The Lamp June 2006

magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

S 5 SE 2 ES TS DR IGH AD R T S’ BE SE M UR CO N EG ON GR UM R FO

lamp the

volume 63 no.5 June 2006

Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

SACKED

FOR DOING

MY DUTY

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www.firststatesuper.com.au 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 May 2006. First State Super: SPIN FSS 0100AU. 2 THE LAMP JUNE 2006 STAY 05/06

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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

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LAMP THE

VOLUME NO *UNE

Sacked for doing my duty 14

3!#+%$

Cover Anne Woodward, NUM, Kapooka Health Centre.

News in brief

Professional issues

8 8 9 9 9 10 10 11 11 11

30 Spirit of Edith Cavell keeps on helping others

Elderly living in fire traps International Nurses’ Day Nurses blow the whistle on alarms First State Super now portable Clean hands save lives Nursing course saved at Bathurst More voice for student nurses Nurses to do more GP work Most oppose Medibank sale Work continues to protect all private hospital nurses 12 Ring a nurse if you want a sickie 12 Elderly go hungry while dollars sit idle 13 Public patients outsourced

NSWNA education program

Nurses in action 33 Award-winning manager stays close to her staff 34 Nurses reach out to ‘invisible’ women

Lifestyle 38 Member’s tips 41 Movie review 43 Book me

Notice 39 2006 NSW Nurses’ Association election of branch alternate delegates

13 What’s on this month

Regular columns

Aged care

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20 Moran takes advantage of the new IR laws 21 New branches support aged care DONs

Industrial issues 23 4% pay rise for public hospital nurses 24 IR shorts 25 Nurses getting active

Agenda 26 A budget for the rich 28 May Day 2006

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30

Editorial

by Brett Holmes 6 Your letters to The Lamp 37 Ask Judith 45 Our nursing crossword 47 Diary dates

Competition 25 Win the ultimate nature escape at Eaglereach Resort

Special offer 41 100 double passes to see Wah Wah

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NSWNA COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Noel Hester T 8595 2153 NSWNA COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Olivia Nassaris T 8595 1263 THE LAMP EDITORIAL For all editorial enquiries, letters and diary dates: Salim Barber T 8595 1234 E sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au M PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 THE LAMP PRODUCED BY Lodestar Communications T 9698 4511 PRESS RELEASES Send your press releases to: T 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au 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.

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

Members – Sign up a new member and go in the draw to win a fabulous trip to

HAWAII!

WIN A TRIP TO PARADISE Prize Includes; Return Airfares for 2 to Honolulu (ex Sydney) flying Hawaiian Airlines 3 nights accommodation Hawaii Prince Hotel, Waikiki 3 nights accommodation Maui Prince Hotel, Maui Prize includes inter island flights, return airport/C OMPE TITION hotel transfers CLO 30 JU SES NE 20 06

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MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORMS

HURRY – CALL THE ASSOCIATION NOW FOR YOUR RECRUITMENT KITS! PH: 8595 1234 (METROPOLITAN AREA) 4 THE LAMP JUNE 2006 OR 1300 367 962 (NON-METROPOLITAN AREA) OR GO TO www.nswnurses.asn.au

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E D I T O R I A L

BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

Touch one nurse, touch us all g Some health sector bosses are already using the new IR laws against nurses.

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t’s early days under the new federal workplace regime but already we are seeing signs that some employers in the health sector are keen to take advantage of the greater power given to them by Canberra.

At Kapooka we have a well respected nurse unit manager, Anne Woodward, dismissed by the Australian Defence Force because she did what she saw as her duty when she raised her concerns about a procedure she thought was life-threatening to an army recruit.

Nurses from all over Wagga Wagga and the surrounding areas, from public hospitals, private hospitals and aged care facilities, have rallied in support of Anne.

It is a strong message to the ADF and any other employer that if you touch one nurse you touch them all.

At a Moran Health Care facility in Dubbo we have an example of an employer who is prepared to take advantage of the federal government’s new laws to unilaterally reduce nurses’ conditions and deny access to NSWNA officers to enter the workplace to discuss issues with our members.

It is a portent of how some employers will choose to act in the new IR environment.

We will pick our moment to respond to this provocation and not act on the employer’s terms. In situations like this members will need to be strong and united and be ready for a fight. The NSWNA, like all unions, will need their members to take a stand if we are to be effective in protecting nurses’ conditions.

