The Lamp February 2016

lamp THE MAGAZINE OF THE NSW NURSES AND MIDWIVES’ ASSOCIATION

VOLUME 73 No.1 FEBRUARY 2016

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ATTACK ON MEDICARE

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CONTENTS

CONTACTS NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association For all membership enquiries and assistance, including Lamp subscriptions and change of address, contact our Sydney office.

Sydney Office 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 (all correspondence) T 8595 1234 (metro) 1300 367 962 (non-metro) F 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au W www.nswnma.asn.au

VOLUME 73 No.1 FEBRUARY 2016

Hunter Office 8-14 Telford Street, Newcastle East NSW 2300 NSWNMA Communications Manager Janaki Chellam-Rajendra T 1300 367 962

COVER STORY

12 | Healthy EBA makes Healthscope workers happy A better way to solve staffing problems is an important feature of the new Healthscope agreement covering 2545 nurses and midwives working at 11 hospitals.

Andrea Pringley RN and Belinda Toulis RN PHOTOGRAPH: SHARON HICKEY

REGULARS

5 6 8 31 33 39 41 43 44 46

Editorial Your letters News in brief Ask Judith Social media Crossword Nursing research online Books Movies of the month Diary dates

MEDICARE

20 | Attack on Medicare continues

FAMILY VIOLENCE

18 | I’m a professional: this doesn’t happen to me In her role as an emergency department RN Angela Ivancevic was familiar with domestic violence but never dreamed it would happen to her.

SUPERANNUATION

22 | Senate throws out Super changes The Senate has rejected a Turnbull government plan to hand over employee superannuation to the big banks – but our ex-banker PM is determined to try again.

COMPETITION

6 | Win a luxurious stay in Kiama

SAFE STAFFING

24 | Less jobs for nurses when new hospital opens

For all editorial enquiries letters and diary dates T 8595 1234 E lamp@nswnma.asn.au M 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 Produced by Hester Communications T 9568 3148 Press Releases Send your press releases to: F 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au Editorial Committee • Brett Holmes, NSWNMA General Secretary • Judith Kiejda, NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary • Coral Levett, NSWNMA President • Peg Hibbert, Hornsby & Ku-Ring-Gai Hospital • Michelle Cashman, Long Jetty Continuing Care • Richard Noort, Justice Health Advertising Sarah Emms T 8595 2139 or 0429 269 750 F 9662 1414 E saemms@nswnma.asn.au Information and Records Management Centre To find archived articles from The Lamp, or to borrow from the NSWNMA nursing and health collection, contact: Jeannette Bromfield, Coordinator T 8595 2175 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au The Lamp ISSN: 0047-3936 General disclaimer The Lamp is the official magazine of the NSWNMA. Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily those of the NSWNMA. Statements of fact are believed to be true, but no legal responsibility is accepted for them. All material appearing in The Lamp is covered by copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. The NSWNMA takes no responsibility for the advertising appearing herein and it does not necessarily endorse any products advertised.

Privacy Privacy statement: The NSWNMA collects personal information from members in order to perform our role of representing their industrial and professional interests. We place great emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the privacy and security of your personal information. Personal information is protected under law and can only be released to someone else where the law requires or where you give permission. If you have concerns about your personal information please contact the NSWNMA office.

If you are still not satisfied that your privacy is being maintained you can contact the Privacy Commission.

Subscriptions for 2016 Free to all Association members. Professional members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $30.

Individuals $80, Institutions $135, Overseas $145.

Workforce plans for a new Bryon Shire hospital have left nurses in northern New South Wales fearing for their future.

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 3

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EDITORIAL

BY JUDITH KIEJDA ACTING GENERAL SECRETARY

New leader, same old attack on Medicare The more things change the more things stay the same, goes the saying.

It is certainly true of the federal government’s attitude to health funding — despite a changing of the guard at the top.

“We had hopes that Malcolm Turnbull’s elevation to Prime Minister would see a more intelligent and evidence-based approach to health policy.”

Tony Abbott’s tenure as Prime Minister was marked by a sustained attack on Medicare and health funding, beginning with his government’s first budget.

While the GP co-payment became the iconic issue that defined the government’s disregard for our globally admired universal healthcare system, there were other time bombs in that budget that will have a profound influence on our health system in the future.

In Abbott’s first budget the federal government reduced hospital funding by $1.8 billion by withdrawing funding guarantees made in the National Health Reform Agreement. A further funding shortfall of $941 million over four years was announced in the 2014 Budget Update.

We had hopes that Malcolm Turnbull’s elevation to Prime Minister would see a more intelligent and evidence-based approach to health policy and an acknowledgement that Medicare was not only world class in its outcomes but also financially efficient.

These hopes have been dashed with the latest budget update. A further $650 million has been ripped out of health funding. Incredibly this money has been taken out of preventative health, which one expert has commented will see “the longer term costs ricochet back to government in continuing and escalating health payments when illness and disability increases, and in welfare payments when illness and disability reduce employability and economic participation (pp 26)”.

Women will bear the brunt of this latest attack with up front costs for pap smears and ultrasounds. This has rightfully mobilised many people to oppose these cuts and the Association stands strongly with them.

VIOLENCE IN OUR HOSPITALS IS UNACCEPTABLE Of late, violence in our EDs seems to be the staple diet of current affairs shows. We have been pressing NSW Health to do more to protect staff and patients from this intolerable risk for some time.

At our annual conference last year there was a resolution calling for mandated security personnel in our hospital EDs. This was rejected

by NSW Health who says the current protocols are adequate.

We disagree. The government needs to be more transparent about the issue of violence in the workplace. We know staff members are encouraged to report incidents in the workplace, but that information is held by the Local Health Districts and the Ministry and is rarely assessed.

We have developed a function on our NSWNMA App for members to report violent incidents directly to us, so we can offer support and take up issues with local management or the Ministry directly.

The issue of violence and aggression in public hospitals led discussions at our January Committee of Delegates meeting and the Association will continue to lobby the government to take this issue more seriously.

UNIONS, TOO, REMAIN A LIBERAL TARGET The Royal Commission into unions has finally finished and Malcolm Turnbull has been quick to flag his intention to use its findings to make unions a federal election issue.

Clearly, unions must recognise the wrongdoings revealed at the Commission and some unions have work to do to implement effective governance structures. To protect our members’ interests the NSWNMA has a governance structure that goes well beyond legal requirements.

It would be naïve and unrealistic to think that in such a large movement, operating in such a charged, adversarial environment, there won’t be some people who will at some time be tempted to put their own interests before the people they represent. This risk exists in any large organisation or movement.

For all the time, energy and money that the Royal Commission expended looking at the activity of the whole union movement over decades, it uncovered relatively little.

It uncovered enough to create the sensational headlines Tony Abbott wanted. But it would be a travesty if the government, for its own political ends, used this Royal Commission to undermine the good work that unions do every day.

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 5

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*Conditions apply. Rooms subject to availability. Offer valid to the 30 September 2016. Prize must be redeemed by 28 Feb 2017 and is valid from Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through to Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Competition entries from NSWNMA members only and limited to one entry per member. Competition opens 1 February 2016 and closes 29 February 2016. The prize is drawn on 1 March 2016. If a redraw is required for an unclaimed prize it must be held up to 3 months from the original draw date. NSW Permit no: LTPM/14/00042

Retired members stay active The idea of the Association forming a retired membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; group has been simmering on the stove for some time, with many great minds turning towards an outcome that I am pleased to say was endorsed by the Council of the NSWNMA in December 2015.

This group is to be called the NSWNMA Retired Member Activist Group (RMAG).

As people told us they were retiring we asked them to complete a survey asking if they would like to see such a group formed.

Most people said they would welcome meeting up with other retired members in their area and that they were interested in seeing the profession and their health services maintained.

However they also told us that, after a fairly structured working life, they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be tied down to formal meetings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; minutes and other duties associated with the NSWNMA workplace Branch structure. They were only willing to be involved in campaigns etc. when they had the time. This means we are not a Branch.

To get the group up and running I have volunteered to be the interim convener (I like that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit like Governor but not quite!).

When there are meetings those present can elect a chair (Governor) for that meeting until the next one.

Getting retired members from all over the state together would be like herding cats, however I can see (RMAG) groups forming in many smaller areas.

For larger meetings the Association should provide, if necessary, a minute-keeper and bring sausages and other accoutrements of the unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largesse. Council should receive the minutes.

Who knows? Once in a blue moon we may have a good idea.

Seriously though, there are many of us who are grateful for what the Association has contributed to our well being and are prepared to lend a hand.

I am mindful of the need not to draw unreasonably on the Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources, but someone in the organisation needs to keep a database of RMAG members and that person is Lynne Ridge.

The best â&#x20AC;&#x201C; well, the only â&#x20AC;&#x201C; way for us to put you in touch with other retired members in your area is to ensure we have your email and mobile numbers. These details will be kept on the RMAG database and only shared with relevant people.

Many of you have experience in running a branch and may like to assist your local workplace branch, especially when they are running campaigns or promotions. Noone wants an old retired branch official giving gratuitous advice, however some of us do have a certain wisdom.

Most of us are quite good at useful, lateral thought.

YOUR LETTERS

There is a long list of what the RMAG could get up to.

Many want to be part of campaigns relevant to the profession and remember, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be sacked, passed over for promotion or put on night duty for the rest of our lives!

Some of us like to attend rallies and demos but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to know when they are on and if there are buses to take us there.

There are many things we can do and we are a group of volunteers who must pay our own way, with the help of some organisational co-ordination.

Those who participate should be willing to do something from time-to-time but there are to be no performance reviews.

Furthermore, It will be fun. It must be fun!

Charles Linsell Life Member Five Dock Thanks for The Lamps I have decided to retire and travel (life is too short when people around you are dying.)

Thank you for all those interesting Lamps over the many years.

Thank the Lord Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never needed the Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistance in any court case or with anything else over the years, [but] it has always been reassuring to know you were there during my nursing journey (the best career for anyone to have).

Anne Lawson RN Cootamundra Building healthier networks I have just been on a two-day training course run by the Sydney Alliance and could not recommend it enough.

The course looks at addressing community issues and uniting diverse groups to face challenges as a stronger collective. The team that ran the course was fun and friendly and the topics covered included approaches to communication, community engagement strategies and building healthier networks.

I really feel I took so much away from this course and I look forward to implementing what I learnt both in my hospital and general community.

I believe that as health professionals we need to gain as much knowledge as possible to contribute to our clinical practice and respond to the challenges of our political and social environment.

Anyone interested in improving their approach to healthcare or passionate about the challenges our communities face â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this course is for you.

Morgan Taleb RN Oatley

Sydney Alliance 2-Day Training course Thursday 7- Friday 8 April, 2016 National Tertiary Education Union Holt St, Surry Hills Visit www.sydneyalliance.org.au/2_day_training to register.

LE TTE R OF THE MONTH

Cuts will hurt women I was extremely disappointed to learn of Mr Turnbullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposed cuts to Medicare, which will unfairly impact on womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health.

The essential diagnostic Pap smear testing, along with breast screening MRIs, just to name a couple, should be non-negotiable when it comes to saving costs in the budget. Costs will deter some women from early diagnosis, which is critical for an optimal health outcome.

The impact on families of delayed or late diagnosis or detection of cancer cannot be understated.

Adding extra cost burdens to tests and treatment does nothing but unfairly enhance an already stressful situation.

Degrading current standards of health care for women is just not acceptable Mr Turnbull!

Debbie Lang RN Green Point

HAVE YOUR SAY Send your letters to: Editorial Enquiries email lamp@nswnma.asn.au fax 9662 1414 mail 50 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017.

Please include a high resolution photo along with your name, address, phone and membership number.

Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Anonymous letters will not be published.

Letter of the month The letter judged the best each month will win a $50 Coles Group & Myer gift card!

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Australia

WA cuts hospital jobs The West Australian government announced more than 1100 full-time equivalent hospital jobs would be cut in Perth’s southern hospitals – the WA Medical Association said the government was “being a little bit dishonest” and the real number could be up to 3000.

