We would like to thank our DiTs for completing the annual Hospital Health Check survey. It’s valuable to hear from them, and their feedback helps us to improve the junior doctor experience.
We champion the health, wellbeing and career development of our junior doctors across country WA, and we’re pleased that these improvements have been reflected in this year’s survey. We’re proud to see an ‘A’ grade across four of the seven survey categories.
We’re particularly encouraged that 80% of respondents rated us highly for staff morale and workplace culture. Importantly, 81% feel we support DiT wellbeing.
As an organisation, we have a zero tolerance towards bullying, discrimination and harassment, and it’s reassuring that 98% of the surveyed doctors said they feel safe at work. Our work in this space, including the expansion of our Virtual Security Centre, is helping to deliver a culture of safety and support that allows our staff to get on with the job of caring for country communities.
We’re also pleased to see over 80% of respondents had access to debrief after a stressful event, and we’ve worked hard to maintain appropriate mechanisms to fully support staff on the ground.
We’ve improved significantly to score an ‘A’ grade for Terms, Rosters & Workload. With a focus on structured allocations, 97% of respondents felt their term allocations were released with required notice.
The survey results are an important reminder that while we’ve made progress in many areas, there are opportunities for improvement – particularly around Workplace Entitlements & Flexibility, and Wellbeing. While we’re encouraged by year-on-year improvement in the ability of our junior doctors to access entitlements and flexibility, we acknowledge there is a system-wide opportunity for improvement.
In the wellbeing space, we have a number of programs in place to support our workforce, with mindfulness embedded as a key part of the JMO experience. Peer support remains a priority, with Junior Doctor Societies operating in all our employing hospitals.
We continue to strengthen wellbeing initiatives, and since the previous survey we have:
- introduced a lunchtime mindfulness series, led by Executive Director Medical Services, offering a safe space for self-reflection and stress reduction for peers to come together and have a touchpoint with senior leadership;
- expanded new JMO societies in Geraldton and the Goldfields;
- embedded educational and emotional support through Medical Education Units (MEUs) in each region, offering on-the-ground guidance through Directors of Clinical Training, Medical Education Officers, and Medical Education Registrars;
- established a new Wellbeing Grand Round for junior doctors to learn through a dedicated presentation format; and
- established an executive line of communication and feedback pathway whereby junior doctors can reach out directly to the Executive Director Medical Services with any concerns.
When it comes to long-term career growth, our investment in signature programs like the Junior Doctor Leadership Program, Clinical Service Improvement Program, and dedicated career pathways such as RAPTOR (Physician), ASPIRE (Surgical) and the Rural Generalist Pathway WA, demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the professional future of JMOs.
Building on this is the introduction of the WA Intensive Care Training Pathway and Rural Physicians Training Pathway, which is enhancing dedicated doctor training.
Acknowledging there’s always more that can be done, we will continue to listen to and act upon junior doctor feedback; and invest in tailored initiatives, training pathways and wellbeing programs to further support them.
An experience in country WA remains a wonderful learning opportunity for junior doctors, and we are committed to attracting and retaining healthcare workers, with a record number of medical interns joining us in 2026.
We recognise the importance of open communication beyond this survey, and the door is always open for junior doctors to get in touch at any time, should they have feedback or suggestions to share.
