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)

 

 

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.