Page 4529 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
was an outcome of the ACT Health accreditation process and was a good opportunity for our service to benchmark itself against a high-performing interstate facility. I do note that the report of that is online, and that online space also notes that the government has agreed to all the recommendations.
The findings of the review were in fact very complimentary of our service, with the review considering the ACT’s inpatient mental health services “to be safe and very competently managed by a skilled and experienced senior management team”. The reviewers made 12 recommendations, all of which have been accepted. An independent advisory body has been established to oversee the implementation of those recommendations, and four items have already been completed. I am happy to report back to the Assembly with a further update on progress on this important piece of work.
On the matter of staff resourcing and workforce shortages, I recognise that this is an ongoing issue, but steps are being taken to ease the pressure on our staff. As I have said previously, specialty mental health services nationally, internationally and in the ACT continue to face shortages of clinical staff, while at the same time the growth in services and service demand has increased. In the ACT these workforce challenges are felt most keenly across the acute and community settings. This is an issue that I have previously raised with the COAG Health Council to seek some work on a national strategy to improve training and recruitment pathways for mental health clinicians.
While we cannot alone solve the broader national problem, at the local level we are taking action to attract more staff to the ACT. I can advise the Assembly that, as of 29 October, there are 13 medical officers working full time in the adult mental health unit. This includes five psychiatrists, three permanent employees and two locums. We also have four psychiatric registrars and four junior medical officers. I can also advise that a group attraction and retention incentive, better known as an ARIn, has recently been approved for consultant psychiatrists working in mental health. The ARIn brings the ACT into line with pay rates for mental health specialist medical officers in other jurisdictions.
Canberra Health Services has convened a workforce development committee to implement the recently developed action plan and provide a sustainable mental health workforce into the future. This includes training, development, recruitment, upskilling and retention of staff. This work is being undertaken in parallel with the ACT Health workforce strategy currently underway.
Finally, I want to address the issue of occupational violence in our mental health wards. As I have said previously, while working in acute mental health settings can be very rewarding, it can also be challenging and present risks, particularly in settings where individuals are especially unwell. However, let me be very clear that violence against our staff will not be tolerated. To respond to this issue, we are taking action to minimise the immediate risk to staff on the ground. We are also working with staff, unions and other key stakeholders to develop strategies that will amend policies and procedures to maximise staff safety into the future. Canberra Health Services has commenced development of an occupational violence strategy which will help to
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video