ON THE
RECORD OCTOBER 2015
Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference Our historic ratios legislation goes to Parliament page 4
Victorian nurses say no to federal paid parental leave cuts page 5
www.anmfvic.asn.au
540 Elizabeth Street Melbourne Vic 3000
page 6-7 Sue Giffney’s 45 years of service to women’s health page 8
Know your entitlements
Inside this edition
2 Know your entitlements 3 Secretary’s report News
4 Ratios legislation set to pass Victorian Parliament • Enterprise agreement preparations begin • Daylight saving advice
5 Victorian nurses say no to parental leave payment cuts • Cabrini members vote yes to industrial action
In focus
Parental leave What is parental leave? Parental leave is an entitlement to a period of leave if you or your partner are having or adopting a child.
It is your obligation to lodge an application with the Family Assist Office. Further information is provided on the website: www.familyassist.gov.au
What am I entitled to? Once you have 12 months continuous service with the one employer (which may be in different facilities owned by the same employer, e.g. public sector, Healthscope), you are entitled to 52 weeks of parental leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child, if you are the primary caregiver. Full-time, part-time and ‘*eligible casual’ employees’ are entitled to apply for parental leave.
What do I have to do to apply for maternity leave? For maternity leave, you must notify your employer at least ten weeks prior to the anticipated commencement of leave, with your written application accompanied by a letter from your treating doctor or midwife confirming your pregnancy and the expected date of confinement. You must notify your employer of the exact date and period of leave being applied for, at least four weeks prior to commencing the leave.
*An eligible casual employee means a casual employee:
6 Australian Nurses and Midwives
• employed by an employer on a regular and systematic basis for several periods of employment on a regular and systematic basis for an ongoing period of employment of at least 12 months; and
7 Management and union pair up to
• who has, but for the pregnancy or the decision to adopt, a reasonable expectation of ongoing employment.
Conference draws more than a thousand nurses and midwives • Perinatal Emotional Health Program improve staff safety • Bullying affects victims’ short-term memory, research finds
8 Member profile: Victorian women thank you, Sue Giffney
9 Alertness research aims to lessen effects of shiftwork • School nursing programs need more resources • News in brief
10 Can you accrue leave while absent on
WorkCover? • ANMF gives $35,000 to nurse and midwife health program • Job Rep training
11ANMF (Vic Branch) supports sacked
Ansell workers • Family violence leave for public sector • Keep penalty rates for all industries, ANMF tells Productivity Commission
12 IPHOA back payments edging closer • OHS training • Special Interest Groups
13 Education calendar ANMF (Vic Branch) 540 Elizabeth St, Melbourne Vic 3000 Phone 9275 9333 Fax 9275 9344 Info Line 9275 9300 (metro) 1800 133 353 (regional) Membership 9275 9313 Library 9275 9391 ANMF Education Centre 9275 9363 Website: anmfvic.asn.au Facebook: facebook.com.au/respectourwork Twitter: @ANMFvicbranch Email: records@anmfvic.asn.au
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What if it is my partner who is having the child? The 52 weeks may be shared, but is available to only one parent at a time. Both parents (primary carers) are able to take one week together at the time of the birth. The National Employment Standards provide three weeks together at the placement of an adopted child. This may vary according to the clause in your enterprise agreement. Do I get paid? Only if an entitlement to paid maternity and paternity leave is included in your workplace agreement. In the public sector, and some private acute hospitals, you are currently entitled to ten weeks paid maternity/ adoption leave. Some aged care agreements have provision for some weeks of paid maternity leave. Check your workplace agreement. You can also use any paid leave entitlements (annual leave and long service leave) owing to you as part of your parental leave, provided the total time off does not extend beyond 52 weeks. The Paid Parental Leave Act passed in June 2010 allows for the minimum federal wage to be paid for a period of 18 weeks following the baby’s birth. Eligibility criteria apply: • You must have been engaged in paid work continuously for at least 10 out of the 13 months prior to birth or adoption • You must have worked at least 330 hours in the 10 month period, and • You must have, or will have, been employed by the employer for at least 12 months before the expected date or date of birth of the child, whichever is the latest.
When can I commence maternity leave? You can work all the way up to your due date, as long as you and your unborn baby are well. An employer can require a medical certificate in the last six weeks of pregnancy stating you are fit to continue to work normal duties. Can I return to work on reduced shifts? Your employer must consider a formal request to return from parental leave on reduced shifts until your child reaches school age. The request should be made as soon as possible, but not less than seven weeks prior to your return to work. Can my position change while I am on leave? Generally an employer must keep your position open for you. Your employer must communicate any significant changes that occur during your period of parental leave affecting the status of your position. Where your position no longer exists but there are other positions available for which you are qualified and capable, you will be entitled to a position as nearly comparable in status and pay to that of your former position. Is there anything I must do while on leave? You must advise your employer of any proposed change in the duration of parental leave or if you wish to return to work on reduced shifts, giving seven weeks notice of the requested changes. You must also confirm with your employer your intention to return to work at least four weeks prior to finishing your leave, if there have been no alterations. Can I change the period of leave? You may request to extend the unpaid leave for a further period of up to 12 months by giving seven weeks notice. This request requires employer approval. The employer may only refuse a request on reasonable business grounds. Visit the website anmfvic.asn.au for more information or phone InfoLine on 9275 9300. Do let our Membership Department know you are going on parental leave. www.anmfvic.asn.au
Secretary’s report
Your ANMF Lisa Fitzpatrick, State Secretary
Paul Gilbert,
Assistant Secretary
Pip Carew,
Assistant Secretary
It’s time for a new direction in Australian politics Lisa Fitzpatrick
The swearing in of Malcolm Turnbull as Australia’s 29th Prime Minister must coincide with a change in direction, not just a change in personnel, in the Federal Government’s actions — in the form of positive reform around the Coalition’s policies on healthcare, paid parental leave, mental health funding, asylum seeker children in detention, refugees, tertiary education, climate change and aged care. At the ANMF (Vic Branch)’s Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference (ANMC) in September, attendees heard from team members from Western Health’s Perinatal Emotional Health Program (PEHP). The PEHP, a part of the now defunct National Perinatal Depression Initiative, had its funding cut by the Abbott Government and closed in June of this year. The reinstatement of this essential mental health program must be a priority of the new Prime Minister. See page 6. The ANMC was a thought provoking two days, with more than 1000 nurses and midwives in attendance. While the concurrent sessions were dominated by speakers promoting specialised best practice initiatives, the keynote sessions saw international speakers empower nurses and midwives to change the world and the healthcare systems around them. Read more on pages 6 and 7. By the time this edition of On The Record is delivered to your home or email inbox, we will have seen the legislation of the Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient) Bill 2015 passed in the Lower House of the Victorian Parliament, with debate and a vote in the Upper House scheduled for the week commencing 5 October.
