With the support of the Australian Government and Australia’s Minister for Health and Ageing, and Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Mark Butler, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) has announced that it has been tasked with developing national standards for virtual care. Defined by the Commission as any interaction between a patient and clinician (or clinicians) that occurs remotely with the use of information technologies, virtual care has become an essential part of how Australians access health services — with more than 11 million Australians having a telehealth consultation in 2025. “Virtual care is an established and growing part of our health system, and it is important that the same expectations of safety and quality apply whether care is delivered in-person or virtually,” the Commission CEO Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan said, noting that the standards will bring the same rigour to virtual care that Australians already expect from in-person health services. “We will work closely with our partners, including the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the Australian Digital Health Agency, alongside clinicians, consumers and industry, to ensure the standards reflect best practice and support National Digital Health Infrastructure as a way to uplift and drive consistency in application across the health system,” Duggan said. The Commission expects to publish the standards by the end of 2027, with the standards building upon the recently released National Model for Clinical Governance. Image credit: iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen

More than one million deaths per year are caused by golden staph infections, the most serious form being when it enters the bloodstream — with a mortality rate of 15 to 25%. There are effective antibiotics to treat the bloodstream infections; however, uncertainty has remained over which treatments lead to the best patient outcomes. To address this, the Staphylococcus aureus Network Adaptive Platform Trial (SNAP Trial) — led by researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) and the University of Newcastle — set out to evaluate different antibiotics and treatment strategies to reduce mortality and improve patient outcomes. In the trial’s findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and The Lancet, the long-held assumption that flucloxacillin should remain the default treatment is challenged, and, the researchers say, new evidence to guide treatment strategy is provided. MSSA infections In the NEJM study (doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2506905), which compared antibiotics used to treat methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) infections, cefazolin was found to be at least as effective as flucloxacillin and associated with fewer side effects and a lower risk of kidney injury. “In the treatment of MSSA bloodstream infections, there is an 89% probability that cefazolin is associated with lower mortality,” said The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Professor Steven Tong, an Infectious Diseases Physician at the Doherty Institute. “Patients treated with cefazolin fare better, with fewer deaths within 90 days (15% compared to 17% for those who received flucloxacillin). Cefazolin was also associated with fewer cases of acute kidney injury, at 14%, compared to 20% with flucloxacillin,” Tong said. “The results are sufficiently compelling that I immediately made the switch in my own clinical practice.” PSSA infections In The Lancet study (doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00761-0), it was evaluated whether benzylpenicillin could be used to treat penicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (PSSA) infections where laboratory testing confirmed the susceptibility to penicillin. What was found was that benzylpenicillin was as effective as flucloxacillin and likely safer. This is according to Professor Todd Lee, a scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine Physician at the McGill University Health Centre in Canada who was co-lead investigator of both studies. “Patients treated with benzylpenicillin experienced less kidney damage, with mortality also lower at 14% compared with 22% in the flucloxacillin group,” Lee said. A shift in clinical practice Penicillin was once widely used to treat Staphylococcus aureus, but antibiotic resistance of golden staph led clinicians to adopt flucloxacillin as the standard treatment for MSSA and PSSA infections. The above results, the researchers said, mark a turning point in the treatment of MSSA and PSSA bloodstream infections, signalling a shift in clinical practice — supporting a move away from flucloxacillin as the default treatment, given safer and equally effective alternatives are available. “These findings show clinicians can confidently use penicillin susceptibility results to guide treatment where laboratory testing is available,” said Professor Joshua Davis, an Infectious Diseases Physician at the University of Newcastle and Australia’s Hunter Medical Research Institute in Australia, and global co-lead investigator of the SNAP Trial. Translating the findings into routine clinical practice will be the next challenge, the researchers said, adding that, while cefazolin availability may need to increase in some countries, implementation will ultimately depend on hospitals, laboratories and guideline groups incorporating the findings into clinical care. “This is the largest trial ever conducted on staphylococcal bloodstream infections. It brought together countries from all over the world to answer important questions and improve care for millions of people,” Lee said. “Trials generate the evidence, but the next step is making sure that evidence changes practice.” You can learn more about the trial at www.snaptrial.com.au. Image credit: iStock.com/beerkoff

In partnership with Sydney-based immersive learning company Start Beyond and informed by WHS and psychosocial risk specialists The Risk Collective, UTS has announced plans to make immersive virtual reality training in aggression and violence prevention mandatory for all its first-year nursing students before they begin clinical placements. The program is designed to help students learn to recognise aggressive behaviours, make decisions under pressure and practise de-escalation techniques in a safe, virtual environment, using VR headsets that place students inside realistic healthcare situations. Image: Supplied “We’ve seen enough evidence of violence against nurses to know we must give students practical strategies to recognise escalating situations and keep themselves safe before they encounter such threats in the real world,” said Professor Jacqui Pich, Deputy Head of School (Teaching and Learning) in the UTS School of Nursing & Midwifery. “Traditional teaching methods can only go so far, whereas VR creates a much more immersive learning experience, while ensuring our students’ physical and psychological safety.” Professor Jacqui Pich. Image: Supplied The training, which will be embedded into the UTS nursing curriculum from next year, will see more than 600 new nursing students complete the program before entering a clinical setting. The university’s decision follows a successful pilot in which 90% of participants said the simulation