The Lamp July 2006

lamp the

magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

volume 63 no.6 July 2006

DEVALUED Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

AHS plans threaten nursing

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ABOUT THE LAMP

C O N T E N T S

Contacts NSW NURSES’ ASSOCIATION For all membership enquiries and assistance, including Lamp subscriptions and change of address, contact our Sydney office.

SYDNEY OFFICE 43 Australia Street Camperdown NSW 2050 PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 (all correspondence) T 8595 1234 (metro) 1300 367 962 (non-metro) F 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au W www.nswnurses.asn.au HUNTER OFFICE 120 Tudor Street Hamilton NSW 2303 ILLAWARRA OFFICE L1, 63 Market Street Wollongong NSW 2500

Cover story

lamp the

magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

volume 63 no.6 July 2006

DEVALUED AHS plans threaten nursing 12

DEVALUED Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

AHS plans threaten nursing

Cover From left: Mona Timo, Health Service Manager, Crookwell Hospital; Joanne Walker, Eurobodalla Community Nurse Manager; and Guy Trezise, Deputy Nurse Manager, Moruya District Hospital.

NSWNA COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Noel Hester T 8595 2153 NSWNA COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Olivia Nassaris T 8595 1263 For all Lamp editorial enquiries, letters and diary dates: Salim Barber T 8595 1234 E sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au M PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450

News in brief

Notice

THE LAMP PRODUCED BY Lodestar Communications T 9698 4511

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30 49 workplaces without local branch representation

PRESS RELEASES Send your press releases to: T 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au

100,000 nurses to retire in next 20 years Costello confesses: no penalty rates and no leave loading for our kids 9 Boost for disability services 9 Higher pay for QLD nurses 9 Call to help East Timor nurses 10 Howard tells WorkChoices victim: ‘Think of the economy’ 11 Cut hospital wages, says Howard minister 11 Politicians boost their own take home pay

Occupational Health and Safety 32 New OHS law threatens NSW employees

Nurses in action

11 What’s on this month

34 NSWNA hits the road fighting for nurses’ rights 38 Nurses celebrate on International Nurses Day

Industrial issues

Lifestyle

16 AHS restructure sidelines nurse managers at RNSH 17 Nurses save mental health unit 18 Combet, Iemma pledge to fight for nurses’ rights 20 Labor will abolish AWAs and enshrine collective bargaining rights 21 IR shorts

41 Movie review 42 Member’s tips 45 Book me

NSWNA education program

Aged care 22 23 24 27 27

Voice for aged care nurses Aged care RNs head to the future Laughter the best medicine Blue Mountains nurses get on board New group to lobby on aged care

Professional issues 28 Professional issues conference

34

38

Regular columns 5

Editorial

by Brett Holmes 6 Your letters to The Lamp 35 Ask Judith 47 Our nursing crossword 49 Diary dates

Competition 39 Win a deluxe getaway to Solar Springs

Special offer 41 10 double passes to win to see Confetti 43 100 double passes to win to see The White Masai

41

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THE LAMP EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Brett Holmes, NSWNA General Secretary Judith Kiejda, NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Coral Levett, NSWNA President John Lyons, Coonabarabran District Hospital Jonathan Farry, RPA Hospital Mark Kearin, Wyong Hospital Roz Norman, Tamworth Base Hospital Stephen Metcalfe, Lismore Base Hospital Therese Riley, St George Hospital ADVERTISING Patricia Purcell T 8595 2139 or 0416 259 845 F 9550 3667 E ppurcell@nswnurses.asn.au RECORDS AND INFORMATION CENTRE - LIBRARY To find old articles in The Lamp, or to borrow from the NSWNA library’s nursing and health collection, contact: Jeannette Bromfield, RIC Coordinator T 8595 2175 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au General disclaimer The Lamp is the official magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association. Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily those of the NSW Nurses’ Association. 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 NSW Nurses’ Association takes no responsibility for the advertising appearing herein and it does not necessarily endorse any products advertised.

Privacy Privacy statement: The NSWNA 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 NSWNA office. If you are still not satisfied that your privacy is being maintained you can contact the Privacy Commission.

Subscriptions Free to all Association members. Ex-members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $44.

Individuals $60, Institutions $90, Overseas $100.3 THE LAMP JULY 2006

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E D I T O R I A L

BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

The battle of values g It’s easy to be complacent about rights and values when times are good. The crunch really comes when times get tougher.

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n these prosperous and hedonistic times to talk about values can sometimes seem quaint and old fashioned. But values aren’t an abstract concept, they are tied in with rights and a vision of the sort of society we want to be.

Something is stirring in Australia. For nearly a decade and a half we have had a long economic boom and an unparalleled period of prosperity. But when I talk to nurses I sense a growing unease about the way our society, and even our profession, are evolving.

It is not the only reason, but the federal government’s new workplace laws have been instrumental in making people think about where we are heading as a society.

One thing that these laws have done is reveal the fragile situation many working people, including nurses, find themselves in.

The truth is, even in good times, many people are just keeping their heads above water. They are vulnerable to even small economic shocks. That is why there has been a strong reaction to these laws, which threaten people’s take-home pay and conditions.

Many people are also beginning to realise that the fundamental values of the labour movement – sticking together, putting a hand out to those in need, improving our lives through hard work with fair rewards – are not just moral positions but have economic and professional dimensions that give people security and better jobs.

Health is about values, too Some of our Area Health Services could do with a reminder that providing decent health services extends beyond bean counting and also involves values.

You need a sense of values to be a good nurse. Good nurse managers who combine managerial efficiency with the values required for clinical excellence are invaluable assets for the health system.

The proposed downgrading of nurse manager positions in the health restructure threatens to worsen an already compromised health service, particularly in rural areas (see story page 12).

It is important for Australian democracy that we have a strong opposition with genuine alternative policies that are credible.

The Labor Party has already put forward policies on skills and training, infrastructure development and taxation which deserve consideration.

It is putting forward an economic vision that is about nation building and which Labor claims will ensure working people share the benefits of economic prosperity when times are good and they are protected when times get tough.

Good nurse managers who combine managerial efficiency with the values required for clinical excellence are invaluable assets for the health system.

The Association will continue to press NSW Health to maintain the vital role of nurse managers within the management structure.

They are critical for delivering optimum health care to those who need it and deserve it.

Finally, Labor has a credible economic plan At the federal level, it is heartening that Kim Beazley has listened to the concerns of working people and their unions and taken a strong stand against the government’s workplace laws and economic direction (see story page 20).

On the other hand, the Liberal Party is putting its faith in market forces (except in the labour market) and workplace laws that give all power to the employer to determine pay and conditions.

Kim Beazley’s pledge to abolish AWAs and introduce collective bargaining rights in Australian workplaces adds another dimension to Labor’s economic plan.

It clearly delineates the two main political parties on workplace rights and will make the next federal election a clear choice between two vastly different sets of values. n THE LAMP JULY 2006 5

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LETTER of the month

L E T T E R S

Danielle Wallace (right) and Sue Cudmore

We are not RED Alliance We would like to take this opportunity to comment on the June 2006 cover story of The Lamp about Anne Woodward, NUM at the Australian Defence Forces Kapooka Centre and her industrial case.

Since your article and other media exposure, we have had numerous inquiries from our clients and customers as to whether we are the agency in the article.

We would like to make it clear that our Company, Alliance™ Health Services Group Pty Ltd (trading as Alliance™ Nursing Agency, Alliance™ Home Care Services), has no affiliation with RED Alliance, the nursing agency mentioned within this story. Further, from an agency perspective, the scenario described is something we find most disappointing.

At Alliance™ Nursing Agency, our motto is ‘Working in Partnership’. The tripartite relationship between the client, worker and agency is a shared and pivotal feature of a successful partnership. Recent changes within the nursing agency industry in NSW have identified the need for all parties to work together to ensure all staff are afforded the appropriate industrial and professional representation.

How we nurture, embrace and care for our staff – be they permanent, casual or agency employees – will impact directly on the care they provide and patient outcomes. After all, the delivery of quality patient care is what we are all committed to.

Danielle Wallace and Sue Cudmore (Directors and Registered Nurses), Alliance™ Nursing Agency and Alliance™ Home Care Services.

Help needed if possible I am an RN from Victoria.

I was recently given this badge and told it was my grandmother’s, possibly circa 1918. It has a maker’s mark of Miller and Sons, Sydney.

Can someone please help me to identify this badge and tell me if it has any connection to nursing? My e-mail address is nikki.p@lizzy.com.au. I look forward to hearing from you and thank you.

6 THE LAMP JULY 2006

Rachael McLean

Lindsay Burrows

Pleasure of working with Anne Woodward

Public hospital gains flow to other nurses

After reading about Anne Woodward’s plight I felt compelled to write.

I am an RN who had the pleasure of working with Anne. At the time I had only been working for a few years and, as my evening shift supervisor, she was wonderful. Her skills and knowledge base were exceptional and she was always ready to advocate for patients, families and staff. There are always a few nurses you remember in your career and, for me, Anne was one of these mentors who epitomises what a nurse should be.

Years on, I am now involved in clinical education myself and feel very strongly about Anne’s plight. The community and our future nurses need people like Anne and to be complacent on this issue could have huge ramifications for our nursing profession. I urge you as fellow nurses to advocate for our colleague.

Rachael McLean, Nursing Coordinator, Narrandera TAFE Campus (currently on maternity leave).

Congratulations to the Association for securing the employment conditions for Public Hospital Nurses by negotiating with the State Government.

I am an AIN working in aged care at Bossley Park Nursing Home and even though I am one of the vulnerable nurses impacted by Howard’s legislation, I am delighted by the Government’s response. I know this will also help to provide us (in aged care) a better safety net by keeping the market for nurses’ salaries high and stable.

Our lives could be much worse if the tens of thousands public hospital nurses were forced to bargain for their salaries and conditions, as this would lower the market for all nurses.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You can still email ADF Health Services and tell them to give Anne Woodward her job back.

Go to the NSWNA website - http://www. nswnurses.asn.au/ - and click on the prominent button on the home page with Anne’s image and the link will take you through to the email form.

Lindsay Burrows, Bossley Park Nursing Home.

Desperately seeking I am trying to locate a nurse who used to work in NSW in the early 1960s. I only have her maiden name, Barbara Elaine Stuckey. I would be grateful if you could pass her my contact details. Please contact Juliette Foster on 0405 377 002 or longjon5@aapt.net.au. Thanks very much for any assistance you can offer.

Juliette Foster.

ORGANISER SECONDMENT Are you a nurse who is interested in industrial relations, committed to fair and reasonable working conditions for nurses, and to a fair and just Australian society for you and your family?

and knowledge to make a difference for those working in the nursing profession.

At the completion, you will be equipped with the capacity to activate and mobilise members at your workplace.

The NSWNA may have an opportunity for you to take that commitment further.

We are currently offering 3 Organiser secondments to suitable applicants.

If you are interested, and are a current member of the NSWNA with a full driver’s licence and want more information, please contact: Ms Robyn Anson, Employment Relations.

Phone: 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (non metro).

Email: ranson@nswnurses.asn.au

The secondments will introduce successful candidates to the excitement of working in the union movement. The NSWNA will provide the education and training to ensure you have the skills

Closing date for applications 4 August 2006.

Got something to say?

Send your letters to: Salim Barber email sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au fax 9550 3667 mail PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Please include a photograph along with your name, address, phone and membership number. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Sharon McLean

Inequity suffered by general practice RNs I am a general practice RN working in a large, busy, country practice. I am writing in response to the ‘Nurses to do more GP work’ article that appeared in the June edition of The Lamp.

In response to Dr Tony Abbott’s comments, which suggest that providing a nurse rebate to general practice for nursing procedures (which we are probably already performing) will somehow encourage experienced nurses to stay in nursing, is ludicrous. HELLO! Does Mr Abbott have any idea how much Practice Nurses are paid under the Nurses Other Than Hospital Nurses’ Award.

There is almost $10 per hour difference, regardless of the fact that many practice nurses are highly qualified and experienced. This nurse subsidy is paid to the practice not the nurses, so how about directing some of the money to the hardworking nurses and bring the Award up to the standard of other RNs. This subsidy has no direct benefit to nurses so what incentive does this give nurses to stay in the industry?

Sharon McLean, Armidale.

Thanks for helping my dad I have recently started a new job that entails forwarding mail and correspondence which comes into my office to relevant staff members. In the course of my duties, The Lamp comes across my desk. My sister is a midwife so I know The Lamp magazine.

On 11 March 2006 my father had a stroke while watching the football at Telstra Stadium. Immediately, there were paramedics on hand to support dad and the family who were with him. The ambulance arrived and he was transported to Concord Hospital.

This letter in some small way is meant to recognise and thank the wonderful nursing staff from Ward 5 North, Concord Hospital, who lovingly and humanely nursed dad back to good health and eventually, after four weeks, home.

In so many ways, our health and hospital systems are criticised and maligned but the strength of all public hospitals lies with the women and men who dutifully perform their roles as clinicians and friends to the people who arrive on their wards.

Thank you to who were all involved in dad’s recovery for your hard work and dedication.

I’m glad to say dad is now back watching his beloved Bulldogs!

Anne Sinclair.

PS: My father, Kevin Stewart, was NSW Minister for Health 1976-1981 – a portfolio he held close to his heart. He will be back at Concord in June to join the staff in receiving new stroke monitors for the ward.

Loved the article on WIRES I really enjoyed The Lamp article on the WIRES volunteer and what to do if some one finds a injured animal. I believe people with nursing experiences do have some what of an advantage when caring for the injured animals.

I am an EN and I have worked in a correctional facility for 16 years now. I’m also a very active member of WIRES. I always have birds and possums of varying weights in my care until they are ready for release.

I can see from the photo the possum has been with Donna Rundle for some time to be sitting on her arm so comfortably. Unfortunately, when they come in as babies they do tend to get used to humans.

I am rewarded when the people and animals in our care recover/get better and are released. Nurses are caring, nurturing, loving and forever giving individuals.

The correctional facility where I am employed has even built aviaries for me on the complex and I am well known as ‘the bird/possum lady’. Officers/nursing staff are always calling me for rescues at all times and all around my area.

It warms my heart that The Lamp is interested in doing human interest articles. On behalf of WIRES and the staff with me who read the article, thank you.

Recently, I was asked to go onto the Kerry Anne Morning Show with my little charges, which will be aired on the 10 July.

Marion ‘Bloss’ Borgas, Justice Health, Long Bay.

THE TROUBLE

WITH TUESDAYS You may be finding it hard to talk to our information officers on Tuesdays.

This is because Tuesday is the one day of the week when all our staff are in the office for staff and team meetings. These meetings are essential for information distribution and planning activities.

If at all possible, please don’t ring on this day as there can be considerable delays. But if you need urgent assistance, you will get it.

Our information department receives approximately 900 calls per week, and the phones are ringing hot from 8am to 5.30pm.

We are working hard to meet your needs and thank you for your patience.

Call 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (non-metro).

LETTER of the month The letter judged the best each month will be awarded a $50 Myer voucher, courtesy Medicraft, Australia’s largest manufacturer of hospital beds and furniture. For more information on Medicraft products, visit www.medicraft.com.au or call 9569 0255.

EVERY LETTER PUBLISHED

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For locations, visit abcshop.com.au THE LAMP JULY 2006 7

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

100,000

Costello confesses:

ustralia will need to replace more than 100,000 nurses over the next 20 years as they retire, according to the Australian Nursing Federation.