NSWNA officers will always support action, as we did at Kapooka, but the reality is we are not, and can not, be physically at the workplace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

from the excesses of the federal IR laws they too are still confronted with substantial challenges.

In these days when the role of nurses in health management is under pressure, history reminds us that nurses have always played an integral role in health service management.

I was recently reminded of this when I had the opportunity to visit the Florence Nightingale museum at St Thomas and St Guy’s hospital in London.

Behind the enduring iconic image of Florence Nightingale as the lady with the lamp is a less well known but substantial historical legacy. Florence Nightingale’s contribution across the world – from England to India to Australia – was recognising the importance of well-educated and welltrained nurses and their vital role, not only at the clinical level, but also in the management and coordination of health.

Florence Nightingale proved to be the most effective nurse of her time because of her success in improving the management of both the British military hospitals and also public health systems.

It’s important we focus on the federal IR laws which are impacting on a large number of our members but I would urge members in the public hospital system to remain vigilant as well.

It is vital for the community, as Florence Nightingale realised so long ago, that nurses retain their important role in the management of the health system. n

I urge members in the public hospital system to remain vigilant as well.

Any battle to be undertaken, and there are plenty in front of us, will require commitment from members, preparedness to accept consequences and an understanding that there is uncertainty because of the new laws.

The more things change, the more they stay the same Although public hospital nurses, at least in the short term, are protected

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 5

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LETTER of the month

L E T T E R S

Di Lang

Defence nurses at Kapooka Health Centre

Should AiNs be registered?

I am an AiN working at a high-care aged care facility in southern NSW. A couple of years ago I had an extended stay in California, US, and while there decided to undertake the Certified Nursing Assistant.

I was interested in having a behindthe-scenes look at aged care in the US and worked in a dementia-specific unit and in a 150-bed nursing home.

In the US, it is the rule that you have to be registered in order to work in any nursing home.

The course was six weeks straight – 150 hours theory and 150 hours practical and an external examination (Red Cross), which comprised written and practical testing, after which I received registration that lasted two years.

In order to keep my registration current, I am required to have 48-hour in-service training and work for at least 48 hours.

I believe our TAFE courses are too long. They run over 12 months and have little practical component. It also works to the employer’s advantage by slowing down career development.

The value of conducting the courses over a shorter and more intensive program will not compromise the learning of being a good nurse. But as we know, most employers are more interested in keeping budgets in order than developing nurses.

The aged care sector benefits greatly by investing in high-care staff through education and regulation. Nurses benefit by having their skills, knowledge and value recognised. Residents who rely solely on skilled staff to attend to their emotional and physical needs obviously benefit. We nurses are the voice of these frail and vulnerable people.

I know the NSWNA is involved in a whole range of issues affecting nurses’ education in general and that of AINs in relation to the medication question. But I really feel there is value in looking at the challenges of our aged care system by addressing broader issues like AIN registration, which would provide 6 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

We support Anne Woodward another protective mechanism and recognition of skills.

Even though I am not going to be an AIN forever, I want to know that people who follow me are going to be both skilled and accountable for the work they do.

Has the Association developed a position on whether or not AINs should be registered in the interests of the individual and the profession?

Di Lang, AiN, Imlay House Nursing Home

Dianne Ward

Why am I excluded from the CEA? I have been working as a child and family health nurse since September 1979, give or take a few years’ off to raise a family.

I completed the post-graduate mothercraft course at Tresillian Family Care Centre in July 1979. Since 1999 I have been employed in a part-time position with NCAHS. Yesterday I received an email through my manager stating ‘that at this time employees who hold hospital-based post graduate certificates are not entitled to the CEA allowance’.

The paper work is now on its way back to the manager! A colleague of mine has done the Tresillian course through distance education and is now receiving the CEA allowance.

After reading the article on the continuing education allowance in the April Lamp, I feel it should be pursued.

If I did not have this certificate I would not be working in child and family health.

Dianne Ward, RN, Maclean District Hospital

We are a group of nurses who currently work at the Kapooka Army Base.

We are extremely concerned about the events surrounding the dismissal of Anne Woodward.

Nurses at Kapooka have been working under stressful conditions for some months now, with inadequate staffing and a feeling of not being able to speak out. As nurses we need to be able to raise concerns about patient safety without fear of losing our jobs.

