Page 1973 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 5 June 2018
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workforce, in concert with a strategic and carefully planned approach to managing demand and pressures in the future.
As Minister for Health and Wellbeing, I took my responsibility to consider a significant decision about the future structure and governance of the organisation over a period of time. I have heard from some clinicians and staff that they have found it difficult to be heard and respected in the organisation recently. I acknowledge the difficult working environment that might have been experienced, and have given the staff at ACT Health my commitment and want to reiterate it here again today that it is my expectation that staff should be valued and listened to.
For now the focus for ACT Health must be on addressing those not-met criteria. Clearly governance, especially corporate governance, is highlighted in the report. I am assured by the interim director-general, ACT Health executives and indeed through the optimistic and spirited sentiment of the workforce overall, that we can work together to make the necessary adjustments to ensure a strong governance system for the ongoing longevity and success of the organisation.
Many of these adjustments will be realised through the organisational restructure as we near 1 October when ACT Health will become two organisations, with a tailored, considered approach to governance and organisational structures that sustainably supports the operations, policy and planning of health services for the Canberra community.
In the meantime ACT Health have given assurances both to myself and to my colleague the Minister for Mental Health that significant progress has been made already as ACT Health work towards re-accreditation. Minister Rattenbury and I have been receiving regular, detailed briefing on the remediation activities underway, which demonstrate ACT Health are taking the necessary action to do everything they can to be in a position to achieve every standard through the re-accreditation process. I will now outline under each of the five standards where core criteria received a “not met” and explain the nature of this progress.
The first is standard 1: governance for safety and quality in health service organisations. One area that ACHS identified as requiring improvement was standard 1, which covers governance for safety and quality in health service organisations. The ACHS assessed ACT Health as having not met 17 core actions under standard 1. It is important to emphasise that improving quality and safety is an ongoing process in the health system and that it does not start or end with accreditation. I am pleased to say that there is significant work underway every day in our hospital system that is focused on delivering and improving quality and patient safety.
Some of the survey’s recommendations and comments under standard 1 include that the corporate and clinical governance structures be reviewed to reflect good governance and enable clear lines of accountability; that the strategic corporate plan and business plans be reviewed and updated with a focus on patient safety and quality, and cascaded through the organisation; that the organisation demonstrate how business decision-making considers the impact of decisions on patient safety and quality of care; that clear accountability lines be established at senior executive level
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