Ambulance
Service of NSW Death and Disability (State) Award
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
COMMISSION OF NEW SOUTH WALES
Application by NSW
Department of Health.
(No. IRC 331 of 2008)
Before The Honourable
Justice Walton, Acting President
|
8 September 2009
|
The Honourable Mr
Deputy President Harrison
|
|
Commissioner Ritchie
|
|
VARIATION
1. Insert after
Annexure C, in clause 2, Index of Part A, of the award published 11 July 2008
(366 I.G. 5) the following:
Annexure D - Ambulance Service of NSW Health and Wellness
Program
2. Delete clause 11,
Health and Wellness Program, and insert in lieu thereof the following:
11. Health and
Wellness Program
11.1 A Health &
Wellness Program will be developed in accordance with the principles set out in
Annexure 'D'.
11.2 The Health &
Wellness Program, will commence to be implemented on and from July 1, 2010.
11.3 Nothing in the
Health & Wellness Program shall give rise to any additional payment,
allowance or any other financial benefit to any officer. The Support Program shall not give rise to
any additional leave entitlements to any officer.
11.4 Officers who do
not comply with the Health Assessment Program contained within the Health and
Wellness Program will jeopardise any benefits that may accrue to them under
this Award.
3. Insert after
Annexure C, Components of Salary, the following new Annexure D.
ANNEXURE D
AMBULANCE SERVICE
OF NSW HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAM
Objectives
To promote health and wellness of ambulance officers
and to assist them in meeting the occupational requirements of their job.
To provide practical support, education and assistance
to ambulance officers through structured health and wellness programs.
Benefits for the ambulance officer
A compulsory health assessment every 3 years or as
recommended on medical advice.
A comprehensive individual report
Access to individual health and wellness counselling
sessions
Access to health and wellness resource materials
Identification of negative lifestyle habits and risks
Identification of some medical conditions
Early intervention and management of medical conditions
Health statistics over the lifetime of career as an
ambulance officer
Decreased risk of death, injury or disability from
disease
Increased ability to cope with the physical and
emotional stresses of ambulance officer duties
Heightened job performance and satisfaction.
General benefits for the Ambulance Service
Supplementary to saving lives, improving performance and
achieving compliance with Occupational Health and Safety legislation and
Australian and International Standards, it is anticipated that the Health and
Wellness Program will make a significant positive contribution to:
the number and cost of worker’s compensation and death
and disability claims
the number and cost of rehabilitation cases
payroll costs due to sick or injured workers
identification of negative health factors (work-related
or other) for the Ambulance Service.
Outcomes
A healthy and fit workforce.
Increased capacity to cope with the physical and
psychological demands of ambulance officer duties.
Decreased risk of injury, illness and disease, leading
to a reduction in the number and cost of health related absences, workers
compensation claims/premiums and Death and Disability claims.
Compliance with relevant Occupational Health and Safety
legislation and Australian Standards.
Identification and analysis of trends for the purpose
of developing ambulance officer-specific health and safety interventions.
Focus Areas
Support Program - Introduction of a comprehensive
program designed to support ambulance officers in their efforts to improve
personal health outcomes.
Health Assessment Program - Introduction of an
ambulance officer-specific health assessment program designed to identify
significant health issues.
Principles
Broad consultation with all stakeholders in the
development and delivery of programs is critical to success.
Collaboration with international, national and state
initiatives is essential for a sustained and systematic approach to health
promotion and injury/disease prevention.
Linking relevant programs and taking a
comprehensive/holistic approach to health promotion and injury/disease
prevention will provide maximum impact.
Long term ‘capacity building’ will prolong and multiply
health gains for both ambulance officers and the Ambulance Service.
Key Strategies
Infrastructure
Develop the physical and organisational infrastructure
needed to implement program components. This includes support structure (eg.
health/wellness and return to work professionals), related systems and
procedures (eg. data management, pathways for rehabilitation), resources (eg.
educational materials), and coordinated links with other relevant agencies and
initiatives (eg. NSW Police WellCheck Program, NSW Fire Brigades Health and Fitness
Program).
Education
Increase awareness and understanding of general and
ambulance officer-specific health issues and provide the necessary skills to
take ownership of personal health outcomes.
Focus on physical activity, nutrition, smoking cessation, occupational
and environmental exposures, and critical incident stress as they relate to
ambulance officer performance, mental health, injury prevention and chronic
disease development (cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, etc).
Environments
Create work environments that promote and encourage healthy
lifestyle behaviours (a ‘healthy’ organisational culture). Focus on provision of healthy lifestyle
education. This strategy should also include identifying and encouraging the
development of healthy non-work environments (eg. social sport participation;
physically active families).