ANF federal secretary Jill Iliffe says at least 10,000 nurses need to graduate in Australia every year to maintain an adequate workforce.

However, only about 5000 new nurses enter the profession annually, though this will increase to 6000 if the federal government carries out its commitment to provide 1000 more university places.

reasurer Peter Costello has told broadcaster Alan Jones that the generation of kids now entering the workforce might be the first never to get overtime and penalty rates.

This candid admission came when Costello was interviewed on Alan Jones’ show on 2GB on 15 June.

When Jones asked him if the generation entering the workforce now would be the one to never get leave loadings and penalty rates and the like, Costello said: ‘Well they might be.’

Costello rationalised this drastic change by saying these conditions are ‘cashed out for increases in wages’.

Unions and the opposition parties hotly dispute this.

A key change brought in by the federal government with its new laws is the scrapping of the ‘no-disadvantage test’, which ensured cash-out deals were balanced and pay rises would at least compensate for losing penalties.

Reality is now mugging the Liberal party, most infamously with the 2c an hour pay rise given to Spotlight workers in an AWA as compensation for losing their penalty rates and overtime.

Almost half of NSW workers – 940,000 out of 2 million – regularly work overtime an average of 7 hours per week.

If they lost penalties they could lose about $240 a month.

No penalty rates NURSES and no leave TO RETIRE IN NEXT 20 YEARS loading for our kids

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The nursing workforce in aged care will have to nearly double in less than 20 years to cope with a near doubling of nursing home residents.

About 2500 prospective nursing students were turned away last year because of a lack of undergraduate places, according to the NSW Vice Chancellors’ Committee.

Only about 10% of nursing students are men.

The nation’s 237,000 nurses make up 50% of the health workforce. Nearly half are over 45. The average age of a registered nurse is 42 and an aged care nurse 47.

The nursing workforce in aged care will have to nearly double in less than 20 years to cope with a near doubling of nursing home residents.

The sector employs 165,000 people to care for 155,000 aged, says the Aged Care Association of Australia, which represents nursing homes and service providers delivering to people’s homes. It estimates home residents will number 300,000 by 2025.

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While Peter Costello has at least showed some honesty about the real outcomes of AWAs, John Howard has been displaying some economy with the truth with statistics.

Costello rationalised this drastic change by saying these conditions are ‘cashed out for increases in wages.’

Using 2004 Bureau of Statistics figures, Howard has claimed employees on individual agreements on average earn 13% more than employees on collective agreements.

But if you remove the higher paying managers on individual agreements and use a fairer measurement – hourly rates of pay for non-managerial workers – a different picture emerges.

Workers on average earn 2% less, women 11% less, casual workers 15% less, and permanent part-time workers 25% less, according to David Peetz, Professor of Industrial Relations at Griffith University. n

Peter Costello.

BOOST FOR DISABILITY

SERVICES he NSWNA has welcomed a State government announcement of a new plan with a major increase in funding to support people with disabilities.

Stronger together: a new direction for disability services 2006-2016 is a NSW government plan to change the way people with a disability are supported.

The government says it has three aims: Strengthening families – enabling children with a disability to grow up in a family and participate in the community; Promoting community inclusion – supporting adults with a disability to live in and be part of the community; Improving the system’s capacity and accountability – fairer and clearer ways to access services, greater accountability and more opportunities for innovation.

The Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care has agreed to a request for joint consultation with the NSWNA on implementing the plan.

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HIGHER PAY

FOR QLD NURSES ueensland nurses have voted strongly for a new enterprise agreement that includes a 23% wage increase.

Just over 70% of Queensland Health nurses voted in favour of the proposal. Almost 50% of the nursing workforce took part in the ballot.

The Mater Public Hospital held a separate ballot which returned an 88% ‘yes’ vote.

The 23% wage increase includes a 4% increase already paid to nurses last December. The remainder of the increase will be paid in five instalments up to December 2008.

Non-wage improvements in the agreement include professional development incentives, increased allowances and on-call rates and greater remote-area incentives.

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Call to help East Timor nurses he Australian Nursing Federation has launched an appeal to assist East Timor nurses facing hardship and severe disruption to their lives and work as a result of the recent conflict.

Madalena Soares, a member of the East Timor Nurses Association, Associacao Dos Enfermeiros Timor Lester (AETL), relayed the distressing situation to the ANF. ‘Nurses bring their families with them to the hospital in the hope that food will be available for everyone but the hospital only provides one plate of food for each nurse. Some nurses have already left workplaces to go to refugee camps.

We need some help to encourage them to stay and to make sure they are safe,’ she said.

What began as a strike by about 600 soldiers from the East Timor military, developed into widespread civil unrest with tens of thousands of people fleeing the capital Dili. They are experiencing great hardship in refugee camps.

The ANF would like to provide additional support to AETL, to help rebuild infrastructure and restore confidence. Support from Australian nurses can help make this happen.

Through Union Aid Abroad -

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APHEDA, the ANF will be able to provide essentials and replace equipment that has been stolen or damaged. Monetary donations are desperately needed in order for the East Timor Nurses Association to provide much needed relief to nurses so they can continue their work.

You can donate by: c PHONE: Call the toll-free number 1800 888 674 and donate over the phone using a credit card. Please let the operator know that the donation is for East Timor nurses. c INTERNET: Go to the secure donation form at https://secure. fantasticone.com/apheda/order_ form.php. Select Once off donation - East Timor from the drop down menu in Section C of the form and ensure you type ‘nurses’ next to your name when you fill in that field, otherwise your donation will be directed to Union Aid Abroad’s general East Timor appeal.

Over the past few years, donations from Australian nurses have assisted the ANF to provide funding for three fulltime positions for the East Timor Nurses Association, dispatch $300,000 worth of medical supplies and purchase a 4-wheel drive so the Association can visit nurses working in remote parts of the country.n THE LAMP JULY 2006 9

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

Howard tells WorkChoices victim:

‘Think of the economy’ g Ripped-off mum lashes ‘out of touch’ PM.

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ohn Howard has effectively told a 57-year-old victim of his WorkChoices law to ‘lie back and think of the economy’.

Annette Harris, who worked at a Spotlight fabric store in Coffs Harbour for two years, was asked to sign an individual contract that abolished award conditions worth at least $90 a week – in return for compensation of just two cents an hour.

Ms Harris refused to sign the contract which abolished overtime, penalty rates, shift loadings, public holidays, leave loadings, rest breaks and bonuses.

When the Labor Opposition raised the case in Parliament, Howard strongly supported the employer’s action.

‘At the end of the day, the test of workplace relations laws is the contribution they make to the general health of the economy,’ Howard said. ‘If workplace relations laws strengthen the economy, they generate more jobs.’

The highly profitable Spotlight company is owned by Melbourne brothers Morry Fraid and Ruben Fried – the different spellings reportedly came from a school mix-up that stuck – who are worth $340 million, according to the Business Review Weekly rich list.

Spotlight plans to spread the individual contracts to more of its 5,000 staff.

National Retail Association executive director Patrick McKendry, representing the brothers, said Spotlight would stick to plans offering workers pay rates that started at the minimum legally allowed under new Howard laws.

‘The company is taking the government at its word and empowering area managers to negotiate with staff,’ he said.

Labor leader Kim Beazley condemned the company’s pay deals. Speaking outside a Spotlight store in Sydney’s Bondi Junction, he said the company’s contracts

were the beginning of a race to the bottom ‘towards Chinese and Indian wages’.

Ms Harris, who described herself as a lifelong Liberal voter, said the Prime Minister’s explanation of why the new laws would be beneficial shows that he is out of touch.

LOOKING FOR A

submissions in that particular portfolio. You will also have your own portfolio responsibilities.

c Public speaking experience and presentation skills c Well developed information technology skills with proven competence in the application of the Microsoft Office suite.

CHALLENGING ROLE?

PROFESSIONAL OFFICER The NSWNA is seeking a creative and self motivated nurse who has experience in the contemporary health care sector to represent the professional interests of members of the NSWNA. In this position as a Professional Officer with the NSWNA, you will be expected to provide relief to other Professional Officers for annual relief/ sick leave relief and assistance with portfolio matters when workloads are excessive. When acting in a relief position, the Professional Officer will attend all necessary meetings, respond to incoming documentation and 10 THE LAMP JULY 2006

Critical requirements for this position: c Demonstrated experience in the preparation of submissions and report writing c Demonstrated experience in project management, policy development and broad research skills c The ability to work independently as well as in a team c The ability to meet deadlines and manage several issues simultaneously c Excellent written and verbal communication skills c Experience in and post graduate/ tertiary qualifications in a relevant field c A clear understanding and commitment to trade union principles c Knowledge of contemporary nursing and health industry standards

‘I’d like John Howard to come and walk in my shoes for a day.’

‘I thought John Howard was just Prince Charming, I guess you’d say in a way,’ she said.

‘But I tell you now, after what’s happened and his arrogant attitude in Parliament – it’s just left me cold. I was just dumbfounded.

‘I’d like him to come and walk in my shoes for a day and see what I actually do as a mother and as a worker.

‘I’m an older worker, but I look at the younger ones that are coming up – how are they going to be able to afford to buy their own home and things like that? ... it’s a real worry.’ n

The work is both demanding and rewarding, with excellent conditions of employment. You must hold a current driver’s licence and be able to travel occasionally. You will be eligible for registration with the NSW Nurses and Midwives Board.

Applications should be received by 4 August 2006, by mail to PO Box 40, Camperdown NSW 1450 or by email to ranson@nswnurses.asn.au.

Phone enquires can be directed to Kate Adams, Manager, Professional Services, on 02 Howard.

8595 1234.

PM John

Cut hospital wages, says Howard minister g Senator’s magical solution to aged care shortage.

‘The recent decision by the Queensland government to increase the pay of acute care nurses in public hospitals by 25% over three years highlights the difficulty the aged care sector has in attracting qualified staff.’

The Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro.

A

ged care facilities suffer a shortage of nurses because public hospital nurses get paid too much, according to a Howard government minister.

The Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro, has made this suggestion repeatedly over the past few months.

In a speech on 6 March, the Queensland senator noted the continuing workforce shortage in aged care and said: ‘The recent decision by the Queensland government to increase the pay of acute care nurses in public hospitals by 25% over three years highlights the difficulty the aged care sector has in attracting qualified staff.’

Santoro returned to the subject on 28 May, saying pay rises for nurses and other staff were making it difficult to operate nursing homes.

‘He said state industrial relations commissions continued to approve large pay rises for nurses within a sector already struggling with staff shortages,’ reported The Courier Mail in Brisbane.

The wages gap between nurses working in residential aged care and those working in the public sector was $84.48 per week nationally in 2002, according to the Australian Nursing Federation.

This gap has widened to $237.64 per week nationally in 2006, the ANF says.

Senator Santoro is a former officer of the Queensland Confederation of Industry, an employers’ union. His experience of the health sector is limited to a stint as a ‘purchasing executive’ at a Brisbane hospital and later as an ‘executive’ of an ‘injury risk management consultancy’, according to his website.

He offers no evidence for the claim that cutting the wages of hospital nurses would magically ease the staff shortage in aged care. Nor does he say how big the wage cut would have to be.

Despite his lack of facts, the Senator apparently believes he knows the answer: hold everyone’s wages down to the aged care rate, rather than properly value aged care nurses by lifting their rates closer to public hospital rates. n

POLITICIANS BOOST THEIR OWN TAKE HOME PAY inimum wages have been frozen and other workers face an assault on their wages and conditions but one group of people still has reason to smile.

Federal politicians have just got a hefty pay increase, along with

M

generous tax cuts to boost their take home earnings.

From 1 July, John Howard will get an extra $29,539 a year (a minimum wage earner gets $25,188 a year) and a cabinet minister like Santo Santoro will get an extra $13,455 a year. n

n

cation progr u d e a am swn

WHAT’S ON IN AUGUST s Legal & Professional Issues for Nurses 2 August, Goulburn, ½ day Seminar is suitable for all nurses.

Topics covered include the Nurses and Midwives Act 1991, potential liability, documentation, role of disciplinary tribunals including the NMB, writing statements.

Members $39.50, non members $85, branch officials $28.

s Managing Aggression in the Workplace 7 August, NSWNA, 1 day Seminar aims to provide nurses with skills and strategies in managing unacceptable workplace behaviour.

Members $85, non members $226, branch officials $74.

s Basic Foot Care for RNs & ENs 17-18 August, NSWNA, 2 days A VETAB accredited course that aims to provide nurses with the competence to provide basic foot care.

Members $203, non members $350, branch officials $175.

s Basic Foot Care for AINs 21 August, Newcastle, 1 day Seminar provides the AIN with sufficient theory and practice to maintain basic foot hygiene for the healthy foot, in compliance with NSW Health policy and under the supervision of RN or EN. Members $101, non members $175, branch officials $87.50

s Bullying in the Workplace 24 August, Bathurst, 1 day Suitable for all nurses and provides strategies for reducing the incidence of bullying and the skills to cope with bullying behaviours.

Members $85, non members $226, branch officials $74.

For registration and more information: go to www.nswnurses.asn.au THECarolyn LAMP JULY 2006 11 on or ring Kulling 1300 367 962.

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NO C E W V ES R I SNT O BR Y I E F

Nurses devalued g AHS restructure plans for nurse managers pose grave threats to the nursing profession.

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lans by the Area Health Services (AHS) to downgrade nurse managers pose the most serious threat to the nursing profession for the past 10 years, warns NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda.

The Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) and Hunter New England Area Health Service (HNEAHS) have revealed plans to downgrade a large number of onsite nurse manager positions at rural facilities and install a general business manager across a cluster of health services.

The plans not only mean a downgraded role for these nurse managers but the AHSs are proposing these positions should include an additional clinical load – posing an

It lowers the rank of nurses in the health system. Nurses will have a lower rank, less influence, less pay but heavier workloads if the AHSs have their way.

‘This will filter down to all levels of nursing and will have impact on patients and their local communities.

‘What is being proposed imposes an impossible and dangerous workload on nurse managers and this will flow through to all nurses and health staff.

‘If implemented, the plan would undermine the confidence of local communities in their local health service and exacerbate the already serious problem of retaining and attracting nurses to these rural services,’ said Judith.

‘These are frontline positions and they were never supposed to be targeted in the restructure.’

‘In theory, the business manager should be taking on much of the administrative load but that’s not the reality. A general manager is several hours’ way.’ impossible burden on these already overloaded roles.

Deputy DoN and NUM positions have also been deleted or downgraded at a number of facilities in the GSAHS restructure plan. Devalued and overloaded nurse managers would be expected to struggle with their increased workload while suffering a wipe-out of these crucial nursing support positions.

The Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service has also threatened to downgrade divisional nurse managers, eliminating operational and budgetary responsibilities from the role.

We won’t accept a downgraded role The NSWNA has been engaged in intensive consultation with nurse managers regarding the proposed downgrade. ‘The feedback we are hearing from nurses managers is very grave indeed,’ said Judith.

‘The nursing profession is being seriously devalued by these plans.

12 THE LAMP JULY 2006

The NSWNA will be engaging in union-specific meetings with the AHSs over the coming months to demand a review of the roles and positions of the facility nurse managers.

