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About the award

The People and Culture Award recognises teams who develop and support our people and culture and ensure a safe and healthy environment for patients and staff.

Initiatives within this category will show support for people within NSW Health by:

  • working collaboratively within the NSW Health system to improve health outcomes
  • growing and supporting a skilled workforce by hiring and developing the right people, with the right skills, at the right time
  • developing effective health professional managers and leaders
  • improved systems and efficiencies to support better workplace safety and health outcomes
  • ownership and adoption of workplace health and safety practices
  • support for long-term behaviour change to strengthen the staff health safety culture
  • increased awareness of the importance of personal safety alongside patient safety
  • enhanced access and training in workplace health and safety
  • fostering a culture that reflects NSW Health CORE values and respects diversity.         

​​​Winner - Hunter New England Health District: John Hunter Hospital physiotherapy promoting safety and excellence

 

Transcript - Winner - John Hunter Hospital physiotherapy promoting safety and excellence

Finalist - eHealth NSW: Stafflink unrostered overtime and callback claims

 

Transcript - Stafflink unrostered overtime and callback claims

Junior Medical Officers (JMOs) experience unique challenges as they undertake on-the-job training in a busy, 24/7 environment where the decisions they make impact patient outcomes.

The MoH’s JMO Wellbeing and Support Plan identified unrostered overtime and a lack of standardisation in how claims for overtime were assessed and approved for payment as a key source of stress. If not carefully managed, unrostered overtime can lead to fatigue and burnout.

A lack of transparency in how overtime claims are processed and paid can lead to frustration, anxiety and poor morale amongst JMOs. Both outcomes impact the wellbeing of our workforce and consequently, the quality of care that JMOs provide to patients.

eHealth NSW and MoH partnered to build the UnRostered Overtime and Callback Claims (UROC) system.

The project team worked collaboratively across NSW Health to improve health outcomes by growing and supporting a skilled workforce to access improved systems and efficiencies and achieve better workplace outcomes.

This project links to the NSW Health strategic framework by supporting paperless administration, improving access through new and emerging technology, building creative partnerships, and empowering JMOs to manage their own workload and overtime claims.

Finalist - Hunter New England Local Health District: John Hunter Hospital physiotherapy promoting safety and excellence

 

Transcript - John Hunter Hospital physiotherapy promoting safety and excellence

JHH Physiotherapy developed a departmental structure and culture reflecting patient centred innovative care which improves patient and staff outcomes.

Implemented Model of care and governance realignment with core values:

  • advanced practice Physiotherapy roles
  • restructured governance, safety, and educational frameworks
  • service, patient, and staff outcome monitoring
  • rural secondments realignment supporting HNELHD rural sites
  • targeted departmental learning and leadership opportunities.

Results showed that:

  • advanced practice models in Emergency, Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery, and M&G reducing outpatient waiting lists, appointment waiting times while increasing specialist clinic capacity;
  • 2 year reduction in wait times for Neurosurgical spinal consultation; Increased Orthopaedic shoulder clinic initial appointments capacity 33%;
  • eliminated travel for New England region high risk foot clinic appointments;
  • 70% reduction in falls IIMs since 2018;
  • 11 HNELHD rural secondments addressing workforce shortages;
  • targeted competency/training packages for junior, rural and advanced practice roles;
  • three staff completed CEC Leadership program;
  • 100% participation and improvement in every category of People Matters Survey.

Physiotherapy has successfully restructured, improving patient outcomes, staff development and satisfaction.

Finalist - Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District: “SEED” an annovative and sustainable staff wellbeing program

 

Transcript -  “SEED” an annovative and sustainable staff wellbeing program

In January 2020, following the Australian bushfire crisis, the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Chief Executive assigned a Senior Social Worker to provide immediate crisis support to staff at Milton Ulladulla Hospital (MUH). This action reflected NSW Strategy of supporting our workforce to provide right care, in the right place, at the right time, for staff to continue to do the same for patients despite personal challenges.

During the fires and their aftermath, staff at MUH played a critical role in supporting their vulnerable community despite physical and emotional exhaustion.

Using a Participatory Action Methodology, co-designed with staff, has resulted in the development of the wellness program called ‘SEED’, encompassing five staff led initiatives, promoted healing, wellness, belonging and connection.

The SEED Program has since spread to other sites and services within the District and has more recently been recognised nationally and internationally. SEED has successfully received an NHMRC grant and several other grants, with the aim of shaping the change preparedness model for the Patient Reported Measures program.

The SEED Program continues to harness research in collaboration with the University of Wollongong and Agency of Clinical Innovation.

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