According to The Guardian more than 290 jobs will be cut from the new Fiona Stanley Hospital, while almost 570 jobs are expected to go from Royal Perth Hospital.

The state government expects 526 clinical jobs to be cut from Perth’s southern region, in addition to 637 non-clinical service roles.

WA health minister Kim Hames cited the high level of wages paid to nurses, relative to other states, as one reason for the high cost per patient in Western Australia.

Labor opposition health spokesman Roger Cook described the job cuts as “breathtaking”. He said WA patients and hospital workers would be forced to bear the brunt of the state’s economic troubles.

“If you’re cutting hundreds of millions of dollars out of the South Metropolitan Health Service, this means that patients will wait longer for care, this means the ambulance queues will continue to grow and this means that health services in WA will suffer,” he said.

Britain

Nurses take to London streets More than 4000 nurses marched the streets of London in January to protest cuts to the National Health Service, in particular to student nurse bursaries.

The British Ministry of Health has proposed replacing student nurse bursaries with loans to save the government £800 million a year.

Nurse unions argue that the bursaries are the most common source of funding for the majority of student nurses due to the long placement work they have to undertake during their studies. They say the cuts to bursaries could leave students with a debt of about £50,000 when the starting salary is no more than £23,000.

Head of the Royal College of Nursing Janet Davies said: “Student nurses and midwives are the profession’s future and their voices and concerns must and should be listened to.

“Over our 100-year history, the RCN has a long track record in the education of nurses and the government should listen to our knowledge and expertise as it consults on these ill thought out plans. The future of nursing must be protected. Our patients deserve nothing less.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Australia

Court upholds plain packaging laws

“Smoking in Australia is falling in adults, in children and by tobacco volume sales.”

Australia has won an international legal battle to uphold its world-leading tobacco control measures, with tobacco giant Philip Morris failing in its attempt to challenge plain packaging under a bilateral trade agreement with Hong Kong, reports The Guardian.

Fiona Nash, Australian government minister responsible for tobacco policy, welcomed “the unanimous decision by the tribunal” that threw out the Philip Morris claim.

The Public Health Association of Australia welcomed the decision as “the best Christmas present for public health nationally and internationally.

“Smoking in Australia is falling in adults, in children and by tobacco volume sales,” said the association’s chief executive Michael Moore. “Now the tobacco companies have lost another crucial legal bid to stop this life-saving measure.

“The message is loud and clear – plain packaging works and is here to stay.”

Professor Mike Daube, who chaired the government’s expert committee recommending plain packaging, said tobacco companies were “desperate to prevent plain packaging here and internationally because they know it works”.

Experts believe the decision could give other countries greater confidence to follow Australia’s lead in outlawing company logos on cigarette packets and moving to designs dominated by graphic health warnings.

Labor’s health spokeswoman Catherine King welcomed the decision as a vindication of the strategy introduced by the former Labor government.

“As feared by tobacco companies, Australia’s lead is now creating an unstoppable momentum with France joining Britain and Ireland in voting to introduce plain packaging – and dozens of other countries set to follow,” she said.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Britain

Global

Taxing issue of sugary drinks

Burning wood threatens refugee health

A new study published in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology has found that reducing the amount of sugar in soft drinks and fruit juices by 40 per cent over five years could prevent 300,000 cases of diabetes in the UK and stop 1.5 million people from being overweight or obese.

The study authors, Professor Graham and his associates at Queen Mary University of London, estimated how much a person’s energy intake would fall through the hypothetical drop in sugar content and the resultant reduction in body weight.

The report calculated that a 40 per cent drop in sugar over five years would, by the end of the final year, see an average drop in adult body weight of 1.2 kilograms, meaning about 500,000 adults would no longer be overweight and a million would not be obese.

This in turn would prevent between 274,000 and 309,000 cases of obesity-related Type 2 diabetes during the next 20 years.

The report was welcomed by advocates for a tax on sugary drinks, a policy that has been introduced to great success in Mexico.

Tim Lobstein, head of policy for the World Obesity Federation, said a soft drinks tax should also be considered.

“In combination, such measures could have a substantially greater effect on sugar consumption than in isolation, bringing even greater relief to the over-stretched budgets of the UK’s health services,” he said.

The “huge dependency” of refugees on wood and charcoal-based fuels has serious consequences for their health, according to a report by the British think tank Chatham House.

The authors calculated that cooking with wood caused 20,000 premature deaths among displaced people each year. The use of alternatives such as improved cook stoves and solar lamps could save money and lives, they say.

“We think now is an important time to look at this issue because of the crisis of displacement and the crisis of migration that we are seeing across the world,” co-author Glada Lahn told the BBC. “We have numbers edging towards 60 million people and it is rising. This is greater than the populations of Australia and Canada put together.”

The report highlights that energy use among displaced people is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable, with women and children bearing the greatest brunt.

Ms Lahn said the research suggested that about 90 per cent of people living in refugee camps had no access to electricity.

“Many of them live in the dark at night because there is very little street lighting. There is a huge dependence on wood-based fuels, such as charcoal, for cooking. About 77 per cent of energy use came from wood and charcoal.

“Reliance on these fuels disproportionately affects women and girls.

This is because it is almost always women and girls that go outside of the camps to collect firewood. There are many instances of attacks and rape.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Australia

Australia

OECD gives big tick to Medicare

600 companies did not pay tax

There was a lot of good news for Australia in an OECD report released late last year, evaluating the quality of healthcare.

According to the OECD: “Australia compares favourably to its OECD peers on many indicators of health. At 82.2 years, life expectancy is the sixth highest in the OECD. Australia has the fourth lowest smoking rate in the OECD of 12.8 per cent, and the heart disease mortality rate is well below the OECD average.

“The country’s breast cancer five-year survival rate of 88 per cent is behind that of only Sweden, the United States, Norway and Finland. Australia achieves good health outcomes relatively efficiently, with health expenditure at 8.8 per cent of GDP.” On the down side the report found that Australia is the fifth most obese country with 28.3 per cent of Australians, aged 15 and over, obese.

The OECD also found the Australian health care system particularly complex, with responsibilities split between federal and state governments, which they say has led to a fragmented system that is difficult for patients to navigate.

The OECD report found that big spending on healthcare in the United States came up well short in terms of outcome. The US remains the world’s most profligate spender on health care, according to the OECD. In 2013 America spent, on average, $8713 per person—two and a half times as much as the OECD average.Yet the average American dies 1.7 years earlier than the average OECD citizen. This longevity gap has grown by a year since 2003.

Americans have the same life expectancy as Chileans, even though Chile spends less than a fifth of what America spends on health care per person.

Almost 600 major corporations did not pay tax in the 2013-14 financial year according to the Australian Taxation Office.

More than 1500 companies with annual incomes of more than $100 million are on the list, reported the ABC. Technology giant Apple had total income of about $6.1 billion and while the company’s tax payment was the largest of the multinational tech giants, at just over $74 million, that only equated to around 1 per cent of its total income in the 2013-14 financial year. Microsoft had taxable income close to $104 million, less than a fifth of its total revenue of $568 million, while its tax bill was about $31 million – just 5 per cent of income.

Google’s total income was about $358 million, but only a quarter of that was taxable. Google’s tax bill was $9 million.

Cleaning company Spotless Group, which has been accused of underpaying its staff working at department store Myer, made about $2.2 billion, but paid no tax.

Other large companies that did not pay tax in the 201314 financial year included Qantas,Virgin Australia, General Motors,Vodafone, ExxonMobil, online betting shop William Hill, Warner Bros Entertainment, property developer Lend Lease and media company Ten Network Holdings.

Registered Nurses working in NSW Public Mental Health Services

OPPORTUNITY FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT What is it?

BOB FENWICK MEMORIAL MENTORING GRANTS PROGRAM APPLICATIONS OPEN 1 FEBRUARY 2016 CLOSE 4 MARCH 2016 Applications are now open to registered nurses who want a unique opportunity to further their mental health nursing career by participating in this innovative Program.

The Program aims to encourage less experienced mental health nurses to take the opportunity to be mentored by a more experienced colleague, assisting them to achieve their mental health professional practice goals.

Who can apply?

Any registered nurse currently working in NSW public mental health services is eligible to apply. Those with less than 2 years experience and/or working in NSW rural or remote services are particularly encouraged to apply.

What will each mentoring grant include?

Matching with a mentor in a Local Health District (LHD) other than their own

for up to 5 consecutive days to pursue their mental health areas of interest.

Being provided with travel, accommodation and meal allowance, while remaining a fully paid employee of their regular mental health service during their placement.

Seeking Mentors for the Program If you are a senior mental health nurse, you can help build the specialty of mental health nursing by nominating yourself to become a mentor. Simply use the Mentor Details Form or contact the Program Manager for more information.

How do I apply?

Expressions of Interest forms and more detailed information about the Program (including a video interview of past participants) can be found on the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association website www.nswnma.asn.au You can contact the Program Manager by email: mhmgrant@nswnma.asn.au or contact Matt West on 1300 367 962. Completed applications must be in the hands of the Program Manager no later than 4 March 2016.

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 11

COVER STORY

Healthy EBA makes Healthscope workers happy A better way to solve staffing problems is an important feature of the new Healthscope agreement covering 2545 nurses and midwives working at 11 hospitals.

NSWNMA MEMBERS AT PRIVATE HOSPITAL operator Healthscope have welcomed an improved agreement covering the next four years. The vote was 98.5 per cent in favour of accepting the agreement.

NSWNMA Acting General Secretary Judith Kiejda says the Healthscope Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) includes a better process for dealing with staffing issues, a pay rise and several other important improvements.

“There is now a clear requirement for management to consider patient acuity and professional nursing and midwifery standards in deciding patient loads,” she said.“The workloads clause includes a 48hour timeframe for management to investigate and try to respond to staffing issues.

“There is also the avenue of regular discussions about workloads at a unit level to identify problems early,” Judith said.

Judith says more than 60 per cent of nurses and midwives responded to an Association survey designed to identify their main concerns, with workloads clearly their number one priority.

The survey results helped the NSWNMA develop a list of claims to improve wages and conditions. A campaign committee, including nurses and midwives representing individual hospitals, met monthly to guide the campaign.

PAY RATES EXCEED PUBLIC Under the agreement pay rates will move ahead of most other private hospitals and the public sector, with pay increases totalling 12 per cent over four years.

The average three per cent annual increase is well

ahead of inflation, which now runs at around 1.5 per cent per year. Educators and enrolled nurses get additional increases.

As well as pay rises there will be improvements to rosters, on-call rates and parental leave.

There were no “trade-offs” in the agreement, which the NSWNMA has been negotiating since August.

In a first for any private hospitals in New South Wales, Healthscope nurses experiencing family violence will have access to five days additional paid leave for court hearings, counselling, medical appointments and moving home.

There is also an improved process for dealing with bullying that highlights the right to be represented by your union.

Some on-call allowances will go up by five per cent each year of the agreement, starting in July 2016.

The higher on-call rates paid currently at some hospitals will not increase during the agreement.

Other improvements include an increase in paid parental leave from nine to 10 weeks, two weeks notice of rosters, new classifications for enrolled nurses with additional qualifications and increased minimum shift length.

The agreement will cover new employees at the 488-bed Northern Beaches Hospital due to open at the end of 2018.

There was not enough time for Hunter Valley Private Hospital – recently purchased by Healthscope – to be covered by the agreement. However Hunter Valley Private nurses and midwives approved an almost identical agreement negotiated by the NSWNMA.

“Nurses and midwives were far more involved in the campaign than ever before.”

— Acting General Secretary Judith Kiejda 12 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

Healthscope agreement — the main points • 12% wage increase over four years.

• Additional increases for educators.

• New classifications for enrolled nurses with additional qualifications.

• Two weeks notice of rosters.

• Increased minimum engagement: four hours for • • • •

part- and full-timers, three hours for casuals.

Extra week paid parental leave.

Some on-call allowances increasing 5% per year.

Separate paid family violence leave.

Commitment to a bully free workplace.

Growing support for NSWNMA Union membership among Healthscope nurses and midwives increased during the campaign for the new agreement.

