Page 1558 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 8 May 2018
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The working group has agreed to consider the Victorian psychiatric workforce plan as a possible framework for an ACT specific plan.
This work is happening in conjunction with the broader ACT Health recruitment campaign, which I announced with the Minister for Health and Wellbeing earlier this year. The campaign is about planning for our future health workforce needs by emphasising the livability of Canberra, the growing opportunities across the health sector and the recognition that Canberra is a great place to live.
While this campaign is just getting started, we have had a number of successful recruitments to mental health in the past 12 months. I am pleased to advise the Assembly that three clinical directors, six consultant psychiatrists and two career medical officers in psychiatry have been appointed. Letters of offer for a further six senior medical staff were made in March 2018. Two overseas-trained child and adolescent psychiatrists who were recruited in 2017 are expected to commence by the end of 2018.
In the same period there has been one resignation of a clinical director. That position is soon to be advertised, along with a consultation liaison psychiatrist position and additional adult general psychiatrist positions. In December 2017, a recruitment process was undertaken by ACT Health for the position of chief psychiatrist. The new chief psychiatrist will commence in August 2018. This position is the most senior medical practitioner within our mental health, justice health and alcohol and drug services division and is responsible for the management of clinical governance of these services. The chief psychiatrist is a statutory appointment under the Mental Health Act 2015.
We also recognise that there is more work to do, and ACT Health is continuing to actively recruit in both mainstream and electronic media as well as professional journals. The office of the chief psychiatrist is working continuously with numerous recruitment agencies to source experienced and well-referenced locum and permanent staff. A practical measure that is currently being considered is a proposal for an attraction and retention incentive for newly and currently employed senior medical officers. This is a measure that would improve our competitiveness against the awards and conditions of other Australian jurisdictions.
On the specific issues relating to the child and adolescent mental health service, staffing in this area has improved significantly since the commencement of a new clinical director in the second half of 2017. Locum consultants have boosted the senior medical staff numbers and two overseas-trained full-time consultants will commence before the end of the year.
Additionally, we have been working with local medical students and junior doctors to keep them here in Canberra after their studies are completed. A full-time career medical officer who has completed advanced training in child and adolescent psychiatry joined our mental health service in February 2018 and is anticipated to receive his fellowship in early 2019. A further two advanced trainees in child and adolescent psychiatry are working with the service. These doctors should finish their training in 2018 and 2020 respectively. Additionally, there are three trainees in
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