The annual general meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 8 December at 5.30pm. Level 7, ANMF House, 540 Elizabeth St Melbourne 3000. All members are invited to attend the meeting. On the Record is the official publication of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch). OTR is published monthly. Front cover: ANMF (Vic Branch) Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference attendees
In the Bill’s second reading, Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the legislation will ‘help nurses and midwives do what they do best, it will guarantee every Victorian patient the care they need and it will protect the integrity of our highly-respected nursing profession in the future’. See page 4. The road to the legislation of nurse/midwife: patient ratios has been long, but enshrining ratios in law will mean the end of the fight to save them in our public sector enterprise bargaining agreements and the beginning of a new focus on ensuring best practice standards are the norm across all Victorian hospitals and aged care facilities. We will be working with the Andrews Government on the promised introduction of ratios to new areas and improvements to existing ratios in some areas. Many of our members have been instrumental in making sure politicians know how important ratios are to nurses and
midwives in meetings over the past weeks. I’d like to thank those members who have participated in lobbying their local Lower and Upper House politicians, and for giving their personal time to the cause. The ANMF (Vic Branch) has almost completed work on the 2016 public sector general and mental health enterprise agreements, ahead of their expiry on 31 March 2016. We look forward to negotiating with the State Government without the spectre of the fight for ratios hanging over our heads. We are holding a meeting for general public sector Job Reps on 20 October to review the log of claims. Mental health members working in the public sector are scheduled to meet on 26 October. See page 4. 2015 has been a rocky year for some trade unions and their officials, capped off by the controversial Trade Unions Royal Commission. In December, the ANMF (Vic Branch) will hold its annual general meeting, which members are welcome to attend, and I want to reaffirm our commitment to corporate governance matters. We continue to have a strict budget and financial management process through the work of the Branch’s Financial and Risk Management Committee (FARM) and Branch Council, which importantly is guided by an external financial consultant to ensure fiscal decisions are made in the best interests of membership. I also want to inform our membership that the final print run of the ANMF (Vic Branch) diary has now been completed. We listened to you and sent diaries to members who completed our online form that we sent out via our e-newsletter last month. The app that will supersede the printed diary is now well into development and we are working to deliver it to members in December 2015. Another important milestone was the recent decisive voting outcome of our Cabrini Health members’ ballot for protected industrial action in August. Cabrini Health’s nurses and midwives have, for the first time, voted to take industrial action in a strong stance to improve their terms and conditions. See page 5. Finally, the ANMF (Vic Branch) continues its support for tackling climate change. I invite you to save the date for the People’s Climate March being held in Melbourne on 27 November at 5.30pm. Through changes in work practices at health facilities, nurses and midwives are demonstrating their commitment to this important issue. Visit peoplesclimate.org.au for more information.
Photo: Angela Wylie
www.anmfvic.asn.au
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News Ratios legislation set to pass Victorian Parliament Victoria’s nurses and midwives and the ANMF (Vic Branch) are preparing to celebrate an historic event for patient safety and the sustainability of the nursing profession: the passing of nurse/midwife: patient ratios legislation. The Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient Ratios) Bill 2015 is expected to be passed by Victorian Upper House MPs early this month, enshrining ratios in law and taking them off the enterprise agreement bargaining table once and for all. This will bring a successful conclusion to lobbying efforts by the ANMF (Vic Branch) and members to ensure that the legislation, which was introduced to Parliament by Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy in September, is passed. The Premier Daniel Andrews made a preelection commitment to ratios legislation at ANMF House on 30 October last year to cheers from ANMF (Vic Branch) members and staff. In her speech to the Victorian Parliament on the Bill’s second reading, Health Minister Jill Hennessy said that there were potentially significant and avoidable medical ramifications for every patient over four patients a nurse is allocated.
Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy and ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick There continues to be civil penalties for health services that do not comply with the ratios set out in the legislation. The ratios legislated in the Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient Ratios) Bill 2015 are the same as existing ratios within the 2012–2016 public sector health services enterprise agreement.
‘The staffing levels of our most ethical and honest profession help determine the safety and care of patients within Victoria’s health system,’ Ms Hennessy told Parliament.
ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said: ‘The nurse/midwife: patient ratios legislation is a victory for every nurse and midwife in this state.
‘Something so basic and essential should never need to be defended time and again during industrial negotiations.’
‘There is clear evidence linking nurse/ midwife: patient ratios with improved patient safety and better care – this is the bedrock of
nursing and midwifery – and what matters to nurses and midwives as health professionals. ‘The introduction of ratios into the Victorian public health system in 2000 improved patient safety and provided a huge boost to morale within the nursing and midwifery professions at a time when it was sorely needed. ‘Maintaining ratios was a central issue during the last enterprise agreement negotiations which involved an industrial dispute with the then-Coalition Government. With this legislation, we will never again have to fight to keep ratios.’
Enterprise agreement preparations begin ANMF (Vic Branch) will meet with public sector Job Reps this month to review the draft log of claims to take to the Victorian Government for the next enterprise agreement.
of between 14 and 21 per cent over four years, to improve rehabilitation ratios and day oncology staffing and to not employing nurse assistants in place of enrolled or registered nurses.
With the current 2012–2016 public sector enterprise agreement and public mental health services enterprise agreement due to expire on 31 March 2016, ANMF (Vic Branch) is getting ready to negotiate wages and conditions, and improvements to ratios, for the next four-year agreements.
With ratios legislation due to be passed this month, ANMF (Vic Branch) looks forward to ratios being off the table during the next enterprise agreement negotiations.
Negotiations over the last public sector enterprise agreement involved a nine-month industrial dispute between the ANMF (Vic Branch) and the then Victorian Coalition Government, with the main sticking points being pay increases, the maintenance of nurse/midwife: patient ratios and retention of nurses and midwives making up those ratios. The dispute was resolved when the government agreed to maintain the current nurse/midwife: patient ratios, to pay rises 4
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ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick told Job Reps at this year’s Delegates Conference that the Branch would be negotiating 84 enterprise agreements on behalf of 51,000 of our 73,000 members at 744 workplaces over the next year. ANMF (Vic Branch) will meet with public sector Job Reps on Tuesday 20 October and with mental health sector members on 26 October. After Job Reps review the draft log of claims, the Branch Council will endorse it. We will await an employer log of claims and begin negotiations with the Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association, the public sector employers’ workplace relations organisation.
Daylight saving advice Victorians will lose an hour when the clock is moved forward on Sunday 4 October at 2am. Your pay if you are working a shift during the daylight saving transition will depend on the award or agreement that applies to your workplace. Public sector nurses and most private aged care nurses will be paid for the actual hours worked during the affected shift. Most private acute agreements have a similar clause but members are encouraged to check their particular agreement. If you require more advice please call the ANMF (Vic Branch) members-only information line on 03 9275 9300 or 1800 133 353 (regional toll free).
www.anmfvic.asn.au
Anita Stirling with baby Angus and Phoebe Brick with Sydney and Summer
Victorian nurses say no to parental leave payment cuts ANMF Victorian members join nurses and midwives nationally in disappointment at a Senate committee recommendation that the Federal Coalition Government’s proposed cuts to parental leave payments go ahead. ANMF members and mothers Anita Stirling and Phoebe Brick appeared before a Senate committee hearing to oppose legislation which would implement the cuts. Ms Stirling and Ms Brick travelled to Canberra with their babies as part of an ANMF contingent to tell the Community Affairs Legislation Committee that working families would suffer if the so-called ‘Fairer Paid Parental Leave Bill’ was passed.
The committee reported back to the Senate on the government’s Bill mid-September.
get a government top-up payment to equal the value of the government scheme.
The ANMF made a submission to the committee opposing the changes to the paid parental leave scheme on the basis of clear evidence showing that at least 26 weeks for bonding and, if possible, breastfeeding was important for both babies’ and mothers’. health and wellbeing.
Anita Stirling has three children, all of whom were born prematurely. Despite saving up her annual leave for the birth of her third baby, Angus, all her leave was gone by the time he was born at 36 weeks.