More than half of Healthscope hospitals have formed NSWNMA branches and others are expected to follow.

“Nurses and midwives were far more involved in the campaign than ever before,” Acting General Secretary Judith Kiejda said.

“We got a far better agreement, especially the improved process to fix staffing issues, as a result of members becoming more active.

“The union has already started training new branch activists to give them the confidence and skills to deal with workplace issues.”

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 13

COVER STORY

“Happy with pay rise” Andrea Pringley RN, Norwest Private Hospital “The union handled the negotiations very well.

Our officials always made themselves available for discussions.

It’s hard to leave work to attend meetings when you’re working in theatres. Fortunately the union staff made the effort to come and explain the situation to those of us who couldn’t get to meetings. Quite a few nurses joined the union during the campaign.

There are some good things in our new agreement. We are happy with the 12 per cent pay rise that will start in 2016.

Rosters have been an issue in the past, but under this agreement the roster needs to be out two weeks in advance.”

“The union handled the negotiations very well.”

“Win for patient safety” Karin Morris, NSWNMA branch president, Nepean Private Hospital “The new agreement is a win for patient safety, which should be paramount. The improved workloads clause can help to ensure hospitals are adequately staffed and standards of patient care are maintained. The new clause has fewer grey areas and the challenge now is to translate it into practical outcomes.

The union surveys were a good way of finding out how nurses felt about the issues. Staff members at Nepean Private were happy to have their say online, even though they were busy.

I was involved with all the union meetings and

14 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

teleconferences and the union staff kept in constant contact to make sure we knew what was happening.

We picked up some extra members during the campaign.

Some people were reluctant to attend meetings and be seen as a union member. Our secretary Michael Yu, delegate Michelle Gorman and I did a lot of canvassing and encouraged people to attend.

We always had a reasonable number at meetings and a lot more conversations in the workplace.

I think people are more confident to stick with the union now they know we can make a difference together.”

“Family violence leave is a great step forward” Belinda Toulis RN, Norwest Private Hospital “The pay rise is great because it will keep us ahead of inflation.

The workloads clause is an improvement too – especially if you’re a ward nurse – and some of the on-call rates will go up as well.

The union staff did a great job. It was good that they came to speak to us at theatres as well as in the branch meetings. It’s usually hard for theatre nurses to get to branch meetings so the union people came to the theatre tearoom to bring us up to date on the campaign.

The introduction of family violence leave is a great step forward. I’ve been a victim of that myself in the past so I think its fantastic we have achieved family violence leave for the first time.

People definitely took more of an interest in union matters during the campaign and a lot of people joined up. I think you’re crazy not to be in the union: without it we would struggle to get any improvements to our conditions.”

“There was good communication” Natasha Clark RN, Nepean Private Hospital “I was happy with the outcome of the EBA negotiations – we got a lot more out of this agreement than ever before.

I think that was because of a stronger union presence in our hospital.

We had a team of members who formed a group to represent the union at Nepean Private. It was helpful to finally have a group of people here who could relay our concerns as a Healthscope hospital in Penrith. They acted as a link between the nurses here and the union staff.

It wasn’t a matter of us just relying on other Healthscope hospitals to fight for the things we wanted.

I never got to go to the union meetings. I stayed on the ward so our delegates could attend meetings and come back and relay everything to us. There was always good communication about what was happening during the campaign.

Workloads were the big issue for the nurses here – especially for some of the staff on night shift. It is important that the agreement now says patient acuity must be taken into account when working out staffing levels.

That is particularly important in high dependency. In the past management just looked at patient numbers but now they are actually looking at the state of the patients. You can definitely sense a change.”

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 15

COVER STORY

Breakthrough gains Healthscope is the first of the four biggest private hospital operators in New South Wales to agree to paid family violence leave.

FAMILY VIOLENCE LEAVE AND AN ANTIbullying provision are two important new features of the Healthscope enterprise agreement.

The new agreement provides for five days additional paid leave for staff experiencing family violence.

Until this breakthrough only about one third of NSWNMA members in the private sector had access to some form of family violence leave.

Most private sector agreements allow nurses and midwives to use their sick and personal leave for family violence-related reasons, but in the public sector an additional paid five days leave is available.

Welcoming the breakthrough, NSWNMA Acting General Secretary Judith Kiejda said the Association had fought hard for four years to incorporate family violence leave into awards and agreements.

“Access to paid leave goes some way toward helping women stay in their jobs and maintain financial independence while dealing with the effects of domestic violence,” Judith said. “We call on all employers to play their part in combating domestic violence by accepting the need for paid family violence leave.”

She said the need to bring private operators into line with the public sector was highlighted by the results of a union survey taken in 2012, which found that 33 per cent of NSWNMA members had personally experienced family violence.

FAMILY VIOLENCE LEAVE A FIRST As nurse Belinda Toulis, a NSWNMA member at Norwest Private Hospital told The Lamp:“I’ve been a victim of that myself in the past so I think it’s fantastic that we have achieved family violence leave for the first time.”

The Healthscope agreement defines family violence as “violent or threatening behaviour (including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or financial abuse)

16 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

directed towards an employee by a member of the person’s immediate family or household that causes the employee physical or psychological harm that has been reported to the police and/or may be the subject of an Apprehended Violence Order.”

The agreement allows up to five days per year of paid leave to attend legal proceedings, counselling, appointments with a medical or legal practitioner and “relocation and safety activities directly associated with alleviating the effects of family and domestic violence.”

If the paid leave entitlement runs out an employee may request further periods of unpaid leave, for the same activities for which the paid leave would be available.

In order to substantiate the purpose of paid or unpaid family violence leave the employer may request evidence of an apprehended violence order or police report.

In order to protect privacy it will “generally be unnecessary to access significant detail related to the precise circumstances of the family violence.”

NEW ANTI-BULLYING CLAUSE The Healthscope agreement also includes a new anti-bullying clause that outlines the process to follow if bullying occurs.

It highlights the right of nurses and midwives to be represented by their union, the NSWNMA. “Healthscope aims to provide a workplace free of bullying and other inappropriate workplace behaviour,” the agreement states. “Where an employee encounters what they deem inappropriate workplace behaviour, they are encouraged to address this conduct through (1) appropriate personal feedback to the person(s) concerned and/or (2) by discussing this matter with relevant management personnel.

“Nothing in this agreement prevents an employee from seeking support from any relevant jurisdiction or from engaging the NSWNMA or another representative.”

Leave for delegates The Healthscope agreement provides paid leave of up to five days per year to union delegates.

The leave allows delegates to attend union training courses and annual or biennial conferences of the NSWNMA. “In the event that such attendances create or potentially create operational difficulties at the hospital, the hospital will notify the Association of such difficulty. Approval of such leave shall not be unreasonably withheld,” the agreement says.

The Association has already begun training Healthscope delegates to help them implement their new agreement.

Nepean Private Healthscope members (from left to right): Clarina Alit (front), Cheryl Simon (Back), Natasha Clark, Michael Yu, Jodie-Ann Fleming, Melanie Ross.

“Big win on workloads” Vickie Bergquist RN, Newcastle Private Hospital

Vickie Bergquist RN

“The workloads issue is the big win in our new agreement. Acuity of patients must now be taken into account when deciding staffing levels. Hopefully that will help to improve the work environment and patient care. We can now use the new clause to take issues up with management.

I was one of three delegates on the union negotiating committee. Our first meeting with management was quite intimidating. They didn’t seem very willing to negotiate and I came away feeling a bit deflated.

In the second meeting the union presented management with more than 400 stories from nurses and midwives.

They gave examples of workplace problems that needed fixing and they

were overwhelmingly about workloads.

Management started listening after we presented the survey results.

The campaign was a huge eye opener. I learned how important member involvement is to win improvements to our pay and conditions.

The union did an awesome job. If we didn’t have a union branch at the hospital, with the union head office supporting us, I don’t think we would have got much at all in the new EBA. The campaign has left me better equipped to do my job as a branch official. However, we are a relatively new branch so we still need a lot of support.

We have a lot of new members and we should encourage them not to be afraid to speak up.

We need to keep our local NSWNMA branch strong to implement this agreement and make our presence felt when the next enterprise bargaining round comes along.”

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 17

FAMILY VIOLENCE

I’m a professional: this doesn’t happen to me In her role as an emergency department RN Angela Ivancevic was familiar with domestic violence but never dreamed it would happen to her.

TWO YEARS AGO ANGELA IVANCEVIC WAS hiding in a cupboard, afraid for her life.

Since then she has spoken to community groups, been interviewed on television current affairs shows and in newspapers and now, in a new education module Surviving Domestic and Family Violence, Angela tells her story again.

On the eve of her birthday in February 2013 Angela and her husband returned home from a wedding, the first night out without their one-year-old baby.

When her husband fell asleep on the floor Angela asked him to come to bed: “The only way I can explain it, is to say he just pounced on me and he just kept hitting me.

“I remember pushing him off me and getting into a cupboard but it didn’t lock from the inside. I called my mum and he got in to the cupboard and pulled me out by my hair and he kept going and I kept saying ‘please, I love you, please, I’m the mother of your child’.”

His response was “I don’t give a f**k” and he kept punching.

18 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

“And then he stomped on my head.At that moment I knew if I didn’t get out I would be dead. I don’t know where the adrenalin came from but I pushed him and he went flying over the coffee table and I ran outside in my pyjamas.”

NEED TO EMPOWER WOMEN The eLearning module in which Angela features has been developed by the NSW Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) in partnership with the NSW Ministry of Health, Local Health Districts and the NSW Health Education Centre Against Violence (ECAV). It will assist nurses and midwives to empower the women in their care to talk about their experiences and to show them there are ways out of this dance of love and death. It acknowledges that many women will be reluctant to admit a partner beat them.

When people asked her about her bruises Angela would tell them she was hit during a martial arts class or had been in a car accident.

When she took up a new job two

weeks after the final attack, still heavily bruised, she told her manager the truth.

“It turned out six or seven others in the department had been through the same or worse,” she said.“My manager said ‘don’t be a statistic’.

“Although I have to admit that for a month or two I wanted to go back to my husband, because I thought I loved him and because we were married and we had a child and a house and material things I had worked hard for.

“But if I wasn’t going to be a statistic and I was going to help other women – because otherwise where does it stop – then how could I still be in that situation myself?”

The HETI module Domestic and Family Violence Screening says the preamble and questioning on domestic violence should be introduced about two thirds of the way into a patient’s standard medical history or assessment, allowing time to establish a rapport.

The material provided to every woman who is screened, whether they acknowledge

Violence against women: key statistics RATES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & MEN SINCE THE AGE OF 15:

“I WASN’T GOING TO BE A STATISTIC AND I WAS GOING TO HELP OTHER WOMEN BECAUSE OTHERWISE, WHERE DOES IT STOP?”

1 in 5

1 in 22

Australian women had experienced sexual violence

Australian men had experienced sexual violence

1 in 6

1 in 19

Australian women had experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or

Australian men had experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or

— Angela Ivancevic RN

1 in 4 6

11inin19 7

Australian Australian women womenhad experienced had experienced physical or emotional sexual violence abuse from a current or former partner

Australian Australian men men had experienced physical or sexual violence emotional abuse from a current or former partner

1 in 3

1 in 2

Australian women had experienced physical violence

Australian men had experienced physical violence

Violence against women: key statistics Research from the 2012 ABS Personal Safety Survey shows that both men and women in Australia experience substantial levels of violence.

Australian women are most likely to experience physical and sexual violence in their home, at the hands of a male current or ex-partner.

36%

36% of women had experienced physical or sexual violence from someone they knew.

15% of women had experienced physical or sexual violence from an ex-partner (the most likely type of known perpetrator for

15%

For 62% of the women who had experienced physical assault by a male perpetrator, the most recent incident was in their home.

62%

Women’s experiences of violence Australian women are most likely to experience physical and sexual violence in their home, at the hands of a male current or ex-partner. Of women who had

they are domestic violence victims or not, stresses that violence is never okay and includes information about organisations that can help them move on from the situation.

