Louise Oriti, Executive Director
Have your Say
RBWH has now achieved a 21% response rate for the Have your Say survey. Thank you to those who have already completed the survey. We still have a long way to go to reach our 60% target and one week to get there. It’s a great way for you to anonymously tell us your ideas, challenges and areas for improvement in the workplace so we, as an organisation, can work to make positive change. There is also a section where you can leave a message for myself or Metro North Chief Executive Jackie Hanson, which I can assure you will be read by us and actioned as appropriate. Please don’t miss this opportunity to help shape the future of RBWH.
Reconciliation Week
On Monday, I was pleased to attend the RBWH Reconciliation Week event, where we created a ‘Sea of Hands’ in the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags outside the Education Centre. Recognising this important week is an essential part of our commitment to health equity at RBWH. I hope you and your work units have spent some time throughout this week reflecting on how you can contribute to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and committing to future progress.
Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work
The Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022 is a guide on how to prevent harm from psychosocial hazards at work, including psychological and physical harm. The intent of this Code is to provide practical guidance for workplaces where workers may be exposed to common psychosocial hazards which can be harmful to their health. For example, it has been identified that working remotely on a regular basis, such as working from home, can generate a psychosocial risk for these staff members. If this applies to you or your team, there are resources you can access to help respond to and manage this risk. Along with amendments to the Work Health and Safety Regulations, the new Code will support the implementation of safe systems of work that can identify and report, manage, eliminate, or mitigate psychosocial hazards, so far as is reasonably practicable. Actions in relation to the Code will be ongoing and the RBWH Executive team are committed to supporting and improving the psychosocial health of our staff in the workplace. For more information on psychosocial hazards at work, please check the Metro North Psychosocial Risk Management intranet page.
Short notice accreditation
Last week, Metro North Chief Executive Jackie Hanson announced a change to the way short-notice accreditation will be rolled out. Instead of all Metro North hospitals and directorates being assessed together, accreditation will occur directorate by directorate. This doesn’t change the fact that RBWH still needs to be ready for accreditation assessment any time from 1 July this year.
To help everyone prepare for short notice accreditation assessment, Metro North has a series of vidcasts focussing on each of the national standards. The latest of these vidcasts was broadcast yesterday, focussing on comprehensive care. There are three more vidcasts to come, including:
- Preventing and controlling infections – 10am Monday, 12 June
- Blood management – 1pm Wednesday, 28 June
- Communicating for safety – 11am Friday, 30 June
If you’ve missed any of these vidcasts, they’ve all been recorded and are available on QHEPS.
On a personal note
On a personal note, I recently had an interaction with the private healthcare system when my mother had an elective eye procedure. The one hour it took me to complete a pre-procedure document online that got lost, trying to park in an unfamiliar place without knowing how long we would need to stay, followed by a post-operative complication, made for a challenging experience. I am reminded that our patients and their families may encounter similar challenges when they attend RBWH, and the care and empathy we provide to them can make all the difference.
Thank you for all that you do in caring for our community.
Kind regards,
Louise.