SAFETY at work

we mean by safe workloads as described in our Ratios Saves Lives and Money 3 campaign as well what we mean by cultural safety as per our Cultural Safety Definition Position Statement

Recently, after many years of lobbying in alliance with other unions, we successfully secured both a Regulation and a Code (Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022) which comes into effect from 1 April 2023. The code will give workers, especially those employed in the health and aged care sectors in Queensland, some of the strongest protections in the country. We are pleased the code aligns with our safety expectations as set out in the QNMU’s PPE Standards. If implemented correctly by employers, the code may be the game changer we have been looking for to improve the work health, and safety of nurses of midwives across the state.

When the code commences, psychosocial hazards that will need to be actively managed by employers as listed by WorkSafe Qld includes, but is not limited to,:

■ High job demand – high physical, mental and emotional demands which can create risks to the health and safety of workers.

■ Low job control – refers to work in which workers have little or no control over that happens in their work environment.

■ Poor support – refers to tasks or jobs where workers have inadequate emotional and/practical support, inadequate training, or information to support their work performance or inadequate tools, equipment, or resources to do their job.

■ Poor organisational change management – refers to organisational change management that is poorly planned, communicated, supported, or managed.

■ Poor organisational justice – refers to work where there is a lack of procedural fairness, informational fairness, or interpersonal fairness.

Given the current workforce shortages, high workloads and increasing fatigue within the nursing and midwifery workforce, QNMU will be working with members to raise awareness of the new code and how it can be optimally applied in workplaces across the health and aged care sectors.

Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) will play a significant role in this work. We encourage all members who are HSRs to join QNMU’s HSR reference group to assist them in gathering the most up-to-date information and remain connected within our networks.

If your workplace doesn’t have an HSR, it is time to speak with your local Organiser about how to establish one or more in your local area.

More information about HSRs can be found on the Health and Safety Representatives Information Sheet www.qnmu.org.au/HSRInfo

Remember, work health and safety legislation including the regulation and the code applies to all workplaces – public, private, and aged care – all employers must comply with the legislation and the code.

Online resources

Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011: https://bit.ly/WHSact2011

QNMU’s Positive Practice Environment (PPE) Standards: www.qnmu.org.au/ PPEStandards

QNMU’s Ratios Saves Lives and Money 3 policy: www.qnmu.org.au/ RatiosSaveLives

QNMU’s Cultural Safety Definition Position Statement: www.qnmu.org.au/ CulturalSafety

Queensland Government’s Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice 2022: https://bit.ly/pshcop22

QNMU’s Health and safety representatives information sheets: www.qnmu.org.au/HSRInfo

1. https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/ laws-and-compliance/codes-ofpractice/managing-the-risk-ofpsychosocial-hazards-at-work-codeof-practice-2022

Qnmu

JANUARY - JUNE 2023

Make the most of your QNMU membership and enrol in our FREE education courses.

We have a huge line-up of courses scheduled over the coming year both online and face-to-face.

Check them out at www.qnmu.org.au/ events

Shift Worker Self-Care 101

In this powerful keynote, Wellness expert Mark Bunn explains why selfcare is now the single-most important skill for sustainable high-performance, as well as giving you some simple, ancient wisdom tips and tools to help you negate the potentially harmful effects of regular night shiftwork.

Mark will also discuss the 3 critical areas for recharging our mental health, wellbeing, motivation and morale.

2 CPD HRS FACE TO FACE

Toowoomba

18 April, 2.00pm - 4.00pm

Brisbane

19 April, 10.00am - 12.00pm

Cairns 18 May, 9.00am – 11.00am

Townsville 18 May, 5.30pm-7.30pm

Let’s make your workloads safer

In this workload management webinar, we’ll be discussing some of the industrial and professional mechanisms available to help you deal with workload issues, and practical strategies you and your colleagues can use.

You’ll hear about some great wins our members have achieved with workload issues!

1.5 CPD

Online 11 May, 4.30pm – 6.00pm 14 June, 9.00am – 10.30am

Positive Practice Environments (PPE)

Positive practice environments are settings that strive to ensure safe, quality care, improve productivity and performance and protect the health, safety and personal wellbeing of staff. The purpose of this 1-day course is to enable QNMU members to discuss and develop their understanding of the importance of culture and professional practice in developing a practice environment that is conducive to safe, quality patient/resident care, as outlined in the Positive Practice Environment Standards.

6.5 CPD HRS FACE TO FACE

– 4.00pm

– 4.00pm

Managing Burnout for Nurses and Midwives

As nurses and midwives we deal with a lot of stress in their professional and personal lives. In caring for others we give a lot of ourselves in the process, often at the expense of our own mental and physical health. And unfortunately, we’re just not that great at looking after ourselves! This opens us up to a high risk of burnout.

