The ACT Government is guilty of negligence towards Canberra’s healthcare workers, the Canberra Liberals have claimed – an allegation the government robustly denies.
Shadow Health Minister Giulia Jones asserted the government had not done enough to ensure public health workplaces met the highest occupational health and safety standards, as legally required. Instead, she said, last week’s ACT Budget deferred $643,000 intended to implement the recommendations of the 2019 Independent Review into the Workplace Culture within ACT Public Health Services in 2020–21.
“The government has asked for immense things from our health workers, but it isn’t meeting its side of the bargain by fixing the workplace culture,” Mrs Jones said. ‘It’s easy to say thank you to hospital staff; it’s quite another thing to actually respect them enough to provide an appropriate work environment.”
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith responded that the $643,000 for further system-wide management and leadership development was rolled over from 2020-21 into this financial year’s Budget, which allocated $4.5 million to address recommendations from the culture review.
“The ACT Government is committed to providing the best possible workplace for our vital health workers who are keeping Canberra safe throughout our ACT public health system,” the Minister said.
Workplace Review called for greater respect
The Review, commissioned in 2018 by then-Health and Wellbeing Minister, Meegan Fitzharris, investigated systemic and institutional issues in public health workplaces, including inappropriate conduct and behaviours.
“That Inquiry was prompted by years of inaction on the frequently toxic workplace culture within the ACT health system,” Mrs Jones said.
The almost 400 submissions to the Review revealed inappropriate behaviours and bullying and harassment in the workplace; inefficient procedures and processes, including handling complaints; inadequate training in dealing with inappropriate workplace practices; inability to make timely decisions; poor leadership and management at many levels throughout the ACT Public Health System; and inefficient and inappropriate Human Resource practices.
“There is little doubt the vast majority of staff provide high quality health care and strive for excellence,” the Review stated. “Less embedded are the values of collaboration, integrity, and respect.”
The Review made 20 recommendations to improve workplace culture, including adopting an American early intervention program; strengthening relationships between Canberra Health Services (CHS), health sectors, and the hospital; and better engagement with clinicians.
But Mrs Jones said only seven of the recommendations had been implemented more than two and a half years later.
“The Review was the government’s own work, and the 20 recommendations were their own recommendations to implement,” she said. “The Labor-Greens Government is still dragging its feet on implementing its own report.”
“Last time we discussed this matter, the government blamed COVID for the delay,” Mrs Jones said. “But as our health system is under the added pressure of COVID, this work is more important than ever.”
Ms Stephen-Smith said that in the 2019‑20 Budget, the government committed $12 million over three years to address the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review into the Workplace Culture within ACT Public Health Services.
“This is a significant program of work which recognises that workplace culture can’t be changed overnight and requires an ongoing commitment,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
Eight recommendations have been fully implemented, and good progress was being made on the remaining 12, Ms Stephen-Smith stated. Ninety-two implementation actions were associated with the 20 recommendations; 60 of these actions had been completed, 32 were on track, and two were identified at being delayed or at risk of delay.
The government would release the second annual independent review of the culture review implementation in coming months.
How is the government implementing the Review’s recommendations?
An Organisational Culture Improvement Model (OCIM) has been developed to ensure cultural change is structured, measurable, and sustainable across ACT Health Directorate, CHS, and Calvary Public Hospital Bruce.
Time lost due to occupational violence has decreased by 26 per cent since the ACT Government rolled out quality and safety initiatives in line with the Culture Review recommendations and OCIM, including Speaking up for Safety; a pilot of the Safewards program, which aims to decrease violence in hospitals; and Occupational Violence initiatives across CHS and Calvary Public Hospital Bruce.
“This shows our initiatives are making our health services much safer places to work,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
The recent ACT Budget allocated $50.1 million as part of a four-year plan to recruit more than 400 nurses and midwives by 2024. Many Canberra nurses and midwives have complained of overwork and inadequate staffing; ensuring a minimum number of nurses and midwives per patient will reduce their stress and improve the health system.
CHS has also set up initiatives to improve workplace behaviour, including a pilot civility program, revised training focusing on early resolution, and a strategy to ensure the organisation remains ‘A great place to work’.
To support health system staff during the added stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Stephen-Smith said, CHS had put into place many support avenues. She thanked them for their “remarkable work in keeping us all safe”.
“We recognise that while many of our health system staff are working on the frontline in essential roles, they are also members of our community who are impacted by this pandemic in both their work and private lives.”
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