ISSUE
07
Summer 2013/14
Privately Speaking A newsletter for NZNO members working in the private health sector
In this issue: ͙͙ delegates at Royston talk about negotiations ͙͙ NZNO members tell the Government “Give us a break!” ͙͙ a focus on our delegate leaders ͙͙ getting serious about bullying
Health Workforce NZ includes voluntary bonding scheme for private surgical nursing This program is an incentive-based payment scheme to reward medical, midwifery and nursing graduates who agree to work in hard-to-staff communities and/or specialities for no less than three years. In 2014 the applications include: Theatre (theatre room, including recovery ward / Post Anaesthesia Care Unit), Intensive Care (ICU wards, including Critical Care Units, excluding High Dependency Units), Cardiothoracic (cardiothoracic units), Aged Care (aged residential care and older persons’ health services), Mental Health and Primary Care. In order to receive payment (2014 - $2,833 net per year) graduates must register their interest in the scheme, be confirmed, and then stay on the scheme for a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years. The scheme is voluntary and individuals can withdraw at any time. There are limited places available and an applicant must register their interest during the ‘Registration of Interest’ period . Information, including the application form, is available at http:// healthworkforce.govt.nz/our-work/voluntary-bonding-scheme.
A new deal for Royston Hospital NZNO delegates talk about how the negotiation process works, from beginnning to end We began having meetings about a year before the collective agreement (CA) expired. A year may seem like a long time but with busy work schedules it passed quickly! Feedback from members in previous years was that they hadn’t felt they were in the loop about what was happening during negotiations so we decided to do things differently this time. Putting information on notice boards doesn’t always work due to members’ shift patterns so we thought we’d try email as well. 99 percent of members agreed to receive negotiation updates via email. We divvied up the tasks, with one delegate in charge of the email list, another responsible for posting information on the noticeboards and another for updating the NZNO folders. This had the added advantage of making sure that we all shared the responsibility and didn’t burden one person with the whole load. About four months before negotiations started we began holding meetings with members. The first was to discuss the wider issues of the CA and any problems with the existing contract. It was an ‘eye opening’ meeting for some, and worked to create a sense of unity between members. As part of our new, improved communications plan we sent minutes of the meeting to all members. Subsequent meetings were department-based and organised by the department delegates. Members could then focus on issues specific to their department. Two or three meetings were held in each department. Once issues had been thrashed out, members were asked to prioritise their claims. With negotiations pending we conducted a ballot of members to endorse the negotiating team. The time frame in which to do this was quite tight, but all the delegates pitched in and the team was endorsed by a majority vote. We informed our members of the result and also sent them an outline of the negotiation process to make sure everyone was well informed and able to feel part of the process. Our employer would only pay for two delegates to be at the negotiation table. We thought this was unfair and added a third. Our third delegate had to take leave to be part of the team so we and the members in that delegate’s department all put money in to reimburse her. Royston Hospital delegates, from left to right: Janet Fowler, Anne Phillips (seated), Karen Roff, Mary Smyth and Racquel MacDonald.
As negotiations progressed, emails and memos were sent to members to keep them in the loop. Negotiations were challenging but every delegate was ‘singing from the same song sheet’. Delegates who were not at the table often attended as observers. This was invaluable as the observers often picked up on things the delegates at the table may have missed. The ground work done in the months prior to negotiations was vital as we were challenged at every point. This came in the form of proof when necessary (time sheets, for example) and having a knowledge of similar facilities and their collective agreements, having knowledge of our employment law, a current understanding of our economy, a good knowledge of the business policies, an understanding of the employer and the business and its financial standing at that time. The priority list decided by members provided clear guidelines for members of the negotiating team. The outcome was very pleasing and in some cases quite surprising. We had no ‘claw backs’. The feedback from members was positive and the vote was 100 percent in favour of the agreement we negotiated! The feeling towards NZNO improved greatly and delegates continue to encourage members to utilise NZNO services available and not just consider NZNO as something that we use during negotiations. The term of the collective agreement is three years but this time will certainly go quickly! As delegates we learnt a lot but we are already looking at what we can improve on for the next negotiations! In the interim however, we will monitor the new collective agreement and its clauses to make sure it is working as it should. While the delegates put in a lot of work prior to negotiations, they wish to acknowledge the NZNO staff who provided direction and advice. Lead organiser Lyn Olsthoorn and organiser Sue Wolland provided valuable experience at the table and guided the process to empower us to present and fight for the issues important to members.
