Barwon Health announces Peter Foyster Award recipent

A MEMBER of Barwon Health’s Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol Service (MHDAS) has been awarded an annual award coincidentally named after a former colleague.

Barwon Health senior peer support worker Dr James McLure was announced as the recipient of the prestigious Peter Foyster Award earlier this month.

“It’s such an honour. I’d worked with Peter previously and his wife Charlene presented me with the award, which made it very special,” Dr McLure said.

“Peter had a huge impact on others, he was so kind and considerate of other people.

“He was a person with lived experience as well, meaning he had a discipline about him and was incredibly supportive of myself and others at the Swanston Centre.

“He was a great person to be around and I learned a lot of things from him.”

Dr McLure has spent the past eight years of his career at Barwon Health, utilising his knowledge in lived experience to provide a better experience to his peers.

Dr McLure said it was an emotional day receiving the award, which was presented to him by Peter Foyster’s wife Charlene.

Peter Foyster, a mental health nurse, died in 2018.

He was passionate about the provision of safe and high-quality mental health care, and was a role model who prided himself on imparting his knowledge, skills and values to others working in the mental health and mental health nursing sectors.

The award takes into account a range of factors by honouring the coaching, mentoring and development of others.

The award is also peer-nominated, encouraging staff from the Barwon Health’s MHDAS unit to nominate peers who demonstrate an innate understanding of the importance of skilled mentorship, support high-quality learning environments, act as a role model to, and invest in, existing and aspiring nurses and nurse leaders, and build and maintain relationships to enable and support nurses.

Dr McLure said he was humbled to be nominated by his fellow colleagues.

“I wasn’t expecting to receive the award, and to get multiple nominations was unbelievable. I’m so thankful for those who nominated.

“I’m very blessed in a way.”

Dr McLure also played three games for the Geelong Cats in 1995 and published a book, Eight Stones: My Journey Through Schizophrenia and Depression, in 2010.