Gold Coast Health is thrilled to announce Dr Michael Aitken and Dr Hayley Frieslich as our Emergency Department Clinical Directors.
Under the new structure, the organisation has created a Clinical Director position for both Robina and Gold Coast University Hospital. Dr Aitken will be transitioning from his previous role as Medical Director into this new position, while Dr Frieslich has been acting in the role for the past 12 months and will now be officially appointed.
Both leaders bring significant clinical experience and a strong commitment to advancing and delivering high-quality emergency care.
Dr Frieslich has been with us since 2007 and acting as the Clinical Director since Dr David Green's retirement in January 2025.
"It's an incredible honour to be given this opportunity," Dr Frieslich said.
"I'm looking forward to building on the really strong foundation we have already have, and continue growing, building and showcasing what a tertiary emergency department can achieve for our patients and staff."
Leading a team of more than 400 in Australia's busiest ED, we have no doubt Dr Frieslich will be exceptional.
"We have the most amazing staff specialists and team here and constantly achieve strong results," she said.
"That's an indicator that Gold Coast Health is a great place to work, and I'm proud to be part of that."
Dr Aitken has been our Robina Medical Director since 2020 and with Gold Coast Health for 20 years.
The Clinical Director role has been set up to meet the growing demand for Robina’s Emergency Department.
"When Robina opened it was a much smaller and limited Emergency Department, but now we've grown into one of the busiest ED's in the state," Dr Aitken said.
"I'm really proud of what we have already achieved - opening our own dedicated paediatric zone in ED, our triage upgrade and additional beds.
"Now it's about establishing our key priorities and the direction we are going in."
Congratulations to both leaders, Gold Coast Health Emergency is in great hands.