Under the Federal Government’s plan, anyone receiving employer parental leave payments of more than $11,824 (the value of the government-funded scheme) would lose access to any government payment. Parents with employer-paid parental leave schemes that pay less than $11,824 would
‘I am lucky enough to have 10 weeks of paid maternity leave, as part of my enterprise agreement, which covers all public sector nurses,’ Ms Stirling told the committee. When Angus was 10 weeks old and her employer maternity leave scheme finished, she was eligible for payments from the government’s paid parental leave scheme.
Cabrini members vote yes to industrial action Cabrini Health nurses and midwives voted in favour of taking protected industrial action after an inadequate enterprise agreement offer from management and introduction of a carparking fee. Following 10 months of negotiations with ANMF (Vic Branch), Cabrini management offered a two per cent wage increase backdated to October 2014 and a 2.5 per cent annual increase from 1 October 2015. Cabrini management has since made a further offer which was being considered by members at the time of going to press. www.anmfvic.asn.au
ANMF (Vic Branch), on behalf of members, is seeking a wage increase of 6.5 per cent and improvements to terms and conditions. Cabrini will introduce a fee for staff carparking which would erode part of the wage increase. In a ballot overseen by the Victorian Electoral Commission, more than 500 Cabrini nurses and midwives voted in favour of protected industrial action. At an ANMF (Vic Branch) members’ meeting in September, Cabrini Health nurses and midwives endorsed firststage industrial action in the form of stop
work meetings, wearing union T-shirts and badges and distributing union-produced information to patients’ families and hospital visitors. In the second stage of the campaign, Cabrini nurses and midwives would ban paperwork or electronic forms related to the completion of discharge medications and overtime, unless approved by Cabrini in advance in writing. A third stage of the industrial action campaign would involve refusing to attend work. Negotiations with Cabrini were continuing at the time of going to press.
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In focus - Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference
Conference draws more than a thousand nurses and midwives More than a thousand nurses and midwives gathered in Melbourne last month for the premier industry event of the year, the Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference. Presented by ANMF (Vic Branch), nurses and midwives could choose from more than 50 presentations by academics, clinicians and nurse managers from around Australia and overseas. Keynote speakers included Dr Anthea Hyslop, whose presentation focused on the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1914–1919 and Dr Marie Etienne (pictured) from Miami’s Benjamin Leon School of Nursing on managing health care aid after the Haiti Portau-Prince earthquake. Ontario Nurses’ Association workplace safety specialist Erna Bujna told attendees about the collaboration between her union and management from the Toronto East
General Hospital that resulted in major safety improvements for staff (see page 7). Dr Michelle Tuckey from the University of SA’s School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy said analysis of research on bullying worldwide had shown that bullying was driven more by organisational factors such as lack of resources and lack of autonomy among staff than individual factors like personality clashes (see page 7). ANMF Federal Secretary Lee Thomas spoke about the ANMF National Professional Standards for Nurses in General Practice and the aged care skills mix project. Registered nurse and social media user Paul McNamara gave insights into how nurses and midwives could empower themselves through owning and curating health messages via social media especially Twitter. Attendees gained knowledge about clinical
issues and workplace health and safety topics including building resilience in nursing students, conversations with families over organ donation and and perinatal emotional health programs (see below). The presentations from the Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference are available for members at anmfvic.asn.au The ANMF extends an apology to those attendees at the 2015 ANMC who were offended by aspects of APHEDA’s Dr Helen McCue’s commentary during her presentation on the work of Union Aid Abroad. ANMF (Vic Branch) acknowledges the support of First State Super, primary sponsor of the conference, and sponsors HESTA and BankVic. The deadline for submitting abstracts for the 2016 conference is 18 December. Contact Trish O’Hara at records@anmfvic.asn.au or 9275 9333 for more information.
Perinatal Emotional Health Program Nurses and midwives who attended the Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference session on Western Health’s Perinatal Emotional Health Program (PEHP) heard from a passionate team of nurses and doctors devoted to helping pregnant women with mental health issues in Melbourne’s west. PEHP was a key Victorian Government program associated with the Federal Government’s National Perinatal Depression Initiative. Following cuts to federal funding the program shut down in June this year. The Sunshine Hospital’s maternity service was the only metropolitan hospital service to receive funding for the program, as it was identified as a catchment area, home to a large number of women at risk of having mental health issues. The PEHP’s objectives were to screen and 6
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identify women who were in need of mental health assessment or treatment, to provide pregnant women with mental health care, and manage known neonatal and obstetric risks. In the 2.5 years PEHP operated out of Sunshine Hospital, Frances Bilbao, the program’s manager, said 46 per cent of expectant mums were screened for the program, with more than 1000 pregnant women at risk of mental illness referred to PEHP for treatment. Of the women who received a referral, 7.5 per cent were diagnosed with a major mental illness and almost 20 per cent of those who already had a diagnosis had stopped taking their medication. Ms Bilbao said the program saw great
results, including a 48 per cent reduction in thoughts of self-harm for at-risk women and a decreased rate of hospital stay by 1.7 days at the hospital’s maternity services. Dr Nicole Highet, one of the program’s psychiatrists, said western Melbourne was identified as having a high risk population because of a number of factors, including poor access to services, higher rates of non-English speaking women, refugees, family violence, drug and alcohol use and pre-existing mental illness. Western Hospital’s PEHP team consisted of a psychiatrist, a registrar, five midwives and allied health staff such as occupational therapists and psychologists. The program closed on 30 June but program staff are hoping funding will be reinstated in the future. www.anmfvic.asn.au
Bullying affects victims’ short-term memory, research finds Research has shown that victims of bullying have poorer short-term memory, creating a risk of those who are bullied at work making mistakes, academic Dr Michelle Tuckey told the Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference.
Erna Bujna
Management and union pair up to improve staff safety A collaboration between a Canadian nurses’ union and senior management of a Toronto hospital has resulted in major safety improvements for hospital staff. Workplace health and safety specialist Erna Bujna from the Ontario Nurses’ Association told the ANMF (Vic Branch) Australian Nurses and Midwives Conference attendees that the former CEO of the Toronto East General Hospital requested the collaboration after becoming aware of the scale of workplace violence. Former CEO Rob Devitt played hockey with some of the hospital’s security guards, who told him about the boxes of dangerous weapons they confiscated from patients and visitors on a regular basis. Mr Devitt then spoke with staff who told him they were not reporting violence because it took too much time. ‘They also had an ingrained belief that violence was a part of their job and – worse – if they did report, nothing would get done about it,’ Ms Bujna said. Ms Bujna told conference attendees that ‘if you speak to your employers, you will find that most don’t focus on workplace safety, it’s all focused on patient safety’. This was despite the fact that 54 per cent of Ontario Nurses’ Association members had experienced physical violence or abuse, 85 per cent had been abused verbally and 19 per cent had experienced sexual violence or abuse in the workplace. She said hospitals had gone to great lengths to prepare for a potential Ebola outbreak. ‘On the other hand, violence happens (in hospitals) every single day and do we have the same urgency to prevent violence as we do to prevent Ebola?’
www.anmfvic.asn.au
Mr Devitt chaired the safety committee, which involved the Ontario Nurses’ Association, together with safety organisations and police. Actions taken included: • signs saying ‘Toronto East General Hospital has a zero tolerance policy for all forms of abuse’ were posted throughout the hospital. • staff were trained in techniques to deescalate potentially violent situations and self-defence • a system of flagging patients with a history of aggression was introduced • a risk assessment of the hospital was conducted • surveillance cameras were increased from 29 to 380 • all hospital staff were provided with instant two-way personal communication devices • access control measures were introduced for all entrance and exit points • intensive training was provided to security guards • reporting back to staff on what has been done to increase safety. Ms Bujna said that as a result, Code White calls at the hospital (in Victoria known as Code Grey) had increased by 42 per cent, with response times reduced by over 50 per cent. Other impacts included: • Flagging of potentially violent or aggressive patients increased by 23 per cent. • Use of force by security officers had reduced from 54 per cent of incidents to five per cent. • There had been only one lost-time injury in five years.