It stresses that domestic and family violence crosses cultural, class, racial, geographic and religious boundaries, that it is a human rights violation and that the victim is not at fault – something Angela found out the hard way.

DOESN’T HAPPEN TO ME When police arrived on the night of her attack, Angela says she found herself apologising.

“I kept saying ‘I’m so sorry, this doesn’t happen to me, I’m a professional’.

“In that moment it just went through my head, if I’m a professional, I’m an educated girl, own a house and this and that and obviously very much a career type: how could this be?”

Currently 63 per cent of women aged over 16 and attending mental health, alcohol or other drug services, and women attending antenatal services, are screened for domestic violence.

Pregnancy and the birth of a baby often trigger domestic violence. In Angela’s case her baby was just one-year-old when the final and most vicious attack occurred, following two years of punches, kick, slaps and verbal abuse.

Screening is not routine in accident and emergency departments but there are HETI training programs to raise awareness of the signs of domestic abuse, such as multiple admissions and injuries that don’t match the stated cause of the injuries.

73%

73% had experienced more than one incident of violence.

61% had children in their care when the violence occurred, including

61%

58%

58% had never contacted the police.

children had seen and heard the violence.

24%

24% had never sought advice or support.

15%

Australian women are more likely to be sexually assaulted by a person they know than a stranger.

Young women are particularly vulnerable to

Of all Australian women, 15% had been sexually assaulted by a person they knew, since the age of 15.

3.8% had been sexually assaulted by a stranger.

SOURCE: ANROWS.ORG.AU

For more details of eLearning modules: www.heti.nsw.gov.au In the 10 years to 2012 there were 1184 domestic and family violence homicides in Australia, equivalent to two deaths a week, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology.

In New South Wales, 24 per cent of domestic violence victims were men killed by the person they had abused. There were no cases where a female domestic abuser killed a male abuse victim.

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 19

MEDICARE

Attack on Medicare continues We may have a new Prime Minister but the undermining of Medicare continues.

ANOTHER $650 MILLION WAS RIPPED OUT of health funding under the federal government’s budget update.

Women could pay $30 for a Pap smear and $173 for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after the federal government scrapped rebates for pathology services in its budget update.

The government announced it would reduce bulk-billing incentives for pathology services and diagnostic imaging in outpatient and GP settings.Health Minister Sussan Ley admitted some patients would be hit with increased charges.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said the latest cuts were consistent with previous attacks on Medicare.

“As a nurse, I know how important these tests are. Pap smears help detect cancer. Blood and urine tests are a vital part of diagnosing problems before it’s too late. Ultrasounds are vital for pregnant women and MRIs and Xrays are essential to diagnose problems.They save people’s lives,” she said.

“Yet the Turnbull government, just like the Abbott government, seems intent on destroying Medicare and Americanising our healthcare system.”

An online petition opposing the cuts gathered 150,000 signatures within 36 hours of its launch.

Brigitte Garozzo, a union organiser for the National Tertiary Education Union, started the petition: “I started it because I am sick and tired of basic services coming under attack,” she said.

“Clearly I am not alone in this anger which is why this petition has resonated so strongly with so many people.”

DIRECT HIT TO WOMEN’S HEALTH Labor’s health spokesperson Catherine King said the cuts would have a “direct impact on women’s health.

“Pap smears continue to be a very important health measure … and we want to encourage women to have their regular pap smears. (This) will of course put a barrier to women accessing this very important preventative measure.”

Greens leader Richard di Natale, a former GP, agreed and said women seeking pap smears would pay more.

“To put an upfront charge in front of important medical technologies and interventions … is putting a barrier in front of women.

“It is critical that the government realises that its cuts to pathology, and indeed its cuts to the healthcare sector, are having a damaging impact,” he said.

UNDERMINING PREVENTATIVE HEALTH Experts are dismayed by the impact the government’s decision will have on preventative health and warn it will have negative implications for future health budgets.

“This will cost the government more in the longer term as the diagnosis of disease is deferred as is the opportunity for the prevention of disease, meaning patients will become sicker without the positive interventions provided by the correct pathology diagnosis,” said Liesel Wett, CEO of Pathology Australia.

Rosemary Calder, director of Australian Health Policy Collaboration agrees.

“The longer term costs (will) ricochet back to government in continuing and escalating health payments when illness and disability increases, and in welfare payments when illness and disability reduce employability and economic participation,” she said.

What they had to say “The Turnbull government … seems intent on destroying Medicare and Americanising our healthcare system.”

— Ged Kearney, ACTU president

“While the government has changed leaders the essential policy remains the same – to cut health and shift costs on to patients.”

— Catherine King, ALP Shadow Minister for Health 20 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

“If Medicare exists to help people, this doesn’t make sense.”

— Dr Christian Wriedt, president Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association

“Medicare is not designed to be a guaranteed bankable revenue for corporations, nor is it a taxpayer-funded bulk-billing incentive there to crosssubsidise other costs of doing business.”

— Sussan Ley, Federal Minister for Health

Sign the petition and come to the rally There is an ACTU petition to keep pap smears and pathology services free. You can add your support at: www.australianunions.org.au/medicare There will be nationwide rallies in support of free pap smears and pathology services on February 20.

Find more information at: Sydney www.facebook.com/events/125663497809971/ Newcastle www.facebook.com/events/1545179795803249/

Hitting the hip pocket of the sick According to the Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association (ADIA) the axing of bulk billing incentives for pathology services will mean patients will have to pay up to: $93 for an X-ray, $396 for a CT scan, a minimum of $85 for a mammogram and up to $186 for an ultrasound. For those unfortunate enough to need a PET scan, the upfront cost could be $1000.

A melanoma patient referred for a PET scan and an MRI scan of the brain could face upfront costs of between $1352 and $1656 and be left with out-of-pocket costs of between $90 and $393 after receiving Medicare rebates.

The same melanoma patient would normally have a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis after three months, then every six months for two years. Each time they would face an upfront cost of $532 to $626 and a gap of between $52 and $145 – a total of $2660 to $3130 upfront and gaps of $260 to $725.

A patient with suspected breast cancer referred for diagnostic mammography and an ultrasound of the breasts and, based on the results of the ultrasound, an ultrasound-guided core biopsy, faces bulk billed upfront costs of between $282 and $554 and will still be left $29 to $302 out of pocket after receiving Medicare rebates.

• • • •

Get more out of life with

Union Member Benefits s Banking s Insurance s Gift Cards s Travel

s Wine s Tyres s Movies s Car Rental

Get the app! www.nswnma.asn.au THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 21

SUPERANNUATION

Senate throws out Super changes The Senate has rejected a Turnbull government plan to hand over employee superannuation to the big banks — but our ex-banker PM is determined to try again.

FOR YEARS NOW THE FOUR MAJOR banks have been lobbying governments to help them get hold of the superannuation savings of Australian workers.

More than five million workers – including most nurses – belong to not-for-profit industry super funds such as HESTA. Industry funds are governed by boards made up of equal numbers of employer and union representatives and are run to benefit members.They charge low fees and do not pay commissions to financial planners. They regularly deliver better returns than for-profit retail super funds.

Retail funds are owned by the major banks and other big financial institutions and exist to pay dividends to shareholders.

As the ABC’s chief business reporter, Andrew Robertson, noted: “Superannuation is about retirement incomes and in the accumulation stage, maximising your account balance.

“The numbers do not lie. Industry funds do that better than bank-owned funds.”

Just before Christmas the Turnbull government tried to legislate to make it easier for employers to switch their workforces from industry funds to retail funds.

The legislation also aimed to force industry funds to appoint at least one third of board members as “independent” directors – including the chairman.

ACTU CAMPAIGN SWAYS SENATORS The move failed when four independent senators – Jacquie Lambie, Glen Lazarus, John Madigan and Nick Xenophon – voted with the ALP and Greens to defeat the legislation.

The independents were no doubt 22 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

swayed by an ACTU campaign that urged voters in each of six key electorates to express their concern to senators and MPs about the government’s plans.

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said the proposed legislation was ideologically driven and not based on reality.

“The government can’t stand the fact that the trade union movement, along with employer associations, has overseen an amazing success story in financial services as well as a lasting piece of social reform,” he said.

“The point of super is to supplement the aged pension therefore maximising the retirement incomes of Australians who have worked hard all their lives.

“Superannuation was not established to have the savings of workers handed to high fee charging banks.”

Senator Madigan said there was no evidence of a problem within industry super funds and the government should focus its attention on financial planning scandals within banks.

“We believe the government’s focus in this legislation is misdirected,” he said.What they should be looking at is where the smoke is.

And the smoke is … in the Commonwealth Bank, in Timbercorp.

“Where is the appetite to address the bushfires that have ravaged Australian retirees and their families?”

BANKS HAVE GOVERNANCE PROBLEM He was referring to financial planning scandals that have further damaged the already-poor reputations of the major banks.

The ABC’s Andrew Robertson wrote:“When it comes to governance, as we have seen with scandal after scandal in the banks’ financial

planning divisions, it is the banks where people should be most afraid of losing their money.

“Even after their scandals were exposed and they promised to put everything right, banks like Commonwealth and Macquarie are increasingly being seen to be making life difficult for the customers who suffered greatly because of their unscrupulous practices.

“That is not to say unions are perfect. Far from it, as the Royal Commission into Trade Unions is revealing about the behaviour of some union officials. But there has been no evidence of industry super fund members being fleeced of their money in the way bank customers have suffered.”

Robertson, who is a qualified financial planner, quoted the University of Sydney’s Dr Michael Rafferty, who has studied superannuation returns for the past 20 years, as saying that industry funds have outperformed retail funds by about 50 per cent.

“Dr Rafferty has also studied the impact of independent directors in the corporate sector and says there is no evidence to suggest they lift profits or lead to better governance,” Robertson said.

However Prime Minister Turnbull, a former banker, has renewed the Liberals’ ideological attack on industry funds, begun by his predecessor Tony Abbott.

It is common practice for the independent industrial relations umpire, the Fair Work Commission, to nominate super funds that are suitable to be adopted by employers as default funds.Traditionally these are not-forprofit industry funds.

Malcolm Turnbull plans to make it illegal to nominate a particular super fund as the “default” option in an enterprise agreement or award.

“Banks don’t care about us.”

Registered nurse Yasmin Ali said she would not be comfortable with one of the big banks taking over her health industry superannuation fund.

“We would be paying a bunch of people who are probably not working in our interests,” said Yasmin, a residential nurse unit manager for Family and Community Services.

“The banks charge us high fees while making record profits and paying their top executives massive bonuses.

They’re just concerned about their own benefits – they don’t care about working people like us.

“If it is going to cost us more in fees why should we let them take over superannuation?

“I’m happy with the way my fund operates at the moment.”

She said establishing industry superannuation for nurses and other workers in the 1980s and 1990s was an important achievement of the union movement.

“I am not in favour of reduced union involvement in superannuation. We need the union to speak for us as a group.

“If they get rid of union involvement in superannuation who will speak for us? The big banks? I am just one person – no bank is going to listen to me.

“But if we have a good union to back us up it will help to safeguard our superannuation.”

“If they get rid of union involvement in superannuation who will speak for us?

The big banks?”

—Yasmin Ali RN

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 23

SAFE STAFFING

Less jobs for nurses when new hospital opens Workforce plans for a new Bryon Shire hospital have left nurses in northern New South Wales fearing for their future.

THERE WILL NOT BE ENOUGH NURSING jobs for all staff currently working in the Byron and Mullumbimby District Hospitals, when the two hospitals close to be replaced by the new Byron Central Hospital.

A workforce plan for the new hospital, which is due to open in March, indicates it will employ 26.26 FTE (full time equivalent) nurses compared to 34.24 FTE at the two existing hospitals – a loss of 7.98 FTE positions.

Management of the Northern New South Wales Local Health District told nurses they would have to reapply for their current positions and gave them a “consultation period” of just two weeks to respond in writing to the workforce plan.

Meetings of NSWNMA branches at both hospitals carried unanimous resolutions to seek improvements to the workforce plan and the consultation process.

