Healthcare workers in the ACT will have access to an $8.75 million pool to fund wellbeing initiatives pitched by staff.
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Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith acknowledged high levels of stress and fatigue among healthcare workers in the territory and said the fund would help support staff.
"The need to constantly adapt in response to COVID-19 has come on top of pre-existing pressures and we know healthcare workers have carried a heavy load in supporting our community through almost three years of the pandemic," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
"Our frontline staff have also experienced the personal challenges of COVID-19 with many being separated from family and friends during a very difficult and unpredictable time."
The ACT government's Health Workforce Wellbeing and Recovery Fund will consider proposals from individual teams across the territory's public health system for initiatives teams "believe will have the most impact and benefit".
Ms Stephen-Smith said the government had heard it was important staff are empowered to decide what would benefit them.
"This ensures initiatives and activities are meeting the specific needs and challenges of different teams across the health system," she said.
"Organisation and territory-wide activities aimed at improving staff retention, culture and wellbeing across the whole system are also being developed in collaboration with the health workforce."
The government said the fund would cover "initiatives and activities" but provided no further elaboration.
Part of the money would also be spent on workforce planning and recruitment work, which includes a national campaign to recruit nurses and midwives to the ACT public health system launched last month.
The government said this reflected its commitment to implementing nurse-to-patient ratios and ensuring continuous improvement in pay and conditions.
The announcement of the fund follows the ACT government's rejection of a union-led call for bonuses paid to health staff.
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Ms Stephen-Smith in July wrote to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation ACT branch to reject a call for recognition bonuses.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet in June announced a one-off $3000 payment for all employees in the NSW Health Service, which was matched in Victoria.
The ACT Health Minister said the government would instead focus on a wage increase as part of enterprise bargaining negotiations.
Enterprise bargaining for a new agreement between the ACT government and its staff for a new pay deal is ongoing.
Health had the largest allocation of spending in the 2022-23 ACT budget and included money for an extra 170 health workers over the next two years.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
