Page 749 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 March 2019
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that has commenced over the past 12 months was recognised by the review panel in their report, and I am confident that we will see positive improvements continue to be made to workplace culture.
The report notes that the quality of care is high but that for a variety of reasons, systems and processes have let staff down. If this changes, the level of care can be even higher. That is our shared ambition and this work is already under way. As noted earlier, we will be establishing a strong governance framework to ensure that the recommendations are implemented.
The Health Directorate, as system steward, will lead the response to ensure that a consistent and territory-wide approach is taken. The executive structures within ACT Health Directorate, Canberra Health Services and Calvary Public Hospital have been or are in the process of being reformed to ensure that we have the right people in the right places to lead a contemporary health service across the ACT. There has been a rigorous focus on stabilising and refining organisational structures and working closely with staff throughout.
I was pleased to read in the final report that cautious optimism was expressed by many within the services regarding the new leadership. The leadership team across ACT Health, Canberra Health Services and Calvary Public Hospital must look after the people who deliver patient care to our community. Ensuring that staff feel valued, are confident and express their views without fear or favour and can work together effectively are of the utmost importance to us all.
The issue with culture within public health services has been raised as a concern at a national level; it is not a challenge unique to the ACT. The review and its recommendations provide us with a significant opportunity to lead the nation in developing a positive workplace culture across our health systems. I was pleased to share information about the approach the ACT is taking at the recent COAG health council meeting. I foreshadowed a future item at that meeting so that all health ministers across the country can make a clear statement about workplace culture and our public health services.
I was heartened by the significant interest and engagement from staff and stakeholders in the review. At the outset of this project stakeholders played an important role in contributing to the terms of reference. Significant stakeholders also supported a robust review rather than holding a lengthy, potentially divisive, expensive court of inquiry. I do not believe it would have provided the fundamental recommendations for cultural reform of our health system.
The government has now instituted and delivered a final report to ensure that staff can get on with the job of delivering health services to our community. I am firmly of the belief that a board of inquiry would have been a detrimental course of action. The final report and the feedback I have received from stakeholders demonstrate that the government’s decision to undertake an independent review was the right one. It has fundamentally gotten to the core of the culture issues in ACT public health services and has allowed staff and stakeholders to be heard, to share their experiences and their stories and contribute in a positive way to real change.
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