Acting General Secretary of the NSWNMA, Judith Kiejda said the plan left local nurses with little job security.

“Understandably, our members are upset by the little consultation that has occurred to date.

“There were also attempts to exclude union representation from future consultation meetings, which was completely unacceptable given the uncertainty among staff,” Judith said.

SHOCK AND CONFUSION Secretary of the NSWNMA Mullumbimby Hospital branch, Shauna Boyle, said nursing staff felt they did not have enough information about the process they would have to go through to re-apply for their jobs.

“Our members are shocked and disappointed by the removal of their job security, especially those who have worked in the region for many years.This has been a huge blow,” Shauna said. “Every senior manager gives us a different story which creates huge confusion among staff.

“Some say we will all have to re-apply 24 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

for our positions. Others say that will only apply to emergency department positions because demand for ED jobs is so high.

“But they haven’t done a staff survey so how would they know?”

She said Mullumbimby staff were extremely concerned about the omission of an identified clinical midwifery supervisor/team leader/manager in the workforce plan.

“The midwifery service is a group practice model of care with annualised salaried midwives. It also offers a publicly funded homebirth service for low-risk pregnancies.

“The EO/DoN [executive officer/ director of nursing] currently acts as the midwifery clinical supervisor at Mullumbimby Hospital.”

Shauna said the two-week consultation period was too short. “People on holidays have not even seen the workforce plan.”

FEARS OF FAVOURITISM Both NSWNMA branches expressed concern that some management positions at the new hospital had been defined to favour certain existing staff.

“It raises concerns that preferential treatment will occur if these positions are not advertised and chosen on merit,” NSWNMA Byron District Hospital branch secretary Liz McCall said.

She said the consultation and negotiation process was not over as far as NSWNMA branches were concerned.

“The health service might think otherwise but this is just the start of consultation and negotiation, not the end of it.

“Just because they have put this workforce plan up doesn’t mean they are going to get everything they want. It is their ambit claim as far as the branches are concerned.”

She said it was “appalling” to allow only two weeks for consultation with staff.

“Some people asked for an extension of time and were refused.”

Management at first resisted a request

by the NSWNMA to form a consultative committee, bringing together union and management representatives to work on the transition to the new hospital. However the LHD later agreed and a committee was formed.

“Byron Shire health facilities have always been powered by the human capital and goodwill of the staff and community,” Liz said. “The damage to both by political expediency, inept change management practices and blatant disregard is unquantifiable.

“It will be difficult to claw back that human capital and goodwill.”

Stop Press As The Lamp goes to press there have been further developments around the staffing issues at the new Byron Central Hospital: • The Northern NSW Local Health District has agreed that it “will provide a guarantee to Registered Nurses from Mullumbimby and District War Memorial Hospital and Byron District Hospital who have received “Affected” letters that they will be guaranteed continuing permanent employment at BCH”.

• Registered Nurses will only have to do an Expression of Interest of where they want to work in the hospital.

• No applications or formal process will be required if the demand for jobs equals the supply of jobs in the wards.

There will be a further update in the March edition of The Lamp.

Anxiety over closures

Shauna Boyle

“The health service might think otherwise but this is just the start of consultation and negotiation, not the end of it.”

— Liz McCall RN

All registered nurses at Byron and Mullumbimby district hospitals have received letters from management advising them that their positions are “affected” by the imminent shift to the new Byron Central Hospital.

“As an affected staff member you are eligible for priority consideration for vacancies across the NSW Health Service,” Annette Symes, acting chief executive of Northern NSW Local Health District wrote. “Where there are not yet suitable vacant permanent positions you may be temporarily transferred to a suitable position.”

Nurses who accepted a position at a lower classification/salary would be eligible for three months’ salary maintenance before going on to the lower salary, Ms Symes wrote.

She continued: “Affected staff members are declared excess when they no longer have a substantive position and it is determined that there are no other suitable vacant permanent or temporary positions in the health service into which the staff member may be placed.”

The letters were sent to about 70 permanent RNs. “Everyone is very anxious now that they’ve got the letters,” Shauna Boyle, secretary of the NSWNMA branch at Mullumbimby Hospital said.

“Those nurses they don’t want will apparently become ‘excess staff ’. Yet management say they will not offer any redundancies.”

Management representatives told NSWNMA delegates that existing positions would be abolished because Byron Central was a “new service”.

Shauna said that did not explain why enrolled nurses and midwives had not been declared “affected staff ” and would keep their positions.

“In any case, staff at both hospitals work for the Tweed Byron Network of Northern NSW Local Health District. That will continue to be the case at the new hospital.

“The exercise will require management to interview about 70 existing staff, which is a waste of time and money.”

SAFE STAFFING

Union action saves educator positions Opposition by NSWNMA members has defeated a management plan to eliminate dedicated clinical nurse educator (CNE) roles at the new Byron Central Hospital.

“The Garling Report highlighted the need for effective clinical nurse education to ensure optimum patient care and patient safety.”

— Shauna Boyle NSWNMA branch secretary Mullumbimby Hospital

Shauna Boyle

NORTHERN NSW LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT’S workforce plan for Byron Central Hospital originally provided for nurse education responsibilities to be shared between the emergency department nursing unit manager and the assistant director of nursing.

However management has withdrawn the plan to amalgamate education and management roles, following strong opposition from NSWNMA members.

“Defeating this proposal is a really good win – it was one of our major concerns,” NSWNMA branch secretary at Byron District Hospital, Liz McCall, said.

She said union branches at Byron District and Mullumbimby District Hospitals and NSWNMA organisers expressed strong objections to the plan.

“We had a Union Specific Consultative Committee meeting with management just before Christmas and put our case.

“Management argued the toss but they must have realised we weren’t going to accept it.

“They later issued a revised workforce ‘decision paper’ that separates the education and management roles.

26 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

“However, nurse educator hours at the new hospital’s in-patient unit will be cut from a full-time position to three days a week [so] we will continue to argue for a restoration of the original hours.”

LOSS UNJUSTIFIED Secretary of the NSWNMA’s Mullumbimby Hospital branch, Shauna Boyle, said nurses were very concerned about the proposed combination of two distinct leadership roles.

“To combine them was nonsensical and raised conflict of interest issues,” she said. “The job of managing staff often includes telling staff they need more education.

“Having the same person managing them and giving them education was not going to work for managers or nurses.”

She said management had suggested that since many of the new hospital staff would be senior registered nurses they would need little clinical education.

“However every time a hospital has an incident the answer is usually to give the staff more education.

“We were to lose 1.4 CNE positions

over both hospitals. How could this be justified in light of the findings of the 2008 Garling Report that highlighted the need for effective clinical nurse education to ensure optimum patient care and patient safety?”

Acting General Secretary of the NSWNMA Judith Kiejda said the abolition of dedicated nurse educators contravened the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency requirement for continuing professional development.

“It poses serious risks to the continued delivery of safe patient care,” she said.

Liz McCall said it was absurd for management to argue that experienced staff did not need continuing education.

“How do they expect us to keep up our skills to deliver best possible care to our patients?”

She said the combination of roles would also have removed future career pathways for staff.

A resolution of the Byron District Hospital branch also drew attention to the Garling Report recommendation that the nurse unit manager role be delineated as at least 70 per cent clinical oversight and 30 per cent administration.

Council lobbies to keep services and jobs Plans for a new hospital pay little heed to the needs of community.

BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL WILL LOBBY NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner regarding the threatened loss of local health jobs with the opening of Byron Central Hospital in March.

The council will also raise other concerns associated with the new hospital including potential loss of local health services, including surgical services, allied services, speech and occupational therapies and rehabilitation services.

Council voted to lobby the minister after listening to NSWNMA branch secretary at Byron District Hospital, Liz McCall, outline the concerns held by nurses. She spoke on behalf of the Byron and Mullumbimby District Hospital branches.

Liz said the loss of at least seven full time nursing positions and the requirement to reapply for positions was causing anxiety among staff.

Nurses believed patient safety would suffer due to a reduction in allocated specialist quality assurance and infection control hours.

“We are also gravely concerned regarding the loss of allied health, administrative and support positions,” she said.“Our major concern is to maintain the excellent patient safety record for our communities that both hospitals are renowned for.

“The branches believe that this workforce plan is near-sighted, politically expedient and has no consideration of community or staff needs.”

FALSE GUARANTEES Liz said patients would have to stay in hospital longer if allied health staff were not available to provide necessary care prior to discharge and beyond.

Moving the motion, Councillor Paul Spooner said state government and NSW Health guarantees that the opening of Byron Central Hospital would deliver the same level of health services or better “are now known to be false.

“It now appears from the recently distributed workforce plan that the hospital

“Our major concern is to maintain the excellent patient safety record for our communities…”

— Liz McCall RN

will open with only enough staff to cover 21 overnight inpatient beds. The total number of beds offered through both Byron Bay and Mullumbimby Hospitals is 32,” he said.

“Byron Central Hospital will be the only Level 3 hospital in New South Wales that does not have a functioning operating theatre.

“Hospital staff being told they would not have to reapply for existing positions is, also, now known to be false.

“Losing staff positions means that long-term residents of our Shire – some with over 25 years at the hospital – will be forced to leave the area to find employment elsewhere.

“While frontline services will be cut there will be an increase in middle management positions due to the size of the facility.”

Historic meeting brings branches together NSWNMA branches at Mullumbimby War Memorial District Hospital and Byron District Hospital have held their first ever, combined meeting, in preparation for the shift to the new Byron Central Hospital.

The meeting was held in a former church hall at Ewingsdale, close to the site of the new hospital.

A joint resolution said the branches believed that further consultation on the new hospital’s workforce arrangements was needed.

It asked that a Union Specific Consultative Committee meeting be convened to discuss several matters including reduced hours for nurses responsible for infection control and quality and reduced hours for clerical support staff.

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 27

NSSWNMA W

edu ucatio on ca alend dar APPROPRIA ATE TE WORKPLACE BEHA AVIOUR V – 1 Day Taarget group all nuurses and midwives Gymea Thursday 1 Septem mber Members $85 | Noon-members $170

FOOT CARE FOR NURSES – 2 Days Target a group RNs and a ENs and AiNs Port Macquariie Wednesday 25 & Thursday T 26 May NSWNMA, Waatterloo Thursday 23 & Fridday 24 June Taamworth th Tuesday u 20 & Wednesday 21 September Members $203 | Non-members N $350

PRACTICAL ST TRA ATEGIES T TO MANAGE STRESS S AND PREVENT BUR RNOUT – 1 Day Target a group all nuurses and midwives NSWNMA, NSWNMA Waatterloo Monday 14 March Gymea Friday 17 June NSWNMA, Waatterloo Monday 8 August Members $85 | Noon-members $170

PRACTICAL TOOLS O IN MANAGING CO ONFLICT AND DISAGREEMENT – 1 Day Target a group all nuurses and midwives NSWNMA, Wat aterloo Monday 2 May Gymea Wednesday 17 Auggust Members $85 | Noon-members $170

PRA ACTICAL SKILLS IN MA ANAGING DIFFICUL LT AN ND AGG GRESSIVE RELA ATIVES T – 2 Days D Taarget group all nurses and midwivves M MODULE 1 Thurrsday 4 August MODULE M 2 Thurrsday 8 September VEN NUE NSWNMA, Waterloo Mem mbers $160 | Non-members $2250

PRA ACTICAL, POSITIVE LEA ADERSHIP SERIES – 4 DDays Taarget group all N/MUM, CNS, CNC C C, N/MUM CNS Ns Nursse/Midwife Educaator, Senior RN and Midwives MODULE M 1 Monday 18 April MODULE M 2 Monday 9 May MODULE M 3 Wednesday 8 June MODULE M 4 Monday 11 July VEN NUE NSWNMA, Waterloo mbers $340 | Non-members $6600 Mem

POL LICY AND GUIDELINE WR RITING – 1 Day Targ a et group all nurses and midwivves NSWNMA, SWNMA Waaterloo Fridaay 29 April Paarramatta Thurrsday 28 July NSWNMA, Waaterloo Thurrsday 24 November mbers $85 | Non-members $1770 Mem

