Dave Peffer urges Canberra Health Services staff to offer support to friends and colleagues at Calvary

Canberra Health Services chief executive Dave Peffer said, in an all-staff email, he wanted staff to reach out to Calvary colleagues to offer support during the "unsettled time".

Mr Peffer said he had met with hundreds of Calvary staff at workshops held by Canberra Health Services about the transition. He said there was a perception of a "battle lines being drawn" but this did not bear any resemblance to what he had heard.

"Having now spoken to a couple of hundred Calvary team members through those sessions or at other events or forums, it's been interesting to see how far apart the media commentary is on the transition, compared to what matters to those on the front line," he said.

"Headlines about 'battle lines' being drawn bear no resemblance to any of the hundreds of questions I've had so far about how it's all going to work."

There was concern within Canberra Health Services about whether Calvary staff had been discouraged from attending the transition information sessions.

Calvary has been critical of the ACT government reaching out to staff before the legislation for the compulsory acquisition has passed the parliament.

"The territory is also effectively seeking to enforce the legislation before it is even passed by dealing with Calvary's staff without any right to do so," a Calvary spokeswoman said last week.

But Mr Peffer has urged Canberra Health Services team members to reach out to Calvary staff.

"Many of our teams and team members have already reached out to colleagues and friends in Calvary. But I've also heard about a few teams that've [sic] had nothing but silence," the email said.

"When you have a moment, do reach out and support those you can. This is an unsettled time and we owe it to our Calvary partners to provide that human contact."

MORE CALVARY TAKEOVER NEWS:

Meanwhile, Calvary wants to recommence negotiations with the ACT government over the future of its Bruce public hospital as legislation to forcibly acquire the hospital is expected to pass next week.

The organisation is considering its legal options in relation to the acquisition but is pursuing further negotiations with the government.

Calvary has indicated it would consider options around both continuing to provide services at the hospital or around compensation.

The ACT government and Calvary were locked in negotiations last year around what role the organisation would play in a future hospital for Canberra's north.

Negotiations were brought to a halt over disagreement around the length of a services agreement between Calvary and the ACT government.

The current agreement between Calvary and the government has 76 years remaining but the government wanted a new 25-year agreement.

Legislation is expected to pass the territory's parliament next week and the hospital will be officially taken over by Canberra Health Services on July 3.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith met with Calvary national chief executive Martin Bowles last week and Calvary said it did not receive any meaningful options for resolving negotiations.

"We remain hopeful the ACT government will give this matter appropriate consideration and provide options beyond the legislation. Our people deserve this," Mr Bowles said.

"This legislation could be enacted as early as next Wednesday, and yet we seem to be at an impasse with the ACT government choosing to double down on its proposed legislation filled with draconian measures.

"Calvary has 76 years left on our contract, which is part of our long-term business planning and the ACT government cannot simply take that away from our overall business without impacting our services more broadly."

Ms Stephen-Smith said earlier on Tuesday the government was unable to reach an agreement with Calvary and it was an urgent matter for the government so it could start planning for a new $1 billion hospital.

"We couldn't reach that agreement with Calvary after months of negotiations we were still a long way apart and we didn't believe that further negotiations were ever going to get us to a point where we could actually agree," she said.

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