Dr Tuckey, Acting Director of the Asia Pacific Centre for Work Health and Safety from the University of South Australia, said the effect on ‘working memory’ was just one of the health and safety issues of bullying for workers. Bullying could also cause mental health problems, particularly anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout and physical health problems. She said 9.7 per cent of Australian workers had experienced bullying in the last six months of 2014–15. This was a higher rate of bullying than in 34 European countries. In Australia, health and community services had the second highest bullying incidence of all industries The Productivity Commission had estimated that bullying costs Australia between $6-36 billion each year, Dr Tuckey said. The research on the effect of bullying on working memory was conducted at the University of SA’s School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, where Dr Tuckey is a senior lecturer. ‘This was the first hard evidence showing that bullying can have an impact on the way the brain functions,’ Dr Tuckey said. ‘So this is big news – people getting bullied at work can lead to errors and mistakes and no-one wants that to happen in the sort of work that you do.’ Dr Tuckey said that organisational factors – the work environment – were more important as risk factors for bullying than individual factors such as self-esteem of the bullying victim. Bullying was more common where there were more job stressors, such as role overload, and not enough resources. Lack of autonomy and ‘red tape’ were other factors that contributed to a bullying environment, she said. The ANMF (Vic Branch) Prevention of Workplace Bullying Conference will take place at ANMF House on 14 October. The conference will explain what bullying is and is not, provide strategies to prevent bullying and deal with bullying issues, outline relevant laws and explain how ANMF (Vic Branch) can assist. Find more information and register at anmfvic.asn.au
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Member profile Sue Giffney, Victorian women thank you
Having worked in women’s health for 45 years Sue Giffney is well-qualified to answer the question: ‘What’s changed for the better for women?’
Ms Giffney also remembers, from her student nursing days, colleagues surreptitiously passing the hat around to fund a termination, which would be performed illegally in secret.
Ms Giffney recently retired from The Women’s, where she had worked since 2003 at the Well Women’s Clinic and Women’s Health Information Centre. It was her second stint at The Women’s, in a remarkable career in which she has both gained and passed on knowledge about gynaecology, forensic health, sexual health, family violence, sexual assault, midwifery and psychiatric care.
It was not until 2008 that abortion was decriminalised in Victoria. Until the 1960s, women with unwanted pregnancies could access a termination if a doctor was willing to rely on court rulings which allowed ‘therapeutic abortion’ if continuing with the pregnancy were to risk a woman’s life or seriously impair her health. Before terminations were offered by qualified doctors, ‘backyard’ abortions were common. Between 1930 and 1933, 1069 women were treated at The Women’s Hospital for septic abortion, 136 of whom died.1
Her work providing nursing care and education to women in the community – including women in prison and victim/ survivors of sexual assault and family violence – has instilled an understanding that health is both affected by, and affects, relationships and life circumstances. Ms Giffney credits Margaret Harvard, charge sister in her first year of nursing on the gynaecology ward at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, for teaching her that each patient is a person ‘who happened to have a particular condition or disease, and is not just a disease sitting in a bed’. As to that question of ‘What’s changed for the better?’ Ms Giffney’s answer is unequivocal: access to contraception and legal, safe abortion, and screening for cervical cancer. ‘As a student nurse back in the early 60s I nursed women who were dying with cervical cancer and it was traumatic because they were young and it was such a horrific disease,’ Ms Giffney said. Now, the HPV vaccine and pap smears prevent many women from developing cervical cancer, and dysplasia clinics provide specialist services for women with abnormal pap test results. 8
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Working at Fairlea Women’s Prison in the 1990s broadened Ms Giffney’s perspective again on how a woman’s experiences influence her choices and her health. ‘I probably had a bit of the general community’s prejudice against drug abuse and in those days it was heroin,’ Ms Giffney said. ‘When you got to talk to the women, a lot of them would tell you that they started taking drugs because they were being sexually abused and it (heroin) was blocking it out. A lot of them were (victims of) incest and sexual assault.’ Back in the 1970s, during Ms Giffney’s first stint at The Women’s, she had the fortune of working in the hospital’s pregnancy clinic with the late Dr Michael Kloss, then head of an obstetrics unit. He was ‘a man of great compassion’, Ms Giffney said who defied the community’s dismissal of unmarried pregnant women as ‘promiscuous young tarts’ and provided them with nonjudgmental care. Dr Kloss also regularly provided illegal
abortions rather than treat women in the hospital for septicemia and gangrene, the result of backyard abortions.2 Ms Giffney also credits Dr Gytha Betheras with broadening her perspective on women’s health. Ms Giffney and Dr Betheras worked together at Victoria’s second family planning clinic, established in 1971. ‘I can always remember her coming back from the (clinic’s) Board meeting when they said ‘But what about all the unmarried women and the under-18s?’. She said ‘If these young women got pregnant and we delivered them of their babies, we have a moral obligation to provide them with proper contraception so they don’t get caught out again,’ Ms Giffney said. Ms Giffney’s own experience also helped her to understand. ‘I got married and quickly had two kids. Bang, bang. Contraception wasn’t easy to come by then.’ Having spent years imparting her knowledge through lecturing, community education and providing training to organisations such as Victoria Police, Victorian women and the broader community know much more about women’s health. So do Ms Giffney’s two children, now in their 40s, and the friends they grew up with, who were subjected as teenagers to educational videos about contraception, pap tests and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Ms Giffney smiled: ‘They told me recently that as youngsters, not one of their cohort had unplanned pregnancies or an STI.’ Victorian Law Reform Commission, ‘A history of abortion law policy’ 1
R.V. Gregory, ‘Corrupt Cops, Crooked Docs, Prevaricating Pollies and ‘mad Radicals’: a history of Abortion Law Reform in Victoria, 1959-1974’, PhD thesis, 2005 2
www.anmfvic.asn.au
Alertness research aims to lessen effects of shiftwork School nursing programs looking at individual vulnerability to shiftwork among healthcare workers at a major Melbourne hospital. ‘The second part of the program is looking at safety and productivity improvements, ways for us to improve alertness as much as possible,’ Dr Sletten said. ‘We’re looking at how rosters are structured in different workplaces. What are the pros and cons of different rostering systems? How many night shifts in a row? How quickly should we rotate from one shift to another? What are the ways to give people the most opportunity for sleep between their shifts?’
Research is being conducted among shiftworkers in major Australian hospitals to identify better ways of managing fatigue and maximise both patient safety and nurses’ health and wellbeing. Monash University’s Dr Tracey Sletten, Project Leader at the Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, told the ANMF (Vic Branch) Working Hours, Shifts and Fatigue Conference that the research project, funded by the Commonwealth Government and corporations, was a collaborative project involving Australian and international researchers and companies, and three major research programs. The first program involved biological indicators of alertness and ways to predict when a person would have an alertness lapse. This research would use existing technologies and develop new ones to both predict and detect fatigue-related impairment. ‘There’s a lot of factors involved in how well a person might deal with shiftwork. We need a huge amount of data to be able to do anything about this,’ Dr Sletten said. The first phase of the research included
News in brief Membership hits more than 73,000 ANMF (Vic Branch) is proud to announce that we now represent more than 73,300 nurses, midwives and carers in Victoria. As the biggest Branch of the second-largest union in the country, ANMF (Vic Branch) is a strong voice for Victoria’s nurses, midwives and personal carers.
