Medicus April 2016

C O V E R S T O R Y

Dr Michael Stanford Group Chief Executive Officer St John of God Health Care S t John of God Health Care has a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment in the workplace and we welcome the opportunity to work with the AMA (WA) and others to prevent them happening and/or address any issues of this nature that arise. We are a values-based organisation and we work extremely hard to maintain a culture that is consistent with our mission. We take quick and decisive action on any behaviour that is made known to us that is not in keeping with our values, including claims of sexual harassment. Our policies, procedures and Code of Conduct, to which our employees and medical practitioners sign up to on commencing work with us, reinforce that bullying and harassment are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our workplace. If any of these behaviours are reported, we undertake an investigation, including in many instances, an independent investigation. We encourage the person making the claim to reach out to a support person, including their union or professional body to assist them through the investigation. To further support this process, the orientation program that all employees must complete on commencing work with us includes a mandatory education module specifically on bullying and harassment and that mandatory

education is repeated every two years Our policies and educational materials on bullying and harassment are readily accessible throughout our workplaces. We recognise that not all issues of harassment will be reported and we have mechanisms in place to monitor culture in our workplaces and help to identify issues, like staff and doctor satisfaction surveys. These can also lead to the initiation of further investigation and consequent action. There are a number of outcomes that could result if a behaviour is found to be in breach of our Code of Conduct including termination of employment or contract, further education or the provision of counselling and mentoring. With regard to the AMA’s Sexual Harassment Survey, it seems likely that our accredited Visiting Medical Officers may be unfamiliar with how to access information on harassment. We look forward to working with our various Medical Advisory Committees to remedy this. In the last 10 years, of our 3,000 plus accredited doctors and 300-plus employed doctors, we have had one complaint about sexual harassment (not in WA). It was effectively dealt with. The AMA survey implies significant underreporting has taken place, so we will review our systems with regards to doctors so as to maximise the appropriate use of our policies and procedures. ■

Kevin Cass-Ryall Operations Executive Manager - WA and SA Hospitals Ramsay Health Care S exual Harassment in the workplace is not tolerated at Ramsay Health Care facilities. We are a values-based organisation guided by “ The Ramsay Way ” and our motto is “ We are People Caring for People ”. In the broadest sense, discrimination, bullying and harassment in the workplace are not acceptable. We are on a journey to educate our doctors and staff, and education is the key to eliminating unacceptable behaviours. Reporting of breaches in a timely and factual manner is taken very seriously within our facilities. We appreciate the role that the AMA plays in encouraging all hospitals to work toward eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace. ■

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