MANAGING OVE ERTHINKING – 1 Day Target a group all nursses and midwives NSWNMA, Waaterrloo Monday 4 April Parramatta M d 19 Septemb Monday S t ber b Members $85 | Non--members $170

THE INFLUENTIIAL THOUGHT LEADERS IN LE EADING – 2 Days Taarget group all mannagers and management teams MODULE 1 Friday 13 May MODULE 2 Friday 24 June VENUE NSWNMA, Waterloo Members $250 | Nonn-members $450

LEGAL AND PR ROFESSIONAL ISSUES FOR NU URSES AND MIDWIVES S – ½ Day Taarget group RNs, RM Ms and ENs Port Macquarie Friday 3 June Newcastle Thursday 23 June Dubbo Friday 8 July Waagga Waagga Friday 26 August Coffs Harbour Thursday 8 Septembber Gymea Thursday 24 Novembber Members $40 | Non--members $85

AGED CA ARE NURSES FO ORUM 1 Day | Taarget group all nurses

ARE E YOU O MEETING YOUR CP PD REQ QUIREMENTS? – ½ Day Taargeet group all nurses and midwivves NS SWNMA, Waaterloo Thurssday 28 April Po ort Macquarie Thurssday 2 June Neewcastle Wednnesday 22 June Du ubbo Thurssday 7 July Waagga Wagga a Thurssday 25 August Co offs Harbour Wednnesday 7 September Mem mbers $40 | Non-members $85

R Register r o online WW WW.NSWNMA.ASN.AU U/ EDUCA ATION/ T ED EDUCA DUCA ATION-CALEND TION T CALENDAR R For enquiries contact NSWNMA Metro:: 8595 1234 Rural: 1300 367 962

Fridayy 14 October NSWNM MA Waaterloo MA, Members $30 | Non-members $50

ENROL LLED NURSES FORUM 1 Day | Taargeet group all enrolled nurses FFriday 17 June NSW WNMA, Waaterloo Members $$30 | Non-members $50

MENTTAL A HEAL LTTH AND DRUG AN ND ALCOHOL NURSES FORUM 1 Day | Tar a get group all nurses Fridayy 9 September NSWN NMA, Waaterloo Members $300 | Non-members $50

ENVIR RONMENTTA AL HEALTTH FORUM Nurses & Mid idwives:: Woorking Toowardss a Sustaina able Health Care Future 1 Day | Target a group all nurses & midwivess Friday F 15 April RP PA Hospital, Camperdown Members $$60 | Non-members $85

ask judith

when it comes to your rights and entitlements at work, nswnma acting general secretary JUDITH KIEJDA has the answers.

Called in over Christmas I am an EN working in a nursing home. I was asked to come in during my annual leave over Christmas and work some shifts.

Do I get paid for both the annual leave and the shifts worked?

No, you do not receive both payments.

When you returned to work you were on duty and the leave accordingly cancelled.

You should be paid for the shifts worked and the cancelled leave re-credited to your annual leave balance. There may need to be a pay adjustment for the annual leave loading paid for the cancelled days, if it was greater than any shift penalties you received for the shifts worked.

Will I lose long service if I leave?

I have been working as an AiN in a nursing home for eight years. I am thinking of leaving but worried I will lose my long service leave, as under my enterprise agreement I am eligible for two months of such leave only after completing 10 years of service. What are my rights?

This would need to be carefully assessed under the relevant provisions that may apply to you under your agreement or the Long Service Leave Act 1955 . Setting aside the circumstance and rights that may apply when it is an employer initiated decision to terminate a worker’s employment, most awards, agreements and certainly the Act contain the provision that if an employee with at least five years of service resigns due to “illness, incapacity or domestic or other pressing necessity” an entitlement of pro rata long service leave would exist.

However, the Act does not explicitly define this provision or terms so it does require assessment of the individual circumstances involved.

In summary, the approach adopted by industrial courts would be to expect an employee to demonstrate that their circumstances gave them no option but to resign from work and/or that it was the real or motivating factor for doing so.

Evidence regarding your circumstances – and that it is the reason for your decision to leave work – should ideally be provided to the employer at the time of your resignation rather than after you have left.

Members should seek advice from the Association prior to any decision to resign.

BREAKING NEWS As noted at the end of last year the Association was making representations to the Ministry of Health regarding the new version of the NSW Health Code of Conduct policy directive PD2015_035. It was extremely disappointing that this revised version of the code, issued without prior consultation, was found to contain changes that went beyond that which could reasonably be described as updating or clarifying. Following vigorous representations from the Association (and other public health unions), consultation and constructive engagement was entered into by the Ministry to resolve the concerns identified. This resulted in a revised code being distributed by the Ministry (PD2015_049), to supersede the contentious policy directive.

This was a positive outcome and we thank all those members whose vigilance identified not only the unannounced changes, but also the potential consequences if they had been left unquestioned.

Can I get a second job?

I work full time as an RN at a public hospital but am thinking of applying to do casual shifts at a local nursing home.

Is this a problem?

The NSW Health Code of Conduct (PD2015_049) sets out the requirements on employees in regards to secondary employment.

If you are working full time you are required to seek and obtain approval from the Chief Executive or their delegate prior to undertaking any secondary employment

(Section 4.3.7). The situation is slightly different if you are working part-time, as you are only required to seek approval if there is potential conflict of interest with your NSW Health employment, or if the total hours of work being undertaken raises issues about excessive working hours.

Bullying reported but no response I am an EN working in a public hospital. I recently lodged a complaint regarding being bullied in the workplace but not much seems to have happened. I am worried that without any action the matter will become worse. What should happen?

The process to be adopted by the hospital to investigate such complaints is set out in PD2011_018 “Bullying – Prevention and Management of Workplace Bullying in NSW Health”. The hospital has an obligation to treat any such complaints “... seriously and confidentially” and see that they are “… acted upon promptly” (Section 4.2). An initial assessment of any complaint is required within three days of the complaint being received (Section 4.2.1).

After this initial assessment, a review of potential ongoing risks to all parties involved with the complaint, in respect of current work arrangements, should also be conducted. This should determine “… whether any further action needs to be taken to ensure as far as practical the wellbeing of those involved until any action to address the complaint is completed” (Section 4.2.2).

Any “… investigation process [initiated] must be fair, impartial, and professionally conducted” (Section 4.3.2). The complainant is entitled to receive regular information and updates “... on progress of the investigation and any decisions made that may affect them” (Section 4.2.4). In Appendix 3 the policy directive also sets out expected timelines for any such investigation to be completed and to finalise the matter, with up to three weeks to implement any recommendations or actions arising.

Acting promptly and fairly in complaints and allegations of bullying and harassment is essential, while recognising that at times the timing and duration of investigations can be impacted upon by a number of variables, including the complexity of the issues and ensuring that those subject to complaints are afforded procedural fairness.

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 31

Nurses and midwives have unique stories to tell

Conditions of Entry Z Z Z Z Z

Z Z Z Z Z

FIRST PRIZE OF $2000

2 RUNNER-UP PRIZES OF $500

READERS CHOICE AWARD OF $500

How to enter Z Z Z Z Z Z

Deadline Winners

Entries close 5 pm Friday 18 March 2016 Winners will be announced on 3 May 2016.

Readers Choice winner will be notiďŹ ed on 10 June 2016.

www.nswnma.asn.au

social media | nurse uncut

WHAT’S

A BLOG FOR AUSTRALIAN NURSES AND MIDWIVES www.nurseuncut.com.au Do you have a story to tell? An opinion to share? nurse uncut is written by everyday nurses and midwives.

We welcome your ideas at nurseuncut@nswnma.asn.au

HOT THIS MONTH

Nurse Uncut is also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NurseUncutAustralia and on Twitter @nurseuncut

From theatre nurse to field coordinator Rachel Marsden graduated as an operating theatre nurse in 2004 and joined Médecins Sans Frontières a few years later. She recently returned from two months in Tanzania as Emergency Coordinator, where she responded to a cholera epidemic and provided support to Burundian refugees fleeing political violence. www.nurseuncut.com.au/rachel-from-operating-theatre-nurse-to-field-coordinator/

Volunteer nursing in Vietnam Nurse Sophie Short writes about her time volunteering with GGC Volunteers in Vietnam.

GGC volunteers mostly work with kids with disabilities and cleft palates, many living in orphanages. The program is in need of nurses with basic paediatrics and/or an interest in educating program and facility staff to improve health outcomes for children. www.nurseuncut.com.au/sophie-volunteer-nursing-in-vietnam/

National Nurse Practitioner Day No two days are ever the same for a nurse practitioner. The first annual National Nurse Practitioner Day was marked in December by the NSWNMA in conjunction with the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners. www.nurseuncut.com.au/national-nurse-practitioner-day/

RNs crucial in aged care 24/7 Aged care nurse Jocelyn Hofman wrote an opinion piece for the Sydney Morning Herald about maintaining the legal requirement for a registered nurse to be on duty 24-hour a day, seven days a week in state nursing homes. www.nurseuncut.com.au/registered-nurses-are-crucial-in-aged-care-24-hours-a-day-sevendays-a-week/

We’re on Instagram!

Share your photos by tagging @nswnma and don’t forget to use the hashtag #nswnma!

New on SupportNurses YouTube channel NIDA filmmakers’ workshop Nurses and midwives speak about their experience on a five-day intensive filmmaking workshop at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). >> https://youtu.be/cdLZK6lIZp0

Penalty rates media conference The Productivity Commission has recommended cutting the take-home pay of Australia’s lowest-paid workers. PM Malcolm Turnbull must reject these recommendations and give certainty to families who rely on weekend penalty rates. >> https://youtu.be/d5FTWlMAT_k

Follow us on Twitter NSWNurses & Midwives @nswnma Watch us on YouTube SupportNurses Connect with us on Facebook

New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association >> www.facebook.com/nswnma Look for your local Ratios put patient safety first >> www.facebook.com/safepatientcare Branch page on Aged Care Nurses >> www.facebook.com/agedcarenurses our website.

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 33

ARE YOU A VICTIM OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE? Have you or a colleague been assaulted at work?

Have you reported your incident?

Download the NSWNMA App and report your workplace violence incident The NSWNMA has a new tool as part of our NSWNMA Toolkit App that allows you to quickly report an incident to the Association as soon as it happens. It’s an easy fillable form that you can submit from your mobile device and an officer of the Association will be in touch with you.

Nursing is considered one of the most dangerous professions. HELP STOP VIOLENCE AT WORK! NSWNMA Toolkit App is FREE and available to download from iTunes and Google Play store

social media | facebook

WHAT NURSES & MIDWIVES

SAID & LIKED on facebook www.facebook.com/nswnma Fiscal outlook grim for aged The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) ripped $472 million from aged care and nurses will feel the pinch.

Why? Our job is hard enough and they deserve better. Where is the respect for our ageing population? This makes me so sad and so angry.

Here we go again. Easy targets get hit again.

Wrong, wrong, wrong do not take money from the elderly!

This is outrageous! Our aged care residents need more money put into the system not less.

The private operators of these places will be pushing to get rid of registered nurses.

This is disgusting, only the lowest of the low would come up with this.

This is just terrible!

High cost of nurse turnover

Perhaps data like that could motivate the health department to streamline their recruitment process. Every time I have started a new job from ad to start date has been 3-6 months!

Gross mismanagement of public funds when fundamental investment in people and environment would improve the care of staff and the public.

It costs on average $49,255 to replace just ONE full-time equivalent nurse in Australia.

Workplace violence intolerable The nursing and midwifery professions have the highest exposure to workplace violence – we need to change this in 2016!

It’s not rocket science. Look after the frontline nurse and core business i.e. safe, quality patient care will flow forth. Nurses are at the heart of health.

It is really sad. It needs to change.

Totally agree it’s a huge issue.

Violence is tolerated despite best de-escalation skills. It happens on a daily basis and most nurses don’t even report it on IMMS as nothing done e.g. no feedback, no resolution etc. So who learns? Neither the client nor the nurse. Hence what should be regarded as totally unacceptable is shrugged off and becomes the norm. Wrong on every level!

