Page 3456 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 17 September 2019
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Services, the University of Canberra Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital, Bruce. It includes engagement with nurses, midwives and executives across the three workplaces, continuing to raise awareness of the strategy.
A steering committee has been established, chaired by the chief nursing and midwifery officer, to provide governance for decision-making, project direction and monitoring project deliverables. To date interactive consultation sessions with 126 nurses and midwives from across Canberra Health Services, the University of Canberra Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital, Bruce, have occurred to inform the implementation of the strategy.
This is just one element of our response to the important work that is ongoing across both the ACT Health Directorate and Canberra Health Services to build a strong culture within both the directorate and Canberra Health Services around the safety of staff at all levels, whether that relates to bullying and harassment or occupational violence. I will be providing an update to the Assembly next week in relation to the implementation of the 20 recommendations of the culture review. (Time expired.)
MS LAWDER: Minister, why have the past efforts over many years of ACT Health and now Canberra Health Services to clean up problems with bullying, harassment and abuse of staff failed?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Lawder for the supplementary question. I think it was very clear in the final report of the independent review into workplace culture within ACT public health services, which was tabled in this place on 16 May, that some of these issues were longstanding issues. Again, they are not actually uncommon issues across health services. That is why the expertise of the panel who undertook the review, led by Mick Reid, was so important: because they had had experience in seeking to address these issues in other jurisdictions. This is not an issue that the ACT is addressing alone.
The government has reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to the implementation of all 20 recommendations made by the independent review. Just the week before last I chaired the latest meeting of the culture review oversight group and we received a report on the implementation of many initiatives across the directorate but particularly within Canberra Health Services, including the values work that is being done across the directorate and in Canberra Health Services about refreshing the values and building a joint understanding of the behaviours that are expected from staff, empowering staff to report when there is behaviour that is not in line with the values and behaviours that have been articulated, and ensuring that human resources areas are available and strengthened. The engagement of a new employee advocate has been welcomed across both the directorate and Canberra Health Services as a place where staff can go to get clear guidance on how to report to express their concerns and to provide a pathway to the leadership.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, will you table the letters sent by the chair of the independent review panel to the CEO of Canberra Health Services and the Director-General of ACT Health about the problem areas across those two agencies by close of business today?
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