was useful in helping them identify early warning signs and take appropriate action to de-escalate and stay safe. “The power of VR is that it can make people feel something,” Start Beyond CEO Angus Stevens said. “When people feel something, they remember it. When they remember it, they learn from it.” Stevens added: “Healthcare professionals often do their invaluable work in high-stress environments in which they are exposed to unpredictable situations that can escalate rapidly to become dangerous. Our training uses VR to recreate that complexity and emotional intensity in a safe environment where students can practise, make mistakes and build confidence.” Angus Stevens. Image: Supplied According to Amy Towers, Founder & Principal Consultant at The Risk Collective, the training scenarios were grounded in behavioural research and real-world workplace data. “We analysed common patterns of aggressive behaviour across multiple sectors, including health care, aged care, retail and hospitality. The goal was to help people recognise behaviours before situations escalate. The scenarios are designed around evidence-based behavioural profiles and de-escalation strategies. The training we developed with Start Beyond gives participants practical skills they can apply in high-pressure situations while reducing the emotional and physical risks associated with learning those lessons in real life.” The announcement followed the results of a recent NSW Nurses and Midwives Association survey that found 88% of nurses, midwives and carers have witnessed violence or aggression at work.1 1. Occupational Violence: has no place in my workplace — Report into the experiences of nurses and midwives in NSW. NSWMA; 2026. Accessed June 19, 2026. https://www.nswnma.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8BOccupational-Violence-Report-2026.pdf Top image caption: MINACA VR healthcare setting screenshot. Image: Supplied

For decades, suicide prevention has largely sat within the clinical mental health system. Hospitals, crisis services and mental health professionals play a vital and irreplaceable role. But as our understanding of suicide deepens, so too does the recognition that no single part of the system can meet every need. Suicide remains one of Australia’s most pressing public health challenges. Each year thousands of lives are lost, and many more people experience suicidal distress. Behind those numbers are families, friends and communities navigating grief and uncertainty. Despite significant investment in mental health services, many people still struggle to find the right support when they need it most. For some, hospital EDs or clinical crisis services can feel overwhelming, inaccessible or simply not what is actually going to help them when they reach out for support. What we are increasingly recognising is that effective suicide prevention requires a broader ecosystem of support — one that extends beyond clinical care and into communities themselves. Across Australia, communities are beginning to explore new models that offer compassionate, accessible alternatives during moments of distress, including the emergence of community-led safe spaces. A different way to support people in distress The community-led safe spaces model offers something simple, but powerful: a place where people can walk in and be met with warmth, understanding and connection. They are non-clinical environments where people can reliably access support from trained volunteers who themselves have a lived experience of suicide. These volunteers are present during regular opening hours, creating a consistent and welcoming space for people who need support. The approach is intentionally different from traditional crisis responses. Community-led safe spaces operate on a ‘no wrong door’ philosophy. There are no long waiting times, no clinical assessments to navigate before being heard and no expectation that someone must be in an acute crisis to access support. Instead, the focus is on listening, connection and peer support. For someone experiencing distress, the opportunity to sit down with another person who understands what suicidal thoughts can feel like can be incredibly meaningful. These conversations are not about diagnosis or treatment. They are about being heard, feeling safe and reconnecting with a sense of feeling understood and not alone. Importantly, community-led safe spaces offer the opportunity for early intervention. They provide support before distress escalates into a crisis that may require emergency care. Across Australia and internationally, these models are increasingly recognised as an important complement to traditional mental health and suicide prevention services. Why lived experience must lead innovation One of the defining features of community-led safe spaces is that they are co-designed and delivered by people with lived experience of suicidal distress in each individual community where they operate, so they fit the needs of each local community. People who have navigated suicidal thoughts themselves bring a depth of insight that cannot be replicated through theory alone. They understand what it feels like to reach a point of despair, and they also understand what kinds of support can make a difference in those moments. This perspective helps shape environments where people feel understood rather than judged. When someone enters a community-led safe space, they are entering a space shaped by people who have walked similar paths. That lived experience leadership is fundamental to how these services operate. It challenges longstanding assumptions about who holds expertise in suicide prevention and recognises that those closest to the issue must be central to shaping solutions. A model gaining momentum The growth of safe spaces across Australia reflects a growing recognition of the value of community-led alternatives. Recently, six new community-led safe spaces have been established across the country, including Australia’s first mobile service. This innovation expands support to communities that may otherwise have limited access to services. With these additions, Australia will soon have 19 community-led safe spaces operating nationally. This expansion reflects growing confidence from governments, communities and service providers in the role these models can play. It also signals strong demand for accessible, warm, non-clinical options during moments of distress. At the community level, these spaces are helping to reshape how suicide prevention is understood. By encouraging communities to have ownership in supporting their own — and establishing local-led sustainable groups to oversee this valuable work — we can demonstrate that support does not always have to begin with a clinical intervention. Sometimes it begins with a conversation and a person willing to listen. As these models continue to develop, there is also an opportunity to embed them more clearly within the broader framework of services supported through the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement.1 Rethinking how we measure impact As new models emerge, we must also evolve how we measure success as traditional clinical metrics alone cannot capture the full value of community-led supports like this. The impact of these spaces often lies in moments that are difficult to quantify. A person feeling heard for