At the time of going to press, the GSAHS and NSW Health have agreed to meetings with the NSWNA and nurse managers to discuss their grave concerns with the restructure proposal. The HNEAHS has also agreed to meetings with the Association and nurse managers.

Downgrade breaches Award The proposal to downgrade nurse managers and increase their clinical load and other responsibilities is in contravention of the nurse manager grading system in the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives (State) Award.

In many rural health facilities the Deputy Director of Nursing position has been deleted which, according to legal advice obtained by the NSWNA, is in clear breach of the Award. In some instances, AHSs have decided to ‘tidy up’

other structure nuances by deleting NUM positions without consultation with the NSWNA. Any proposal to change the grade of these positions would need to be put to a Grading Committee, which would examine the roles and activity levels at facilities.

Fourth tier of AHS restructure In 2004, NSW Health announced the amalgamation of the 17 AHSs at the time into eight larger AHSs. Over the past 18 months, the NSWNA has successfully negotiated centrally with NSW Health to ensure a strong nurse presence in the first three tiers of the restructure. The facility nurse managers represent the fourth tier in the new AHS restructure.

‘We’ve had to fight hard but we have been successful so far in achieving appropriate nurse gradings in the upper tiers. Where we have had concerns with any roles, we have agreement with NSW Health to revisit the position in 12 months,’ said Judith.

The make up of the remaining structure is being determined at a local AHS level, not centrally through NSW Health.

When the restructure was announced, the then Minister for Health, Morris Iemma, stated the primary objective of the restructure was to be cost savings on the administration side that would be channelled into frontline staff and services.

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes and Assistant General Secretary

NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda met with GSAHS nurse managers to hear their concerns with the restructure plans.

Judith Kiejda are demanding that the AHSs uphold this promise in regard to the remaining tiers.

‘We will continue the fight. We are determined to protect our nurse managers and ensure these senior positions are underpinned by strong nursing support positions,’ said Judith.

There was also the promise of a sound consultation process that would involve the AHSs talking to unions including the NSWNA, clinical staff and communities.

‘The AHSs have failed in this promise,’ said Judith.

Plans for a weaker nurse manager The restructure plans by GSAHS and HNEAHS include the installation of a general business manager with responsibility for the administrative functions of a cluster of three to four health services within the AHS.

human resource issues and service needs of the facility as well as having the skills, knowledge and expertise to coordinate a response to a major trauma.

The GSAHS and HNEAHS are arguing the nurse manager positions should be downgraded because they have a reduced administrative role with the installation of the business manager.

‘In theory, the business manager should be taking on much of the administrative load but that’s not the reality. A general manager several hours’ way is not going to be stepping in to fix the hot water or manage disputes between staff, for example.

It’s just not practicable,’ said Judith.

‘It’s the onsite nurse manager who actually looks after the day-today functioning of the service and has to undertake all the preparatory work required by the general manager.’

The NSWNA Nurse Managers’ Branch in the GSAHS reports that the business

‘It’s the onsite nurse manager who actually looks after the day-to-day functioning of the service.’

The business manager is located at one facility, yet may have responsibility for a number of (in one case 11) facilities that can be hundreds of kilometres or several hours away.

At each facility is an onsite nurse manager or health service manager, who is responsible for all the general management of the facility including all

managers have increased their workload, rather than reducing it.

For example, the onsite nurse managers are being bombarded by requests for backup documentation supporting the use of overtime, submissions for various reviews and reports about patient waiting lists.

‘There is the expectation that the nurse managers must drop everything and

respond immediately to these requests – even if they are caught up addressing clinical issues,’ said Judith.

Additional clinical duties for nurse managers already under pressure The nurse manager positions tabled by GSAHS and HNEAHS include a significant clinical load. The GSAHS expects its nurse managers to be undertaking clinical duties two days’ per week, and the HNEAHS one day per week.

This is on top of their current administrative load; this is with less support due to the deletion or downgrading of the Deputy DoN and NUM positions at most facilities.

The NSWNA has not been provided with any supporting data or information to justify the reductions in the management time in the role and members have not been consulted about this change.

‘The proposal is ridiculous and shows a total lack of understanding by AHS management of the role of a nurse manager,’ said Judith.‘On any day, an onsite nurse manager is responsible for finding nurses for the next shift, steps in to address disputes between staff members, organises for equipment to be fixed as well as coordinating clinical activities.

‘If we have the nurse manager caught up with clinical duties two days’ per week, who’s going to step in to organise a response to a clinical emergency and find staff for the next shift?’ said Judith.n THE LAMP JULY 2006 13

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NO C E W V ES R I SNT O BR Y I E F

DOWNGRADE UNDERMINES NURSING AND THE COMMUNITY g Mona Timo, Health Services Manager at Crookwell Hospital, says the restructure plans proposed by the GSAHS would downgrade her position and increase her workload to an impossible level.

‘M

y role is extremely busy.

I oversee all facets of the health service from administration, hotel services and maintenance services to overseeing the management of the in-patient and community health services,’ said Mona, who is also Secretary of the NSWNA Nurse Managers’ branch in the GSAHS. ‘The restructure was supposed to ease my administrative responsibility but my workload has increased. I still have day-to-day responsibility for all facets of the hospital. The general manager of the cluster is located 40 kms away at Goulburn Hospital. He is not going to come out to Crookwell to change a lightglobe, for example.

‘I am now also bombarded with requests for reports and information, all with unreasonable deadlines,’ she said.

Despite the level of activity at Crookwell Hospital and Mona’s busy role managing the day-to-day operations of the service, the GSAHS has tabled plans to downgrade her position from a nurse manager level 4 to level 3.

The proposal also imposes a clinical load on the position of two days’ per week.

‘My workload is already extremely heavy. I work more than 50 hours a week. Imposing a clinical load will increase my workload to an unmanageable level.

‘I am already required to undertake clinical duties when nurses are sick or emergencies arise. Then I have to take my management duties home. I do 6-8 hours work at home each week.

‘But if a clinical role was part of the position and I was caught up carrying out clinical duties, I would not be available to deal with my management responsibilities.

‘It places an unreasonable burden on my position but the impact will be felt down the nursing line and in the wider community,’ said Mona.

14 THE LAMP JULY 2006

‘When senior nurses are downgraded, it sends a message to nurses down the line that the nursing profession is not valued. They will not stay if they don’t feel valued.

Mona Timo, Health Service Manager at Crookwell Hospital.

‘It places an unreasonable burden on my position but the impact will be felt down the nursing line and in the wider community.’

‘But the implications go beyond nursing. The harmony of the community here will be destroyed. Crookwell Hospital is an important institution in the local community. There is no bulk billing here and people front up to ED for medical treatment because they cannot afford to pay to see GP or they are unable to get a timely appointment.

‘Nurses play a vital role in the local community. Downgrading their role undermines the confidence and respect the community has for nurses and the hospital.’

Mona said there has been inadequate consultation with nurse managers over the proposed changes to their grading and roles.

‘Nurse managers are feeling very isolated. The plan has been thrust on them without appropriate consultation and feedback beyond initial discussions that occurred with the group of nurse managers from the cluster,’ said Mona.

The NSWNA Nurse Managers’ branch in the GSAHS has passed a resolution demanding that the plans be withdrawn.

‘The branch is calling for a complete review of the proposal to remove inconsistencies and inequities in grading and role and unreasonable increases in workload,’ said Mona.

‘We also want nurse managers represented in the union-specific discussions coming up.’ n

Joanne Walker, Eurobodalla Community Nurse Manager.

Guy Trezise, Deputy Nurse Manager, Moruya District Hospital.

FAILURE TO CONSULT

J

oanne Walker, Eurobodalla Community Nurse Manager, has no problem with the model of care proposed by GSAHS to enable more integrated health services. But she has deep concerns with the draft management structure to enact the plan.

‘It’s a very problematic proposal that was put together with no consultation with nurse managers.

Without explanation, my status as a nurse manager has been cut and my workload will be tripled if the proposal is implemented,’ she said.

The draft restructure plan downgrades Joanne’s position Nurse Manager 2 to NUM 2.

‘The NUM classification is very different to that of a nurse manager. The plan would see my current professional responsibilities go out the window,’ said Joanne.

‘Community Nurse Managers have a huge responsibility for managing community nursing over a large geographical area and diverse specialty areas. It’s a specialty role that is crucial to community nursing.

‘I manage and provide professional leadership to 100 community nursing and allied health staff. This includes being responsible for competency standards, service planning, job appraisals and solving day-today problems. I also spend a lot of time addressing HR issues in community nursing,’ she said.

‘The proposal shows a lack of understanding of the community nurse manager’s role.’

In the draft structure proposal, the Community Nurse manager’s role would be also expanded to include clinical duties.

‘We’re already working in top gear. It’s a busy, pressured role with no slack to cut.

‘If I am caught up in clinical duties, I would not be able to address day-to-day problems that come up. This has implications for OHS, professional issues and nurse morale, which is already very low,’ said Joanne. n

DEPUTY NURSE MANAGER POSITION DELETED

W

ith the stroke of a pen, Guy Trezise’s position as Deputy Nurse Manager at Moruya District Hospital has been wiped out in the GSAHS restructure plan.

‘It’s utterly ludicrous,’ said Guy. ‘I have an enormous responsibility and workload. The Senior Nurse Manager is also struggling. There is no way that position can cope if my position is deleted.’

Guy manages the ED unit and critical care issues at the hospital. ‘I also coordinate staff education and training, roster fulfilment and I provide clinical support and supervision.

‘These are crucial roles that cannot be suddenly deleted with no consultation. It demonstrates the ignorance of the AHS executive of the needs of the cluster.’n

Stephen Simpson, Nurse Manager, Inverell District Hospital.

AHS CUTS THE HEART OUT OF NURSING

S

tephen Simpson, Nurse Manager at Inverell District Hospital, says the real worry about plans to downgrade nurse manager positions in the HNEAHS is it cuts the heart out of nursing career paths.

The HNEAHS has presented restructure plans that downgrade Stephen’s position from Nurse Manager 6 to Nurse Manager 5.

‘Sure, it’s insulting the AHS expects people to take on more work for less pay. But the most serious impact is on my nursing career and potential career pathways and opportunities for nursing professionals.

‘I uprooted my family from Queensland and came here to a position I viewed as a solid career move. Then, with limited consultation, my position has been downgraded.

‘For nurses down the line, there is a weaker career path in nursing and the profession has been degraded and devalued. This is a move that could take the profession back 20 years.’

As part of the HNEAHS restructure, the cluster general manager has been installed at Inverell District Hospital.

The HNEAHS argues the administrative components of Stephen’s role have been reduced with the cluster general manager onsite at Inverell.

‘But the presence of the general manager has not lessened my workload,’ said Stephen.

‘This is a large, active rural hospital, growing in activity and complexity from one year to the next. I am not just manager of the nursing workforce but I have responsibility for all the day-to-day tactical and operational functions of the service.

‘I am undertaking these responsibilities with reduced resources. I have lost clerical support and clinical/ managerial support on a day-to-day level. The end result is a significantly greater workload,’ said Stephen.

According to Stephen, there are also inconsistencies with how the restructure has played out across the HNEAHS. ‘Nurses managers at smaller facilities with less activity are graded as Nurse Manager 6, yet I have been graded as level 5. Why would you want to go to a larger hospital and earn less when you could go to smaller hospital with less complexity and activity and earn more?’ he said. n THE LAMP JULY 2006 15

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INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR II SE SF U E S

AHS restructure sidelines nurse managers at RNSH

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ngry nurses at Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) held a stop work meeting and rally in late May to protest against the proposal by Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Services (NSCCAS) to reduce the role of nurses in hospital management.

NSWNA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said nurses are being sidelined while generic managers and doctors are being given all the power to control operational matters, including budgets, in the operating theatres and wards.

‘Under the proposed management restructure at RNSH, nurse managers and nurse unit managers will report directly to a generic manager in each hospital division such as medicine and surgery.

They currently report to a divisional nursing manager, which means they are dealing with a person who, as a nurse, has a better understanding of their roles and needs,’ he said.

Nurses and allied health workers supporting their position gathered outside the hospital on 23 May, then marched to the square outside St Leonard’s railway station.

Nurses handed out fliers to the general public in order to explain their position and garner community support.

Under the proposal by NSCCAHS, nurses will be still responsible for patient flow and bed occupancy in the hospital, 16 THE LAMP JULY 2006

Alison Mayhew, RN and RNSH Branch President (left) and Joanne Caughtry.

but they will now only have an advisory role in terms of the funds required to pay for those patients and beds.

‘This will have huge implications for workload management and safe patient care at RNSH,’ said Brett Holmes.

Alison Mayhew, RN and RNSH Branch President, said, ‘We are deeply concerned with the hospital restructure and believe that it sidelines nurse managers by removing their operational responsibility.’

According to Alison, nurse managers need to be responsible for staffing supervision and operational management because they understand the functioning of a theatre or ward – including patient flow, patient acuity and required staffing levels – and can balance this with budgetary responsibilities better than a non-nurse, without compromising the quality of patient care.

Joanne Caughtry, CNE, is from Birmingham in the United Kingdom and worked as a RN for four years under a

similar system to the one proposed by NSCCAS where nurses were removed from management positions and replaced with non-nurse managers. She worked at a hospital where they appointed a divisional manager in change of four areas whose background was managing a supermarket.

‘The repercussions of this appointment were that nurses no longer had a career path, and patient care was compromised because issues we raised with the manager were only considered from a budgetary perspective and not a nursing point of view,’ she said.

‘Nurses felt like we had lost our voice and, as a consequence, frustrated nurses left the area to work in hospitals where the restructure had not taken place.’

Nurse Managers from RNSH met with the NSCCAHS in early June to discuss the descriptions for the Nurse Manager positions. At the time of printing, the RNSH branch was waiting for a response from the AHS. n

Nurses save mental health unit g Minister overrules management on restructure.

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determined stand by nurses has stopped NSW Health from severely downgrading a child and adolescent mental health unit.

NSWNA members told Hunter New England Area management they would not accept a decision to convert the Nexus facility in Newcastle from an in-patient facility to a day unit.

Nor would they accept any reduction in the size of the 12-bed unit attached to John Hunter hospital.

After representations from the NSWNA, the Minister Assisting the Minister for Mental Health Cherie Burton stepped in to overrule management.

Opened three years ago, the Nexus facility accounts for one third of beds available in NSW for children and adolescents with acute mental illness.

Its future was thrown into doubt in April when three of its four psychiatrists resigned in a 10-day period. They included two professors of psychiatry.

RN Luke Wiseman, president of the NSWNA branch at Nexus, said management claimed the trio resigned for personal reasons. ‘We are really not sure of the actual reason though we suspect lack of support from area health was the real cause of their departure,’ Luke said.

Nurses at the Nexus mental health unit.

‘We were appalled by the news and told management we would not accept it,’ Luke said. ‘We challenged management to utilise every resource they had to keep Nexus as an in-patient facility with the existing number of beds. We have succeeded in achieving that goal.’

Luke said Nexus is the only NSW unit that offers kindergarten to Year 12 age cover, and the only one that combines medical and psychiatric management of involuntary patients with eating disorders.

‘No other unit in NSW manages the breadth of diagnostic disorders from childhood dementia through to psychosis

‘We have children who are very ill and have nowhere else to go.’

Staff were called to a meeting with area management and told that as a result of the resignations, the facility would be restructured – in the worstcase scenario, turned into a day program.

