The ACT's opposition health spokeswoman has blasted the government for its sluggish response to recommendations that came out of a damning report into workplace culture.
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A final report on an independent review into the territory health system's workplace culture was published in 2019, and identified troubling levels of bullying, poor leadership and inappropriate recruitment practices.
Reviewers made 20 recommendations to the ACT government based on the findings, and then-health minister Meegan Fitzharris said it would get to work implementing them "in a way that drives the real change we need to see".
Current ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith announced on March 31 this year that five of the recommendations had been implemented, and "significant progress" had been made on other recommendations.
Opposition health spokeswoman Giulia Jones will put forward a motion in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday calling on the government to implement the remaining 15 recommendations in the next 200 days.
An ACT government spokeswoman on Wednesday told The Canberra Times an additional two recommendations had since been implemented, bringing the total to seven.
The spokeswoman said 92 "action items" had been identified to implement the recommendations and, of those, 55 had been completed.
Mrs Jones said 800 days after the independent review it was about time the government showed something was changing for staff on the ground.
"There's an established view that there's a problem in health," Mrs Jones said.
"There's not an established view that it's getting fixed, and that's for [the health minister] to convince us."
Mrs Jones said she wanted evidence of "tangible change" in the ACT's public health sector or answers why change had not happened.
Also in March, Ms Stephen-Smith said significant work was under way to address bullying, harassment and discrimination across the health service.
The minister said on Wednesday it was critical authorities continued to drive cultural change across the ACT's health system.
"The ACT government and leaders of Canberra Health Services, Calvary Public Hospital Bruce and the ACT Health directorate have an absolute commitment to improving workplace culture and safety," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
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"We have begun to see real improvements but acknowledge there is still more to do.
"We will continue working hard to implement the recommendations of the culture review, in partnership with staff, unions, consumers and other stakeholders."
Mrs Jones' motion is set to be debated on Thursday in the Legislative Assembly.
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Cassandra Morgan
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