HESTA divestment Health superannuation fund HESTA has announced it has divested from Transfield Services, the company running Australia’s offshore asylum seeker detention centres. www.anmfvic.asn.au
The research would also consider ‘smart lighting solutions’ as an intervention to maximise alertness. Lighting could be used to counteract the disruptive effects of shiftwork on circadian rhythms and alertness. The third intervention was looking at sleep health, such as ways to reduce insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea and providing individual ‘toolkits’ to help workers who do not cope well with shiftwork. Dr Sletten said the need for the research had long been evident, with the negative health effects of shiftwork – such as increased gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular disorders, increased cancers and mental health issues – well-established. Maximising the alertness of healthworkers was also important for patient health, with research on mortality rates of patients in intensive care units showing that more patients die during night shift. There was also research demonstrating a clear link between nurses’ fatigue and decreased safety driving home from night shift. Dr Sletten was one of several expert speakers who shared insights and information with nurses and midwives at the Working hours, Shifts and Fatigue Conference, held on 27 August. HESTA announced it had divested its $23 million stake in Transfield Services after considering whether the investment met its environmental, social and governance policy. ANMF (Vic Branch) applauded HESTA’s decision and said the divestment meant both HESTA and First State superannuation funds had no investment in Transfield. At this year’s Delegates Conference, members resolved that ANMF (Vic Branch) lobby HESTA and First State to divest from any organisations that breach the human rights of asylum seekers.
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The ANMF (Vic Branch) submission to the Victorian Government’s Education State consultation has recommended boosting the number of nurses in both primary and secondary schools. School nurses played a ‘critical role’ in the health and wellbeing of children and young people, the ANMF submission said, with research increasingly recognising the link between health and children’s social and education outcomes. Despite the critical role performed by school nurses, their role was often poorly understood, under-utilised and under-valued, ANMF contended. ANMF (Vic Branch) recommended that additional nurses be employed within Victorian primary schools to reduce existing workloads for Primary School Nursing Program nurses and to better enable nurses to identify and work with children and families at risk. ANMF also recommended that at least one registered nurse be employed within the Secondary School Nursing Program in every Victorian secondary school. The ANMF submission said there was a plethora of research showing the importance of a child’s first three years of life for their future development. Resourcing to the universal maternal and child health (MCH) service should also be increased, the submission states, to ensure that MCH nurses can complete key ‘ages and stages’ outreach consultations. MCH nurses also need more time to engage with families and children with complex needs. The Department of Education and Training needed to re-establish structured and transparent consultative forums in order to garner the expertise of school nurses. The ANMF (Vic Branch)’s submission is available for view at www.anmfvic.asn.au program to harness innovative ideas and best practice in order for them to be replicated. The review found that there were more than 1400 ‘points of care’ – including beds – in the public health system that could be used immediately if there was sufficient funding and local demand. The Travis Review Final Report is available for download at www.health.vic.gov.au/travis
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Can you accrue ANMF gives $35,000 to nurse leave while absent and midwife health program on WorkCover? ANMF (Vic Branch) has donated $35,000 By Leigh Hubbard Senior Industrial Officer A decision by the Federal Court in Anglican Care v NSW Nursing and Midwifery Association has shed light on the question of whether nurses and midwives can accrue leave while on WorkCover. It now seems clear that employees, including nurses and midwives, can accrue annual, personal and long service leave during periods of workers compensation (subject to a possible caveat in respect to long service leave). Confusion over this matter has been longstanding, exacerbated by the introduction in the Fair Work Act in 2009 of section 130 which says that an employee is not entitled to take or accrue any leave when the employee is absent and in receipt of workers compensation payments. However a sub-section of the clause says this does not apply ‘if the taking or accruing of the leave is permitted by a compensation law’. In relation to Victorian workers, does the Accident Compensation Act 1985 ‘permit’ the taking and accrual of leave while in receipt of workers compensation payments? In 2010 all states and territories amended their compensation Acts to allow the taking of leave while on workers compensation and leave payments while in receipt of compensation payments. However, the amendments were silent on the matter of leave accrual. In the Federal Court’s decision, they unanimously say that if state legislation doesn’t specifically prohibit the accrual of leave, then it must be read as permitting the accrual of the leave. If you have been on workers compensation leave you should:
profit from this year’s Wellness Conference to the Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria. The Branch also provided administrative and promotional support, and event management for the Wellness Conference, which was held on 8 May. Nurses and midwives at the conference heard from a range of expert speakers on topics of health and wellness. All presentations from the conference, including ‘Building personal resilience’ and ‘Successfully managing stress’, are available for view at the Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria (NMHPV) website: www.nmhp.org.au The NMHPV provides counselling services and support to nurses and midwives who are struggling with mental health and substance use issues. NMHPV CEO Glenn Taylor said: ‘We were delighted to receive this extraordinary sum as a result of the 2015 Nurses & Midwives Wellness Conference.’ ‘An organisation of our size, totalling just five staff, could never create and deliver such a rich and informative program alone. ‘The generous commitment of staff and resources by the ANMF (Vic Branch) to the event ensured our attendees enjoyed a wonderful program and took away many valuable health messages.’ The NMHPV is presently funded through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, which has guaranteed funding only until June 2016. ANMF (Vic Branch) is awaiting a decision of the NMBA which we hope will see ongoing funding for the NMHPV through nurses’ and midwives’ registration fees. We are seeking that the program be replicated in other states and territories with the funds.
1. Check if you have accrued annual, personal and long service leave while on workers compensation (which is unlikely). 2. If you have not accrued leave, write a letter saying that in accordance with the National Employment Standards and s.130 of the Fair Work Act you are entitled to accrue annual, personal and long service leave during a period on workers compensation (quoting the case of Anglican Care v NSWNMA [2015] FCAFC 81).
Job Rep training schedule In 2015, ANMF (Vic Branch) is offering new and revised training programs for Job Reps.
