Page 2301 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019
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(7) Does this back-filling involve any staff being rostered for more than their normal shifts; if so, by what margin on average.
(8) What was the cost of mental stress during 2018 for (a) sick leave, (b) back-filling, (c) treatment and counselling services, (d) return to work and (e) other (specify).
Ms Fitzharris: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1 and 2)
(a) (A copy of the answer is available at the Chamber Support Office).
(2) (b) 10 cases remain open from 2018.
(2) (c) Employees of the ACT Public Service (ACTPS) who are unwell are covered by personal leave entitlements. An employee, when submitting an application for personal leave, due to them being unwell, does not have to submit a reason for leave. They may discuss this with their manager if they choose but it does not have to be noted on their application form. When a medical certificate is provided by a qualified medical practitioner, they only certify that an employee is suffering from a medical condition and is unfit for work as they do not release private medical information of their patient.
(3) In 2018 nine matters were reported by Calvary Public Hospital Bruce (CPHB)
|
(a) |
nil |
|
(b) |
three |
|
(c) |
nil |
|
(d) |
six. |
(4) (a) Primary causes of reported psychological/mental health incidents, ranged from workers being performance managed to other matters that were not disclosed to CPHB.
(b) Three cases remain open from 2018.
(c) Stress Leave is not a separately recorded leave type and therefore further detail cannot be provided. Also refer to response (2) (c).
(5) Staff are encouraged to seek support early if they are experiencing issues in their personal or professional life. A variety of 24-hour support services are offered including the Employee Assistance Program, Doctors Health Advisory Service, Nursing and Midwifery Support Service and the ACT Health Spiritual Support Service. Staff are also encouraged to see their GP or access any of the relevant emergency/crisis supports available to the public including Lifeline, Domestic Violence Crisis Service or the Mental Health Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team.
Furthermore, CPHB has a proactive Pastoral Care team, who provide significant informal support to employees. CPHB has also implemented a Respect Equity Diversity Contact Officer network to assist workers.
(6) Back-fill arrangements for staff on stress leave are no different than for staff on any form of unplanned leave. Arrangements for filling unplanned leave vary according to the function of the staff and the operational area, and can include using locum or agency staff, and by mutual agreement, placing staff on higher grade duties or additional shifts, within the limits of their scope of practice and safe working hours.
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