitty has worked as part of a collaborative team doing the health & safety and facilities role. When the role of Facility Manager was promoted this looked like the next challenge in my career.”
Gitty credits the smaller size of Southern Cross hospitals with providing a range of opportunities for professional growth and the ability to try out different or hybrid roles.
Gitty came to Rotorua in 1996, first working at Te Whatu Ora Lakes after she and her husband emigrated from the Netherlands. In June 2010 Gitty started at Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital and since then, she has held many positions, including nurse educator, theatre nurse, NZ Urological Nurses Society committee member and education lead, health and safety coordinator, and she’s also been a sustainability champion. So there aren’t many corners of the facility which Gitty isn’t familiar with.
The Facilities Manager role is complex, with a lot of scope, says Gitty. “You need to balance the needs of patients and healthcare professionals, meaning that we need to carefully plan any maintenance around theatre schedules, patient flow, health and safety protocols, and the overall patient experience.
“There is also a lot of paperwork that needs to be completed before any maintenance can start.”
Ensuring the hospital hums also extends to sustainability practices, and Gitty’s commitment – including worm farms for food waste and setting up recycling systems for disposable syringes and IV bags – has helped make Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital one of the top sustainability performers in the network engaging with sustainable best practice where possible.
“I get a quiet thrill when the hospital runs well,” says Gitty, who is dedicated to providing patients with a comfortable, hotel-like experience.
Key responsibilities for our facilities managers:
- Manage the facility grounds, plant and equipment
- Repair and Maintenance programme, e.g. medical equipment
- Provide a safe environment for everyone visiting the hospital
- Maintain compliance including audits and BWOF (building warrant of fitness)
- Environmental and sustainability
- Contractor management
- Support Digital Services
- CAPEX and project management
- Trouble-shooting
- On-call and after-hours responses as required
Key achievements in facilities
- During the Covid lockdowns, Gitty visited the hospital daily to ensure the premises and equipment were maintained so the hospital could open at a moment’s notice.
- In 2021, ten rooms across wards 1 and 2 were fully refurbished. Before being unveiled, Gitty and a team of volunteers stayed overnight to test-drive the facilities and ensure they met all patient requirements – resulting in new pillows.
Despite her busy role, Gitty still works as a theatre nurse when required so she can maintain her clinical skills.
“It’s something I truly enjoy so I don’t want to give it up completely,” she says.
Outside work, Gitty enjoys walking, Pilates, and travel. Since her children, Emily (25) and Jared (22), left home, she and her husband spend their weekends touring the country in their self-converted campervan—a project that rivals the high standard patient facilities at Rotorua.