Canberra Health Services’ staff culture survey shows no real improvement

Canberra Health Services’ November 2023 culture survey shows that the Health Minister has once again failed to improve culture since the last survey in 2021.

Damningly, 25 per cent of CHS staff said there was no positive impact resulting from the last culture survey in 2021 compared to only 19 per cent who said there was.

Unsurprisingly 45 per cent of CHS’ staff at the compulsorily acquired North Canberra Hospital (formerly Calvary) don’t think CHS is a truly great place to work. North Canberra Hospital only had a 38 per cent response rate.

Deputy Opposition Leader and Shadow Health Minister Leanne Castley said the latest workplace culture survey shows no fundamental improvement in workplace culture.

“This is the direct result of the Labor-Greens government’s administration of the health portfolio being characterised by short-term fixes, inadequate funding, and no strategic vision,” Ms Castley said.

“It is clear that this government is more concerned about manufacturing positive results by holding this survey off until the weather is warmer than taking meaningful action to fix the culture.

“Canberra Health Services staff deserve to have their concerns taken seriously by the government rather than being subject to a box ticking exercise where no meaningful action is taken.

“If staff feedback is not properly utilised by this government, then the ACT will fail to retain our valuable frontline workers.

“This is another failed opportunity from the ACT Government to show disenfranchised staff that they are genuinely trying to improve the culture and retain staff, instead it is another failure from the Health Minister and ACT Government,” Ms Castley concluded.

Like CHS’ December 2022 Pulse Survey, CHS’ 2023 survey results were skewed by those divisions with a vested interest in positive results, as compared with divisions comprising frontline workers.

With an 85 per cent response rate, 67 per cent of People and Culture Division respondents believe CHS is a truly great place to work, compared to only 42 per cent of medical officers and 42 per cent of workers in the Surgical Division at North Canberra Hospital (NCH) which had a response rate of only 29 per cent.