PHOTO GALLERY

To every weekend worker we say thank you!

Free Tests: Save Lives. Nurses and midwives say no to making patients pay more for health.

As the government rips funding from health and aged care we find out that we pay more tax than 579 major corporations!

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 35

Ed h

Caavell Ca TRU UST BEQ E UESTS

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he e Edith E Cavel Trrust is now able e to receive non--tax deductable donations/ b bequests.

Th he Trust â&#x20AC;&#x201C; named in honour of Ed dith Cavell asssissts in the advancement of NSW W nurses and midw wives through further studies and research, made available through scholarship. The knowlledge and by nurses and midwives, supported by the expertise gained b Edith Cavell Schollarships, is an asset to the carre of their nts. Bequests to the trust woulld continue to patients and clien support this important work.

Edith, a British nu urse serving in Belgium in WW W1, is a hero nd midwives. She helped some to most nurses an e 200 Allied soldiers escape from o German-occupied Belgium. Her actions saw her arrested, accused of treason, found guiilty by a court-martial and sentenced to death. Despite iinternational

NAME ADDRESS

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ELECTRONIC C FUND TRANSFER me: Account nam New South Wales Nurses and Midwivesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Asssociation Bank: Commonwealth Bank BSB: 062-017 Account no: 10017908

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CARD NO NAME ON CARD SIGNA AT TURE OF CARD DHOLDER ^Only for new customers on combined hospital and extras cover policies issued by Bupa Australia Pty Ltd ABN 81 000 057 590 ondirect debit who join by 29/02/2016. Not with other offers. Excludes Active Saver where applicable and some overseas visitors cover. Valued at approximately $100 for singles or$200 for couples or families. Other conditions and supplier terms apply. To be eligible for the offer, you must quote your company name when you join.

and also broadcast onlineâ&#x20AC;Ś FEATTURING: Professsor Paula Meier (USA) Dr Shooo Lee (Canada) Nancy Williams (USA) Dr Kelly Dombroski (NZ) Dr Sussan Taawia (Australia)

Breastfeeding: Making Connections

For more inform mation and to register go to: www.breastfeeedingconferences.com.au Australian Breastfeeding Association in partnership with Breastfeeding Conferences

www.breastfeeding.assn.au

The Australian Breastfeedding Association is a not-for-proďŹ t organisation. All income from these seminars is used to suppoort the free mother-to-mother services that ABA provides in the community.

PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS X 2, NURSING & MIDWIFERY - AHPRA NSW â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

1 x Ongoing Full-time role

1 x Fixed-term Full-time role until 29 May 2016

#)$ $ '(& &+$ )& '#$ (&"' ' !+)($ ) &' !+$ )+" $ $! ")$ $ !!% + $ !($' !$ ) $ !' &')* $ ! ' )$ +* * & $'!$ ! +$'#) ($ ( + $ $ * )( $() '(&' !+$')& $& $ (! ) !+& $ ")( $ ) !(' + $'!$ '#)$ &+& )( $ ) '(&' !+ $'#)$ (! ) !+& $ ")( $ & $&$"( ' "& $(! )$ +$*) )( + $# #$ ) ) $ (! ) !+& $ expertise, contemporary knowledge and advice in a manner that is consistent with agreed policies, processes and requirements of the National Law. In this role you will: â&#x20AC;˘ Provide expert high level professional advice on nursing and/or midwifery regulatory issues that impact on professional practice and presenting responses to draft standards formulated by NMBA with recommendations to inform the relevant committee or Board. â&#x20AC;˘ ,+*)('&%)$'#)$"! ) $& ) )+'$! $ & "&' !+ $&+*$"! )')+" ) $! $& "&+' $ !($() '(&' !+$ +$'#)$"&') !( ) $! $+ ( )$ practitioner, eligible midwife, endorsed nurse or midwives, overseas applicants and other nursing and midwifery registration categories as required. â&#x20AC;˘ & )$ '#$!'#)($ '&')$! ") $'!$ ) )+'$'#)$! )(&' !+& $& )"' $! $'#)$ ( + $&+*$ * )( $ !&(*$! $ '(& &$ $ strategic plan in order to support a nationally consistent approach to the registration of eligible applicants. â&#x20AC;˘ Participate and coordinate local discussion papers and responses to the development, implementation and evaluation of national policy development affecting contemporary nursing and midwifery practice and the impacts on health regulation. â&#x20AC;˘ Prepare complex applications, reports and supporting documentation for board and committee meetings. Prepare and deliver presentations to external stakeholders.

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Your application should include a resume and maximum 2 page response to the key selection criteria which are stated in the Position Description under the heading â&#x20AC;&#x153;Key Requirementsâ&#x20AC;?. Please ensure that you do not respond to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Key Result Areasâ&#x20AC;?.

The Position Description is available at: http://www.ahpra.gov.au/About-AHPRA/Careers-at- AHPRA.aspx For further information or enquiries please contact Cathy Smith on (02) 8071 2098.

Applications must be sent to recruitment@ahpra.gov.au THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 37

NURSES & MIDWIVES: There are many benefits of being a financial member of the NSWNMA — did you know that

Authorised by B.Holmes, General Secretary, NSWNMA

YOUR MEMBERSHIP FEES COVER YOU FOR TRAVEL TO AND FROM WORK? If you are involved in an accident while travelling to or from work, NSWNMA’s Journey Accident Insurance provides you with peace of mind.

In recent years this insurance has been a financial safety net for many members who have met unfortunate circumstances travelling to or from work.

As a financial member of the NSWNMA you are automatically covered by this policy. It’s important to remember however, that it can only be accessed if you are a financial member at the time of the accident.

So make sure your membership remains financial at all times by paying your fees by Direct Debit or Credit.

Watch Alexis talk about Journey Accident Insurance

JOURNEY ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Your journey injury safety net

UNSURE IF YOU ARE FINANCIAL? IT’S EASY! Ring and check today on 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (rural).

Change your payment information online at

www.nswnma.asn.au

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Across 1. The dorsal portion of the midbrain (6.2.8) 9. A peritoneal attachment of an incompletely rotated cecum, found in malrotation of the intestine (4.4) 10. More granular 11. Relating to a chemical bond characterized by one or more pairs of shared electrons 13. Indoleacetic acid (1.1.1) 15. Relating to the utricle and the saccule of the labyrinth 17. Moving or still pictures in contrasting colors that appear three-dimensional when superimposed 20. Immunotoxin (1.1)

22. Any worms of the class Nematoda, commonly confined to the parasitic forms 23. Ability to evaluate aspects of a behavior or situation and act or react appropriately 25. A receptacle for fluids 27. Containers for maintaining a premature infantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environment 30. Symbol for americium 31. To interrupt or terminate 32. Factor VII

Down 1. Ankle joints (10.6) 2. A dead body 3. Relating to the navel 4. Free induction decay (1.1.1) 5. Inactivity; inability to move spontaneously 6. Suffering from bulimia nervosa 7. Relating to acute sore throat 8. Any of the various chemical substances that transmit nerve impulses across a synapse 12. Relating to the innate inclination for preservation and restoration of depleted nutritional supplies 14. Relating to recorded, transmitted, or reproduced sound 16. The opening of the esophagus into the stomach

18. A muscle that draws a body part, such as a finger, arm, or toe, away from the midline of the body or of an extremity 19. Pro re nata (1.1.1) 21. To cause to spread; pass on 24. Test 25. Mad cow disease (1.1.1) 26. The distortion of a body by two oppositely directed parallel forces 28. A soothing application; balsam 29. Relative risk (1.1)

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 39

pment training rooms, providing best practice The ANMF offers four online Professional Develop information on a wide range of topics applicable to all areas of nursing practice.

Each of the training rooms also assist you in main ntaining compliant CPD records. If you are an ess the online training at reduced members rates.

ANMF, NSWNMA or QNU member you can acce There are even some FREE topics available. Non n members can also access the online training.

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T | 02 6232 6533 E | educa ation@anmf.org.au g

anmf.org.au/educa f / d ation TO ORDER FAX: Myrtle Finlayson, (02) 9662 1414 POST: NSWNMA, 50 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 EMAIL: gensec@nswnma.asn.au

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nursing research online

The Global Green and Healthy Hospitals project (GGHH www.greenhospitals.net/en/) aims to help healthcare workers become more environmentally responsible in their practices. GGHH has more than 580 members and 20,000 hospitals and health centres in its global network and the NSWNMA has been a member for two years. Nurses and midwives from member hospitals or facilities can access online resources such as case studies, guidance documents on water, energy use and waste reduction as well as tools for assessing their waste needs and their progress in achieving waste reduction. They can even ask a world expert how to solve a particular environmental health problem. The Association, in partnership with the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, is planning a one-day Environmental Health Seminar in the PA’s Kerry Packer Auditorium, Sydney, on Friday 15 April, 2016. Information is available on the NSWNMA website.

Becoming environmentally sustainable in healthcare: an overview Australian Health Review 2015 vol. 39, no. 4, 417- 424 Jamieson, Wicks and Boulding This paper provides an overview of environmental sustainability in healthcare and highlights the need for a policy framework for action.

Examples from overseas demonstrate what has effectively enabled mitigation of and adaptation to the threat of climate change. The need to overcome perceived limits and barriers to health professionals’ engagement in sustainable practice is noted. The scientific evidence recommends immediate action. The article addresses the importance of health care professionals becoming environmentally sustainable in their health care practice and notes that we should have a whole-of-healthcare-system approach to carbon reduction, which starts from a preventive focus on population health as well as incorporating actions in patient care. According to the National Health Service Sustainable Development Unit, a sustainable healthcare system can be achieved by the delivery of high quality care and improved public health that does not exhaust natural resources or cause ecological damage.

the greatest global health opportunity of this century. Many mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change are “no-regret” options, which lead to direct reductions in the burden of ill-health, enhance community resilience, alleviate poverty, and address global inequity.

Benefits are realised by ensuring that countries are unconstrained by climate change, enabling them to achieve better health and wellbeing for their populations.

These strategies will also reduce pressures on national health budgets, delivering potentially large cost savings, and enable investments in stronger, more resilient health systems. http://press.thelancet.com/Climate2Commission.pdf

www.publish.csiro.au/index.cfm?paper=AH14086

Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health The Lancet Commissions Watts, et al.

The 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change was formed to map out the impacts of climate change, and the necessary policy responses in order to ensure the highest attainable standards of health for populations worldwide. This commission is multidisciplinary and international in nature, with strong collaboration between academic centres in Europe and China.

The central finding from the commission’s work is that tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century. The effects of climate change are being felt today and future projections represent an unacceptably high and potentially catastrophic risk to human health. The implications of climate change for a global population of nine billion people threatens to undermine the last half-century of gains in development and global health. The direct effects of climate change include increased heat stress, floods, drought, and increased frequency of intense storms, with the indirect threatening population health through adverse changes in air pollution, the spread of disease vectors, food insecurity and under-nutrition, displacement and mental ill health.

Given the potential of climate change to reverse the health gains from economic development, and the health co-benefits that accrue from actions for a sustainable economy, tackling climate change could be

Assessing Awareness of and Sentiment towards Environmental Sustainability Case Study The Director of Environmental Sustainability in conjunction with Mater Health Service’s Marketing Department developed a comprehensive communication plan to support the Sustainability at Mater program and its associated campaigns. The KeepCup campaign was identified as a way to engage staff as part of the wider Sustainability at Mater program and support its aim of behavioural change. KeepCups are reusable coffee cups free of harmful chemicals such as BPA and PVC. This case study outlines the strategy that achieved the sale of 3500 KeepCups through Mater cafes since July 2011, through a cost neutral approach while raising staff awareness significantly through an easy to access and reusable product. There was reduction of waste as a result of fewer disposable cups being used and it is estimated that Mater’s cafes have refilled KeepCups more than 55 000 times. http://greenhospitals.net/en/leadership-australia-stakeholderengagement/

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 41

PRE-REGISTER FOR FREE TODAY to avoid paying $50 at the door!