the first time. Someone choosing to seek support earlier rather than waiting until they reach a crisis point. A renewed sense of connection to community. These positive impacts are challenging to convert into statistics. Outcomes may include people feeling supported during moments of distress, reduced reliance on EDs, earlier access to support and stronger links to ongoing services. Building an evidence base for these models remains essential, but measurement approaches must reflect the unique nature of peer-based, lived experience-led support. If we rely only on traditional clinical indicators, we risk overlooking the very things that make these models effective. Scaling what works The expansion of community-led safe spaces across Australia demonstrates what is possible when communities, governments and lived experience leaders and community members work together. These models remind us that suicide prevention is not solely a medical challenge, it is also a human one. Connection, compassion and community-based support must be part of the response. As Australia continues to strengthen its national approach to suicide prevention, there is a clear opportunity to invest more deeply in models that bring lived experience of suicide to the centre. Community-led safe spaces are not designed to replace clinical services. Rather, they complement them and offer another pathway for people to access support in ways that feel safe, respectful and accessible. For many people, that difference can be life-changing — and sometimes even life-saving. If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, Lifeline has a 24/7 crisis support service that can help. Please call 13 11 14. 1. The National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. Federal Financial Relations. Accessed 19 June, 2026. https://federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/agreements/mental-health-suicide-prevention-agreement *Lani Wards is General Manager Service Delivery at Roses in the Ocean. Image credit: iStock.com/vitapix

Ensuring the safety, comfort and wellbeing of nursing home residents is an ongoing challenge for operators amidst rising costs associated with a skills shortage that will see Australia needing an extra 110,000 skilled aged care workers by 2030 according to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). This, combined with increased water, energy and chemical costs, means operators are turning to trusted solutions and cutting-edge technology to ensure that laundry and surface-cleaning provision is delivered cost effectively without compromising on standards. On-premise laundry Managers of care home on-premise laundries, facing a constantly high turnover of bed linen, towels and clothing, cannot afford the time and costs associated with rewashing. Therefore, there exists a demand for chemical dosing systems that inject detergent, fabric softener and additives with high precision and consistency alongside minimal servicing requirement. These devices traditionally use solenoid or peristaltic pump-driven dosing, while recent developments include venturi-based units that use water pressure to draw chemical. These systems, such as SEKO’s LS100, have no moving parts, meaning that maintenance consists of little more than occasional cartridge replacements which helps to significantly reduce costs while maximising in-service time. With wash performance and reduced chemical consumption among the priorities in care home on-premise laundries, IoT-enabled dosing pump systems are increasingly specified for new installations and upgrades alike. These devices work by harvesting data during operation, including information on wash cycle status, chemical consumption and equipment performance, which can then be accessed historically or in real time via smartphone. With this vital information at their fingertips, users can programme and adjust wash formulas in order to optimise performance and minimise chemical consumption. Meanwhile, managers are able to view wash statistics in cost-per-load terms, providing invaluable and accurate insight into their application’s cost which can help them identify chemical wastage and pinpoint areas for potential savings. Such systems also alert operators to anomalies via smartphone alerts, allowing remedial action to be taken at the earliest opportunity, helping to avoid untimely equipment failure and expensive unplanned downtime. For those managers responsible for multiple sites or working from home, the ability to take control of their wash operation 24/7 from any location saves time and money while eliminating unnecessary travel as part of a sustainable operation. Surface cleaning Infection control in the aged care sector, where vulnerable residents must be protected against the spread of bacteria and viruses, demands robust dispensing systems that deliver a consistent volume of chemical for repeatable results. When considering chemical dispensers for surface-cleaning tasks such as counter wiping, floor mopping and sink filling, by opting for systems that allow multi-product dispensing from a single control unit (usually via a selector dial) users can quickly and easily switch between products. Meanwhile, the inclusion of differently-sized metering tips can help users to make fine adjustments and maximise efficiency depending on the chemical being used. Such systems – which include SEKO’s modular ProMax and ProFlex ranges – also typically allow customisation, with products colour-coded on the control unit to ensure the correct chemical is selected. With the Australian aged care sector welcoming employees from around the world in order to address the skills shortage, this universal identification is especially useful to staff for whom English may not be their first language. SEKO has almost 50 years’ experience in the design and development of chemical systems for the cleaning and hygiene sector, and has worked extensively with public and private healthcare operators to provide bespoke solutions for sites of every size. www.seko.com Top image credit: iStock.com/Romi Georgiadis

Healthcare is the highest-stakes environment there is. Lives, public trust and scarce resources are all on the line. When governance, risk and compliance processes break down, the consequences are not just operational. They can affect patient safety, staff wellbeing, funding, reputation and trust. Yet many healthcare organisations are still managing risk and compliance through spreadsheets, binders, local registers or disconnected systems. That creates blind spots. Incidents may not link back to the risks and controls that matter. Obligations may be monitored in isolation. Assurance activities may be duplicated across teams. Boards may receive more reporting, but still lack confidence in the data behind it. Healthcare organisations need a more connected way forward. Move beyond fragmented risk management Protecht’s new eBook, Sustaining risk, compliance and trust in healthcare, explores how Australian healthcare organisations can integrate governance, risk and compliance into one framework built for modern health services. It looks at the pressures facing hospitals and health networks today, including expanding regulation, cyber and privacy risk, third-party complexity, workforce strain, clinical governance expectations and rising demand for transparency. The message is