Page 1484 - Week 05 - Thursday, 13 May 2021
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and enhancing their performance development program, with direct links to organisational values.
The ACT Health Directorate has implemented a culture uplift program that provides staff and managers with training and support services aimed at improving the quality of interactions between staff. This includes reinforcing the organisation’s values, conscious interactions, performance management discussions and interpersonal skills development.
A review of the human resource function in all three organisations was undertaken in 2020 and identified key priority areas for action. The review is informing opportunities to improve current practices to ensure that processes and capabilities are consistent with contemporary human resources approaches. The review reports will be published soon on the ACT Health website and were discussed at the recent culture review oversight group, now culture reform oversight group, meeting last week.
The process has reviewed recruitment processes and systems, and changes to the administrative processes have been implemented across each organisation. Regular training programs are delivered by each organisation to ensure that selection panels are aware of the processes and procedures, and their responsibilities in recruiting and selecting staff. Recruitment processes are being regularly monitored and evaluated to ensure good compliance with processes and systems.
The Speaking Up for Safety program has made considerable progress at Calvary Public Hospital Bruce, with Canberra Health Services trainers delivering sessions for staff over the next few months. The Speaking Up for Safety program creates whole-of-organisation change in the way that staff escalate concerns. Every person in the organisation undertakes the same program, whether that is the CEO, frontline workers, managers or support staff. Speaking Up for Safety facilitates communication that elevates the concerns of staff alongside a culture of respect for colleagues. It is evidence-based and built on a strong foundation with the other work that has been done. The program also delivers the key message of empowering all staff to raise concerns by being receptive to and thanking the person for communicating to support a safe environment for everyone.
I want to thank Mrs Jones for bringing forward the personal story that has been shared with her. It is extremely distressing to hear those stories, and the purpose of Speaking Up for Safety is to ensure that people, if they do have those experiences, feel safe and supported in speaking up, and that the matters can be addressed. That is why one of our measurement and monitoring strategies is around feeling safe to speak up.
The most significant area of focus for the coming 12 months is investing in our managers and leaders. We are taking a multifaceted approach to this initiative, with work progressing at the system-wide, organisation-specific and discipline levels. Procurement activity is underway for the design and development of management fundamentals training for the health system because we want to set up our staff and managers for success.
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