Jim McGowan AM, Metro North Board Chair

On Tuesday 28 March, Chief People and Culture Officer Kristal Lowe and John Bartholomew, Senior Director Health and Safety, presented to the Board on the framework and action plan to address the requirements of the Code of Practice under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work. The Code comes into effect on Saturday 1 April. Kristal and John outlined the initiatives to enable Metro North to meet the intent of the Code through the implementation of safe systems of work that can identify and report, manage, eliminate or mitigate as far as practical psychosocial hazards. Board members have previously been briefed on the new Code and the obligations which it imposes on all of us, including Board members individually and collectively.

The team in People and Culture services has developed an action plan to address psychosocial health across six areas:

1. Identification of hazards and current controls
2. Assessing the current level of risk and gaps
3. Identification of opportunities for improvement
4. WHS risk profile and facility/directorate risk assessments
5. Consultation and communication
6. Processes and systems to monitor and review.

Work on these areas is occurring concurrently.

Board members were assured that Metro North is well prepared to meet its legislative obligation and were impressed with the preparation. The team working on this have done an outstanding job. Congratulations and thanks!

The Board also considered how it will meet its obligations. We will be restructuring our Executive Committee which does include all members so that it focuses on workforce issues including recruitment, retention, and capability issues, including leadership capability, workplace reform, workplace relations as well as health and safety. The Executive Committee will receive performance reports and discuss issues related to performance at each of its quarterly meetings. The Safety and Quality and Risk and Audit Committees will continue to receive reports relevant to their charters.

We know that there is much more to be done, and actions in relation to the Code of Practice will be ongoing, with obligations at every level in Metro North. The Board and Executive team do not just want to comply with our legislative obligations, we want to improve the psychosocial health of our staff in all our workplaces.

In that context, the Have Your Say survey which is planned for May is an important source of information to assess how you are feeling about work and your workplace. Its value is highest with a high level of participation.

The Board also received a report from Priscilla Radice, Deputy Director-General Health Capital Division, Queensland Health, on planning for the construction and operation of the Queensland Cancer Centre (QCC). While the decision of the location of the QCC is clear, there is a recognition of the need for further consultation and engagement about the infrastructure, governance and operational and commissioning principles and arrangements. Metro North is committed to working constructively with Queensland Health so that the obvious wonderful benefits of the Centre for all Queenslanders are realised.

Quotes to consider

“We are not a team because we work together. We are a team because we respect, trust and care for each other.” Vala Afshan, a contemporary digital marketer.

“If a [person] is called a streetsweeper, [they]should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. [They] should sweep streets so well that all the hosts in Heaven and Earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great streetsweeper who did [their] job well.”” Martin Luther King (1929-1968,) inspirational American Civil Rights leader.

Regards,

Jim.