Valuing those who care - Ambulance Victoria

The recommendation

The Ambulance Victoria Board and the Minister for Ambulance Services should ensure that future statements of priorities are informed by an annual discussion on how to appropriately balance the importance of Ambulance Victoria meeting operational KPIs with the health, safety and wellbeing of the organisation’s workforce and the need to create a positive workplace culture, building on the 2019-20 and 2020-21 agreements.
Ambulance Victoria should ensure that it affords appropriate weight to priorities designed to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the organisation’s workforce, in addition to those related to operational KPIs.

Identify leading practice measures to include in the Statement of Priorities and advocate potential changes to the Department of Health
Develop and embed a plan to ensure Ambulance Victoria affords appropriate weight to measures designed to create a safe, fair and inclusive Ambulance Victoria

Affording appropriate weight to priorities regarding the health, safety and wellbeing of the organisation’s workforce will occur through work on recommendations from the Commission, particularly the outcomes framework (recommendation 43).
AV will continue to work with the Victorian Department of Health to develop and test health, safety and wellbeing KPIs appropriate for inclusion in the annual Statement of Priorities, including testing reliability and usefulness of data through the Health Services Performance Monitor.
While work continues on adopting the outcomes framework recommended by the Commission, AV has been identifying the work needed to collect data to inform the outcomes framework, and monitor and evaluate the Your AV program of work. This data will support the Commission’s recommendation to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the workforce, and will be critical to understanding the most appropriate measures for inclusion to future Statements of Priorities. In turn, this will support the Minister for Ambulance Services and the AV Board Chair to reach agreement on how to afford appropriate weight to such priorities.

Affording appropriate weight to priorities to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the organisation’s workforce will occur through interdependent work on recommendations from the Commission, particularly the outcomes framework (recommendation 43).
As of 17 January 2023, the 2022-23 Statement of Priorities has not been published. AV is engaging with the Victorian Department of Health to understand likely timelines for the 2023-24 Statement of Priorities, to ensure we can advise KPIs to focus on the health, safety and wellbeing of the workforce in a timely manner.
This work will also be informed by advice from the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission. In June 2022, at AV’s request, the Commission provided a memorandum of advice detailing relevant leading practice KPIs, to inform AV’s discussions with the department.
The preferred KPIs will closely link to the outcomes framework to be adopted (R43).

AV is engaging with the Victorian Department of Health to agree timelines and processes for including additional key performance indicators (KPIs) to its 2023-24, and future, Statements of Priorities to ensure a focus on the health, safety and wellbeing of the workforce.
The preferred KPIs will be informed by AV’s work currently underway to adopt the outcomes framework, and the development and implementation of an information and data plan.
This work will also be informed by advice from the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission. On 10 June 2022, at AV’s request, the Commission provided a memorandum of advice detailing relevant leading practice KPIs, to inform AV’s discussions with the department.
Affording appropriate weight to priorities to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the organisation’s workforce will occur through interdependent work on recommendations from the Commission, particularly the focus on the outcomes framework, and information and data plan.

AV has held initial discussions with the Victorian Department of Health to ensure the 2023 Statement of Priorities includes KPIs related to the health, safety and wellbeing of AV’s workforce and the need to create a positive workplace culture. The department encouraged AV to share suggested KPIs for consideration for inclusion in the forthcoming statement.
On 10 June 2022, at AV’s request, the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission provided a memorandum of advice detailing relevant leading practice KPIs, to inform AV’s discussions with the department.

July 2024