QAS INSIGHT | Summer 2017-18 edition

Employee engagement in practice

In 2017, QAS embarked on a campaign to engage with a broad range of our employees via face-to-face employee forums. These were designed to engage staff at all levels of the QAS to shape and design the future of the workforce and hear issues affecting all employees.

The employee forums produced some very meaningful conversations and insights into the issues facing our workforce. Participants at the forums were challenged to raise issues and suggest innovative and practical workforce solutions. As a result of the forums, the QAS has commenced implementing some key changes required in response to the issues raised. To coordinate these actions, the QAS has established an Implementation Group which will be responsible for refining the suggestions from each of the four forums and develop them into meaningful actions and initiatives. This group includes staff from across the QAS and will be sponsored by Michael Metcalfe, Executive Director, Corporate Services. Action has already commenced to resolve some of the issues raised at the forum, as outlined in the table on the opposite page. These activities are the first steps QAS has taken to begin to address some of the many issues raised at the workforce forums. Due to the complex nature of some of the other issues raised at the forums the Implementation Group, in conjunction with the QAS Executive, will be working to further develop the actions to address them.

The employee engagement forums came from a desire by the QAS Executive to further understand the general themes that have arisen from consecutive Working for Queensland Staff Survey results and have explored issues such as workplace flexibility, workplace bullying, red tape, organisational fairness, workload and health and reward and recognition. In total, there were four employee forums held throughout 2017, with one specifically dedicated to issues faced by our graduate paramedics as a direct result of feedback received from the first two forums. The timing of the first employee forum, close to International Women’s Day, also provided the QAS with a unique opportunity to bring approximately 100 women together from across the Service. Overall, approximately 400 employees from across the state participated in our employee forums this year. The 2017 employee forums have enabled all members of the QAS Executive to engage personally with a broad range of operational and corporate employees from all LASNs and classification levels and hear first-hand issues that are affecting them. Toachieve thiswewill: Patientsfirst Healthand safety

Know your comm to WHS October marks National Safe Work Month and will refle sharing safety knowledge and experience benefits wit There is no better time to familiarise yourself with QAS of Commitment to Workplace Health and Safety.

DepartmentofHealth QueenslandAmbulanceService

Statement of Commitment WorkplaceHealthandSafety

14

A corevalueof theQueenslandAmbulanceService (QAS) is thehealth,safety andwell-beingofourselves,ourpatientsandothers. Theability to care for ourpatients reliesdirectlyonourownsafetyand thisshallbeakeyunderpinning factorsupporting theprovisionofqualityambulanceandpatientcareservices.

» Complywithall relevant legislative requirements includingstandardsand codes ofpractice. » Takeall reasonable care for thehealthandsafetyofourselves,our colleagues atworkandourpatients. » Makemanagersandsupervisors responsible for implementing thispolicyas an integralpartof theiraccountabilities. » Promotesystemsthatwillminimiseharmthroughtheidentificationofhazards, effectiveand timely investigationof incidentsand theappropriate control of risks. » Ensureeverypersonisfitfordutyandisabletodeliverourservicesina professional,safeand competentmanner. » Provideearly intervention followingaworkplace injuryor illness tooptimise recoveryandpromoteanearlyandsafe return towork. » Seekcontinuous improvement inoursafetysystems through consultation, technology,workpracticesandhealthandsafetyperformance. » Monitorand reviewQASstandards toenablebestpractice inall thatwedo.

Ideas intoaction

O ctober 2017 marked National Safe Work Month and reflected the theme ‘sharing safety knowledge and experience benefits everyone.’ It is important for everyone to familiarise yourself with the QAS’s new Statement of Commitment to Workplace Health and Safety . Executive appointments confirmed The permanent appointment of Dee Taylor-Dutton as Deputy Commissioner, Service Planning and P rformance, and Michael Metcalfe as Ex cutive Director, Corporate Services, were announced by Commissioner Russell Bowles in early October. “These two highly respected officers have more than four decades of combined experience in the delivery of ambulance services and I’m very pleased to confirm their permanent appointments to these key executive roles,” the Commissioner said. R ad t on th QAS P rtal at: http://bit.ly/2xwUe16 There is no better time to familiarise yourself with QAS’s new Statement of Com itment to Workplace Health and Safety. Know your com it ent to WH This isourcommitment toyou. Know your commitment to WHS October marks National Safe Work Month and will reflect the theme – sharing safety knowledge and experience benefits with everyone. RussellBowles ASM Commissioner QueenslandAmbulanceService Dateeffective: 01September2017 Reviewdate: 01September2020 Read it on the QAS Portal at: http://bit.ly/2xwUe16

Unleash potential

DepartmentofHealth QueenslandAmbulanceService

Becourageous

Statement of Commitment WorkplaceHealthandSafety

Empowerpeople

A corevalueof theQueenslandAmbulanceService (QAS) is thehealth,safety andwell-beingofourselves,ourpatientsandothers. Theability to care for ourpatients reliesdirectlyonourownsafetyand thisshallbeakeyunderpinning factorsupporting theprovisionofqualityambulanceandpatientcareservices.

694QAS

Patientsfirst

Toachieve thiswewill:

» Complywithall relevant legislative requirements includingstandardsand codes ofpractice. » Takeall reasonable care for thehealthandsafetyofourselves,our colleagues atworkandourpatients. » Makemanagersandsupervisors responsible for implementing thispolicyas an integralpartof theiraccountabilities. » Promotesystemsthatwillminimiseharmthroughtheidentificationofhazards, effectiveand timely investigationof incidentsand theappropriate control of risks. » Ensureeverypersonisfitfordutyandisabletodeliverourservicesina professional,safeand competentmanner. » Provideearly intervention followingaworkplace injuryor illness tooptimise recoveryandpromoteanearlyandsafe return towork. » Seekcontinuous improvement inoursafetysystems through consultation, technology,workpracticesandhealthandsafetyperformance. » Monitorand reviewQASstandards toenablebestpractice inall thatwedo.

Healthand safety

Ideas intoaction

Unleash potential

This isourcommitment toyou.

Becourageous

RussellBowles ASM Commissioner QueenslandAmbulanceService

Dateeffective: 01September2017 Reviewdate: 01September2020

Empowerpeople

694QAS

Summer 2017–18 Executive appoint ents confirmed The permanent appointment of Dee Taylor-Dutton as Deputy Commissioner, Service Planning and Performance, and Michael Metcalfe as Executive Director, Corporate Services, were announced by Commissioner Russell Bowles in