Kieran Keyes’ journey with the Health Roundtable spans nearly 25 years, beginning in the early 2000s when he was working in a junior analytics role.
Back then, the culture of the Health Roundtable, was very different. Hospitals often used code names to protect their identity. Over time, that has evolved into the openness and transparency that Kieran now sees as one of the organisation’s greatest strengths.
“At the time, our code name was vague and of course we don’t use code names so much anymore. But it’s been wonderful to see the journey of the Health Roundtable, and more importantly the journey of healthcare in Australia and New Zealand”, he said.
For Kieran, the Health Roundtable, has always represented more than data, it has been a place for leaders to come together, collaborate, and drive improvement.
“It represented a wonderful opportunity to come together for collaboration, to drive quality improvement and to deliver better care for our patients. And we’ve absolutely done all of that.”
Through shared conversations and comparative data, leaders have challenged themselves and each other to think differently. Those moments have inspired Kieran and his colleagues to take ideas back to Townsville and turn them into action.
The real measure of the Health Roundtable, in Kieran’s view, has always been its impact on patients. Every time he has returned from a session, he has brought back ideas, sometimes big, sometimes small, that have shaped meaningful improvements for people living in his community.
Despite three decades of progress, Kieran believes the work is far from finished. Healthcare continues to face growing demand, workforce shortages, and complex pressures. That makes the role of the Health Roundtable, even more important.
“Yet as much as we’ve done, my view is there’s still so much more to do.”
Above all, Kieran sees the Health Roundtable, as being about relationships. Trust between peers has allowed leaders to share openly, learn honestly, and apply those lessons to improve patient care. That cycle of trust and learning is what he believes will sustain the Health Roundtable, for the next 30 years.
Watch the full video from Kieran below.
