The new boss of the Canberra Hospital says she will improve the culture in ACT's health services by making staff feel more valued and listened to, as the government makes final preparations for the split of ACT Health next week.
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ACT Health will split into two organisations on Monday which will see clinical services separated from health governance and policy.
Former Victorian health bureaucrat Bernadette McDonald was announced as the temporary CEO of Canberra Health Services - which will oversee Canberra Hospital and other clinical services - last week after Janet Anderson pulled out days after her appointment.
Ms McDonald comes into the role just weeks after an independent review was announced into the culture of ACT Health.
Ms McDonald said she would spend the first few weeks of her role getting to know the people and issues within the service and develop a six month plan.
She said the key to improving culture was making sure staff felt valued and recognised, and she would focus on being someone who can listen and respond to staff concerns.
She said the split would allow her to give a greater focus on clinical services.
"Healthcare is hard on staff, it can be quite draining, so we have to provide a supportive environment to do that for them to deliver the high quality care," Ms McDonald said.
She said she had worked in organisations where people felt disengaged, not listened to, not consulted and not communicated with.
"They are the key things that we need to actually do to ensure the culture does develop," Ms McDonald said.
ACT Health will split on Monday, with Ms McDonald to head Canberra Health Services - which encompasses all public clinical health services - while Michael De'Ath will head the new ACT Health, which will focus on policy and governance.
Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris said this would bring the ACT in line with all other jurisdictions.
"Feedback we got from clinicians is that some of those really important functions to the hospital aren't actually located with the hospital itself," she said.
"For example safety and sterilisation.
"I expect too there will be some quicker processes in terms of the clinical support available to staff."
MS Fitzharris said the split would "future proof" the ACT's healthcare system to better respond to current and future needs.
She said the leadership team at Canberra Health Services will be able to solely focus on service provision and will make decisions on the way these services are delivered.
ACT Health will be responsible for providing strategic policy advice to ministers, developing plans for future health needs of the community and leading workforce and clinical training strategies.
"We must continue to evolve and improve as a health system so that Canberrans continue to receive the word-class health care they expect and deserve," Ms Fitzharris said.