Exhibition Opening Hours: Tuesday, 15 March: 10am-4pm Wednesday, 16 March: 10am-4pm

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book me All the latest Book Me reviews from The Lamp can now be read online at www.nswnma.asn.au/library-services/book-reviews.

Each review includes a link directly to that item in the library catalogue plus instructions on how to request a loan.

25% off for members Assessment and Care Planning in Mental Health Nursing Nick Wrycraft McGraw Hill Education & Open University Press via www.mhprofessional.com RRP $74.95 (NSWNMA discount available) ISBN 9780335264742 This practical, introductory book takes a valuesbased approach to mental health nursing, with a focus on partnerships with patients as well as allied health service providers. The first section covers initiating relationships, conducting assessments and using the information elicited to devise care plans. Several chapters address common aspects of mental health issues. Four detailed case studies and comprehensive care plans are also presented.

Rural Nursing: The Australian Context Karen Francis, Ysanne Chapman and Carmel Davies Cambridge University Press via www.medicalbooks.com.au RRP $69.95 ISBN 9781107626829 Written by a team of practicing rural nurses and academics, this book examines the knowledge and skills required to practice in the diverse and challenging environment of rural Australia. It covers pregnancy, parenting, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, ageing and mental health. These themes are framed by discussions of rurality, population and health demographics and the different practice opportunities available in rural settings.

McGraw Hill Publishers is offering NSWNMA members 25 per cent off the recommended retail price of all medical titles, plus a range of other professional books! Visit Book Me online at www.nswnma.an.au/library-services/book-reviews for a link to the promotion code and further instructions or contact the library.

special interest The Health Gap: The Challenge of An Unequal World Michael Marmot Bloomsbury via www.allenandunwin.com RRP $29.99 ISBN 9781408858004 In Sierra Leone, one in 21, 15year-old women will die in their fertile years of a maternal-related cause; in Italy the figure is one in 17,100; but in the USA, a country that spends more on healthcare than any other, it is one in 1800. These and other health inequalities defy usual explanations and resist conventional approaches to improving access to technical solutions and changing the behavior of individuals. This book examines the social story of health and presents compelling evidence that the dramatic differences in health between and within countries are not simply a matter of rich and poor.

Instead the author posits that the solution lies in social justice and creating the conditions for people to lead flourishing lives.

Midwifery in China Mavis Gaff-Smith Triple D Books via www.tripledbooks.com.au RRP $29.95 ISBN 9780987522481 This book recounts the experiences of the author and an international team of midwives during a 2013 study tour of China. The group was granted access to a wide range of maternity units and child care facilities and saw firsthand how one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing populations dealt with the challenges it faced in spite of, and sometimes because of, the One Child policy. Those interviewed for the book range from administrators of maternity units catering to the rising moneyed class to the former “barefoot doctors” who provided primary health care in a rural village.

Geriatric Depression: A Clinical Guide Gary Kennedy Guildford Press via www.footprint.com.au RRP $67 ISBN 9781462519866 This book explains why depression can be challenging to identify and treat in older adults and describes the most effective medical and psychosocial interventions, with reference to DSM-5.

Written by a geriatric psychiatrist with extensive practical experience, the book emphasises a team approach that includes psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, primary care providers and nurses.

All books can be ordered through the publisher or your local bookshop. NSWNMA members can borrow books via the Library’s Online Catalogue www.nswnma.asn.au/education/library-services Call 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962 or email gensec@nswnma.asn.au for assistance. Some books are reviewed using information supplied and have not been independently reviewed.

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 43

movies of the month

This film provides an important reminder of how democracy can fail – and the strength of character needed to fight the system, writes Loretta Musgrave.

Trumbo (director Jay Roach) is a fascinating and gripping biopic drama that sheds light on an emblematic figure from Hollywood’s Golden Age. In 1947 prolific screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) and nine other prominent creative figures were called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in Washington, DC where they were asked to name communists working in show business.

Trumbo, who did in fact identify as communist, defied his interrogators and the so-called “Hollywood 10” was held in contempt, forced to serve jail time and placed on the studio blacklist.

Known communists were banned from working in Hollywood, so when Trumbo was finally released from jail after 11 months, he was forced to sell his ranch and embrace humility.

Still, a writer writes, and despite professional censure he continued to practice, settling for demeaning work and bottom dollar.

Trumbo wrote some of his finest work under pseudonyms throughout the 1950s and won two Academy Awards for Roman Holiday and The Brave One under false names.

Trumbo features exceptional performances by Cranston and a remarkable supporting cast including Diane Lane and Elle Fanning as Trumbo’s wife Cleo and daughter Nikola, John Goodman as producer and ally Frank King and Helen Mirren as notorious gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper.

Mirren plays Hopper as if she were one of Disney’s wicked queens with a revolving wardrobe of designer hats to hide her horns.

Watch for when Trumbo puts John Wayne in his place, reminding the patriotic actor that he spent World War II “stationed on a film set, wearing makeup, shooting blanks.”

Loretta Musgrave is a Midwife Educator at the Sydney Local Health District, Centre for Education and Workforce Development IN CINEMAS FEBRUARY 18

METROMEMBERGIVEAWAY Email The Lamp by the 10th of the month to be in the draw to win a double pass to Trumbo thanks to Entertainment One. email your name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma.asn.au for a chance to win!

MASTER OF NURSING Avondale’s Master of Nursing is designed to extend and deepen a registered nurse’s knowledge, skills and appreciation of advanced practice within complex health care environments. Students are given the choice to develop nursing specialist qualifications in either Clinical Nursing, Clinical Teaching or Leadership and Management.

Mode: Distance education (Online)

APPLY NOW FOR 2016 for February and August intakes.

To find out more, visit www.avondale.edu.au/nursing, phone +61 2 4980 2377, or email study@avondale.edu.au

44 | THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016

movies of the month

This film version of a British play of the same name is a genteel comedy, heavy on whimsy, writes Stephanie Di Nallo.

This is the true story of playwright Alan Bennett’s strained friendship with Mary Shepherd (Maggie Smith), an eccentric woman who parked her broken-down van in Bennett’s London driveway and lived there for 15 years from 1974 to 1989.

It is doubtful that Bennett, played by Alex Jennings, could have made up the eccentric Miss Shepherd if he had tried. This is the unlikely friendship of a homeless woman and a writer who talks to himself.

The set for the film is authentic, shot on location in the real street and house where the events actually occurred.

Alex Jennings sets the tone as Bennett: on one hand he is a timid, good-natured neighbour who puts politeness above all other traits – and on the other hand he is an astute, observational writer, able to see the foibles of himself and others.

Maggie Smith dominates the film as the stubborn Miss Shepherd.

She is frail only when it is in her interest to be so. A master manipulator, she has Bennett wrapped around her finger.

She is reluctant to give details about how she came to be living in a van, her convent past and the artistic reasons as to why she has an affinity with Bennett.

These details come out piecemeal and it is these constant revelations that give the film its forward propulsion.

The lonely lives of these two people come together out of the necessity: of one to have a place to live and the other to be allowed to come alive.

This is an enjoyable film.

Stephanie Di Nallo is an RN with the Australian Red Cross Blood Services IN CINEMAS MARCH 3

METROMEMBERGIVEAWAY Email The Lamp by the 12th of the month to be in the draw to win a double pass to The Lady in the Van thanks to Sony Pictures Releasing. email your name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma.asn.au for a chance to win!

DVD SPECIAL OFFER DECTECTORISTS Series 1 This BAFTA-award winning comedy stars Mackenzie Crook (The Office, Pirates of the Caribbean films) who also wrote and directed the series.

Andy (Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones) are members of the local metal detecting club and share a dream of striking gold and finding the final resting place of King Sexred.

This series could be described as the Seinfeld of metal detecting: the show about nothing in which Andy and Lance go through life, heads down, desperately seeking, but never quite finding.

RURALMEMBERGIVEAWAY Email The Lamp by the 15th of this month to be in the draw to win a dvd of Detectorists thanks to RLJ Entertainment. email your name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma.asn.au for a chance to win!

THE LAMP FEBRUARY 2016 | 45

diary dates — conferences, seminars, meetings. diary dates is a free service for members Please send event details in the format used here: event name, date and location, contact details – by the 5th of each month.

Send your event details to: lamp@nswnma.asn.au Fax 02 9662 1414 Post 50 O’Dea Ave, Waterloo NSW 2017. All listings are edited for the purposes of style and space.

NSW 2nd Annual Wounds Update Conference 27 February Newcastle www.empowernurseeducation.com.au Australian Breastfeeding Association Seminar Series for Health Professionals 2016 5 March Sydney www.abas.breastfeedingconferences.com.au Nepean Midwifery Conference 11 March Clarendon Juanita Taylor (02) 4734 2525 Juanita.Taylor@health.nsw.gov.au Lizz Giambuzzi (02) 4734 4116 Lizz.Giambuzzi@health.nsw.gov.au Australian Healthcare Week 2016 15- 17 March Sydney www.iqpc.com Digital Health Show 1-3 April Sydney www.digitalhealthshow.com.au/expo.html Professional Development Day 30 April Newcastle www.empowernurseeducation.com.au Dimensions of Cardiology Conference 8-9 July Newcastle www.empowernurseeducaiton.com.au The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Paediatric Perioperative Seminar 10 September Sydney claudia.watson@health.nsw.gov.au

4th Annual Anaesthetics and PARU Conference 16-17 September Newcastle www.empowernurseeducation.com.au Australasia-Pacific PostPolio Conference 20-22 September Sydney www.polioaustralia.org.au

INTERSTATE Australian Breastfeeding Association Seminar Series for Health Professionals 2016 2 March Perth www.abas.breastfeedingconferences.com.au Australian Breastfeeding Association Seminar Series for Health Professionals 2016 4 March Adelaide www.abas.breastfeedingconferences.com.au Australian Breastfeeding Association Seminar Series for Health Professionals 2016 17 March Brisbane www.abas.breastfeedingconferences.com.au Australian Breastfeeding Association Seminar Series for Health Professionals 2016 18 March Melbourne www.abas.breastfeedingconferences.com.au

Australian Breastfeeding Association Seminar Series for Health Professionals 2016 19 March Hobart www.abas.breastfeedingconferences.com.au Cancer Nurses Society of Australia 12-14 May Cairns www.cnsacongress.com.au 3rd Eating Disorders and Obesity Conference 16-17 May Gold Coast www.eatingdisordersaustralia.org.au The Australian and New Zealand Addiction Conference 18-20 May Gold Coast www.addictionaustralia.org.au ASPAAN Twilight Seminar 17 December Perth www.aspaan.org.au

REUNIONS RAHC Feb 1981 – 35-year reunion.

20 February 2016 Sally Aspinwall 0429 556 030 sallyaspinwall@gmail.com Louise Hay (nee Mann) 0468 461 196 4loual2@gmail.com Gladesville Hospital 5th Bi-Annual Reunion 21 February Gladesville Hospital Robert Harrop 0416 764 200 Warren Martin 0428 727 384 or warrenjmartin@hotmail.com St Vincent’s Darlinghurst PTS Class January 1976 40-year reunion 19 March fnethery@gmail.com.au or jacquie.scott@btopenworld.com Wollongong Hospital Nurse Intake of 1976 Reunion 16 April Jacqueline Hurley jacqui0322@hotmail.com 0423 286 080 Auburn Hospital October 1976-1979 40th Reunion Sharon Byers 0419 144 965 sbyers01@bigpond.net.au Margaret Borg (nee Mueller) 0431 159 964 margaret_borg@bigpond.com Tamworth Base Hospital February 1976 intake 40-year reunion Sandra Cox sandra.cox@hnehealth.nsw Sean O’Connor 0408 349 126 Gerard Jeffery 0417 664 993

INTERNATIONAL 12th World Congress of Nurse Anesthetists 13-16 May Glasgow, UK www.wcna2016.com NCFI Quadrennial International Conference Healthy Lives in a Broken World A Christian response to nursing 6-10 June Tagaytay City, Philippines www.ncfi.org

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At First State Super we believe Australians who choose careers looking

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