East Metropolitan Health Service

We are very pleased with the continued improvement in East Metropolitan Health Service’s (EMHS) performance in the Hospital Health Check (HHC), but we remain committed to enhancing the training, working conditions and wellbeing of our DiTs.

Months of targeted efforts and continuous engagement with our junior doctors as part of our East Experience strategy are certainly paying off, with 86% of EMHS respondents encouraging DiTs to choose us as employers. This has further energised our Workforce teams to effect and embed tangible change where DiTs want and need it most.

Our trajectory since 2023 is on an upward climb, with our Recommended Employer grade moving from ‘B’ to ‘A’; Access to Leave improving from ‘C’ to ‘B’; and Terms, Rosters & Workload’ grade having also progressed from a ‘B’ to an ‘A’.

Homing in on this year’s HHC, EMHS has performed strongly across several domains. Robust rostering and workload performance were particular highlights:

• 94% of respondents reported term allocations were released with required notice;
• 91% received rosters at least two weeks in advance;
• 86% reported rosters were compliant with the AMA agreement; and
• 78% reported rosters reflected actual expected hours worked.

This suggests that our enhanced rostering processes and workforce administration systems are translating into a better day-to-day experience for our DiTs.

Good Access to Leave scores for EMHS are also noted in the HHC report card, including 86% of respondents reporting annual leave applications were approved – a positive finding in the context of statewide workforce pressures.

Against the broader health system backdrop, EMHS recognises there remain important challenges relating to fatigue, training pressures and overtime culture – and ongoing work is required. A range of current and soon-to-be-rolled-out initiatives demonstrate this commitment.

Just last year, EMHS became the first HSP in the State to pilot an AI-enabled rostering platform. Following positive feedback, the platform has now been implemented across 10 departments. The aim is to support improved roster efficiency, fatigue management, workforce transparency and staff flexibility. Initial feedback has been promising, with DiTS reporting improved flexibility and reduced overtime burden.