Who we worked with
Metro North Health, Queensland Australia
What we did together
T7 Masterclass in Innovation
What happens when a major public health provider joins forces with Creative HQ? You get a powerful alliance that’s reimagining healthcare at its core.
Our recent chat with the Head of Innovation, Nina Meloncelli, and her team at Metro North Health pulled back the curtain on the new Helix Hub, revealing a journey brimming with creativity, courage, and ambition – in a complex organisation that has historically been slow to evolve.
A new centre for change
As Queensland’s largest Hospital and Health Service, Metro North Health has long been a beacon for patient-centred care. Yet the key to turning ambitious ideas into real-world results lies in supporting their own staff to lead the transformation required to meet their objectives.
That’s where the Helix Hub comes in – an engine room for innovation. Purpose-built to help teams move from evidence-based research to tangible improvements in patient care.
Drawing on Creative HQ’s T7 Masterclass in Innovation, the Helix Hub’s approach and success stems from the start: equipping frontline innovators with the confidence, adaptability, and resilience they need to tackle complex challenges head-on. This isn’t just another initiative. It’s a shift in mindset and capability that ensures Metro North Health’s vision for better, more efficient healthcare not only endures, but also delivers meaningful impact where change is needed most.
This evolution within Metro North Health is guided by the organisation’s vision of where they aim to be by 2032 (MN32). Staff must have permission and confidence to explore new approaches and break down organisational barriers. In fact, early outcomes, such as a proposal to improve cultural safety and capability for First Nations staff, demonstrate that these methods are already sparking real change.
By building an “army of innovators” across departments and disciplines, Metro North Health is not only pushing boundaries with how care is delivered today – but also cultivating a resilient culture of innovation that can pave the way for more efficient and impactful healthcare solutions.
People at the heart of progress
Creative HQ have been privileged to join Metro North Health on this journey. Nina made us blush – shouting out to our expert facilitators, Chris O’Neill, Alexandra Lutyens, Colin Kennedy, and Nedra Fu. Our team has played a pivotal role in “training the trainers” sharing hands-on techniques and real-world insights from our 20 years of experience in innovation.
Our approach has been underpinned by the fundamentals: human-centred design, lean experimentation, and agile sprints. By bringing together our creative approach to enabling innovation from within, and a deep understanding of the frameworks, our facilitators ensured that the Helix Hub’s staff weren’t just learning new methods – but confidently applying them to deliver meaningful, lasting improvements in patient care.
“I’ve always felt like anything’s possible, so this training personally has really resonated with me. It’s interesting watching the other 15 people who’ve gone through it – their mindsets have shifted and grown, there is an undertone of excitement that we can make things possible”
Using the Creative HQ toolkit to build capability from within
Innovation in public healthcare is notoriously difficult. Complex systems, stringent policies, and resource constraints often slow the pace of change. Yet, Metro North Health knows that the answers aren’t ‘out there’ – they’re already within its walls. By investing in the Helix Hub and embedding frameworks like Creative HQ’s T7 Masterclass, Metro North Health is moving away from reliance on external experts and instead tapping into the rich knowledge and experience of its own staff.
The people who understand the challenges first-hand are now equipped with the tools, techniques, and permission to question the status quo, explore new ways of working, and deliver impactful solutions.
Collaboration sits at the heart of change
As the Helix Hub’s methodologies take root, the once complex web of systems is giving way to open dialogue and bold action. Gone is the old sense of impossibility; as staff grow more comfortable with new approaches, they’re embracing the notion that anything is achievable. Frontline teams, digital units, and leadership are discovering common ground, working side by side to break down longstanding barriers.
“By applying Creative HQ’s framework, our staff have learned to see problems in a new light. They’re confidently exploring all the different angles to a problem and it’s sparking a profound shift in mindset across the hospital”.
Through the Helix Hub, Metro North Health is shaping a healthcare environment where collaboration feels natural and energising. Where the growth of individuals translates into the growth of the entire organisation. It’s more than just teamwork; it’s a culture of innovation taking hold, fuelled by optimism, supported by tangible methodologies, and carried forward by people who now genuinely believe that no challenge is too great to overcome.
A lasting culture of innovation
While it’s still early days for the Helix Hub, the impact is clear: Metro North Health is building something that will outlast any single project – like planting a forest whose canopy future generations will thrive beneath. By combining its frontline expertise with guidance from Creative HQ’s team, Metro North Health is embedding innovation as a natural part of its DNA.
The result? A healthcare environment where solutions arise from within, shaped by people who understand the problems, the possibilities – and the real impact they can have.
For anyone looking in from the outside, Metro North Health’s journey offers an inspiring glimpse into what can happen when the right tools, people, and frameworks come together.
It’s a future where hospitals aren’t just places that treat illness, but living systems that learn, adapt, and continuously improve. That’s the kind of quiet revolution that changes healthcare for the better – and it’s happening, right now, inside the Helix Hub.
Watch this space. There are exciting changes on the horizon, and we’re delighted to be on this journey with them.