Workplace organising and campaigning Workplace organising and campaigning is a workplace-specific two-day program, and will provide Job Reps with planning tools, strategies and activities to educate and engage colleagues. Working directly with your ANMF industrial organiser, together with Job Reps from your workplace, you will learn practical skills and be supported to: • learn how to engage members in union activities • build relationships across the workplace • establish sustainable structures and communication networks • develop and practise recruitment conversations and strategies. Entry to each program is according to your primary workplace, e.g. Melbourne Health or Eastern Health. Metro: 6-7 October, Dandenong (organisers John Grant and Lynne West) 24-25 November, Melbourne (organiser Anthony Stafford) 1-2 December, Melbourne (organiser Judith Milne) Regional: to be held in each location, for Reps in these regional areas 11-12 November, Ballarat (organiser Allan Townsend) Please visit anmfvic.asn.au for the latest schedule
Your union, your role – an introduction for Job Reps
Your Union, your role – an introduction for Job Reps is a one-day program for new Job Reps from any workplace. Metropolitan Reps, and Latrobe and Geelong Reps, can choose any metropolitan date for this program. Regional Reps need to select dates for their specific region. In this program new Job Reps will learn ANMF (Vic Branch) key objectives, structure and resources, plus guidance on skills and strategies to support you in your role. Visit our website anmfvic.asn.au for further information about the programs and to enrol online, or phone the Job Rep training team on 9275 9333 for further information or for assistance with online registration. Regional: for Reps in the regional organiser catchment area, held at a venue in these locations: Ballarat: 10 November
3. If your claim for crediting of accrued leave while you have been absent on workers compensation is rejected, contact your ANMF industrial organiser. NMHPV CEO Glenn Taylor and Dr Caroline West 10
October 2015
www.anmfvic.asn.au
ANMF (Vic Branch) supports sacked Ansell workers
ANMF (Vic Branch) staff joined other unions outside Ansell’s Richmond headquarters to protest the company’s sacking of 305 workers on strike over draconian production targets at its factory in Sri Lanka. ANMF (Vic Branch) has also shown solidarity with the union workers by providing financial support for legal action against an injunction on the workers’ union – the Free Trade Zones & General Services Employees Union – and living expenses for the sacked workers. The General Secretary of the union, Anton Marcus, visited Melbourne from Sri Lanka to raise awareness of the workers’ plight, addressing ANMF staff prior to the Ansell action. He told ANMF staff that the company, which makes latex surgical gloves and condoms, had increased its production target for its mostly female workforce. The workers were expected to produce 70 pairs of surgical gloves per minute. One woman worker had urinated at her post because the production target did not allow time for workers to go to the toilet. Meanwhile, the company had also reduced the incentive payment to workers at the industrial gloves section, Mr Marcus said. He said the Ansell factory operated 24 hours per day and workers were not paid overtime to work a long Saturday shift or Sunday shifts.
Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick and Anton Marcus Mr Marcus said that 800 workers had gone on strike for four months in October last year. The 305 workers who had remained on strike had been dismissed and replaced with contract labour. Two workers had died under the strain and striking workers had been blacklisted and could not secure new employment, he said. Those at the rally outside Ansell’s headquarters heard Michele O’Neil, Secretary of the Textile, Clothing & Footwear Union of Australia, Victorian Trades Hall Secretary Luke Hilakari and ANMF Senior
Industrial Officer Leigh Hubbard pledge ongoing support for the Ansell workers, who earn 80 cents per hour in producing the company’s condoms, surgical gloves and other latex products. Mr Marcus thanked ANMF (Vic Branch) for its support: ‘Our workers should feel that they are not alone. So your solidarity is very important.’ ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said ANMF staff and members would continue to support the Ansell workers’. struggle for fair wages and conditions.
Family violence leave for public sector
Keep penalty rates for all industries, ANMF tells Productivity Commission
ANMF (Vic Branch) has welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement that family violence leave will be included in future public sector enterprise agreements.
ANMF (Vic Branch) has told the Productivity Commission that penalty rates were important for workers in all industries that operate during antisocial hours.
ANMF (Vic Branch) sought unsuccessfully to have family violence leave incorporated into the last enterprise agreement.
The commission’s recommendation to reduce existing penalties in the hospitality, entertainment and retail industries was ‘the thin edge of the wedge’ and unfair, ANMF told the commission’s public hearing on its Workplace Relations Framework in September.
The Victorian Government said that it would develop a ‘best practice model clause’ for family violence leave for inclusion in all Victorian public sector enterprise agreements, including that of public sector nurses. ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said there were still details to negotiate but the Branch supported the concept of family violence leave. As well as providing opportunity for healing, recovery and legal action, family violence leave would provide victims with time to seek out safety. The Victorian Public Health Sector Enterprise Agreement and Victorian Public Mental Health Services Enterprise Agreement both expire on 31 March 2016. www.anmfvic.asn.au
While nurses and aged care workers were spared any recommendations for changes to penalty rates in the commission’s report, ANMF (Vic Branch) firmly believes that all workers who work at night, on weekends and public holidays deserve to be compensated for time lost with their friends and families. ANMF (Vic Branch) said that the argument that penalty rates should no longer apply to hospitality, entertainment and retail industries because there was a community expectation of these industries operating beyond usual business hours was illogical,
given that this argument had also been used to justify maintaining penalty rates for the manufacturing and health industries. The ANMF (Vic Branch) also told the hearing that we are strongly opposed to the commission’s proposal in relation to the introduction of enterprise contracts. ‘We see this as a backdoor method of reintroducing non-union agreements, on a “take it or leave it” basis,’ the Branch said. The ANMF (Vic Branch) was represented at the Bendigo hearing by Senior Industrial Relations Officer Leigh Hubbard and Industrial Organiser Loretta Marchesi. Bendigo Job Rep Damien Hurrell also spoke at the hearing to represent nurses’ views. The Productivity Commission released a draft report on a new Workplace Relations Framework on 4 August and is currently holding public hearings around Australia about its recommendations. Read the draft report and make a submission: http://bit.ly/1gGcRUV
October 2015
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OHS courses
Nurses, midwives and personal care workers working in health and other industries are exposed to many hazards including manual handling, violence and aggression, bullying and harassment, stress, shiftwork, hazardous substances and infection diseases. The HSRs are the highly dedicated representatives who work to maintain a safe and professional workplace. Become an HSR or upgrade your HSR skills at one of our courses listed below.
Five-day Initial HSR OHS Course (VWA approved) This course relates specifically to health and aged care workplaces, with a strong focus on issues and hazards relevant to nursing, and is designed to equip elected HSRs and Deputy HSRs with an understanding of the OHS regulatory framework. It is also designed to provide participants with the skills required to implement effective hazard control strategies in the workplace. Course 4: 11, 12 & 13 November & 3 & 4 December Time: 9am – 5pm each day Venue: Carson Conference Centre, ANMF House, 540 Elizabeth St, Melb Cost: $750 (payable by employer). Register online: anmfvic.asn.au/hsr-training
Special Interest Groups Visit www.anmfvic.asn.au/interestgroups for all upcoming ANMF (Victorian Branch) Special Interest Group news, events and meetings. ANMF House is located at 540 Elizabeth St, Melbourne
Advance Care Planning SIG Inq:
Kathryn Whiteside Kathryn.Whiteside@austin.org.au
ANZANAC (HIV Nursing SIG) Topic: When: Venue: Inq:
Education session/AGM Tuesday 12 October, 6.30-8pm The Retreat Hotel, Abbotsford Milena Pinamonti anzanac.vic@gmail.com or 0466 280 445
Day Surgery SIG Topic: When: Venue: Topic: When: Venue: Inq:
Executive meeting Wednesday 21 October, 6pm Ashwood venue ADSNA conference 17-18 October The Marriott Gold Coast Chris Guidotti chris_guidotti@y7mail.com
Diabetes Nurse Educators SIG
Inq: Catherine Wallace-Wilkinson positivehealth@bigpond.com 0411 557 631
Injured Nurses’ Support Group Topic: When: Venue: Inq:
Members meeting and workshop Tuesday 20 October, 10.30am-12.30pm Carson Conference Centre, ANMF house Annie Rutter 1300 760 602
Immunisation Nurses SIG Topic:
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Annual General Meeting
October 2015
One-day HSR OHS Refresher Course (VWA approved) This one-day refresher course relates specifically to health and aged care workplaces, with a strong focus on issues and hazards relevant to nursing, and is designed to refresh HSRs’ knowledge and understanding of the OHS regulatory framework. It is also designed to provide participants with the skills required to implement effective hazard control strategies in the workplace.