clear. Risk can no longer sit in silos. To protect patients and sustain trust, governance, risk and compliance need to be live, connected and actionable. What you’ll learn Download the eBook to explore how integrated GRC can help healthcare organisations: Connect risk, compliance, controls, incidents, obligations and third parties in one system. Simplify assurance and reduce duplication across teams. Strengthen board and executive visibility with real-time dashboards. Link controls to both risks and compliance obligations. Improve incident and complaints management with structured workflows. Monitor compliance more proactively as regulations and standards change. Embed accountability, resilience and continuous improvement into daily practice. Why integration matters Healthcare risks do not happen in isolation. A clinical incident may reveal a control weakness. A cyber breach may create privacy, operational and continuity impacts. A third-party failure may affect patient care, compliance obligations and board reporting. A missed assurance activity may increase exposure across multiple areas. When these processes are managed separately, leaders lose the full picture. An integrated GRC framework helps healthcare organisations see how risks, controls, incidents, obligations, actions and assurance activities connect. It gives frontline teams clearer responsibilities, managers better oversight and boards stronger confidence in the information they use to make decisions. Start where it matters most Transformation does not have to happen all at once. The eBook outlines how healthcare organisations can start with the area of greatest immediate need, whether that is clinical incident reporting, compliance with standards, controls assurance, third-party risk or board visibility. Each step can create early wins, reduce burden on frontline teams and build the foundation for broader governance improvement. Start where it matters. Scale without friction. See how Protecht helps Protecht gives healthcare leaders a single, integrated foundation for managing risk, compliance, incidents, obligations, controls, assurance, third parties and reporting. With configurable workflows, real-time dashboards, automated reminders, preconfigured templates and AI-enabled support through Cognita, Protecht helps health services move beyond spreadsheets and disconnected tools. The outcome is clearer oversight, stronger accountability and more trusted insight across the organisation. Download the eBook Learn how integrated GRC can help healthcare organisations protect patients, strengthen governance and sustain trust. Download now About Protecht For over 25 years, Protecht has redefined the way people think about risk. We enable smarter risk taking by our customers to drive resilience and sustainable success. Our AI-enabled Protecht ERM SaaS platform lets organisations manage risks in one place, including risk, compliance, incidents, KRIs, resilience, vendors, cyber, business continuity, workplace safety and more. Image credit: iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen

In a record penalty, a Sydney man has been sentenced to two years’ jail and ordered to pay $51,900 in legal costs after pleading guilty to 16 breaches of the National Law. Ahpra laid the charges against the man who has never been a registered podiatrist and misrepresented himself as a ‘Master Podiatrist’. Approximately 603 podiatry consultations were conducted by the man between November 2023 and May 2025. These were at patients’ homes and at 14 aged care facilities in Sydney. Almost all patients the man treated “were extremely vulnerable with significant health issues and/or disabilities”, Ahpra said. The man’s actions could have had “catastrophic” outcomes for the vulnerable patients who were led to believe he was a qualified and registered podiatrist, Judge Lucas Swan said in sentencing on 27 May 2026 in the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney. The offending was “aggravated by the fact the victims in this matter were vulnerable, indeed some of our most vulnerable members of the community, some of whom were suffering significant health issues, all of which could have been catastrophic for them given the person providing treatment was not registered”, Swan said. “It is further aggravated by the fact that [he] conceded that it was for financial gain, and occurred in the homes of the victims.” Though the man had commenced a Bachelor of Podiatry, he did not complete the degree and has never been eligible for registration, Ahpra said. The man sought to hide his wrongdoing after becoming aware of Ahpra’s investigation, taking on the name of a genuinely registered practitioner who he had never interacted with or who had no knowledge of him. A prosecution was commenced by Ahpra in December 2024. In early 2025, while the charges were still before the court, Ahpra discovered the man was continuing to practise, leading to additional charges. This marks the most significant sentence imposed on an individual, Ahpra said, and only the second jail term, since the National Scheme was established in 2010. “Patients need to know their podiatrist meets the highest quality and safety standards, and that can only be demonstrated through registration,” the Chair of the Podiatry Board of Australia, Associate Professor Kristy Robson, said, noting that there are more than 6000 practising podiatrists on the Register of practitioners. “Anyone can check the register at any time and contact Ahpra if they have concerns,” Robson added. “Pretending to be a registered health practitioner is a crime that puts people at risk of serious physical, emotional and financial harm,” Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said. “Ahpra exists to protect the public and ensure Australia has a safe, professional health workforce. This case should serve as a warning that Ahpra will do whatever it takes to uphold the National Law and maintain confidence in the system.” The man has been granted bail pending an appeal against his sentence. Image credit: iStock.com/Marccophoto

Telstra Health’s Smart Connect is designed to replace manual, paper-based pathology requests with a fully digital workflow by providing pathology eRequesting capability within MedicalDirector Clinical. The feature launches with Healius Pathology Network as its first integrated partner. Smart Connect allows GPs to generate, edit, electronically sign and securely send pathology eRequests directly from within their existing workflow, without leaving the MedicalDirector Clinical solution. Requests can be sent electronically to both patients and pathology laboratories, with radiology eRequesting to be added in future releases. Smart Connect is powered by Telstra Health’s FHIR-native Health Information Exchange (HIE) and is designed to enable clinical information to be shared securely and in near real time between MedicalDirector Clinical and integrated pathology providers. Following the initial launch with Healius, Telstra Health is working with additional pathology providers to support broader adoption of eRequesting across primary care. Smart Connect is within MedicalDirector Clinical’s suite of digital workflow tools, which also includes Smart Scribe, an AI-powered clinical documentation capability, and integrated Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities.