In the meantime, the number of beds would drop from 12 to nine, while the maximum patient age would drop from 18 to 17.

in forensic patients as the Nexus unit has done under the direction of Professor Ken Nunn,’ Luke said.

‘We have children who are very ill, suffering from severe depression and psychosis, and have nowhere else to go.

‘Our patients have included homicidal children who have tried to take their parents’ lives and kids who

have attempted suicide. We take in kids from a wide area, from Sydney to the Queensland border and as far west as Burke.’

Luke said job losses were not an issue for the 32 nurses employed at the unit.

‘Management told us that under their plan, there would be no loss of jobs though some nurses would be reassigned to other mental health jobs in the area.

Our main concern was to fight to preserve the unit as a service to the kids who really need help.’

Luke thanked NSWNA officials for their support to the nurses’ stand. ‘They were a brilliant help to us,’ he said.

‘After the union got a meeting with the minister, the minister directed that under no circumstances would the unit be downgraded or suffer a loss of beds.

‘That was a great relief to all the staff.’

Luke said the department was actively seeking to recruit replacement psychiatrists.

He said the Nexus unit has enjoyed strong community support from groups such as the Toronto Probus Club, Centrelink staff at Adamstown, TV channel NBN3, and entertainers such as Marcia Hines, who visits each Christmas. n THE LAMP JULY 2006 17

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INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR II SE SF U E S

Combet, Iemma pledge to fight for nurses’ rights g ‘At stake is Australia as we know it’, Combet tells nurses at the NSWNA ‘Your Rights at Work’ forum.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma.

Beatrice Samer, Milena Kosovich and Anna Whitney at the Your Rights at Work Forum.

18 THE LAMP JULY 2006

NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda and General Secretary Brett Holmes with Greg Combet.

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hree hundred nurses, including busloads from the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and the Illawarra, turned up for a Your Rights At Work forum sponsored by the NSWNA, with ACTU Secretary Greg Combet and NSW Premier Morris Iemma as guests.

A clear theme that emerged from the thoughtful speeches and the lively debate at the Your Rights at Work Forum on 14 June was concern that the federal government’s IR laws will have an enormous impact which will affect us all.

‘We are involved in a political campaign’ When people go to vote in the federal election next year they need to have the federal government’s IR laws as an issue in their forefront of their minds, Greg Combet told the forum.

‘The things we are fighting for are the values that built Australia as we know it. It’s a political campaign that needs to be won,’ he said.

Greg said that public hospital nurses were still at risk of being drawn into the federal system.

‘It is critical in the state election that the Iemma Labor government be re-elected next year. I can’t emphasize that enough.’

Greg pointed out the basic union values that should motivate us to fight these laws.

‘People deserve dignity and respect at work, to have a fair share of prosperity and to have rights at work. Rights such as a career path, recognition of skills, and protection in the workplace. These rights didn’t come by magic. They came through campaigns by nurses over many

years. All these things are at stake and we have to fight for them. And fight we will.’

‘They are not going to beat us.

They’re not going to beat nurses. I for one would not like to take that challenge on.’

‘Unions are a vital part of the social fabric of this country’ Make no mistake, John Howard’s laws are the most fundamental attack on industrial relations in a century, said NSW Premier Morris Iemma.

‘It is an attack on the pay you take home, the hours you work, your family’s living standards, the safety you enjoy at work and your other conditions.’

‘Those of us who want to build a decent health system, who want to see the health care profession grow stronger are particularly vulnerable.

‘At the state level we can protect public hospital workers, and we have, but this will only survive as long as we have a state Labor government.

‘It is part of our belief in a fairer Australia that justice and fairness in the workplace will only be achieved by people coming together to collectively bargain.

That’s our view. We think unions are a vital part of the social fabric of this country and of the economy. The other lot, John Howard and Peter Debnam, see something wrong with that. They are suspicious about workers banding together.’

‘We need to get out of our comfort zone and talk, talk, talk!’

Dianne Lang, an AiN in an aged care facility, told the forum that she had decided to channel her anger about the federal IR changes into a local group on the South Coast of NSW that aimed to educate

Dianne Lang.

people about what was happening to their workplace rights.

‘We are a group of committed people who feel John Howard has taken away our rights and we want them back.

‘I tell people: we are not voting for a Liberal or Labor leader. We are voting for a Liberal or Labor policy.

‘So get out of that comfort zone, speak about these IR changes, look beyond next year and see how these changes will affect our children, our parents and our grandparents. We need to get out and talk, talk, talk.’

‘We can’t afford to leave that legacy to our children’ Brett Holmes said he hoped everyone would leave the forum with a strong resolve to take out the message to workplaces, colleagues and family.

‘Why? Because nurses are getting hurt by this legislation. It is attacking nurses. Particularly in our rural communities, how do people uproot their families and move to another town to find another job?’ he said.

‘What sort of society does John Howard want us to live in where people beg or live on charity. It’s a shocking thought that we will live in a society like that.

‘John Howard has set an environment where employers can simply do whatever they like, however they like.

We must fight against that. We must see that dignity at work is restored, not just for nurses but for the whole community.

‘Do we want our children entering a workplace where they have no rights, taking the lowest pay or having no job at all? We can’t afford to leave that legacy to our children.’ n THE LAMP JULY 2006 19

s

INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR II SE SF U E S

Labor will abolish AWAs and enshrine collective bargaining rights g Every day we see evidence of workers being abused by employers through AWAs and the first report from the government’s own watchdog reveals that every single AWA so far has scrapped at least one award condition.

Enough is enough, says Labor leader Kim Beazley.

AWAs have to go.

B

eazley announced Labor’s new policy at the NSW State Labor conference.

‘I believe AWAs are the poison tip of John Howard’s industrial relations arrow,’ he said.

‘I will not have Australian mums and dads ripped off by contracts that are shoved in their face by employers who’ve got no interest in any genuine bargaining process and hold all the cards.’

Beazley made another commitment: to introduce a legally enshrined right to collectively bargain.

‘John Howard knows that when they bargain collectively, working Australians would never accept having their pay slashed and conditions stripped bare. He knows the only way he can achieve this is to make workers deal with the employer on an individual basis.’

Beazley hit back at a frenzied reaction by business groups to his stand.

‘I cannot see how a set of changes whose immediate effect is large cuts in basic pay and conditions for some employees can advance the interests of

our nation,’ he wrote to the Business Council of Australia.

‘Australia will not prosper by engaging in a race to the bottom against low-wage countries like India and China.’

BEAZLEY’S PLAN TO SCRAP HOWARD’S IR LAWS

Common law contracts will still be legal

Labor’s position on workplace rights include:

OECD CONTRADICTS

an Employment Outlook report that rejects the business lobby and federal government assertion that labour market deregulation creates jobs.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S

IR RATIONALE The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, widely acknowledged as a model of economic rectitude, has released 20 THE LAMP JULY 2006

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet says despite the hysterical reaction by business and the government to Beazley’s announcement community sentiment is supportive.

‘Our polling in 24 key marginal seats shows strong community opposition to individual contracts. The Howard government may be in line with the opinions of big business on its IR laws but it is greatly out of step with community opinion,’ he said.

Beazley has clearly stated that common law contracts offering higher wages and conditions than awards or enterprise agreements will still be allowed.

‘We will work sensibly with all interested parties to ensure that transitional arrangements are easily put in place. This creates no uncertainty whatsoever,’ he told The Daily Telegraph.n

It says there is no clear evidence that minimum wages, trade unions and unfair dismissal laws cause unemployment. In fact, it says coordinated wage bargaining by unions actually ‘significantly reduces unemployment’.

c

Right to collective bargaining: Employers will be required to bargain with unions if that is the will of a majority in the workplace

c

Australian Workplace Agreements: AWAs will be scrapped in favour of enterprise bargaining agreements and awards

c

Unfair dismissals: Protections to workers at firms with less than 100 employees will be restored

c

Awards and minimum conditions: Penalty rates for working on public holidays will be restored and the number of minimum conditions expanded

c

Fair pay commission: Fair pay commission will be abolished and the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission restored with the emphasis on decisions returning to fairness

c

Foreign workers: Employers who want migrant workers will be forced to prove they have not fired local workers from similar jobs in the past 12 months.

IR SHORTS

Your rights shredded by law g It seems incredible now that only a few months ago the federal government spent $55 million telling us our rights were ‘Protected

by Law’. What has become apparent since the implementation of the new laws is that very few worker’s rights have been left unscathed.

COWRA EMPLOYER’S OPEN SLATHER SACKINGS WERE LEGAL

2 CENTS AN HOUR FOR LOSING PENALTY RATES AND CONDITIONS orkers at retail giant Spotlight have been given a pay increase of just two cents an hour in exchange for losing entitlements like penalty rates, rest breaks and overtime.

The Australian-owned chain of fabric and homewares stores employs 6,000 workers and rakes in over $600 million a year. But new staff will lose up to $90 a week under the terms of Spotlight’s new individual contracts.

Spotlight’s owners’ Morry Fraid and Ruben Fried told Melbourne’s Herald Sun:

W

E

mployers have been given the green light to sack workers and rehire them on lesser pay and conditions after the federal government’s workplace watchdog, the Office of Workplace Services, cleared the Cowra Abattoir of wrongdoing.

The abattoir was at the centre of a storm not long after the new federal IR laws were introduced when it threatened to sack 29 workers and rehire 20 of them on new contracts, which the ACTU said involved pay cuts of up to $180 a week plus loss of bonuses.

At the time, Workplace Minister Kevin Andrews would not confirm that the sackings were legal, but said the investigation was proof that ‘the law works, that there are protections’ for workers.

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said the report confirmed what the ACTU and unions have being saying about the federal government’s laws all along.

‘They water down previous protections for workers against being sacked and replaced by cheaper labour,’ he said.

HOWARD’S MAN CONFIRMS, AWAS WIPE OUT PENALTY RATES AND AWARD CONDITIONS

T

he head of the Howard Government’s Office of the Employment Advocate, Peter McIlwain, has admitted to a Senate Estimates Committee that penalty rates, shift allowances and annual leave loading for employees have been abolished in a majority of new AWAs registered under the Howard Government’s new IR laws.

McIlwain is responsible for scrutinising the content of workplace agreements. He told the committee: c 100% of all agreements exclude at least one protected award condition c 64% remove leave loading

‘Our AWA obviously meets all of the WorkChoices requirements. We are not the ones writing the laws.’

The employers’ position was quickly backed up by John Howard, who brazenly claimed stripping people of conditions in one store lead to the creation of jobs in another, earning a stiff riposte from the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘How did [Spotlight’s] proprietors manage to create a nationwide network of 100 stores, from their original shop in Melbourne in 1973, if the old system was so bad?’ it said in an editorial.

Annette Harris feels totally let down by the WorkChoices legislation which makes Spotlight's new workplace agreement legal.

c c c

63% remove penalty rates 52% remove shiftwork loading 16% excluded all award conditions.

BEACONSFIELD MINERS’ APPEAL FOR UNION OHS TRAINING FALLS ON DEAF EARS

I

n a separate admission to the senate estimates committee, the Employment Advocate Peter McIlwain confirmed that any leave to attend union-provided training – including OHS training – is prohibited in workplace agreements under the Government’s new industrial laws.

‘Leave to attend training, provided by a trade union, however described, is prohibited as per the regulations,’ Mr McIlwain told the committee.

This startling admission followed an appeal by 38 Beaconsfield miners, including members of the rescue team, that called on the federal government to remove the ban on union health and safety training.

‘We believe every worker has the right to return home from work safely every day. And we believe the right to occupational health and safety is a direct result of union involvement in the workplace,’ they said in a joint declaration.

‘Unions and union training improve workplace safety. We are concerned that the federal government’s new industrial laws attack the role of unions in our workplace and other workplaces around Australia and, in so doing, will make workplaces less safe.’n THE LAMP JULY 2006 21

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NG A E W E DS C IANR EB R I E F

Voice for aged care nurses g Aged care nurses had the opportunity to raise and debate issues at the recent Aged Care Nurses Forum organised by the NSWNA.

S

ixty nurses working in aged care attended the one-day forum in May where a diverse range of speakers including a representative from the Department of Health and Ageing and prominent nursing academics explored professional issues relevant to nurses working in the aged care sector.

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes said: ‘The forum was a great success. The strong attendance shows

that the Association is on the right track when responding to professional issues pertinent to nurses working in aged care.’

One of the benefits of such an event was the opportunity for aged care nurses to network with colleagues.

Nurses were also able to question the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing on different issues of concern without fear or repercussion.

‘The forum was a great success.’

‘Another beneficial element of this day is that Government and agency officials had the chance to hear directly from nurses working in the aged care sector,’ said Brett.

Brian Mason, NSWNA Industrial Officer, explained the federal government’s WorkChoices Industrial Relations legislation and how the new laws will affect aged care nurses.

THE EDITH CAVELL TRUST Scholarships for the academic year

2007

Applications close 5pm on 31 July 2006 22 THE LAMP JULY 2006

The panel discussion and closing remarks was an interesting session with plenty of heated debate about issues including aged care standards, staffing levels and the changing role of RNs. Betty Johnston, a significant consumer advocate who is passionate about aged care, offered her vision for the future of aged care – to lobby for the improvement of services including increased staffing

levels and skillsmix, and to include consumers as part of the movement to improve nurses’ work conditions, pay and training and to improve the quality of life for older people – whether they receive community aged care or are residents in aged care facilities.

Members who attended the forum described the issues discussed as ‘thought provoking’ and ‘informative’. n

Applications for the Edith Cavell Trust Scholarships are now being accepted for 2007. Members or Associate Members of the NSW Nurses’ Association or the Australian Nursing Federation (NSW Branch) are invited to apply.

Applicants should meet one of the following criteria: 1. Student nurses undertaking fulltime courses leading to initial registration as a nurse 2. Registered or enrolled nurses who wish to attend: • an accredited clinical nursing education course of six months or less, either full-time or part-time; • an accredited nursing conference or seminar relevant to applicant’s clinical practice.

3. Properly constituted nursing organisations, faculties or schools of nursing or registered or enrolled nurses wishing to: • attend full-time, relevant post-basic studies at an approved institution for a period or periods of more than six months;

• undertake an academically approved research program in the theory and practice of nursing work; • conduct or fund a relevant professional or clinical nursing educational program Applicants must be currently registered or enrolled with the NSW Nurses’ Registration Board (or the Registration Board of the State where practising).

Applicants must use the official Edith Cavell Trust application form. Details of the Edith Cavell Trust Rules are available on request and will also be supplied with the application form.

For further information or forms, contact: The Secretary – The Edith Cavell Trust PO Box 40, Camperdown NSW 1450 Tel: Mrs Glen Ginty 1300 367 962 Email: gginty@nswnurses.asn.au Web: www.nswnurses.asn.au – click on ‘Education’

Aged care RNs head to the future g A presentation by Dr Sharyn Hunter, CNC of Anglican Care, revealed a varying picture of RN practice in aged care.

D

r Hunter’s presentation at the NSWNA Aged Care Nurses Forum was based on the findings of her research project examining the changing roles and practices of RNs working in aged care.

Her research aimed to explore the practice and role of RNs in the residential aged care sector.

The research revealed that some RNs working in aged care were still stuck in past practice, others worked within current roles and practice and some are looking ahead to a model where the RN role is that of a clinical manager, with ENs and EENs assigned responsibility for the hands-on delivery of care.

