Alumni and Supporters

Doctor of Health Science (Clinical Leadership & Management) (2016)

Winner of the 2020 ECU Distinguished Alumni Award

As a proud ECU alumna, Robina epitomises ECU values of integrity, respect, personal excellence and rational enquiry.

Dr Robina Redknap is the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (CNMO) for WA Health. She is a distinguished leader in West Australian nursing, who has significantly contributed to the advancement of clinical practice, research and education throughout her career.

Dedicated to the enhancement of nursing as a profession, and of patient care, her pioneering work has shaped and driven nursing practice especially within mental health in WA.

Dr Redknap has an impressive history in the development and delivery of strategic initiatives within nursing and mental health. She has held senior executive leadership roles in a range of settings, including the State Forensic Mental Health Service, Fremantle Mental Health Service, Graylands Hospital and North Metropolitan Mental Health, Public Health and Dental Services.

She has also led many significant initiatives to improve contemporary mental health care, including the reduction, and where possible, elimination of seclusion and restraint in the North and South Metropolitan Health Services, which led to closures of seclusion rooms in Western Australia.

As the WA Health CNMO, Dr Redknap is passionate about ensuring Nursing and Midwifery has a voice at State and National levels in the development of policy and legislation that sets the strategic direction for the professions.

Dr Redknap provides expert professional and strategic advice to the Minister and the Director General on all matters relating to nursing and midwifery, including professional, workforce and policy issues across WA.

As CNMO, Robina leads the strategic direction of the nursing and midwifery professions through engagement with the health and education providers in the public and private sectors, building and maintaining a safe and effective nursing and midwifery workforce that is aligned with health service delivery of WA.

“When asked about my achievements I think about registering as a nurse, becoming the WA Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, graduating from my doctorate and receiving this award,” said Dr Redknap.

“But if I’m truly honest, I think my greatest achievement is the difference I make to my patients.

“I’m a nurse at heart. I know that when I go home at the end of the day that the small differences I achieve, makes the biggest difference to my patients.

Dr Redknap is committed to empowering the nursing and midwifery profession to ensure it can deliver innovative models of care that meet current and future community needs.

In 2018 Robina collaborated with the ECU School of Nursing and Midwifery to establish an undergraduate partnership program for nursing students who specialise in mental health. The partnership program has now successfully increased mental health clinical placements during the undergraduate nursing course.

Dr Redknap also developed and led the inclusion of mental health competencies into the Assistant in Nursing (AIN) Curriculum, and identified mental health student AIN clinical placements within North Metropolitan Health Service.

This has assisted services to access AINs with mental health skills while also providing an avenue for students to transition to enrolled or registered nurse training.

“I feel incredibly humbled and very proud to be a winner of the Distinguished Alumni Award. I don’t see myself as any better than anybody else,” said Dr Redknap.

“For others to have recognised a small difference that I might have made to the care we deliver to our communities throughout my career is incredibly humbling.

“There’s been many times during my career where there have been bumps along the way, and I haven’t always achieved things I’ve set out to do. The support of my teams and my colleagues has been the reason I have been able to achieve the differences I have. I have to actually give credit to them for this award.”