Monitoring/Evaluation
Monitor health outcomes over time to determine efficacy of
programs. Including broad surveys of
lifestyle changes (eg. physical activity patterns), monitoring of injury and
illness trends, participation rates for health and wellness activities, and
periodic health assessment and ‘Return to Work’ program outcomes.
Health Assessment Program
The implementation of the Health Assessment Program will
help to ensure:
that ambulance officers are medically and physically
capable of performing their required duties
that the risk of injury or illness is reduced through
constant monitoring of health trends and the implementation of focussed health interventions
that the Ambulance Service satisfies its statutory
obligations under all relevant legislation
the provision of current and accurate health/medical
information for the purposes of resource allocation and planning
The Health Assessment Program will include:
Lifestyle questionnaire and occupational history
(including exposures);
Medical examination (primary focus on cardiovascular,
respiratory and musculoskeletal systems);
Pathology testing (general health markers; eg lipid
profile, blood glucose level);
Urinalysis;
Spirometry (lung function);
Vision (near and distant);
Audiometry (hearing) as indicated;
Cardiac Risk Profile (risk score based on Framingham
study);
Other medical assessments as indicated (eg. cardiac
stress test based on high Cardiac Risk Profile score).
Wherever possible, the Health Assessment will be conducted
by nominated Health Assessment Providers (wherever possible, WorkCover or Civil
Aviation Safety Authority authorised medical providers). In some isolated rural locations, it may be
necessary to have the Health Assessment conducted by a local medical
practitioner. Where there are a number
of Providers in the sector, employees can nominate the Provider of their
choice. In most cases, an assessment
once every three years should be adequate but, in cases of identified health
risk, they may be scheduled more frequently dependent on the health risk as
advised by the Health Assessment Provider.
The cost of Health Assessments conducted as part of this
program, along with all other aspects of the Health and Wellness Program (as
contained in this Annexure) unless otherwise stated, will be met by the
Ambulance Service. This includes any referrals for other assessments arranged
by the service provider for the purposes of determining occupational health
risk. This does not include the cost of general assessment and treatment for
non-compensable illnesses or injuries.
Attendance at a nominated Health Assessment Provider for the
purpose of having a Health Assessment will occur in or be considered work
time. The Ambulance Service will
determine the time of the appointment. If transportation is not provided by the
Ambulance Service to attend the Health Assessment, reimbursement of all
reasonable transport costs will be made to the Ambulance Officer attending.
Ambulance officers will receive a confidential and
comprehensive assessment report outlining clinical findings, providing
comparative data and recommended health interventions, including referrals where
indicated. All assessment information will remain private and confidential
consistent with the (NSW) Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002.
The employee will forward to the Ambulance Service information in relation to
the ambulance officer’s fitness for duty (fit for work without restriction; fit
for work with restriction; not fit for work).
Whilst the aim of the Support Program is to provide general
health and wellness interventions, ambulance officers may make arrangements to
discuss the results of the assessment with Ambulance Service personnel with a
view to developing more focussed interventions.
The Ambulance Service shall not cover the cost of treatment
for non-compensable injuries or illness. The treatment cost associated with
compensable injuries or illness will be addressed through the Workers’
Compensation System.
Where a medical issue is identified during the assessment,
the health risk will be assessed against the inherent requirements of the job
that the ambulance officer is required to do (safety critical). The Health Assessment Provider will discuss
the issue with the ambulance officer to work out the best course of medical
management and, in the vast majority of cases it is anticipated that there will
be no need for the officer to be taken off duty. In some cases minimal work
restrictions may be required, or temporary suitable duties found (where
practical) whilst they progress through the ‘Return to Work Program’ (refer to
the NSW Ambulance Service Return to Work Policy for further information about
this process).
To guide the risk assessment process, the Ambulance Service
will publish medical guidelines reflective of national and international
standards for emergency service workers. The medical guidelines will be
reviewed and updated regularly consistent with emerging medical evidence.
Support
Program
The aim of the Support Program is to provide
general health and wellness interventions. The Support Program may also provide
services that complement the Ambulance Service ‘Return to Work’ process.
Program services may include:
health and wellness counselling and advice;
lectures and seminars on health and wellness related
topics; and
health and wellness resource material.
4. This variation
shall take effect on and from 8 September 2009.
M.
J. WALTON J, Acting President.
R.
W. HARRISON D.P.
D.
W. RITCHIE, Commissioner.
____________________
Printed by
the authority of the Industrial Registrar.