Metropolitan courses: Course 4: 8 October Time: 9am – 5pm Venue: Carson Conference Centre, ANMF House, 540 Elizabeth Street, Melb Cost: $250 (payable by employer). Register online anmfvic.asn.au/hsr-training
Conferences Prevention of Workplace Bullying: 14 October Visit anmfvic.asn.au for the latest courses and events.
When: Venue: Inq:
Wednesday 7 October, 6-10pm Carson Conference Centre, ANMF House Vikkie Coghlan vikk1c36@bigpond.com.au
IPHOA back payments edging closer ANMF (Vic Branch) is continuing talks with Independent Private Hospitals of Australia to finalise back payments of outstanding wages to nurses at Essendon Private, Melbourne Eastern Private and Malvern Private hospitals. The back payments are due following the Federal Court’s decision that an enterprise agreement for IPHOA nurses signed in 2012 but disputed by IPHOA should stand. The enterprise agreement included wage increases. IPHOA sought leave to appeal the decision in the High Court but this was dismissed on 7 August. ANMF (Vic Branch) is satisfied that IPHOA has put into trust $1.5 million, equating to a high proportion of the back payment due to employees, although final figures were yet to be determined at the time of going to print. The matter was due to go to the Federal Court for mediation on 21 September and IPHOA was calculating all employees’ outstanding payments. In earlier proceedings, the Fair Work Commission determined that seven per cent interest should be paid on outstanding wages from 27 December until 26 March 2013 but ANMF contends that interest on wages outstanding from the 2012 agreement should extend to 7 August 2015, the date of the High Court’s refusal of IPHOA’s appeal application.
Medical Imaging Nurses Assoc Topic: When: Venue: Inq:
Members workshop Saturday 10 October Royal Melbourne Hostpital, City Campus Deborah Shears deborah.shears@i-med.com.au
Mental Health Nurses SIG Inq:
Carole de Greenlaw records@anmfvic.asn.au
Nurses for Continence
Topic: AGM When Thursday 1 October, 6-9pm Venue Carson Conference Centre, ANMF House Inq: Christine Sumper nfcv.sec@gmail.com
Orthopaedic Nurses’ Assoc Inq:
Meinir Griffiths 9342 8417 Rita Moreno 9345 5303
Venue: Topic When Inq:
Victorian School Nurses Topic: When: Venue: Inq:
Topic: When: Venue: Inq:
Preadmission Nurses Group
Venue: Inq:
Inq:
Kate Hussey k.hussey@healthscope.com.au
Professional Development Day Friday 16 October, 8am-4.30pm Carson Conference Centre Lesley Poulton lesley.poulton@monash.edu
Vic Midwifery Homecare SIG Topic: When:
Siobhan Clark siobhanclark@ymail.com
Members meeting Tuesday 20 October, 5.30-9.30pm Carson Conference Centre, ANMF House Gina Harrex 0401 717 352
Vic Assoc of Research Nurses
Palliative Care SIG Inq:
TBA Members meeting Friday 16 October, 3-4pm Lisa Auchettl 0418 330 316 lisa.auchettl@gmail.com
Members meeting Wednesday 21 October, 10.30am12.30pm Carson Conference Centre, ANMF House Ingrid Ridler IRidler@mercy.com.au
Vic Perioperative Nurses’ Group
Safe Patient Handling
Topic: When: Inq:
Vic Assoc Maternal & Child Health Nurses
Vic Urological Nurses Society
Inq:
Topic: When:
Stephen Morley smorley@bendigohealth.org.au Executive meeting Wednesday 14 October, 6-9.30pm
Inq:
Committee meeting Tuesday 27 October enquiries@vpng.org.au or 1300 721 169
Ros Lawrence rostommy1@optusnet.com.au
www.anmfvic.asn.au
Education calendar October Medication administration – principles and practice revisited
RN
CPD: 12 hours, course code: 1250 26 October & 2 November 2015 9.30am-4.30pm Presenter Sue Pleunik This two-day workshop is designed to update the registered nurse’s skills in medication administration. Topics covered include administration via all five routes, drug calculations and managing IV pumps, syringe drivers and PCA systems. Member $360, non-member $420, Job Rep/ SIG member $320
10.00am-1.00pm Presenter Marie-Anne Schull, beyondblue Australia’s population is ageing, and many older people living in the community are isolated and dealing with significant chronic health problems. ANMF (Vic Branch) is pleased to be partnering with beyondblue to deliver this half-day seminar which will explore the impact of ageing on wellbeing and the evidence base for promoting older people’s mental health. Member $110, Non-member $180, Job Rep or ANF SIG member $100
RN EN Law and ethics for registered
and enrolled nurses
Course key ALL Course available to all nurses, midwives, PCAs and AINs RN Course available to registered nurses EN Course available to enrolled nurses M Course available to midwives Presenter Dr Rosalie Hudson This seminar focuses on advanced skills development for nurses caring for older people in any setting who suffer from chronic/ persistent pain. Many older people needing nursing care suffer from one or more serious, chronic illnesses that are characterised by pain. How is this pain assessed and how are appropriate interventions identified, particularly for those with cognitive impairment? What are the myths and counter facts of opioid use in older people and what is the place of non-pharmacological therapies?
CPD: 12 hours, course code: 863 15 and 22 October 2015 ages 9.30am-4.30pm CPD: 4 hours, course code: 983 Presenter Jenny Poulter 7 October 2015 Law and ethics directly impacts nursing 9.00am-1.00pm and midwifery practice in a myriad of ways. Member $180, Non-member $215, Job Rep Presenter Lisa Wragg This seminar is designed to refresh nurses’ or ANMF SIG member $170 understanding of the fundamentals of the law Continence Foundation of Australia, Victorian and the legislation that impacts on nursing Branch RN Managing fluid and electrolyte practice. Included is an outline of legal Female incontinence through the ages is administration and blood transfusion precepts, documents, scope of practice of designed to provide participants with an registered and enrolled nurses and the legal in the acute setting understanding of the incontinence issues and ethical principles of nursing practice. This CPD: 6 hours, course code: 1043 that most women will experience at different course is also applicable to midwives. stages in their lives. This workshop will focus 19 November 2015 on the importance of early intervention Member $360, non-member $420, Job Rep/ 9.30am-4.30pm to treat, manage and cure incontinence SIG member $320 Presenter Jennifer Irwin utilising a multidisciplinary team approach. All This in-depth seminar discusses the participants will leave this workshop knowing theories and assessments behind various how to recruit the correct pelvic floor muscles fluid therapies. The focus is on advanced to do effective pelvic floor exercises. understanding and skill development for RN Foundations of pharmacology Member $110, Non-member $180, Job Rep nurses managing fluids in the acute patient. and medication administration for or ANF SIG member $100 The why, what and when of fluid, blood registered nurses and blood products orders and their clinical M effects are also covered. What is new on postpartum CPD: 24 hours, course code: 1146 haemorrhage? 5, 12, 26 November & 3 December 2015 Member $180, Non-member $215, Job Rep 9.30am-4.30pm or ANMF SIG member $170 CPD: 3 hours, course code: 862 Presenter Jennifer Irwin 13 October 2015 RN EN Principles and practice 9.00am-12.00pm Medication administration is a complex and challenging dynamic area of nursing and of aseptic technique and infection Presenter Dr Wendy Pollock midwifery and refreshing your knowledge control Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a leading is an important part of your continuing cause of intensive care admission for CPD: 6 hours, course code: 866 professional development. This four-day maternity patients and remains a cause of 25 November 2015 course revises the underpinning knowledge of death in Victoria. This seminar will cover the 9.30am-4.30pm pharmacology and medication administration current rates of PPH in Victoria, provide an Presenter Jennifer Poulter for registered nurses. Topics include overview of factors associated with major This workshop will review healthcare-related pharmacology and adverse drug reactions. haemorrhage and discuss new management infections and the infection control practices Common medications are revised using a options. required to minimise the spread of infection. systems approach. Member $110, Non-member $180, Job Rep Risk management procedures to prevent or Member $650, Non-member $750, Job Rep or ANF SIG member $100 reduce infections will be discussed including or ANF SIG member $600 standard precautions, transmission-based ALL Promoting emotional wellbeing precautions and asepsis. There will be RN EN Management of chronic/ an emphasis on the practical application in older client/patients and the people persistent pain in older people of knowledge and skills including aseptic looking after them CPD: 6 hours, course code: 865 technique. CPD: 3 hours, course code: 1508 18 November 2015 Member $180, Non-member $215, Job Rep 20 October 2015 9.30am-4.30pm or SIG member $170