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Featuring delegate Jo-Ann Thomson I have been elected on to the Clutha District Council. I decided to stand as I felt I could make a difference within the district if elected. We are a rural district which needs to preserve employment opportunities and keep our elderly safe in the community. There are lots of exciting proposals within the district including a main street upgrade, new rail trails being opened and local tourism opportunities being planned. My experience as a nurse helped my chances of election, as many people know who I am in the district due to my job and also in my roles as president of the country music club (although I don’t sing or play an instrument). Since being elected, the job has been full on, lots of training has been available. I have reviewed my hours of employment and reduced them by eight hours a fortnight to accommodate the council work (which is also paid) hence I have withdrawn from my Health and Safety role. I would advise any NZNO member thinking of standing, to give it a go. So far I have learnt so much about my own community. Although I am new to the position, the Mayor and other councillors and council staff have been fully supportive. I truly believe that as a member of the community, you have no idea of what is going on or available within your own community until you sit around the council table. I have been born and raised in this community, and now am beginning to find out what this community is all about. I don’t make any claim to being able to change things, but at least I have to opportunity to share the opinion of others around the council table.
Give us a break! During the last week of October, workers across New Zealand told the Government not to take away our right to regular meal and rest breaks. Private Hospitals and hospice members all around the country participated in ‘Give is a break’ activities. Everyone looks forward to having a break during the work day – having a cuppa, stepping outside for some fresh air, getting off our feet for a couple of minutes. If the proposed changes to our employment law goes ahead, workers might not have a break to look forward to. The legislative changes will take away the guaranteed minimum rest breaks which are currently in the law and replace them with a general obligation for your employer to give you “a reasonable opportunity” to get a break. If you and your employer can’t agree on what that “reasonable opportunity” means, guess who gets the final say? Your employer, of course. And if they think it’s not “reasonable” to give you a break at all? You could be working a very long shift without a single cup of tea or even a toilet stop! Meal and rest breaks are an essential part of having a healthy and safe workplace. Working long stretches without a break contributes hugely to errors and accidents. Yes, your employer will have to compensate you for the lack of breaks – but that’s going to be cold comfort when you’re totally worn out or even get injured on the job due to tiredness.
Getting serious about bullying Bullying is no longer a word reserved for discussing the behaviours of school aged children in playground settings. In fact, as this article outlines, workplace bullying is now being recognised as a significant workplace hazard that needs a concerted and targeted approach in workplaces across New Zealand, and new tools are being launched early next year to help everyone do better.
Health and Safety – a history Gone are the days when Health and Safety in a workplace was measured simply by the physical work environment. It is now recognised that psychological and social factors at work contribute to the health and safety of a workplace. It is also recognised that addressing these factors is crucial. In fact Psychosocial work factors were made a national priority area under the Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015.
A current snap shot The prioritisation of psychosocial work factors into a national strategy saw the commissioning of a report to investigate the prevalence of workplace stress and bullying in New Zealand workplaces. This report, Understanding Stress and Bullying in New Zealand Workplaces, made for some uncomfortable reading. It noted that workplace stress and bullying were relatively widespread across the health sector. It also noted all sectors had limited understanding of the workplace bullying problem and how to address it through initiatives for its management and control.
New tools to respond The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) has decided to tackle the problem head on and is, in late February, to release a comprehensive bullying guide, “Best Practice Guidance: Preventing and responding to bullying at work” . This document has sections for both employees and employers and aims to help readers identify, assess, and manage bullying behaviours and re-establish healthy workplaces. This is a good thing, because, as the Bullying in New Zealand Workplaces key author notes “A bullying culture has developed and become normalised.”.