Dr Hunter’s project utilised a multiple case study methodology, with study participants from six different facilities across NSW.

also contributed to the changing role of the RNs in residential aged care. Present structures more commonly comprise the NUM, RN/s with a clinical management role, and ENs and EENs delivering the hands-on care. Previously, the organisational structure had many more levels of management and the RN had greater responsibility for the delivery of care.

All case respondents in the research study said education was one of the key strategies that had assisted in their development. The RNs reported they received education within the facility and were generally encouraged by the NUMs to undertake external training.

They also acknowledged that RNs are required to be more accountable in their practice, standards have to be met and

about how others view them, reported Dr Hunter.

Despite improvements in their professionalism, RNs in residential aged care perceive a lack of respect from RNs in the acute sector. Nurses view RNs in aged care as the poor cousin of nursing.

The media are also perceived to be constantly presenting a negative, sensationalised portrayal of residential aged care. n

Her research aimed to explore the practice and role of RNs in the residential aged care sector.

According to Dr Hunter, both RNs and NUMs recognise that RN practice is evolving: they are more accountable, involved in decision making in relation to both the residents and the facility, and are responsible for a greater range of clinical and managerial activities.

RN education, support by the NUMs and GPs, and changing nursing structures have all assisted in the development of the RNs’ practice.

With their increased role, Dr Hunter’s research reveals that RNs working in aged care are now questioning why should they be classified as having less skill and being less able than RNs in acute care. ‘I mean, aren’t we RNs so we can make decisions,’ said one participant in the study.

The changing organisational structure of facilities in the aged care sector has

can no longer be ignored.

‘When I first started we put the pills in egg cups, I can remember, and we put out the night before for them with little name tags on them. Now we use the Webster packs and they [the medications] are dispensed and signed for when the resident takes them,’ one respondent said.

The respondents expressed a high level of sensitivity

Dr Sharyn Hunter.

THE LAMP JULY 2006 23

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NG A E W E DS C IANR EB R I E F

Laughter the best medicine g Aged care nurses still manage a good laugh despite workplace pressure.

W

hile the NSWNA Aged Care Nurses Forum revealed some dynamic and interesting professional developments in aged care nursing, a less inspiring take on the experiences of this nursing sector is found in a study by Valerie Adams, Research Associate at the University of South Australia.

In her study called Laughing It Off: Uncovering the Workplace Experience of Aged care Nurses, Valerie Adams, portrays aged care nurses as a jovial lot, who can still have a good laugh despite the day-to-day pressures they face in their work.

But there’s a complex and worrying story behind these cheery dispositions.

Her study asserts that traditional and unhelpful images of the perfect nurse are at heart of the laughing matter.

The nurses interviewed for the study seemed to be encumbered by outmoded and diminutive images of nurses – which affected how they ‘delivered hands-on care, how they interpreted their workplace environment

and how they participated in interviews for the research’.

And when they fell short of the unrealistic and unfair expectations they imposed upon themselves, laughter was the dominant response – masking their discomfort and embarrassment at not keeping up or being able uphold the impossible, according to the report.

The study sets out to investigate how nursing culture impacts on the way nurses perceive their work and is based

on interviews with 17 ENs and RNs working in aged care.

Adams notes the participants laughed when describing problems in their nursing role or their workplace.

They downplayed incidents they felt were stressful or unfair, such as meal breaks being cut short, or working on when the shift ended to get through their workloads. Heavy workloads and constantly having to work unpaid overtime to get through their work was

ACOSS STUDY CONFIRMS NURSES ARE UNDERPAID AND OVERWORKED An ACOSS study has reveals some trends in the aged care sector that come as no surprise to members. Based on the 2001 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ACOSS report cites evidence confirming staff in the sector are being ‘deprofessionalised and suffer underemployment and relatively poor pay rates’ – driving them from the aged care sector to the health and education sectors.

According to the report called Who Cares? A Demographic Profile of Care Workers Employed in the Australian Community Services Industry, almost

A

24 THE LAMP JULY 2006

half (49.5%) of staff working in nursing homes (including nurses and personal care assistants) are aged over 45 years.

Not surprisingly, fewer younger people are entering the aged care sector compared with other community care sectors.

There is also evidence the sector is being ‘deprofessionalised’, with the proportion of professional care workers declining from 29% in 1996 to 26.2% in 2001.

Despite this deprofessionalism, the report reveals an increase in the proportion of aged care staff with formal qualifications. In 1996 15.3% of aged care staff held formal

qualifications, yet in 2001 the proportion was 20.3%, suggesting a trend of underemployment in the sector. Increasing numbers of aged care staff are formally overqualified for their jobs, indicating a lack of employment opportunities in the higher skilled job categories, says the report.

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, the majority (90%) of staff working in an aged care setting are women. The report reveals they are more likely to have dependent children than women in other sectors, twice as likely to be sole parents and more likely to work part-time than general population.

The report does not examine the factors contributing to the stresses and workplace pressure faced by nurses in the aged care sector including low staffing levels and an inappropriate skillsmix in aged care. put down to personal inadequacy – despite the interviewed nurses’ extensive experience in aged care.

However, the report does not examine the factors contributing to the stresses and workplace pressure faced by nurses in the aged care sector including low staffing levels and an inappropriate skillsmix in aged care.

The small sample size used in the study also throws doubt on the validity of the project’s findings.

NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda says it’s a credit to aged nurses that they continue in their roles under such pressure and it’s a mark of their commitment to their residents.

‘To some extent there is still a culture in some workplaces where nurses are afraid or uncomfortable about speaking out about unfair pay and conditions, or where nurses do not get the professional recognition they deserve,’ said Judith.

‘Aged care nurses play a vital and valuable role in the aged care sector, as was evidenced by the material prepared by the NSWNA for the ‘Fair Share for Aged Care’ campaign last year. Our evidence examined the roles, workloads and qualifications of our members working in the aged care sector.

‘The NSWNA case was accepted by the Industrial Relations Commission and won a 25% pay rise for aged care nurses,’ she said.n

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First State Super

– the super fund for all nurses!

First State Super has made super a whole lot easier for nurses.

Key features of First State Super – your Fund

If you work in either a public or private hospital (or perhaps both) you can now use First State Super for all your super requirements including your employer’s superannuation guarantee (SG) contributions.

■

a not for profit fund

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over $11 billion in assets and over 450,000 members

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a top rated super fund for 2005-2006 by Chant West, SelectingSuper and SuperRatings – 3 of the super industry’s best-known research companies^

If you have an account with First State Super*, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to: ■

consolidate your super into one account

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ask your employer(s) to make SG contributions to First State Super (you may need to complete a Standard Choice form)**

very low administration fees of $1 each member each week

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competitive crediting rates over the short and long term^^

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make after tax contributions either through your employer**, by cheque or by using online banking

First State Super – take us with you wherever you work!

You don’t have an account with First State Super?

If you want to know more about joining First State Super: ■

Visit the web www.firststatesuper.com.au or

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Source: Chant West Financial Services Pty Limited ABN 75 077 595 316 www.chantwest.com.au, SelectingSuper a company of Rainmaker Information Pty Ltd ABN 86 095 610 996 www.selectingsuper.com.au, SuperRatings Pty Ltd ACN 100 192 283 www.superratings.com.au

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www.firststatesuper.com.au Disclaimer: Prepared by FSS Trustee Corporation (FTC) ACN 118 202 672, AFSL 293340, RSE L0002127 as the trustee of First State Super RSE R1005134.

This communication contains general information only and does not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. It is therefore important, before deciding whether to become a member of First State Super (or, if you are already a member, to continue your membership) that you consider the First State Super Your Member Guide Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) having regard to your own situation. The PDS is available by visiting www.firststatesuper.com.au or by calling 1300 650 873. The information contained in this document is current as at June 2006. First State Super: SPIN FSS 0100AU.

26 THE LAMP JULY 2006 NURSES 05/06

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AGED CARE

Blue Mountains nurses get on board g Organising drive wins new aged care members.

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ged care nurses in the Blue Mountains are joining the union, forming NSWNA branches and getting involved in the campaign against the Howard government’s industrial relations changes.

Thirty nurses from seven nursing homes joined the union during a recent organising drive.

Ten members volunteered to register as workplace activists who will act as contact points between union officers and members. New Association branches are being formed in five nursing homes, and a branch for DONs is also being set up.

The successful organising drive was the first in the mountains by the union’s Strategic Workplace Organising Team, which aims to strengthen members’ bargaining power in aged care facilities.

A busload of Blue Mountains nurses travelled from Katoomba to the union’s ‘Your Rights At Work’ forum in Sydney.

Carrying banners and balloons they marched to the Masonic Centre chanting: ‘Nurses care about their rights at work!’

One nurse was so moved by the experience she joined the union the next day.

Another took along her two teenage sons so they could learn more about the issues.

Like other passengers, Jay Davis from

Springwood Nursing Home joined the bus after finishing a morning shift and had to work the next morning.

‘But I’m really glad I went, and I’m glad the union made it easier for us to attend by putting on a bus. It was great to meet other nurses from the mountains and make a stand together with them against these new laws.

‘A lot of people still don’t realise just how bad these laws are. Others do understand but feel powerless to change anything,’ Jay said.

‘But that’s the thing about being a union member – there is power in numbers, and if we work together we can make a difference.

‘Change starts from the grassroots, with people like us standing up and saying, “No, I don’t agree with this”.’

Jay said Springwood nursing home workers including kitchen and maintenance staff discussed the new laws the day after the rally.

‘This isn’t only about us nurses, it affects everyone including our children.

It’s going to decide what sort of working world they go into.’

All Blue Mountains residents interested in the future of aged care are invited to a forum in Katoomba on 26 July.

The aged care action forum will be held at the Emergency Services hall, corner of Bathurst Rd and Valley Rd, from 6pm. Refreshments will be served from 5.30pm.

The NSWNA encourages nurses and other staff, carers, families of residents and anyone with an interest in the issue Jay Davis. to attend. n

New group to lobby on aged care

A

new lobby group has been set up to improve the quality of aged care facilities.

The Quality Aged Care Action Group (QACAG) will campaign on issues such as reduction of services, inadequate staffing and inappropriate skill mix in residential facilities.

The group has so far attracted more than 50 members who meet every second month at the NSWNA Sydney office.

The union’s annual conference last year expressed support for a broad alliance of nurses, residents and carers, doctors and community groups to campaign on aged care issues.

QACAG member Junie McCourt is both a nurse and carer, with her mother living in an aged care home.

Junie said she was motivated to get involved in the campaign after her mother’s facility reduced the number of RNs it employed.

‘It worried me that medications were to be Junie McCourt. handed out by unlicensed workers,’ Junie said. ‘The home provides an excellent level of care, the staff are hard working and very caring, but unlicensed carers don’t necessarily have the

knowledge or experience to deal with medications.

‘When my mum came out of an acute care hospital and was put on medication she was quite bad, and it took an RN in the aged care facility to pick up that it was due to the drugs. The RN got my mum’s medication reviewed by a GP and geriatrician and her health improved after that.’

For information about QACAQ, contact NSWNA professional officer Janet Ma on 8595 1234 (metro area) or 1300 367 962 (non metro). n THE LAMP JULY 2006 27

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N RE O P WFSE SI S N I OB N RA I EL F I S S U E S

Maintaining our professional g The 6th annual NSWNA Professional Issues Conference took place at a time of great flux and uncertainty for the profession.

FEDERAL IR CHANGES UNDERMINE OUR PROFESSIONAL STATUS th

The 6 annual NSWNA professional conference kicked off with General Secretary Brett Holmes posing the big question: how can nurses maintain their professional status if their rights at work are under attack?

‘Under the federal IR system an action such as that at the Royal North Shore Hospital – a dispute, not about pay and conditions, but about protecting nurses’ professional status – would not have been allowed,’ he said.

Brett highlighted the specific, and lesser known, aspects of the laws that target emergency workers.

‘If you take an action where services are diminished, a third party can make an application that says we can’t take an action. This puts a straitjacket on nurses as all our actions can be interpreted as putting someone in danger.’

Brett said action and people power are needed to turn it around.

‘Wear your orange armband – stand up and talk about it. Every politician needs to know we don’t support laws that strip away our rights and harm our security.’

28 THE LAMP JULY 2006

NURSES PAY THEIR RESPECTS TO A PIONEER ‘I’m proud to be the Senior Australian of the Year but stunned to be called senior,’ Sally Goold told the conference. ‘I felt deeply honoured and humbled.’

Sally treated the conference to an insightful and inspiring recollection of her journey as a pioneer Aboriginal nurse.

‘Whenever I was sick as a child I always thought nurses were wonderful.

For as long as I could remember I said I wanted to be a nurse,’ she said.

‘At 16 I applied to do my training.

People said I wouldn’t get in because I was black. I wrote to RPAH and was accepted. I had no idea there were other women in other states at that time who were denied training because they were black.’

Sally said among her proudest achievements was the formation of CATSIN with the support of the ANF and the NSWNA.

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes.

NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR GOAL, SAYS KYLIE There isn’t a rule book for good managers, according to Kylie Stark. Kylie says she was thrust into her managerial role without experience or training and to some extent this was an advantage.

Sally Goold.

respect

Kylie Stark.

Delwyn Bartlett.

‘Loyalty is the vital virtue in your staff but you can’t buy it, you have to earn it,’ she said.

‘Everyone is accountable, all of the time. If you ask people to be accountable, they take ownership of their role.’

Developing and communicating strong beliefs, having vision, being strategic and delegating the finer details were crucial characteristics of the good manager, she said.

Delwyn’s

WANT TO MANAGE SLEEPINESS ON SHIFT WORK? TAKE A NAP

c keep household lighting to a low level at night

Carers tend to be sleepier and more stressed, posing the risk of increased medication errors and near errors, says sleep expert Delwyn Bartlett.

‘Even on night shift, most people stay on their “day pattern”. They are more alert during the day and want to sleep at night. Taking naps and rest breaks is a useful way of managing this sleepiness and shift work,’ she said.

Delwyn says that before going to bed you need to allow wind-down time but should avoid mentally demanding work or over-stimulating TV. You should also keep away from exciting books and surfing the net, playing computer games and exercising as they all lead to over arousal. n

c try not to have too big a difference in getting up time on your days off.

SLEEP TIPS Managing the early shift: c do not wear sunglasses in the morning c avoid afternoon light

c have time out when you come home

Managing the afternoon shift: c avoid morning light c afternoon light will keep you more alert on your afternoon shift c after work give yourself time to slow down and have time out before trying to sleep.

THE LAMP JULY 2006 29

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BRANCHES NO LONGER EXISTING

N O T I C E

48

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workplaces without local branch representation

he NSWNA workplace branches listed no longer operate because they did not hold or complete their 2006 elections. Under the Rules of the Association, members of these former branches may apply to the Council of the Association to belong to another branch.

However, not having a branch at your workplace, limits your local representation and power.

A branch gives you a voice at work.

It gives you authority to meet, discuss and negotiate with your management under the umbrella of, and with the full backing of, the NSW Nurses’ Association.

A branch is the source of collective power for large issues such as inadequate staffing, hospital closures, Occupational Health and Safety issues.

Branches also take up local individual issues for members and are a source of advice and support close at hand.

Most importantly, branches give every individual member a chance to influence State action at the bimonthly Committee of Delegates, and set the policy of the Association at the Association’s Annual Conference.

