This blog was used by HCCA until 2018 when we transitioned to a new website. This blog is no longer active.
You can find out more about us at www.hcca.org.au
If you would like to hear about the Draft ACT Women's Health Plan and have an input into our response to it please come to our round table on Mon 1 March. between 2 and 4.Here is your formal invitation.
INVITATION
HCCA is hosting a round table to discuss the Draft ACT Women’s Health Plan - Improving women’s access to health care services and information 2009 – 2014, which has just been released for public consultation.
This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and help each other to strengthen our individual responses to the draft plan.
The consultation period ends on 29 March. When: Mon 1 March | 2 – 4pm Where: HCCA New Offices in ACT Sports House 100 Maitland StHackett(The old Hackett Primary School site) RSVP to: Julie Derrett | HCCA Policy Officer
Electronic control of records and administration in health is coming into its own. We will all be hearing a lot about it in the very near future. This broadcast on the ABC's Radio National provides great background information and a very lively discussion. Click on the link below to listen.
Consumers would like to have internet terminals available for all users in the main foyer areas of ACT Health facilities, bedside internet access and laptop hire similar to TV hire while in hospital.This was one of the innovative ideas to come from a focus group run by Urbis for ACT Heath.The focus group was exploring what consumers want from retail outlets and services located in public health facilities.
Consumers were united in the view that they didn’t want to end up with an airport retail experience.Where shops dominate and the hospital is hidden behind the shop fronts, but people attending the hospital in particular, do need better retail facilities.Our hospital’s are like islands in a sea of car parks and if you need something while visiting the hospital you have to travel to get it.So consumers want a florist, a gift shop, a mini supermarket, banking, post, library and appropriate clothing retail facilities.
There were lots of improvements suggested for food outlets including different types of services for different traffic flow needs for example, a 24 hour restaurant or café area. Consumers wanted healthy and dietary specific choices available for people with diabetes and coeliac’s disease as well as vegetarian choices.
Pre-packed lunch boxes and an express lane were proposed.Consumers also wanted a quiet and cosy area to retreat to for coffee or a meal, and while we are at it how about 24 hr kiosk or café service in the ED area?
Car parking, childcare, applying universal design principles to ensure good access to facilities for all users and the provision of personal services like massage, beauticians and podiatrists were all discussed at the focus group.
If you have ideas on what shops and retail services are needed in our public health facilities now is the time to put your views forward.Email HCCA’s Olivia Macdonaldoliviam@hcca.org.au and she will ensure that your ideas are passed on to Urbis.
As our email server will be moving with us it means that email will be interrupted for a few days. We anticipate that the email will have resumed by Tuesday 19 January 2010.
During this time, please address urgent enquiries to our gmail email address adminhcca@gmail.com .
This week HCCA received a letter from the Little Company of Mary (LCM) in response to our blog post of 2 November 2009. We will meet with representatives of LCM in January to discuss their position more fully. In the interim we thought it would be useful to post part of the letter that relates to staffing, as it provides more detail than we initially had.
What follows is an excerpt from that letter:
"In the section Implications for governance and staff conditions you state “nursing staff resources available to provide palliative care in the community appear to be considerably less than when home based palliative care was part of ACT Health”.
CHC received seven (7) Full Time Equivalent (FTE) nursing staff when it took on the home-based palliative service. This did not include any provision for clinical nurse consultant, managerial, allied health, medical or administrative support. Following representation to ACT Health in 2003, CHC received additional funding to provide a Clinical Nurse Consultant and administrative support for the home-based palliative care service.
Currently, the home-based palliative care service has approximately ten (10) FTE including the Clinical Nurse Consultant position and one (1) FTE of administrative support. Supplementing these staff, and not included in the ten FTE, are management, allied health, medical and administrative support staff located at CHH or working at CHH as an extension of their role at Calvary Hospital.
The model of care for home-based palliative care has developed since 2002 to focus on the provision of specialist palliative care services delivered by highly skilled clinicians. Non-specialist palliative care assistance in the home, as required by CHH, is provided by Community Health and also by the volunteer members of the ACT Palliative Care Society."
"Also in the section Implications for governance and staff conditions you state “but with the change of management will be employed by LCM and will be required to sign employment contracts agreeing to work to LCM values”.
Staff at CHH and Calvary Public Hospital, whilst ACT public servants, are employed and managed by CHC. Under this arrangement it is already a requirement that staff observe and practice the Calvary values of Hospitality, Healing, Stewardship and Respect. A value based approach to management is considered normal and best practice in health care."
"Further, no Clare Holland or home based palliative care employees will “be required” to become Calvary employees should the proposal proceed. If existing staff do not wish to become a Calvary employee (under the proposal) they can elect to remain in public employment with ACT Health.
If existing staff do remain with Calvary, and for any reason wish to review that decision at any time in the future, they can return to ACT Health employment with full recognition of length of service etc. All existing entitlements of staff, and their current superannuation arrangements etc, will be honoured.
From the very first announcement of negotiations regarding the possible changes of ownership at Calvary Public Hospital and Clare Holland both parties clearly stated there would be no disadvantage to any staff. This commitment has been honoured to date and any representation to the contrary simply does not reflect the facts of the situation."
Posts