“Surely not in the nursing workforce?” There is significant evidence, both anecdotal and research based, to suggest bullying is widespread within the health work force. In fact one of the most staggering statistics in the MBIE report came from a 2004 report that suggested 90% of nursing students surveyed had experienced bullying during clinical placements. The truth is most workplaces can, and need to, do better when it comes to bullying. The other important point is that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure they create a workplace where bullying behaviour can’t thrive. For those reasons, NZNO are really looking forward to the launch of the guidelines and hope they are read far and wide – because we all need to get serious on bullying.
A brief history of infection prevention and control in New Zealand. In 1973 a Health Department Circular Letter (1973/112) sought information from all Hospital Boards about the then current procedures for 'dealing with infections acquired by patients in hospital'. In October 1974 a further letter (1974/189) was sent suggesting that all Hospital Boards establish Infection Control Committees. Overseas studies had shown hospital acquired infection rates to be somewhere between 5 - 20% and while there was some limited data available in NZ it was assumed that the situation would be the same. 1976 saw the first Infection Control Nurse appointed on a part-time basis in Palmerston North. By 1984 this had expanded to two full-time nurses. By June 1984 there were 8 full-time and 10 part-time Infection Control Nurses employed throughout NZ with status ranging from Supervisor to Staff Nurse. In 1982 as a response to the nurses themselves and with the assistance of Margaret Bazley (now Dame), who at that time was the Health Department Director of Nursing, the 'Special Interest Section of the NZ Nurses Association (NZNA)' was formed. This then became the NZ Nurses Organisation (NZNO) National Division of Infection Control Nurses (NDICN) when NZNA became NZNO. In 2013 the NDICN became the Infection Prevention & Control Nurses College (IPCNC), NZNO. The College currently has over 300 members across the country. In recent years the speciality has increasingly focused on preventing rather than controlling infections and the College name reflects this change. The NDICN, and now the IPCNC, is the only professional organisation representing infection prevention & control professionals in New Zealand and is well represented both nationally and internationally on Infection Prevention & Control working groups and committees.
Do join! The NZNO colleges and sections are the twenty professional groups of nurses whose purpose it is to advance the relevant specialty while providing national networking channels. As an NZNO member you are welcome to join any two of the twenty Colleges & Sections. For more information about the choices available to you, visit the NZNO website (http://www.nzno.org.nz/) under the ‘Groups’ heading.
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For example, the Infection Prevention and Control Nurses College and/or the Perioperative Nurses College could well be relevant to your work in the Private Hospital and Hospice Sector. Phone the NZNO Member Support Centre (0800 28 38 48) for assistance in joining one (or two) colleges or sections that interest you. You would be welcome to do so!
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Sector leaders Your Private Hospital and Hospice National Delegates Committee (NDC) met in Wellington on 26 November. This committee meets face to face twice a year with the next meeting to be held in April 2014. There are six members on the committee. This includes representation from Private Surgical Hospitals, Hospices and Trust Hospitals. The role of the committee includes representing, advising, consulting and involving members in the constituent group they represent. The committee acts as a reference group for all issues arising for members who are employed in the private hospital and hospice sector which includes commenting on policy documents and planning of future projects They also provide leadership and are part of developing strategies to support the work of NZNO members across all health sectors. We had a very productive November meeting with NDC members, including their sharing of issues across the private hospital and hospice sector which informs our sector work and strategy. One of the challenges we had identified a while ago was how to establish robust communication networks across the private hospital and hospice sector to ensure we represent members views. We have been discussing ways to meet this challenge and exploring ways to achieve same and have identified the number of delegates in the this sector with a view to starting up specific networks. So private hospital and hospice delegates, be prepared, your NDC network representative will contact you soon to begin the networking process including sharing and distributing information and finding out what your common issues are within groups and across the sector. Contact will take place over the coming months in time for NDC reps to be able to report back at the next NDC meeting in April 2014.
Level 3, Willbank Court, 57 Willis Street, Wellington 6011 PO Box 2128, Wellington 6140 Phone 0800 28 38 48 www.nzno.org.nz