Don’t go without – you may not have a problem today but there’s always

tomorrow and you need to be organised.

Management is well organised with human resources departments, employer associations and, in the public sector, NSW Health, ready to step in. Not to mention the bevy of solicitors they can drum up at a moment’s notice.

The bottom line You have three choices: 1. Talk to nurses at the workplace and get support for the branch to be reformed. Then contact the NSWNA for help with the process; or 2. Write to the Council of the Association and request a transfer to another branch. This is possible under the Rules but obviously does not give you as much influence if other workplaces are involved; or 3. Do nothing and hope you never need the support of your colleagues in taking a united stand. Remember, it’s always easier to pick off individuals than deal with a determined group of nurses!

The choice is yours but think carefully, is there really a choice?

Contact your NSWNA organiser to reform your branch – 8595 1234 (metro) and 1300 367 962 (non metro). n

c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c

Amity Banora Point Tweed Heads Navorina Nursing Home Amity at Ashfield Nursing Home Annandale Nursing Home Bathurst Nursing Home Bethel Nursing Home Blacktown City Mental Health Bulli District Hospital Columbia Aged Care, Marrickville Corowa Hospital DADHC Community Support Teams Dubbo Community Nurses Elizabeth Jenkins Place Nursing Home Ferndale Nursing Home Fernleigh Nursing Home Feros Village Nursing Home Grafton Aged Care Facility Homewood Nursing Home James Milson Nursing Home Jesmond Nursing Home Juvenile Health Kurri Kurri Masonic Village Lakeside Nursing Home Lower Western Community Health Nurses GSAHS Lynvale Nursing Home Macarthur Community Mental Health Maclean Health Service Maitland & Hunter Valley Mental Health Manning Mental Health Mareeba Nursing Home Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family Nursing Home Matthew John Nursing Home Mayo Private Hospital Missionholme Hostel Murrumbidgee Network Community Nurses Nambucca Valley Care Oberon District Hospital Orange Private Hospital Pambula District Hospital Peninsula Private Hospital Scalabrini Nursing Home Drummoyne Sir Moses Montefiore Nursing Home St Catherine’s Nursing Home St Vincent’s Community Nurses Tanderra Nursing Home Wesley Gardens Nursing Home Willandra Nursing Home Yass District Hospital

Foot Care Nurses 5 reasons why you should be a member of the Foot and Hand Carers Association: • Greatly reduced Insurance Premiums • Hugh savings on medical supplies and equipment • On going Association support for basic Foot Care • Provides creditability, networking and private employment opportunities • Free monthly newsletters, containing videos and industry updates.

See us online at www.footandhandcarers.com Phone (03) 5152 6585

Foot and Hand_thirdpg.indd 1 30 THE LAMP JULY 2006

26/6/06 9:33:45 AM

s

Q & A

ASK

JUDITH More pay for relieving NUM I am often required to relieve the NUM when she is off duty for the day. Could you please advise me when I am entitled to be paid higher grade duty for the period of relief?

When the NUM is away on annual leave, sick leave, study leave or LWOP you would be entitled to be paid higher grade duty for the period of relief. There is no stipulation of the amount of days the NUM has to be absent from duty. The only time you would not be entitled to be paid the higher grade duty is when she would be absent due to her ADO or her two rostered days off during the week.

What is salary packaging?

I have heard other nurses talk about salary packaging. What is salary packaging and who can do it?

Salary packaging is a tax-effective means of using part of your salary towards what are known as ‘non-cash benefits’. These benefits, which can include mortgage repayments, residential rent repayments, novated car leases etc are deducted from gross salary, with the residual of salary paid in cash. The residual becomes the new taxable income and is

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS AT WORK, NSWNA ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY JUDITH KIEJDA HAS THE ANSWERS. subject to normal PAYG tax rules. The savings achieved mainly come from the $17,000 grossed-up value of benefits that are exempt from Fringe Benefits Tax. Normally, an employee would pay for these items from after tax income but by including them in the $17,000 grossed-up salary package the items are acquired from tax-free income.

Permanent full-time, part-time employees and temporary employees employed for 12 months or more by NSW Health are able to salary package. Casual employees by the very nature of their employment are not eligible to enter the scheme.

This information can be found in the NSW Health Salary Packaging Policy and Procedure Manual.

The details regarding eligibility for this leave are contained in NSW Health Circular 2002/113 ‘Attendance at State Super Retirement Preparation Seminars’. Should you require further information regarding accessing Special Leave, contact Human Resources Personnel at your Area Health Service.

Entitled to attend retirement seminar

Your colleague is correct. The Public Health System Nurses’ & Midwives (State) Award states in clause 4 Hours of Work and Free Time of Employees Other than Directors of Nursing and Area Managers, Nurse Education: ‘(xii) Changing time totalling ten minutes per shift to count as working to be allowed to nurses not permitted to travel in their work clothes.’ This same provision is also provided for nurses employed under the Private Hospital Industry Nurses’ (State) Award. n

I am due to retire shortly and work in the public sector. Am I entitled to take leave to attend a retirement seminar held by my superannuation fund?

If you are a member of State Authorities Superannuation Scheme or the State Superannuation scheme you are eligible for up to two days Special Leave to attend a retirement seminar run by State Super.

Changing clothes in work time I work in a public hospital in the operating theatres. Our NUM insists we be dressed and ready for duty at the commencement of our shift, however a colleague believes we are entitled to get changed into our theatre clothes during work time.

Who is correct?

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THE LAMP JULY 2006 31

s

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

New OHS law threatens NSW employees

A

new OHS Bill proposed by the NSW Government would downgrade OHS laws and reduce protections for NSW employees.

The Bill was developed to bring NSW OHS laws in line with the OHS laws of other states and Territories in Australia. This follows a threat by the federal government that it would nationalise OHS legislation unless OHS laws are adapted so they are consistent across the states.

employees and makes it much harder to prosecute employers.’

The NSWNA, with Unions NSW and other unions, met with the NSW Minister for Industrial Relations John Della Bosca to discuss union concerns that the OHS Bill undermines NSW workers’ health and safety.

Mr Della Bosca explained the federal government had threatened to nationalise OHS legislation if the states did not ‘harmonise’ their OHS laws. This resulted in pressure on NSW to downgrade its

‘The OHS Bill as it stands threatens to seriously reduce protections for employees and makes it much harder to prosecute employers.’

The Government recently released a draft of the OHS Bill for public comment, following a period of consultation with the NSWNA and other unions on the NSW OHS Act 2000 and the NSW OHS Regulation 2001.

According to NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes, the Association has strong concerns with the draft Bill.

‘The OHS Bill as it stands threatens to seriously reduce protections for

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OHS laws to bring them in line with other states.

‘The NSW Government has attempted to “harmonise” NSW OHS laws but in a downward direction, rather than other states raising the bar to the standards already in place in NSW,’ said Brett.

NSW OHS laws have been proven to improve safety in NSW workplaces, particularly in regard to their provision

for absolute duty of care on employers.

This is evidenced by the clear downward trend in injuries and fatalities in NSW workplaces. In 2005, the fatality rate was the lowest in 18 years. Why would we go back on this achievement? said Brett ‘The Bill has not picked up any features from the other states that would improve the lot of workers, such as the statutory right to refuse to do unsafe work.

‘Effectively, the federal government is trying to get the Labor State Governments to do their dirty work for them by starting a race to the bottom in relation to OHS standards,’ he said.

‘If the federal government wants to reduce the so called “burden of legislation” on employers and erode the rights of workers and unions, then they need to do their own dirty work and not do it by stealth through the States,’ he said. n A full copy of the NSWNA’s submission will be soon available on the NSWNA website. The NSWNA also encourages members and branches to prepare submissions on the OHS Bill. The Bill and associated documentation can be found on the WorkCover website www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/OHS/ OHSAct2000Review/default.htm

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NSWNA CONCERNS WITH NEW OHS BILL c Weaker duty of care and onus of proof.

The changes will make it much harder to prosecute employers and employers will not have the responsibility of demonstrating due diligence and having to justify their management decisions with respect to OHS. c Employees responsible for their own health and safety.

While employees have some responsibility for looking after their own health and safety, it should be limited to the current scope of cooperation with the employer and reporting hazards and injuries.

Employees do not have control over the workplace and its management, and should not be held responsible for their own safety where they do not have control. The proposed change could encourage a culture of ‘blame the employee’ and reliance on behavioural safety programs rather than more effective risk control strategies from higher in the hierarchy of controls. c Insertion of provision for enforceable undertakings.

This proposed change will mean an organisation can ‘do a deal’ with WorkCover in order to escape prosecution. The ‘deal’ is enforceable once agreed by WorkCover and will prevent prosecution by a union for the breach of the OHS legislation. c Prosecution of union officers for doing their job.

The Bill proposes fines of up to $11,000 on individual authorised union officers who deliberately hinder or obstruct the workplace. It does not provide for any reasonable excuse for hindering or obstructing work. So, in effect, a union official could be fined up to $11,000 for trying to prevent a fatality or serious injury in a situation where there is grave imminent risk to employees.

NSWNA SUPPORTS THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONS TO THE BILL c Resolving unresolved matters concerning consultation c Reinstatement of employees who have been unlawfully dismissed.

THE LAMP JULY 2006 33

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NU E W R SS E SI NI NB R A ICETFI O N

NSWNA hits the road fighting for nurses’ rights g The NSWNA recently took to the road on a Southern Roadshow to visit members across the Greater Southern and invited them to be part of the fight to overturn the federal government’s WorkChoices legislation.

N

SWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said the NSW Nurses’ Association is committed to overturning the WorkChoices legislation. ‘We will work from sunrise to sunset to make working conditions and pay better for nurses,’ she said.

The NSWNA officers who embarked on the Southern Roadshow 29 May– 2 June worked during the day visiting nurses working in hospitals and nursing homes and attending community meetings in the evening.

Over the week, the Association visited 180 members at Milton, Bega, Batemans Bay, Moruya, Queanbeyan

and Shoalhaven public hospitals, seven nursing homes and one private hospital.

Twelve new members were also keen to come on board and be part of the action.

The Roadshow was a great opportunity for the NSWNA to talk to nurses about conditions, pay and other issues but unlike other workplace visits, it was the federal government’s WorkChoices legislation that was the hot topic of discussion consuming everyone we met – nurses and members of the public alike.

Concern growing in the community The Roadshow was carried out in conjunction with Unions NSW and the big orange ‘Your Rights at Work’ bus

travelled along the same route. While NSWNA staff visited nurses, Unions NSW held stalls outside popular shopping areas and spoke to the public about the legislation and encouraged them to attend the local community meeting or function.

People who have already been affected

by WorkChoices shared their experiences at the evening community meetings. These discussions highlighted union fears that a number of young people have been the first to feel the impact of the legislation, with many employers taking advantage of their lack of experience and inability to negotiate.

The attendance of the community meetings was a heartening sign that members of the community understand the extent of the threats posed by the new legislation. n

n

SUPPORTING EMPLOYERS WHO DO THE RIGHT THING BY WORKERS enny Butcher is a Jenny Butcher (left) discusses the teacher in the Miltonimplications of WorkChoices on Ulladulla area and the Milton-Ulladulla community.

Chairperson of the Your Rights at Work Community Group, formed after a group of local residents watched the sky channel address on 15 November 2005 at the local golf club and were ‘stunned’ by what they learned about the WorkChoices legislation.

‘We put a notice in the local paper saying that anyone Three representatives from the concerned about the new laws community group attended the Unions is welcome to attend a meeting at the NSW training camp, where they learnt local school,’ said Jenny. more about the legislation and about The group met and discussed the legislation and ideas to assist in campaign techniques. the campaign – their first task was The group’s latest campaign to educate people in the community was inspired by many young people about the changes. working in retail and hospitality who

J

34 THE LAMP JULY 2006

are being forced to sign individual contracts that exclude conditions such as penalty and overtime rates.

Community members have committed to shopping at businesses that support fair pay and conditions and do not exploit their workers.

Jenny said, ‘We will place signage in their store window that says they are a business which supports rights at work. This will help inform customers about where they want to spend their money.’

At the meeting, Christine Miller, RN at Milton Hospital, said, ‘I will make the effort to travel the extra distance to a different bakery or café, if need be, to make sure I am shopping at businesses that support fair pay and conditions.’

Nurses at the Your Rights at Work dinner.

‘When average working families have to make cut backs to household budgets due to the scrapping of penalty and overtimes rates, it will be luxury items, like holidays, that go first.’ n

WORKCHOICES IMPACTS IN MERIMBULA

SWNA members Dianne Lang and Helen Pratt are active in the Your Rights at Work group in the Bega/Moruya region.

The Hon. Sandra Nori MP, NSW Minister for Tourism, addressed a Your Rights at Work meeting attended by nurses, union groups, concerned citizens and church representatives which explored how the legislation impacts directly on tourism.

Dianne spoke about the legislation and the devastating impact it is having on tourism in the community. She argued that very wealthy people are not the people who take holidays on the South coast, but rather average working Australian families that are looking for an affordable break.

She said, ‘When average working families have to make cut backs

N

to household budgets due to the scrapping of penalty and overtimes rates, it will be luxury items, like holidays, that go first.’

Businesses in the area such as coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and other stores that rely on tourism

to support the local economy are concerned the legislation will have a negative impact on working Australian families who holiday in their area.

NSWNA members Helen Pratt and Diane Lang with Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson at the Your Rights at Work dinner.

THE LAMP JULY 2006 35

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NU E W R SS E SI NI NB R A ICETFI O N

Active in Moruya

onnie Hogg, EN, and Jo Bruce, RN, from Moruya District Hospital, attended the discussion evening at the Moruya bowling club to find out more about how they could participate in the community campaign.

Jo was pleased to see the NSWNA visiting nurses in the area. ‘It is encouraging to see the NSWNA campaign against the Industrial Relations legislation is gathering strength. I’m pleased to see my union being proactive and visiting workers on the South Coast.’

Jo feels inspired to educate people in her area and invite them to attend the community meetings. She said, ‘I will be encouraging people to attend a forum which is being run by the federal government. It is important people who understand the negative impact of the legislation attend to offer an alternative view about the changes.’

R

Ronnie Hogg (left) and Jo Bruce.

go fur ther

than you ever imagined www.nursing.usyd.edu.au

The Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery offers an amazing array of Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master’s programs in Cancer Nursing, Clinical Education, Clinical Nursing, Emergency Nursing, Gerontic Nursing, Health Services Management, Intensive Care Nursing and Mental Health Nursing.

The Faculty also offers a Master of Nursing Research and a Master of Midwifery Research. Honours programs are available for all Master’s degrees.

A Graduate Diploma in Midwifery and a number of research degrees that prepare nurses for leadership in research, teaching and administration are also available.

MORE INFORMATION For entry requirements and more information visit our website at www.nursing.usyd.edu.au, phone +61 2 9351 0693 or email fon@nursing.usyd.edu.au

The University of Sydney GO FURTHER go beyond 36 THE LAMP JULY 2006

YOU CAN GET ACTIVE NOW The NSWNA encourages members, friends and families to attend these local groups. By participating in your local community group you can participate in the campaign to protect fair pay and working conditions for nurses and all Australian workers.

