Kristina Keneally is using all of her experience in politics, media and not for profits to keep children’s medical research and treatment at the forefront of healthcare in NSW as CEO of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation. This is the first in our female changemakers series.
Kristina Keneally knows a thing or two about how to affect change. As the first female premier of NSW, the Scotland Island resident has had a significant impact in the many spheres of life she has touched – from transforming Barangaroo into the entertainment precinct it is today, to ensuring life- changing care and research for sick children in NSW.
A strong sense of social justice has influenced every role Kristina has held, and what also drove her to join the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation in 2022.
“I grew up with the (idea) that it was a responsibility that we all have to contribute to our community, to leave it a better place than we found it.
“What I found with the Foundation was that my experience in government, my understanding of the health system, the skills I developed throughout my career in public service and my ability to advocate were a perfect fit.
“It spoke to my values and it allowed me to give back to something that I care profoundly about.”
The Foundation has experienced ‘remarkable’ growth since Kristina joined three years ago, which has been largely due to incredible philanthropy the Foundation has attracted – last year raising $100 million. “We all can agree that sick children deserve every chance to live their healthiest life. And it opens up such goodwill and commonality of purpose.”
As the exclusive fundraiser for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), the Foundation provides 5 to 7% of the operating budget for Randwick and Westmead children’s hospitals, as well as supporting medical research for children, and respite care through Manly’s Bear Cottage.
This has enabled the Foundation to help fund the $19 million Kookaburra Centre which is being built at Westmead, which Kristina describes as a ‘world-first’ model of care for children with complex and intensive needs – funded entirely by philanthropy. “We challenged ourselves and asked our donors to come with us on a journey of not just filling the gaps, but also making the impossible possible.
“It’s going to change the way we care for those children and their families.”
One of the biggest changes in children’s healthcare over the years has been addressing their needs in hospital. “Having four or six children in a ward is a model of service that no longer fits with our understanding and expectation of what families need while their child is in hospital,” Kristina explains.
“Kids are not just little adults. They are patients who come with carers and siblings and families. And so, things like single patient rooms with a bed for mum or dad or a carer to sleep in the room is a fundamentally important thing.”
Advances in research and therapies have seen children no longer dying from certain conditions, with eight out of every 10 children with cancer now surviving the disease. Kristina also gives the example of spinal muscular atrophy, which 10 years ago was fatal. “But through clinical trials and collaborative research done at the SCHN, we now have a cure.
“It’s an extraordinary story of how research, clinical care, philanthropy and government funding all work together to drive an outcome whereby a disease that just 10 years ago was likely a fatal diagnosis, has now meant that children are growing and thriving without symptoms into active young people.”
It’s why Kristina says children’s hospitals need to bring together researchers and clinicians under one roof ‘so we can accelerate new therapies and new treatments for children.’ The Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick has recently been redeveloped as a ‘state-of-the-art paediatric health, research and education hub,’ with support of the Foundation. The Children’s Hospital at Westmead is receiving a $659 million expansion of paediatric services, with expected completion next year. The funding comes from several sources, including the Foundation.
“Our donors, partners, clinicians and supporters are unstoppable changemakers.”
Kristina says the most rewarding part of her job is to see children ‘not just survive, but truly thrive, because philanthropy made something possible for them.’
“I think of children who are now running, laughing and going to school because they were able to access a new treatment or therapy that simply didn’t exist a few years ago – innovations that philanthropy helped accelerate, translate from research into clinical practice, and bring to families sooner than would otherwise have been possible.”
She calls the Foundation’s donors, partners, clinicians and supporters ‘unstoppable changemakers.’ “Their collective generosity changes the future for sick kids.” And it’s not just children they look after – families are always in the equation. “For parents who spend weeks or months at the bedside, something as simple as a comfortable place to sleep, a meal when they’re too exhausted to think, or a program that supports their child’s mental wellbeing can change the entire experience.”
Redevelopment of Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick will see researchers, clinicians and patients under one roof
The former Macquarie Street mover and shaker says lasting change requires ‘vision, collaboration, and real persistence.’
“Organisations influence change most effectively when they combine a clear purpose with evidence-based advocacy, long-term commitment and the ability to bring diverse partners together around a shared goal.
“Across public office and now philanthropy, the constant lesson has been that meaningful change happens when you shift the system around a problem – aligning human stories, expert knowledge and strategic resources so effectively that staying the same becomes impossible.
“That’s the kind of work I’ve always been drawn to, and it’s the same approach I bring to the Foundation every day: helping create the conditions for better outcomes, smarter investment, and ultimately, healthier futures for children.”