The CenTrak Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Multi-Mode staff badge is a real-time location system (RTLS) duress solution designed for reliability in high-pressure environments. RTLS duress solutions are designed to deliver instant alert acknowledgment, confirming help is on the way and providing critical peace of mind in high-risk situations. The badge features a dedicated, recessed duress button designed to prevent false alerts, while also allowing for rapid activation, and is complemented by two other configurable buttons to support custom workflows. The badge is engineered for enhanced durability (IP67 rating), extended battery life, easy over-the-air maintenance, and user notifications such as diagnostic LEDs and an audible buzzer. CenTrak’s RTLS safety solution is designed to deliver real-time, map-based visibility across healthcare environments, enabling teams to quickly locate staff, patients and incidents as they unfold. Intelligent alerts are triggered instantly when the button is pressed and safety is at risk, designed to ensure rapid, coordinated response. Comprehensive event logs capture alarm type, severity, timestamps and key details, while robust reporting tools are designed to support trend analysis, compliance and continuous safety improvement. Designed for use across hospitals, clinics and broader care settings, the solution is designed to enhance security both inside and beyond facility walls.

Australia’s hospitals are confronting a predicament that would test even the healthiest system. Demand for care is rising steadily, driven in large part by an aging population and the growing prevalence of chronic disease. At the same time, productivity is faltering and costs are climbing. The result is a workforce that is expected to do more, often with less. Two recent studies indicate that many healthcare workers in Australia experience symptoms of burnout, ranging from emotional exhaustion to diminished performance. A recent Ahpra study identified burnout as the top reason for leaving among practitioners intending to quit their job.1 The RACGP General Practice Health of the Nation 2023 report found that 71% of GPs in Australia said they had experienced burnout in the past 12 months.2 Healthcare organisations in Australia also suffer from lower employee engagement than other sectors. Among Australian healthcare and social assistance organisations in Gallup’s client benchmark database, 33% of employees are engaged, compared with 46% of employees in all sectors and well below the global health care and social assistance average of 50%. Health care is, by design, a people-intensive enterprise. It relies on highly trained professionals, including doctors, nurses and technical staff, whose judgment, attention and emotional connection to mission are integral to their work. When these individuals are engaged, patients receive better care, teams collaborate and function more cohesively, and organisations benefit from improved performance against critical outcomes. Why engagement matters Gallup defines employee engagement as the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace. Decades of Gallup research on the relationship between workplace engagement and organisational outcomes show that engaged employees help their organisations achieve improved performance outcomes across all industry sectors.3 In health care, employee engagement is positively correlated with the following performance outcomes: Patient safety Quality of care and clinical outcomes Staff retention Employee wellbeing Engaged workplaces help create more favourable conditions for staff to perform at their best. In hospitals, this can mean catching a medication error before it reaches a patient or raising a concern about a flawed process and how it can be rectified. Conversely, when both engagement and psychosocial safety are lacking, problems can remain hidden until they become crises. Engagement also promotes better employee wellbeing and stronger psychosocial safety. Based on Gallup World Poll surveys conducted from 2020 to 2025, engaged workers in Australia experienced lower levels of negative emotions like stress, worry and anger than actively disengaged employees: 37% of engaged employees in Australia reported feeling stress the previous day, 24% worry, 14% sadness and 11% anger. In contrast, 60% of actively disengaged workers experienced stress, 50% worry, 32% sadness and 27% anger. Low employee engagement is not confined to Australia’s healthcare sector. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report reveals that in the country’s general working population engagement has stagnated for over a decade at about one employee in five, while measures of employee wellbeing have also declined steadily over this period.4 Breaking the cycle of disengagement, negative emotions and burnout requires more than resilience training or wellness initiatives. Rather, leaders must focus on fostering psychosocial safety and creating a workplace environment in which employees feel individually recognised and able to speak up, ask questions and admit mistakes without fear of reprisal. In such settings, risks are more likely to be identified before they escalate. The vital role of managers Managers are essential to building an engaged workplace. Gallup research has shown consistently that 70% of the variance in team engagement is attributable to the manager. This is because the manager’s influence is direct, immediate and consistent; they set goals and expectations, provide feedback, recognise contributions, support individual development and shape the day-to-day employee experience. In practice, effective management is not complicated. Managers who emphasise clear communication, give meaningful recognition, identify opportunities for development and provide genuine support can have a measurable impact on their team’s engagement and performance. In high-pressure environments like hospitals, small, regular improvements in how teams are managed can result in meaningful gains in engagement and wellbeing. Several Australian healthcare organisations have begun to make engagement a strategic priority, emphasising staunch support for managers to help them boost and sustain team engagement. Evidence clearly shows that an intentional focus on engagement helps build more