Everyone is invited and welcome to attend the community meetings listed below. Up-to-date information about the dates, times and locations can be found at the South Coast Labour Council website at www.sclc.com.au

QUEANBEYAN: Henderson Park Community Railway Carriage (opposite) 72 Henderson Road, Queanbeyan Tuesday, 25 July 2006, 6.30pm

EUROBODALLA: Moruya Bowling Club Shore Street, Moruya Monday, 24 July 2006, 7pm

SNOWY-MONARO: Dodds Hotel 94 Commissioner Street, Cooma Thursday, 20 July 2006, 6pm

MILTON-ULLADULLA: Milton Public School (staff room) Thomas Street, Milton Tuesday, 18 July 2006, 7.30pm

FAR SOUTH COAST: Pambula-Merimbula Golf Club Arthur Kaine Drive, Pambula Tuesday, 11 July 2006, 5.15pm

SHOALHAVEN: Bomaderry Bowling Club 154 Meroo Street, Bomaderry Tuesday, 4 July 2006, 5pm

Now ALL members can contribute to First State State Super Members who don’t work in the Public Sector have been asking if they can contribute to their First State Super account. Now they can!

If you are an existing member of First State Super*, you can make contributions** or transfer benefits from other superannuation funds to your account.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to: ■

make a one-off payment to your super (maybe your tax refund cheque?)

■

consolidate your super into one account

■

regularly make after tax contributions by using online banking

■

receive the Federal Government’s superannuation co-contribution, if you are eligible***

■

ask your employer to send Superannuation Guarantee contributions to First State Super.

Notes: * If you are over age 65, read Fact Sheet 3.2 to check if you are able to contribute. ** Includes personal after-tax contrubutions, compulsory employer Superannuation Guarantee contributions or salary sacrifice contributions to super. *** See Fact Sheet 1 on our website or call 1300 650 873.

www.firststatesuper.com.au

How can you contribute more to your super?

■

Complete a Standard Choice form to have your employer send contributions to First State Super.

■

To make a one-off payment into your First State Super account, complete a Personal contributions by cheque form.

■

Contribute to your super through your online internet banking.

See the instructions on our website at www.firststatesuper.com.au under Brochure and forms/Personal contributions by EFT – Internet banking only.

More information and forms?

If you want to know more about how to grow your super, visit our website at www.firststatesuper.com.au or call us on 1300 650 873.

Disclaimer: Prepared by FSS Trustee Corporation (FTC) ACN 118 202 672, AFSL 293340 as the trustee of First State Super. This communication contains general information only and does not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. It is therefore important, before deciding whether to become a member of First State Super (or, if you are already a member, to continue your membership) that you consider the First State Super Your Member Guide Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) having regard to your own situation. The PDS is available by visiting www.firststatesuper.com.au or by calling 1300 650 873. The information contained in this document is current as at June 2006. First State Super: SPIN FSS 0100AU. THE LAMP JULY 2006 37 ROLLIN 05/06

s

NU E W R SS E SI NI NB R A ICETFI O N

Nurses celebrate on International Nurses Day n GLITZ AND GLAMOUR IN THE ILLAWARRA

T

he Illawarra region celebrated International Nurses Day in style.

Over 300 nurses from nursing homes, and public and private

hospitals attended the annual ‘Glitz and Glamour’ ball organised by NSWNA members Glen Barrington and Nevia Kusa, ENs at Wollongong Hospital.

- NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes with Tracey Johnston, RN at Wollongong Hospital. Tracey won the ‘excellence in nursing award’, a prize that is voted by her peers and recognised Tracey’s contribution to the nursing profession.

6From left: Peter Barras and Elizabeth Barras, RNs at Sutherland Hospital; Julie Latham, RN at Wollongong Hospital and Suzanna Ayuso.

n REFLECTING OVER A NICE CUPPA

n NEPEAN NURSES SPREAD THE WORD Nepean Hospital held a nursing expo to highlight the achievements, career opportunites and to celebrate the work of nurses. Judith Kiejda spent the morning speaking to nurses about the industrial relations legislation and how the new laws affect nurses’ pay and conditions.

Kurrajong and District Nursing Home celebrated International Nurses Day with an afternoon tea. Nurses marked a world map where staff originated from to recognise the diversity of their knowledge and experience.

n RPA NURSES THE ICING ON THE CAKE Firefighters risk their lives every day and are recognised for their work on International Firefighters Day, held on 4 May. This year the fireys decided to do something extra special on International Nurses Day to thank nurses for the care they give injured fire fighters and rescued victims. They treated nurses at the RPA to a special cake that took over 20 hours to make and depicts a fireman on a hospital bed being tended to by a nurse.

38 THE LAMP JULY 2006

g International Nurses Day is an opportunity to commemorate all nurses and the vital work they do in the community. On 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, nurses across NSW joined nurses worldwide in celebrating their profession and their contributions in hospitals, health facilities, community health, disability and aged care settings throughout the State.

n MARK OF APPRECIATION FOR COLEDALE NURSES Nurses at Coledale Hospital celebrated the day with staff choosing to wear Nurses Rights at Work – Worth Fighting For’ t-shirts to acknowledge that the federal government’s industrial relations changes will impact negatively on nurses and tarnish nursing as a career for future generations. All staff were presented with a certificate of appreciation and management put on a barbecue and cake for the nurses.

C O M P E T I T I O N

WIN! A DELUXE GETAWAY

AT SOLAR SPRINGS Everyone deserves to be pampered and Solar Springs Health Retreat offers the perfect ‘designer’ holiday.

Activities range from bushwalking, cycling and tennis to yoga, stretch classes or meditation. A 25-metre indoor heated swimming pool opens onto a secluded deck and a spa, sauna and steam room completes the aquatic centre.

Solar Springs has an extensive range of bodycare therapies.

Choose from a relaxing Swedish massage, decadent pedicure or therapeutic bodywrap, just to name a few.

The Lamp and Solar Springs is giving NSWNA members the chance to win a fantastic midweek ‘Mini Miracle’ package. Valued at $1,498, the prize includes twin or double ensuite for two for three nights from Sunday to Wednesday or Tuesday to Friday, all meals, and includes use of all leisure and sporting facilities and supervised activities. Each guest will also receive a manicure, Swedish massage and a hydro bath.* To enter , write your name, address and membership number on the back of an envelope and send to: Solar Springs Giveaway, PO Box 40, Camperdown 1450.

EXCLUSIVE DEAL FOR NSWNA MEMBERS!

Solar Springs is offering NSWNA members a special midweek package price. Members can save $103, paying only $539 for 3-nights’ budget accommodation from Sunday to Wednesday or Tuesday to Friday including all meals, leisure and sporting facilities and activities. Includes a relaxing Swedish massage and soothing hydro bath; or $649 for single ensuite accommodation (save $114).** Bring a friend and share a room and receive a FREE Float!

For more information on Solar Springs, check out our website www.solarsprings.com. To book the perfect getaway, phone now to book your package 1800 044 944 or (02) 4883 6027.

n NURSES NURTURED AT SHOALHAVEN HOSPITAL Members at Shoalhaven Hospital proudly wore their ‘Nurses Rights at Work – Worth Fighting For’ t-shirts on International Nurses Day.

*Prize valid to 28 February 2007, subject to availability, cannot be taken by persons under the age of 16 years and cannot be used during NSW school holidays or on public holidays. Any other professional therapies and consultations are an optional extra. ** This package is valid to 30 October 2006 and NSWNA membership number must be quoted at the time of booking for special price to apply. Therapies cannot be exchanged.

Nurses enjoyed hand and neck massages as a part of ‘nuture the nurse’ afternoon where they enjoyed being pampered and a delicious afternoon tea. n

THE LAMP JULY 2006 39

CAREGIVERS a change is as good as a rest

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Are you capable of providing housekeeping support, have some care-giving experience or have trained as a nurse and are you eligible to work in the UK? Then we can help you work and travel in the UK. Placements involve live-in care for older people in their own homes.

Depending on experience the pay is between $1000 and $1200 a week.

All placements are short-term and include free board and lodgings, making them a great way to augment your cash in between travel excursions.

Visit our website for more information about this fantastic opportunity – not only the great pay and conditions but also the good time off, holiday pay, free training and professional friendly support.

To be eligible to work for us in the UK you must have one of the following: • A valid British or European Union Passport • A Working Holiday Visa for commonwealth citizens aged 30 or under • An Ancestry Visa by virtue of having a UK grandparent Email us on: enquiries@oxfordaunts.co.uk or visit our website at: www.oxfordaunts.co.uk

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*CONDITIONS: Please read this information very carefully because additional charges may apply to some flights. Limited offer. You must book and pay by 31 July 2006. Packages valid for travel in low season: 17Jul06–13Sep06, 09Oct06–15Nov06, however bonus nights valid only on dates as above. Seasonal surcharges will apply for travel outside these dates. All prices are per person, twin share and valid for return economy class travel flying Malaysia Airlines ex Sydney. Above prices include flights, accommodation and fuel surcharges, return airport/hotel transfers, fees and taxes. Prices are correct as at 07 June 06 but may fluctuate due to currency exchange, changes in surcharges, fees and taxes. Additional local taxes may apply. All products are subject to availability and may not be available on every day/flight throughout the travel period. Scheduling subject to change without notice. An additional 3.5% American Express or 1% Bankcard/Mastercard/Visa credit card service fee will be applied to the dollar amount paid by credit or charge card. Minimum stay is 4 nights and maximum stay is 21 nights. Extra nights are available and may be required to connect with some flights. Cancellation fees apply. conditions 40Other THE LAMP JULYapply.

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L I F E S T Y L E

Cracking up over wedding plans g With three misfit couples competing to create the ‘perfect’ wedding mayhem, Confetti left Judy Curry no choice but to laugh and laugh – the perfect unwind after a stressful day nursing in an acute care ward.

This month’s star reviewer is Judy Curry, RN at Rozelle Hospital notable English comedians. My favourite character is Snoopy (Marc Wootton), one of the friends, who just wants the music to be done his way. The cast seem to be having the time of their lives and the throw away lines are terrific. It is quite remarkable because no script was used and the actors improvised the scenes.

After a tiring day at work as a nurse, this film is just what I recommend. It would be hard to not find a few good laughs and unwind watching Confetti. n

SPECIAL OFFER FOR NSWNA MEMBERS

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The Lamp has 10 double passes to give away to see the preview screening of Confetti. To enter, email Salim Barber at sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au with your name, membership number, address and contact number. First 10 correct entries win!

Frazzled wedding planners, Gregory Hough (Jason Watkins) and Archie Heron (Vincent Franklin) with brideto-be Isabelle Fontaine (Meredith MacNeill).

C

onfetti is a humorous film about wedding planning with a difference. A wedding magazine runs a competition to find the most unusual wedding out of three finalists, the winning prize being a dream home.

A number of eccentric applicants are rejected, until finally three competitive couples with very different agendas are chosen. They include a couple of naturists who like to play a spot of nude badminton, a pair of musical battlers and a duo of sporting combatants.

The frazzled wedding planners, Heron & Hough (Vincent Franklin and Jason Watkins) set about negotiating

the finer details of the three weddings with the couples, while trying to accommodate the magazine’s stipulations for publication. Added to the chaos are the well-meaning family members and friends who have their own firm ideas on how the wedding should unfold. The competition increases to the point where one contestant has plastic surgery with hideous results.

The film is often very funny with an overriding sense that before long, everything is going to go horribly wrong and collapse into a ridiculous heap.

Confetti is sustained by a brilliant cast which includes Martin Freeman and Jessica Stevenson and a host of other

WANTED STAR REVIEWERS & TIPSTERS FOR OUR REVIEW PAGES

We're seeking members with a non-nursing skill or talent they'd like to share with other nurses.

You could be a whiz in the kitchen. Or have some DIY plumbing and home-handy tips. Or a wild and wonderful interest or skill. Be it strange, extraordinary or useful, we'd love you to come on board as a NSWNA tipster. We are also seeking closet film buffs to share with other nurses their views on the movies they love and hate. It’s a chance to see previews of next month’s new releases.

Please contact us with expressions of interest to be part of our tipster and movie review team.

Be part of the action by calling Salim Barber now on 02 8595 1219 or email sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au THE LAMP JULY 2006 41

s

L I F E S T Y L E

Keeping bees is sweet g Outside life as psych nurse, Mark Peterson’s hobby as a beekeeper brings some sweetness and a few stings to his life.

M

ark Petersen, RN, likens his experience as a psych nurse to his ‘hobby’ as a beekeeper: ‘There is sweetness there, but you’ve got to put up with the stings.’

At Hornsby Hospital’s Ward 1A (acute medical) in Sydney’s north, Mark brings plenty of sweetness to his job – in the form of jars of honey for sale to his fellow workers. (But anybody who gives me a smile, I give ‘em a jar of honey,’ he said.)

Mark has been keeping bees for nearly 30 years, 10 of those running a commercial operation. These days his time spent with the bees is purely for pleasure brought about by a fascination for the bees themselves, a love of the bush, and a sideline interest in the medicinal properties of honey.

‘It’s a hobby,’ Mark said, ‘I think a man needs a hobby, and preferably lots of them.’

Currently, Mark has six hives situated on a friend’s property, each home to 40 to 50 thousand bees in the peak summer season, about 30,000 in winter.

While Mark estimates he would visit his hives every couple of weeks in summer, he also said, ‘You can neglect them completely and they do beautifully’.

Mark describes beekeeping as an ‘addiction’ but unlike most addictions this one brings a good balance to life.

It’s also a hobby for the multi skilled.

‘You’ve got to have an interest in the bees themselves. You’ve also got to have practical skills where you can maybe make bee boxes, put frames together, extract the honey, put them on and off the back of the ute, that sort of thing.

‘You’ve got to have social skills to negotiate with farmers (for placing hives on their land), you’ve got to have an understanding of trees and how nature works, and then you’ve 42 THE LAMP JULY 2006

RN Mark Peterson.

‘There is sweetness there, but you’ve got to put up with the stings.’ got to be a bit of a salesperson to be able to market your product because you can create a monster when you get too much honey – I’ve got a couple hundred jars in the garage.’

Unsurprisingly, given his nursing background, Mark also has an interest in the medicinal properties of honey.

‘I think it’s got a place in wound management,’ he said. ‘I’ve heard talk about people who are immunosuppressed benefiting from honey on their wounds. And I think there is a place for honey in that area.

‘Anecdotally, I’ve heard that people have used the cappings, which is what you cut off the top of the honeycombs, to try and stimulate broncho-dilation.

They might get a teaspoon or two of cappings or even honeycomb and chew it each morning and it gives them a bit

of a broncho-dilating effect.’

There are also anti-bacterial effects of honey, in particular, the Jelly Bush and Manuka honeys. ‘Both of these honeys have known anti-bacterial properties which are higher than the normal sort of honey you get,’ said Mark.

Mark believes there is a ‘mechanical facet’ to the success of treating wounds with honey. ‘If you put honey on a wound you create an anaerobic situation, which is what a scab does, and you also create a moist warm wound environment, which is the basic principal for modern day management of wounds.

‘I’ve put honey on wounds and cuts – I think it’s as good as anything.

But it is hard to judge because if you do nothing and wait, a lot of things get better anyway.’ n

rk’s Tips a M FOR TREATING BEE STINGS Having handled a million or so bees in his time – coping a few stings along the way, Mark has a few tips to take the fire out of a bee sting.

1.

2.

3.

Scratch out the sting Put something cold on it Better still, dab honey on it.

Mark said he doesn’t know why a dab of honey helps, but suspects it is because it closes the sting site from the air and that air can stimulate stinging sensation.