ALL
Female incontinence through the
November
www.anmfvic.asn.au
October 2015
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Education centre RTO courses IV cannulation for registered RN M nurses and midwives CPD: 6 hours, course code: 867 27 November 2015 9.30am-4.30pm Presenter Kate Potter This seminar will focus on the process and procedure for inserting peripheral IV in the adult patient. It includes an overview of relevant anatomy, selection of insertion sites and cannula, insertion techniques, infection control, common problems and corrective action. Identification of appropriate equipment, specific cannulation techniques and participant practice will be conducted utilising manikin simulation. Member $180, Non-member $215, Job Rep or SIG member $170
December RN EN
Venipuncture, conducting a 12 lead ECG & contemporary pathology collection CPD: 6 hours, course code: 868 4 December 2015 9.30am-4.30pm Presenter Kate Potter This workshop delivers a comprehensive one-day program relating to venipuncture techniques and conducting a 12-lead electrocardiogram. A wide range of practical training aids for blood collection is provided, and the program allows participants to undertake practice of the relevant techniques under guided supervision in a simulated clinical environment. It is a must for nurses who are required to perform phlebotomy and undertake 12-lead ECG recording as part of their role. Member $180, Non-member $215, Job Rep or SIG member $170
ANMF (Vic Branch) education centre accredited courses ALL
HLTAID003 Provide First Aid
CPD: 12 hours, course code: 1044 1 and 8 October 2015 9am-4.30pm Presenter Jenny Poulter Renewing first aid qualifications is an essential part of professional development for many nurses and midwives. ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre offers members nationally recognised training delivered by
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October 2015
experienced nurse trainers. These courses fill fast so enrol as early as possible Member $360, Non-member $420, Job Rep/ ANMF SIG member $320
HLTAID001 Provide Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
ALL
CPD: 3 hours, course code: 997 15 October 2015 9am-noon Presenter Sue Pleunik Renewing CPR qualifications is an essential part of professional development for many nurses and midwives. ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre offers members nationally recognised training delivered by experienced nurse trainers. These courses fill fast so enrol as early as possible Member $110, Non-member $180, Job Rep or ANF SIG member $100 RTO registration No 22609
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40110)
ALL
The TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment course focuses on the skills required to deliver training and assess competence in the participants’ own industry areas. It is the benchmark qualification (along with subject matter expertise) for trainers and assessors in the VET sector. The course is designed for people who are currently working in a training or assessment role, or where part of their job requires training and assessment. Comprising 10 units delivered over 15 days, this course includes the Language, Literacy and Numeracy unit recently added to this qualification. Course 2 (code 1331) 2015: November 16, 23, 30; December 7, 14, 21 and 2016: January 28, 29; February 5, 12, 19, 26; March 4, 11 & 18 Cost $2100 which covers tuition fees, assessments and learning resources and which is paid in three instalments throughout the course. Please enrol online at anmfvic.asn.au/TAEtraining-and-assessment Payment plan: Deposit $900 – on enrolment Instalment 1 $600 – week 6 Instalment 2 $600 – week 12 This is a nationally recognised qualification delivered by the ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre RTOID 22609
What’s new at the CPD Portal? Did you know that all full ANMF (Vic Branch) members received a renewed $400 credit in July for our online modules in the CPD Portal? All online learning at the CPD Portal is expert-reviewed, with modules reviewed each year to keep our CPD in line with current best practice. Associate and student members receive an $80 annual credit for the CPD Portal. Our CPD Portal is different to the one provided by the ANMF federal office, offering different topics and types of learning online. If you have previously registered for, or completed, learning with the ANMF federal site this learning is not recorded on the Victorian Branch portal and vice versa. Our modules are written by, or with, leading professional organisations and experts and are independently peer reviewed to ensure they are current. The topics covered are comprehensive and allow for an in-depth understanding of key areas of clinical practice. They are intended to be ‘real world’ and help clinicians with realistic and current examples. A module on venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis is now available at the CPD Portal, with a new module about nursing and midwifery health due to be released soon. This module will be relevant to nurses and midwives who might be struggling with a mental health or substance use issue, or who want to learn strategies to help colleagues with these issues. ANMF (Vic Branch) is also developing shorter CPD case studies with leading experts, focusing on interesting and relevant topics for nurses, midwives and carers. ‘Acute management of minor burns’, ‘Supporting people with dementia’, ‘Refugee and asylum seeker health’ and ‘Introduction to alcohol and other drugs’ are just some of the modules available ont the CPD Portal, to help you update your professional skills and knowledge, and fulfil your annual CPD requirement for registration. To access the CPD Portal, visit cpd.anmfvic.asn.au
www.anmfvic.asn.au
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Course registration form
Register online at anmfvic.asn/education or complete this form and return to the ANMF education centre.
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Venue The ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre, ANMF (Vic Branch) Registered Training Organisation (RTO ID: 22609), nursing laboratory and library are located near the Melbourne CBD at ANMF House, 540 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.
Upcoming course program Visit anmfvic.asn.au/education for information about these and upcoming courses.
Continuing professional development (CPD) All nurses and midwives are required to undertake 20 hours of continuing professional development each year as part of the requirements to re-register with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. For information visit nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au
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Costs Significant discounts on many Education Centre courses (excluding government-funded courses) are available to ANMF members, Job Reps and ANMF Special Interest Group members. Courses may be tax deductible. Ask your tax consultant for advice.
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Credit card number Expiry Amount: $ Cardholder name Cardholder signature Please forward fully completed registration form and payment: ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre Box 12600 A’Beckett Street Post Office Melbourne Vic 8006 OR scan and email to education@anmfvic.asn.au Once payment is received a receipt will be posted to you. Please make cheques payable to ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre. Disclaimer
ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre (ABN No 1716 9548 707) will endeavour to ensure that the speakers and content for this seminar proceed as advertised. However, unexpected circumstances may necessitate the utilisation of a replacement speaker(s). ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre disclaims any liability for any errors/omissions in terms of information provided at this educational event.
Refunds and cancellations
The decision to proceed with or reschedule a seminar is based on the number of participants registered, however if ANMF (Vic Branch) Education Centre cancels a session you will receive a full refund. If you cancel your registration the following will apply: a) Over seven days notification, full refund (less 10 per cent administrative fee) b) Less than seven days notification no refund will apply
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