resilient teams and fosters a culture in which staff feel valued and supported by their organisation. A pivotal juncture for health care The stakes are high for Australia’s healthcare system. An aging population is fuelling a continuing rise in demand; workforce pressures remain high and the strain on frontline staff is considerable. Against this challenging backdrop, the country’s healthcare leaders need to make engagement a strategic priority. A focus on creating a more engaged workforce culture that emphasises recognition, builds trust, and strengthens employees’ connection to mission and purpose is essential. A highly engaged workforce will enable Australia’s healthcare providers to deliver consistently high levels of care to the patients and communities they serve today and meet the growing needs of the future. To care effectively for patients, healthcare systems must first care for and support their staff, not only by protecting their wellbeing, but by ensuring they are engaged in their work. For Australia’s hospitals, the best remedy may be less about doing more, and more about doing things differently. 1. Tan J, Divakar R, Barclay L, Bayyavarapu Bapuji S, Anderson S, Saar E. Trends in retention and attrition in nine regulated health professions in Australia. Aust Health Rev. 2025;49:AH24268. doi: 10.1071/AH24268 2. General Practice Health of the Nation 2023. RACGP; 2023. Accessed 12 June, 2026. https://www.racgp.org.au/getmedia/122d4119-a779-41c0-bc67-a8914be52561/Health-of-the-Nation-2023.pdf 3. The Relationship Between Engagement at Work and Organizational Outcomes, Q12 Meta-Analysis: 11th Edition. Gallup; 2024. Accessed 12 June, 2026. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321725/gallup-q12-meta-analysis-report.aspx 4. The Gallup State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report. Gallup; 2024. Accessed 12 June, 2026. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx. This report includes country-level findings based on general working population survey data collected in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Gallup’s client benchmark database includes survey data from organisations that have partnered with Gallup to measure and enhance employee engagement. *Claire de Carteret is Managing Director, APAC at Gallup. Top image credit: iStock.com/sturti

A National Model for Clinical Governance is now available. Developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), the national model provides contemporary, best practice governance guidance for acute health services, including day hospitals. The national model represents a significant change in how clinical governance is understood, led and embedded in health services, the Commission said. “It shifts the main focus from complying with accreditation requirements to building the culture of the organisation to one in which delivery of high-quality care is the core focus of everyone in a health service, every day,” the Commission added. “The guidance emphasises the importance of workforce wellbeing, clinician engagement, and the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” Defining high-quality care as “person-centred, safe, effective, accessible and integrated, and provided in a way that is equitable, efficient and sustainable”, the Commission said the national model aims to elevate clinical governance to the highest level of organisational leadership and oversight — recognising that leadership is required to drive system-wide change. At the 1 May Health Ministers’ Meeting, the Commission said all Australian Health Ministers urged public and private hospitals to implement the national model as part of national efforts to strengthen the safety and accountability of health care. “While many health services have been able to embed strong clinical governance in this changing environment, some have found it difficult to implement systems that engage the workforce and ensure that high-quality care for patients remains the central focus,” Commission CEO Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan said. Designed for all types of acute healthcare delivery — including face-to-face and virtual care — and applying to different types of hospitals and locations — including in rural and remote Australia — the national model can be downloaded at www.safetyandquality.gov.au/resources/2026-national-model-clinical-governance. Image credit: iStock.com/sturti

The healthcare sector has a reputation for being slow to change — but it is capable of swift, decisive innovation when the need is clear. The need is clear now. Amid the colliding pressures of a rapidly aging population and surging rates of chronic disease, easing pressure on our hospitals is vital, and requires pulling every available lever to meet our population’s needs. Models such as hospital in the home and virtual care are making a difference around the edges: the NSW Government has linked increased use of virtual care services to a fall in semi-urgent and non-urgent ED presentations. The Australian Government’s expansion of the Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support Program should improve discharge rates for complex older patients. These are welcome developments — but they do not address root causes. Consider the rapid rollout of testing and vaccination hubs during the pandemic, or — more recently — the surge in workforce to address the diphtheria outbreaks. As the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, nurses have been core to these efforts. They represent one of the most powerful mechanisms for health system reform. Smart investment in nursing roles can deliver outsized gains in both efficiency and quality of care, and the business case for investment in nurses will only continue to grow as workforce shortages deepen. Advanced practice nursing While medical practitioners have well-established pathways into specialisation, equivalent paths for nurses are far less defined. In effect, it means there is an unnecessary cap on the potential of highly skilled, experienced clinicians. But some health services are already unleashing nurses’ expertise well. The Clinical Nurse Consultant-led gout telehealth clinic at Gold Coast University Hospital is one compelling example: nurse-led models consistently demonstrate better patient outcomes than traditional