Redland Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit has celebrated its first birthday with a bake-off, bringing staff together to reflect on a big first year and plenty of reasons to be proud.

In just 12 months, the ICU team has established a service that allows more critically unwell Bayside patients to receive care closer to home, keeping families connected when it matters most.

Nurse Unit Manager Nikki Rugg said the first year had been about much more than opening a new service.

“We started with a blank canvas and, in our first year, built more than just an ICU," she said. "We built a team, a culture and a service that can safely care for critically unwell patients.

“There have been plenty of challenges, but the team has grown, supported each other, and risen to those challenges.”

Intensive Care Medicine and Thoracic Physician Dr Isuru Seneviratne said the ICU had already made a difference for local patients and families.

“The ICU has enabled patients and their families to remain connected and receive care in the community they call home,” he said. “It has also empowered Redland Hospital to operate at a clinical level never achieved before,” he said.

With its first birthday celebrations complete, the team is looking ahead to growing the service and building on its achievements.

“We look forward to reaching new milestones, celebrating further achievements and continually challenging ourselves to improve,” Dr Seneviratne said.