Join us for this webinar to learn more from the presenter Michelle Gordon.

1 CPD HR ONLINE

Online

8 May, 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Business Planning Framework (BPF) (QH only)

The BPF is a valuable tool for managing nursing and midwifery workload that is used by a NUM or MUM. The course will assist nurses and midwives with processes to manage nursing and midwifery workload supply and demand, as well as yearly planning, evaluation and negotiation required to provide quality frontline services.

The course works through the detail of developing a service profile, the seven steps to calculating nursing/midwifery hours per patient day and resource allocation. We will explore BPF notional ratios and legislated prescribed ratios as well as how to have the BPF signed off and operational within your unit.

4 CPD HRS FACE TO FACE Townsville

3 May, 8.00am – 12.00pm Cairns

23 May, 8.00am – 12.00pm

4 CPD HRS ONLINE Online

11 May, 12.00pm – 4.00pm

EB11 – Understanding Your Agreement (QH only)

EB11 is now in place but what has changed? Find out how to make the most of your rights and conditions contained in your new Queensland Health (QH) EB11 Nursing and Midwifery Agreement. Knowledge is power and it is vital for members to understand, and more importantly ensure, agreement provisions are complied with across QH.

6 CPD HRS FACE TO FACE Gold Coast

8 May, 9.00am – 4.00pm

Claiming what you are owed

It is only right and fair that nurses and midwives receive their full entitlements, are paid for all the work you do. We know many health care staff often miss meal breaks, work unpaid overtime, do handovers in your own time, and work beyond your finishing time.

Our Claiming what you are owed CPD event aims to empower members by ensuring you know what your entitlements are and how you can claim them.

2 CPD HRS ONLINE

Online

11 May, 9.00am – 11.00am

23 June, 1.00pm - 3.00pm

How to create a successful Branch Motion

Crafting and debating motions at the QNMU’s Annual Conference forms a significant part of the democratic process of our union. Submitting a motion at Conference is one of the most powerful ways you and your fellow QNMU members can have a say in our union’s priorities and day to day work.

But what makes an effective motion, and what are some things your branch can do to ensure your motion has the best chance of success at Conference?

This workshop has been developed to assist Local Branches in bringing issues to the QNMU Annual Conference via the motions process.

2 CPD HRS ONLINE

Online

26 May, 10.00am – 12.00pm

Introduction to being active in QNMU

This two-hour session is your chance to learn about how being active in the QNMU can help achieve real outcomes for nurses and midwives.

You will learn how you can work with your union to take collective action to improve your work environment, and what being a union member in your workplace is all about. Hear stories of your fellow members winning in their workplace - there are countless examples of QNMU members working together and securing great outcomes.

2

Best Practice Rostering Guidelines (BPRG) (QH only)

The BPRG are an important and critical resource for managers and supervisors to ensure an environment that provides safe and high-quality care. It is a pivotal function in the delivery of quality frontline services.

This training will assist you with the development of rosters to ensure there are the right staff available, and the necessary skills and training required to form the basis for decision making. Come along and find out how to improve the roster in your work unit.

4 CPD HRS FACE TO FACE Townsville

3 May, 12.30pm – 4.30pm

23 May, 12.30pm – 4.30pm

4 .5 CPD HRS ONLINE

17 May, 12.00pm – 4.00pm

Creating safe workplaces and managing fatigue

Unions throughout Australia have made significant inroads into improving the health and safety for workers. This course aims to provide nurses and midwives with practical advice and tools to create a safe workplace and manage fatigue. A must for nurses and midwives concerned about unsafe workplaces.

The Building Blocks of the QNMU*

Wondering what a Branch Delegate is, or keen to nominate as a Branch Delegate or Alternate Delegate? Or maybe you are already a Branch Delegate and want fresh ideas on how to run an effective Branch. This course has been specifically designed to explain the role of Delegates and Alternate Delegates and how these roles work to build power in workplaces.

Workplace Grief and Loss Workshop

The training objectives for this course are:

■ To prepare participants for death, grief, and loss in the workplace.

■ To support the development of resilience in the workplace.

■ To respond effectively and compassionately to grief and loss.

■ To provide strategies for moving forward after a grief and loss experience.

Training Testimonials

4.5 average rating

I feel like I’ve gained a lot of important information from this course and it has given me a lot of encouragement and direction. I feel empowered to take action in a positive way back in my workplace.

Online

14 June, 11.00am – 1.00pm