OUR REVIEWERS & TIPSTERS RECEIVE

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The White Masai 100 double passes to be won!

A captivating romance and breath-taking travelogue into the Kenyan outback, The White Masai tells the unbelievable – yet true – fish-out-of-water tale of a white European woman who becomes the wife of a Masai warrior.

At the end of her holidays in Kenya, Swiss businesswoman Carola (Nina Hoss) meets the Samburu warrior Lemalian (Jacky Ido). Fascinated, Carola falls head over heels in love with him. She impulsively cancels her return flight and sends her boyfriend (Janek Rieke) back home alone. She stays in Kenya and sets out in search of Lemalian.

With a similar sweeping nature as Nowhere In Africa, The White Masai is an extraordinary true love story and a gripping adventure steeped in humanity and filled with a wonderful sensitivity.

The Lamp has 100 double passes to give away to see The White Masai. To enter, email Salim Barber at SBarber@nswnurses.asn.au with your name, membership number, address and contact number.

First 100 correct entries win!

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You can study on campus or by distance, full-time or only one or two subjects each semester.

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> Master of Science (Population Health) – two years (full-time equivalent) If you wish to undertake a major project or specialise in health management subjects, consider this on campus program which builds on the MPH. > Graduate Certificate in Public Health Or start with this shorter program, which is available part time only, on campus or by distance. It articulates with the MPH and MSc.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.uow.edu.au or email uniadvice@uow.edu.au.

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We also require agency nursing staff for locations such as Surrey, Essex, Manchester, Worthing, Oxford plus many more. Some on-site accommodation available.

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T 1300 305 687 E aus.healthcare@hays.com Specialist Recruitment hays.com/healthcare

44 THE LAMP JULY 2006

s

L I F E S T Y L E

Book me Pediatric Physical Examination: An Illustrated Handbook

by Karen G. Duderstadt, Elsevier Australia, RRP $65.00 : ISBN 0-323-01904-8 Pediatric Physical Examination is intended, first and foremost, to be utilised in the education of the pediatric primary healthcare workforce and, second, to augment the skills of health care providers currently working with infants, children, and adolescents across pediatric practice settings. It provides over 200 photographs and line drawings followed by brief, concise content that is useful when assessing a pre-term infant, school-age child, or an adolescent.

Current Issues In Nursing (7th edition)

by Perle Slavik Cowen and Sue Moorhead, ElsevierMosby, RRP $88.00 : ISBN 0-323-03652-X Through the past six editions of Current Issues in Nursing, information and viewpoints of developments have been provided that continue to impact on the delivery of health care and the nursing profession.

This book provides the opportunity to analyse conflicting viewpoints and to

synthesize one’s own thoughts on the demands being made on the nursing profession and the difficult issues affecting today’s health care delivery.

Hemodynamic Monitoring Made Easy

by Jayne A.D. Fawcett, with forwards by David Bennett and Barbara A. Mclean, Elsevier Australia, RRP $67.65 : ISBN 0-7020-2781-2 Hemodynamic Monitoring Made Easy covers the latest technologies and methods for measuring cardiac output, using biomedical signals, monitoring pressure and flow, and more.

The author has had 13 years’ practical experience with hemodynamic monitoring and within critical care settings. With this solid foundation of knowledge and current evidence-based thinking, readers will understand exactly what the hemodynamic information obtained from the monitors reveal.

Contexts of Nursing (2nd edition)

by John Daly, Sandra Speedy and Debra Jackson, Churchill Livingstone Australia, RRP $60.00 (approx. Price quoted in pounds 23.99) : ISBN 0-7295-3746-3 Context of Nursing includes discussions

on history, culture, ethics, law, technology, and professional issues within the field of nursing. It provides nursing students with a comprehensive coverage of core ideas and perspectives underpinning the practice of nursing today and reflects on the significant changes in nursing practice over recent years; strategies for emotional self awareness; power, politics and advocacy; cultural awareness and using informatics.

Critical Care Nursing Secrets: Your Critical Care Questions Answered by Experts You Trust (2nd edition)

by Hildy M. Schell and Kathleen A. Puntillo, ElsevierMosby, RRP $72.68 : ISBN 0-323-04178-7 Critical Care Nursing Secrets contains information that is aimed at helping critical care nurses provide evidencebased care and promote optimal outcomes for patients and families. It has been designed to assist both experienced and inexperienced critical care nurses to access necessary, to-the-point information that directly affects practice.n Reviews by NSWNA librarian, Jeannette Bromfield

WHERE TO GET •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

JULY NEW RELEASES These books are all available on order through the publisher or your local bookshop. Members of the NSWNA can borrow any of these books and more from our Records and Information Centre.

For borrowing information, contact Jeannette Bromfield, 8595 2175, jbromfield@nswnurses.asn.au or Cathy Matias, 8595 2121, cmatias@nswnurses.asn.au

THE LAMP JULY 2006 45

HEALTHCALL NURSING AGENCY REGISTERED NURSES & ENROLLED NURSES

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Shift working Enrolled Nurses

Relax. Enjoy the Bird Life, Swim. Your own private Luxury Hideaway.

We are looking for enrolled nurses to participate in an interview for a research study exploring the experience of nurses who are maintaining shift work during the mid-life phase of their working life. The study aims to increase understanding of what is assisting mid-life nurses to successfully undertake shift work involving a rotating roster.

If you have worked shift work on a rotating roster for 24 hours or more per week for the last six months or more are female and 44 years of age or older and are interested in being involved, please ring 9351 0564 and leave your name and address on the voicemail and we will return your call as soon as possible.

Assoc. Prof. Sandra West & Dr Maureen Boughton

Bonville Lodge • Luxury Bed & Breakfast Ph: 02 6653 4735 • www.bonvillelodge.com.au

46 THE LAMP JULY 2006 BonvilleLodge-Adv.indd 1

8/6/06 2:38:04 PM

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CRoSSWoRD

Test your knowledge with The Lamp’s exclusive nursing crossword.

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Infectious disease of the lungs (12) Tumours (7) Joint of the thigh and pelvis (3) Intravenous, abbrev (1.1) Common antibiotic (10) Hairs of the eyelid (6) Illness, syndrome (8) To develop into an ulcer (8) Bone of the leg (6) Disinfecting, cleaning (10) Southern Cross University, abbrev (1.1.1.)

Tiny air sacs in the lungs (7) Irregular heartbeats (12)

Lymphoid tissue on the back of the mouth (7) Shed blood (4) Hives, measles, spots (6) Inflammation of the uvula (8) Breathed in (7) Health professionals in high schools (6,6) Abnormally high acid in body fluids, common in diabetes (8) Inflammation of the pancreas, often due to alcoholism (12) Disease which inflames the peripheral nerves (8) Occupational therapist, abbrev (1.1.)

Tube to insert in the bladder (7) Unblocks, clears (7) The ‘I’ in SIDS (6) Period of work for a nurse (5) Curriculum vitae, abbrev (1.1.)

Solution page 49 THE LAMP JULY 2006 47

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DIARY DATES

Conferences, seminars, meetings SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA Stroke – It’s Time 6 – 7 July 2006, Rydges Jamison Sydney Contact: Louise Pitney (02) 9437 9333 louise@conferenceaction.com.au

Assoc. of Discharge Planning Nurses Date: 10 July 2006 (previously 12 June) Venue: Concord Hospital, 2pm Contact: Kerrie Kneen (02) 9487 9750 Email: kerriek@sah.org.au

HNA NSW Special Interest Night Date: 11 July 2006, 6:30pm Macquarie Hospital – Conference Ctr Contact: David Terelinck 0409 031 191 Email: dterelin@bigpond.net.au

NSW Chapter Of Society Vascular Nurses 12 July 2006, 6 – 8pm, RPA Hospital Cost: $10 non-members Contact: Lorinda Ford (02) 9515 6111

Pain Management Symposium

ACAT Nurses Special Interest Grp

Date: 28 July 2006, 8:30am for registration for 9am start each day Centenary Lecture Theatre – RNSH $341 for two days/ $198 for one day Contact: Ros Wylie (02) 9926 7386 Email: rwylie@med.usyd.edu.au

Date: 15 August 2006, 1 – 3pm Bankstown/Lidcombe Hospital – Lvl 4 Contact: Wendy Oliver 9722 7300 Wendy.Oliver@swsahs.nsw.gov.au

Taking Heart: A New Quest For Medical Humanities 27 – 30 July 2006, Byron Beach Resort Contact: Summa Verbeek, 6687 5980 Email: events@ncgpt.org.au

Renal Society of Australasia (RSA) NSW Branch 1 August 2006, NSW College of Nursing Contact: Susana SanMiguel, 9828 5544, Susana.sanmiguel@swsahs.nsw.gov.au

Westmead Hosp. Midwifery Conf.

4 August 2006, Crowne Plaza Norwest 1 Columbia Court, Baulkham Hills Contact: Sadie (02) 9845 5555

NSW Lactation College Inc. – Annual State Conference 4 August 2006, Crown Plaza, Coogee Contact: Lyn Hall 9665 1549

UTS Paediatric Diabetes Educ. & Management Short Courses

Holistic Nurses Association (HNA) NSW AGM

Date: 16 July 2006, 8am – 5:30pm Venue: UTS City Campus 235 – 253 Jones Street, Broadway Contact: Sue Dean (02) 9514 4914 suzane.dean@uts.edu.au, cost: $350

Date: 8 August 2006, 6:30pm Macquarie Hospital – Conference Ctr Contact: David Terelinck (Secretary) 0409 031 191, dterelin@bigpond.net.au

‘Creating a Future for Children and Family‘

Susan Ryan ‘Neonatal Emergencies‘

Date: 21 July 2006 The Childrens Hospital Westmead – Lorimer Dods Lecture Theatre Contact: Tracey Stuart (02) 9845 1995 Email: TraceyW3@chw.edu.au

Date: 11 August 2006, 8am – 4pm Carlton Hotel, Church St Parramatta Early bird: $100, full registration: $120 (after 11 July). Registration closes 28 July.

Contact: Kylie Tomich (CNE), 9845 2748 Email: kylie2@chw.edu.au

Bones On The Beach – Orthopaedic Conference

Nurses Christian Fellowship Prof.

Breakfast: 12 August 2006, 9am

22 July 2006, WIN Entertainment Ctr Contact: Sue Tait (02) 4222 5812 Email: piriej@iahs.nsw.gov.au

Venue: Mount Annan Botanical Gardens AGM: 2 September 2006, 12:30pm Venue: All About Life Building 5 Byfield Street, Macquarie Park Prof. Evening: 15 September 2006 Venue: All About Life Building Contact: Jane (02) 9476 4440

20th Anniversary – Enrolled Nurse Education Program Date: 27 July 2007, Ultimo TAFE Contact: Paula Winchester, 9942 3290

Diary Dates Diary Dates is a free service for members. Please send the diary dates details, in the same format used here – event, date, venue, contact details, via email, fax, mail and the web before the 5th of the month prior, for example: 5th of August for September Lamp.

Send information to:

Salim Barber Email: sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au Fax: 9550 3667, mail: PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Please double-check all information sent is correct. The Lamp cannot guarantee that the issue will always be mailed in time for the listed event. Due to high demands on the page, some dates too

Rural Critical Care Conf. 2006 Date: 25 – 26 August 2006 Broken Hill Entertainment Centre Cloride Street, Broken Hill Contact: Jane Howorth (02) 6650 9800

NSW GENCA 26 August 2006, North Shore Private Hosp. $45 for members & $60 for non members Contact: Lyn Rapley (02) 4323 8141

Mind, Body and Soul: Mental Health For Older People

Australian Dermatology Nurses’ Assoc. Annual Education Day 23 September, Hotel Heritage, Canberra Contact: Jan Riley, President ADMA (02) 6682 5145, janslrd@ozemail.com.au

Reunions 50th Year Fairfield Hosp. Reunion 8 July, Smithfield RSL. Cost: $50 pp Contact: Leanne Gray (02) 9616 8393 leeanne.gray@swsahs.nsw.gov.au

Concord Repatriation Hospital PTS Group 130 July 1978 – 1981 Date: 23 July, Café Olivetti, start at 12pm.

Info: Lyn Hughes-Davies 0409 447 855

Marrickville Hosp. Reunion B/fast

Date: 1 September 2006 Wesley Convention Ctr Sydney, Pitt St Info: Christian Neville, Neville@usq.edu.au

30 July, Mercure Airport Hotel, 8:30am Contact: Lynne Greenwood, 9518 0780 Email: auntylynne@bigpond.com

Assoc. Of Discharge Planning Nurses

Reunion of All Primary Hlth/ Community Nurses from Bankstown’s Community Hlth Ctr

Date: 11 September 2006, time: 2pm Venue: Concord Hospital Contact: Kerrie Kneen (02) 9487 9750 Email: kerriek@sah.org.au

‘Spring With Kids’ Paediatric Perioperative Seminar 23 September 2006, Carlton Crest Hotel Contact: Claudia Watson, 9845 2112 Email: claudiw2@chw.edu.au

INTERSTATE

19 August 2006, 6:30pm for 7pm start Venue: The Golden Pavillion Restaurant, 14-16 Blamey Street, Revesby Cost: $25 pp, incl. a Chinese Banquet.

Drinks available (own cost) from the bar.

Please RSVP by 1 August 2006 Contact: Beryl Smyth (02) 9825 2901

Nepean Hosp. Annual Luncheon and Reunion for All Staff

14 – 15 July, Adelaide Convention Ctr Contact: Ruth Lilian (02) 9280 0577 Email: cnsa@pharmaevents.com.au

Date: 19 August 2006, 10am – 3pm Venue: Nepean Hosp – Lvl 3, West Block, The Auditorium Contact: Marie Hurley (02) 4739 2389 Email: pat.ian@bigpond.com

4th Australasion Conf. for Safety and Quality Care ‘Raising the Bar for Quality’

Crossword solution

CNSA 9th Winter Congress 2006

21 – 23 August, Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Ctr Contact: Michelle (02) 9424 5703 mwens@doh.health.nsw.gov.au

Australian Nurse Teacher’s Society 2006 Conference 14 September 2006, Manning Clarke Ctr – The Australian National University Contact: Erin Parkinson (02) 6281 6624 Email: e.conference@conlog.com.au

close to publication or too far in the future may be cut. The dates that are to be printed are for three months in total. For example, in the March Lamp = March, April, May dates will be printed.

Only Diary Dates with an advised date and contact person will be published.

Diary Dates are also on the web – www.nswnurses.asn.au

Special Interest Groups Special Interest Groups is now part of Diary Dates. If you are a special interest group, you now must send information about your event as above.

Send us your snaps If you’re having a reunion, send us some photos and any information from the night, and we’ll publish them.

THE LAMP JULY 2006 49

AVONDALE COLLEGE Master of Nursing (by Research) Master of Nursing Graduate Diploma in Nursing Graduate Certificate in Nursing Nursing Study Areas Offered: Clinical Teaching; Health Services Management; Critical Care; Day Surgery Care; Gerontology; Oncology; Orthopaedics; Perioperative, Anaesthetics & Recovery Enquiries: Coordinator of Graduate Studies Faculty of Nursing and Health Phone: (02) 9487 9627 Email: gwen.wilkinson@avondale.edu.au Distance Education with On-Campus Support Degrees with a Christian focus from www.avondale.edu.au FEBRUARY and AUGUST INTAKES

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