care, alongside cost savings and reduced unplanned ED presentations. Endoscopy is another illustration. Demand for colonoscopy is growing as bowel cancer screening is now Medicare-funded from age 45, yet access remains heavily determined by postcode. This strengthens the case for investment in nurse endoscopy. There are some programs — though few and far between — which demonstrate the model is viable, and high-quality evidence shows nurse endoscopists achieve outcomes comparable to medical endoscopists. The Victorian Government is now looking closely at how it can better unlock the underutilised specialist expertise of nurses and allied health professionals, via its Specialist Care Reform Blueprint. The plan acknowledges that nurses and allied health professionals have untapped potential and are clinically and cost-effectively capable of undertaking many clinical reviews traditionally performed by doctors. Nurse prescribing Hospital leaders should be actively considering how designated registered nurse prescribing can support their strategic priorities. Registered nurses with more than three years’ experience can now undertake education and apply for prescribing endorsement, enabling them to prescribe within a partnership agreement with an authorised prescriber. Much of the discussion has focused on the implications for primary care — particularly in rural and remote areas. But the operational benefits in tertiary settings are equally compelling. RN prescribers could chart discharge medications rather than waiting on a junior medical officer, supporting better patient flow and bed management. There is also significant opportunity for hospital in the home. In palliative care settings RN prescribing could be transformative, enabling nurses to manage breakthrough pain, restlessness, secretions and dyspnoea promptly and with clinical authority. Nurse practitioners Australia has more than 3200 nurse practitioners — autonomous, highly qualified clinicians capable of independent practice. Yet the proportion practicing as nurse practitioners, rather than in registered nurse roles, has fallen from 67% in 2020 to 63% in 2024. For health service executives, establishing nurse practitioner positions represents a potential opportunity to deliver quality care more efficiently. The barriers are typically institutional — limited awareness of scope, or risk aversion that closer examination rarely justifies. There are also structural barriers. Nurse practitioners’ ability to work to their full scope of practice is curtailed by their limited access to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items. Where an NP cannot bill for a consultation, a procedure or an order that sits within their clinical competence, the financial model for employing them as NPs — rather than in cheaper registered nurse roles — is undermined. Expanding NP access to the MBS is critical to unlocking the workforce capacity the system needs. Nurse practitioners are also underutilised in mental health settings, despite their capacity to support entire episodes of care — an area of particular and growing unmet need. Conclusion Taken together, advanced practice nursing, RN prescribing and the full deployment of nurse practitioners represent more than a set of incremental efficiency measures. They form a coherent response to a system under sustained pressure — one that draws on clinical expertise already present in the workforce, improves patient outcomes and reduces cost. For health service leaders, there is also a workforce retention argument: meaningful clinical career pathways for experienced nurses matter at a time when we can least afford to lose them. Investing in leadership development is part of that equation. Supporting nurses to undertake formal leadership education — such as the ACN Institute of Leadership’s suite of programs — builds the organisational capability and confidence needed to champion and implement these advanced roles from within. And — acknowledging the tight nursing job market — it is not immaterial that health services with a reputation for developing their nurse leaders are attractive employers. Australia’s complex health landscape is challenging all health administrators, and it only reinforces the need to evolve the role of our largest health workforce. The current constraints on doing so are often organisational. Implementing improvements to the way nurses work will not only ease the present burdens but improve health outcomes, increase the efficiency of care, and strengthen our health system for generations to come. *Dr Zachary Byfield is Acting CEO and the National Director Education at the Australian College of Nursing. Top image credit: iStock.com/DMP

For more than three decades, pump specialist SEKO has responded to the healthcare sector’s need for precise, consistent chemical dosing systems capable of handling high load demand within on-premise laundries. SEKO’s range includes dedicated peristaltic, solenoid and pneumatic dosing pumps, known globally for their superior dosing precision and chemical compatibility which enable operators to enjoy accurate, repeatable performance over the long term with minimal maintenance requirement. Nowhere is this more important than the healthcare sector, where a constant flow of bedding, towels, uniforms and more must be washed to the highest standards of cleanliness and disinfection in a fast-paced environment where opportunities to service equipment may be limited. That’s why SEKO’s chemical injection systems have been a mainstay of the healthcare industry since the 1990s, with premium-grade components and microprocessor-driven dosing delivering impeccable injection of detergent, fabric softener, chlorine bleach and other additives. These dedicated laundry systems have also become well known for their intuitive control interfaces and ease of operation as SEKO, mindful of high staff turnover rates and a shortage of training time in hospitals and care facilities, ensures a smooth user experience is built into its product designs. SEKO has combined its experience in both the healthcare and laundry sectors to revolutionise the way on-premise laundry operators monitor and manage their installations with a dedicated range of smartphone-accessible chemical injection systems. With SEKO operating under the Kaizen principle