The Territory’s health workers are to receive the benefits of a new $8.75 million fund to support their wellbeing and recovery after an incredibly difficult number of recent years.
Announced by the Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith, the initiatives and activities of the Health Workforce Wellbeing and Recovery Fund are to be co-designed along with the city’s health workforce.
“The need to constantly adapt in response to -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,” she said.
“All of this has contributed to high levels of distress and fatigue.
“That’s why we’ve been looking at ways we can further support teams to recover from the difficulties of the past few years and build safe and healthy workplaces for the future.”
Ms Stephen-Smith said the new Fund would provide individual teams across the ACT’s public health services with the opportunity to propose initiatives that they believe would have the most impact and benefit for their teams.
She said the Fund would also support initiatives that were currently underway on workforce planning and recruitment, including a national campaign, launched in September, to recruit nurses and midwives to the ACT public health system.
“Through the co-design process we are hearing how important it is that staff are empowered to decide what would benefit them the most,” the Minister said.
“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,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
