Albury Wodonga Health chief executive Leigh McJames said changes in the organisation had improved staff satisfaction. Unacceptable levels of bullying and an unsustainable financial position have been a major focus of Albury Wodonga Health over the past year. The issues were revealed in the organisation’s 2016-17 annual report, released this week. It was reported in 2013 that 40 per cent of AWH staff experienced bullying, sparking an investigation into workplace culture. But three years later, in 2016, the situation had not changed enough. A report from chief executive Leigh McJames and board chair Nicola Melville said it was refreshing the 2016 “people matter survey” found staff were strongly committed to patient care. “However, it also indicated that a proportion of staff lacked confidence in senior management and some governance processes, such as recruitment,” they said. “It indicated that there was an unacceptable level of bullying in some areas. Management implemented a range of actions to address these issues focused on improving staff engagement and communication and strengthening leadership.” Over the next year, AWH restructured its People, Culture and Development Department with extra investment. The results of the 2017 people matter survey showed improvements of 2 to 10 per cent. The annual report also revealed the hospital recorded a loss of $2.5 million in 2016-17, but was on track for a break-even result next year. Hospitals were required to release the number of “occupational violence incidents” towards staff. AWH had the higher number with 305 incidents for the year across its locations, followed by Northeast Health Wangaratta with 62, Alpine Health with 36 and Beechworth Health with 35. AWH admitted occupational violence was under reported because staff faced barriers such as not having access to computers at the end of their shifts. “Occupational violence is an issue whereby a zero tolerance approach should be taken, yet Albury Wodonga Health employees report that there is a perceived failure by management to take responsive action when responding to such instances,” the report stated.