of continuous improvement, its R&D team is constantly looking to push the envelope on product innovation and bring customers cutting-edge solutions to their daily challenges. This approach has seen the company introduce the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) and remote connectivity to an ever-increasing range of systems – including the award-winning LS100 – to help managers achieve a new standard of efficiency. During operation, these pump systems harvest data on wash cycle status, chemical consumption and equipment performance. This information can then be accessed historically or in real time via the SekoWeb and SekoBlue apps thanks to each system’s built-in web server. With vital information such as cost per kilo of laundry at their fingertips, managers can gain a detailed understanding of their spending and adjust wash formulas to optimise performance and minimise chemical consumption. Reducing chemical and energy consumption in this way means managers benefit from immediate efficiency improvements while being able to budget more accurately and streamline stored chemical volume – especially useful on smaller sites where space is at a premium. Meanwhile, SekoWeb provides access to up-to-date downloadable manuals, intelligent auto-tuning sensors and online step-by-step technical support which can accelerate installation, setup and commissioning and reduce associated time and costs. These systems’ value is already well proven, with the devices having been installed in hospital and care home OPLs the world over, where their compact design is ideal for tight plant rooms. Plus, because one unit can serve as many as 10 washers, there is no need to fit individual dosing systems per machine. With smartphone-connected pump equipment increasingly specified for on-premise laundry machines within healthcare settings, SEKO’s dedicated systems provide today’s operators with the ability to take control of costs over both the short and long term. Top image credit: iStock.com/Romi Georgiadis

Frailty — a complex clinical syndrome characterised by a decline in a person’s cognitive and physical function and a reduced ability to recover from stresses such as illnesses or injuries — can lead to falls, hospitalisation, worsening mobility and death and, it is estimated, impacts more than 20% of Australians aged over 65. Now, a national frailty framework — the Australian Consensus Statements — has been developed as practical recommendations for clinicians. Published open access (doi: 10.5694/mja2.70182) in the Medical Journal of Australia and commissioned by the Queensland Health Reform Office in partnership with the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Australian Frailty Network, its recommendations were designed in consultation with Australian healthcare professionals, older adults with lived experience of frailty and caregivers. “We have developed 19 consensus statements to guide frailty prevention and management and enhance quality of life for adults over 65 years,” said Dr Sakshi Chopra of UQ’s Frazer Institute. “Our aim is to reduce long-term complications, take pressure off the health system and offer practical recommendations to support healthcare professionals in delivering consistent and proactive care. “By raising awareness and providing guidance to healthcare practices, we hope the framework will empower healthcare professionals and the public to recognise early signs and take action,” Chopra added. “We want to ensure people living with severe frailty continue to be valued and receive appropriate, person-centred care.” The framework outlines practical recommendations for clinicians, including supporting adequate protein intake, structured exercise, meaningful social engagement, tailored care plans, raising awareness of frailty and personalised counselling on health behaviours. Focusing on six key pillars — health promotion and screening, nutrition, exercise, social activities, medicine optimisation and management of severe frailty — Chopra said the pillars have been further categorised to support the management of mild, moderate and severe frailty, something, Chopra said, “that has not been attempted before”. “We want everyone to take a lifelong approach to frailty prevention, and these pillars can be applied to people of all ages,” Chopra said. “In order to optimise the health and quality of life of older people, it is important for frailty to be prevented and, if it does occur, for it to be managed appropriately,” said geriatrician and Australian Frailty Network Director, Professor Ruth Hubbard. “Evidence supports the effectiveness of multicomponent interventions, and our 19 consensus statements are guided by the six pillars to improve health outcomes for adults across the spectrum of health — from robust to severely frail.” Image credit: iStock.com/kali9

NT WorkSafe, the Northern Territory’s work health and safety regulator, has charged an NT health organisation over the death of a patient who was in the organisation’s care. The incident occurred in January 2022. NT WorkSafe alleges the patient — who had a recorded history of volatile substance abuse and was at risk of self-harm — was involuntarily admitted into the care of the health organisation. “Despite the health organisation’s knowledge of the risks,” the regulator said, “the patient was able to access a can of deodorant within the organisation’s facility and inhale the contents, causing fatal injuries.” Under the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011, the health organisation faces the following four charges: One category 2 charge for failing the primary duty of care under section 19(2) of the Act One category 2 charge for failing the primary duty of care under section 19(3)(a)(c) and (f) of the Act One alternative category 3 charge failing the primary duty of care under section 19(3)(a)(c) and (f) of the Act, and One category 2 charge for failing the duty involving management or control of workplace section 20(2) of the Act Listed for mention at the Darwin Local Court tomorrow, if found guilty, the health organisation faces a combined maximum penalty of $4.5 million. If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, help is available. Lifeline has a 24/7 crisis support service: please call 13 11 14. Image credit: iStock.com/Rizwan Mehmood