Page 1336 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 12 May 2021
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Nurses and midwives have also actively provided expert clinical advice in the development of best practice guidelines, including the Challenging Behaviour Guideline and the Remote or Isolated Work guideline. Implementation of these guidelines will help to prevent and/or safely respond to risks associated with managing challenging behaviours sometimes exhibited by patients, and better support workers engaged in isolated or remote work.
ACT nurses and midwives have been instrumental in providing expert advice and consultation towards the development of the staff rights to a safe workplace fact sheet, which defines what occupational violence is as well as the importance of always reporting any incident of occupational violence and ensuring staff rights to be safe and protected from harm in their workplaces.
The ACT Health Directorate is currently reviewing how to support nurse practitioners to allow them to work to their full scope of practice. The project aims to develop recommendations for legislative and policy change that ensure a “right touch” regulatory approach to the nurse practitioner workforce which maximises workforce potential and ensures sustainable nurse practitioner contributions to the ACT health system.
The territory-wide education and training project aims to develop a framework to support and enhance access to the education and training of nurses and midwives across the territory and the surrounding region. The government is investing in the education of nurses and midwives to ensure they can access high-quality training that supports the care of the community.
At the commencement of the project, more than 100 staff participated in one-on-one and small-group workshops from across Canberra Health Services, Calvary Public Hospital and the ACT Health Directorate. This initial consultation also included representatives of academic partners, consumer groups, unions and non-government organisations.
Implementation of a framework at Canberra Health Services is nearing completion and has coincided with a review of the existing essential education policy. Work is continuing with the ACT Health Directorate and Calvary Public Hospital Bruce to strengthen and align nursing and midwifery education in our health services to a high standard. We know our nurses and midwives are highly skilled and we want to ensure they can continue to engage in education and training opportunities across their careers.
Between 5,000 and 6,000 babies are born in the ACT each year, with midwives working in a variety of settings contributing to both maternal and child health across the ACT. Our midwives in the ACT are integral to the Canberra community, with many Canberrans being able to say they were birthed by one of our exceptional midwives in the territory.
This year’s theme for International Day of the Midwife, celebrated on 5 May, was “Follow the data: invest in midwives”. This theme focuses on the role of midwives in ending preventable maternal and newborn death and emphasising the importance of investing in quality midwifery care.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video