Edward Brentnall:The people of New Zealand,Western and South Australia were to benefit the most from his contribution to reforming emergency medical care.
He attended courses at Mount Macedon Counter Disaster College to prepare for the hospital’s role in major events and was active in bringing together directors of hospital emergency departments across the state to learn from each other,to improve processes and outcomes for their patients.
In 1975,Ed introduced a triage system to prioritise care in the Box Hill Emergency Department so that people who needed urgent care would get it more quickly. His original system has been modified slightly to become the Australasian Triage Scale which is used today internationally.
A founding fellow of the Australian College for Emergency Medicine,Ed was also a chief protagonist in its formation. His original vision for the national organisation reflected the multidisciplinary Victorian Emergency Departments Association. Some,however,were opposed to this breadth and the formal proposal Ed eventually moved,in some frustration,included only medical professionals.
Ed’s instinct to include nurses in his proposal for the college was typical of his leadership style that created a workplace culture in the Box Hill Emergency Department his colleagues described as “like no other”. Staff of all levels and roles were respected,and egos had to be left at the door. He demonstrated leadership with honesty,integrity,responsibility and accountability. He taught the power of a great team,and that a great team is more than the sum of the individuals within it.