Nursing service cuts staff Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au STAFF cuts at the Royal District Nursing Service’s Frankston and Rosebud offices will not affect patients, according to the service’s management. The organisation says there will be “no change to patient-care”. The offices are being replaced by mobile care teams equipped with laptops to make house calls. Administrative functions at the existing 14 suburban offices will be consolidated into four regional hubs – with the closest to Frankston and the peninsula being Moorabbin. The RDNS office in Beach St, Frankston, will close in April. No decision has been made regarding the continuation of the Cairns St, Rosebud, office “at this stage”. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation expects the Rosebud office to lose six nurses as well as two administrative and one domestic staffer. It says six G3 nursing positions will be downgraded to G2. It is not known how many staff will be affected at the Frankston office. The RDNS insists no “front line” nursing positions will be cut, although “a number” of management, consultant, coordinator and administrative positions will not be required. “Staff in these roles will have the opportunity to apply for newly created roles,” a spokesperson said. “Where redundancy is unavoidable, people will receive packages and access to personal and career counselling.”
Under threat: The Rosebud and Frankston offices of the Royal District Nursing Service. Picture: Gary Sissons
The organisation expects to cut around 80 positions overall. It is Australia’s oldest and largest home nursing and healthcare services organisation and has been operating on the peninsula since the mid-1970s. Victorian general manager Fiona Hearn said the changes would “deliver better back-up to front-line nurses and improved services to clients”. “The rationale is that the RDNS operating structure has essentially been unchanged for more than 30 years. For example, the current structure pre-
dates even fax machines, and dates from a time when nurses had to drive into an office to receive a paper client list and schedule. “Now, all of that can be delivered instantly via tablet computer, meaning time once spent on driving can now be spent providing patient care.” About 200 Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation members met on Thursday to discuss the changes. They say 150 employees across the metropolitan area, including many highly-skilled nurses, will be forced to
compete for new, and in some cases, lesser positions. Federation acting state secretary Paul Gilbert said members “have serious concerns about the proposals - if they are to proceed in their current form – especially as regards critical patient-care issues”. “These have been identified and need to be addressed,” he said. The nurses’ federation and the RDNS will meet tomorrow (Tuesday) to negotiate aspects of the revamp.
In brief Detox your home, Saturday 7 February, Seaford – Dispose of unwanted and potentially dangerous chemicals through this free service coming to Seaford. Registrations required. To register, and view accepted items for disposal, visit sustainability.vic.gov.au/ detoxyourhome or call 1300 363 744. Absolute beginners computer class, Carrum Downs Library, 11am-1pm, Tuesday 10 February – Free class for those starting out with computers, teaching basics like opening programs, saving files and how to copy and paste. Book on 9784 1020 or visit library.frankston.vic.gov.au Homework Club, Carrum Downs Library, 4-5.30pm, Thursday 12 February, free – Students from Prep to Year 6 can get ahead of the pack with this free homework club with access to computers and the internet. The club will run every Thursday until 26 March in Term 1. Details: 9784 1020. Rachael Beck at Frankston Arts Centre, 10.30am and 1.30pm, Friday 13 February – One of Australia’s best-known actors, Beck has been wowing crowds with her singing voice at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, performing favourites such as Send in the Clouds and Over the Rainbow. Her one-woman show, This Girl, is in Frankston for one day only. Information and tickets on 9784 1060 or visit thefac.com.au Cave-Waits-Cohen, Frankston Arts Centre, 8pm, Friday 13 February – Mikelangelo has thrilled audiences in London, Paris and New York, and fresh from his stint at the Sydney Opera House will treat Frankston to his tribute to Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. Information and tickets on 9784 1060 or thefac.com.au
Y A D N E OP 9AM - 1PM Sat. February 7th 2015 Greenways Open Day this Saturday, come and enjoy a sausage sizzle and meet the residents. Newly refurbished Villas open for viewing. Bring your family and friends - All Welcome.
Call Sandra now 1800Greenways
Frankston Times 2 February 2015
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