Shadow health minister Libby Mettam slams ‘disgraceful’ deferral of 2022 health worker survey

Shadow health minister Libby Mettam says the deferral of an annual WA health worker survey is “disgraceful” and shows the State Government has “little regard” for the welfare of frontline health workers. Launched in 2019, the annual Your Voice in Health survey is voluntarily completed by Department of Health workers, providing a snapshot of staff perceptions across WA. The 2022 survey was set to be completed in March but a WA Health spokeswoman said it had been deferred because the State’s health system was focused on “preparing for and responding to the growing COVID-19 community outbreak”. “The decision to defer was made in order to maximise participation from health staff,” she said. “The original timing coincided with the expected surge of COVID cases in our hospitals.” Leaked results of the 2021 Your Voice in Health survey of Albany Health Campus staff painted a damning picture, with just 19 per cent of the 227 AHC staff who took the survey agreeing their organisation was “making the necessary improvements to meet our future challenges”. A quarter of AHC staff said they “believe my organisation cares about my health and wellbeing”, compared to a 49 per cent average across the WA Country Health Service. Only 38 per cent said they were “proud to tell others I work for my organisation”, compared to a 65 per cent average for WACHS Many of the results in the 2021 AHC survey, including the three listed above, had dropped since the 2020 survey. “This is just another example of the McGowan Government not wanting to face up to the fact that frontline health workers are exhausted and overworked before WA has even had to deal with significant COVID cases,” Ms Mettam said. “The Your Voice survey is about supporting our health workers who are being asked to do more with less, also ensuring that patient care and safety is optimised, which starts with looking after your workforce. “The McGowan Government have dragged their feet on recruiting health workers and the Health Minister’s urgent 11th hour efforts to desperately recruit for our under-resourced health system should have happened two years ago.” However the WA Health spokeswoman said the department took “staff culture and wellbeing seriously” and had various avenues for staff to have input and give feedback, including anonymously. “The deferral of the survey does not diminish the WA health system’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of its staff who are encouraged to provide their feedback through existing channels and to discuss any concerns they may have with their manager, as is the usual practice,” she said. “We have extensively surveyed health staff in recent years, the results of which continue to inform strategies and programs aimed at increasing staff engagement, health and wellbeing.”