We need this ability to ensure that the people we care for are getting the best care possible.

Anne has been dismissed with no natural justice. She has not been given the opportunity to defend herself against allegations. Her plight has reinforced to us that if we do speak out, we are at risk of losing our jobs Working in such an environment is having a negative affect on our mental health as we all feel bullied into silence. Under the new industrial relations legislation,we are concerned that things can only get worse.

We ask that Defence and the nursing agency reinstate Ms Woodward and allow her the opportunity to respond to allegations raised against her.

We also request that Defence ensure that nurses working in Defence facilities have access to natural justice.

This is crucial not only for our wellbeing, but for the well-being of those we care for.

Ms Woodward has our full support and we ask that the community support us in seeking some security and safety at work.

Defence nurses at Kapooka Health Centre: Maree Henmen, Jeanette Colley, Jo Baker, Lourdes O’Keefe, Geraldine Grant, Leah Lloyd, Di Hooper, Jan Oke and Diane White.

The defence nurses at Kapooka Army Base won the prize for this month’s letter of the month, a $50 Myer voucher.

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.

Dianne Willcox

Tired of IR news As a full-time endorsed enrolled nurse and a mum of three teenagers, I have little time to focus on furthering my education in this sometimes thankless profession.

I always look forward to my only monthly magazine subscription, The Lamp, but sadly it only entertains my reading requirements for a few lunch breaks at work.

It is enjoyable reading most of the time but I am getting tired of each issue being filled with industrial relations material that I don’t think I will ever truly understand.

What I miss from The Lamp each month is the interesting bit of education that used to be a regular column (or so I thought). There was a chosen illness, syndrome or disease with educational, interesting and informative reading but I’ve not seen it recently. Have I been reading so fast that I’ve missed it altogether?

And, can anyone tell me what happened to the quirky tales from around the world? We all need a laugh and that really hit the spot.

Looking forward to the next edition and learning some more ...

Dianne Willcox, EEN, Nepean Hospital EDITOR’S NOTE Dianne has herself identified the need for The Lamp to educate our members through the regular publication that every member receives about the industrial relation changes that are occurring.

While the NSWNA is both a professional and industrial organisation, the pressing industrial issues are a core function of the NSWNA. In relation to clinical articles, NSWNA/ ANF members have access to AJAN (Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing) on-line, free-of-charge.

To access AJAN, go to www.ingentaconnect.com/content/anf/ajan using the username: AJAN_NSW and password: AJAN_NSW.

Brenda Richardson

Stitched up over crossword glue

Who’s looking after the casual nurse?

I am an RN at Calvary Hospital in Sydney.

I would like to question one of the answers in the May Lamp crossword, which – I might add – I enjoy doing.

The clue ‘32 across’, ‘Inflammation of the muscles of the heart’. I thought the answer was myocarditis, but it didn’t fit the number of letters available. I searched and searched, and finally cheated and looked up the answer, ‘endomyocarditis’.

A dictionary definition of endomyocarditis is ‘Inflammation of the lining of the heart and the heart muscle’. A dictionary definition of ‘myocarditis’ is ‘inflammation of the heart muscle’.

Could the clue have been a little more specific, perhaps as stated above, ‘Inflammation of the lining of the heart and the heart muscle’?

Thank you for your time. I do enjoy reading all the articles and please keep including the crossword!!

I recently had surgery for ovarian cancer with six courses of chemotherapy about to start.

I’m an RN of 26 years, the last six years I’ve been working for the one employer at a large public hospital as a casual nurse, 32 hours a week.

With no sick pay or annual leave entitlements, I was left high and very dry financially.

I think it is appalling I had no assistance from my profession. What is the union doing to protect casual nurses from such a horrendous scenario?

Brenda Richardson, RN, Calvary Hospital

LOST AND FOUND Keys were found in Sydney and returned by post to the NSW Nurses’ Association. There are three keys (two look like car keys and one a house key) on a NSWNA lanyard. If you are the owner, please contact Ian Farquhar 8595 1234.

Nicole Looby, EEN, Nepean Hospital EDITOR’S NOTE As a casual employee in a public hospital, you would have received a 10% casual loading, part of which is financial compensation for the fact that casual employees are not entitled to paid sick leave. You would also have received financial compensation for the lack of paid annual leave, calculated on one twelth of your gross fortnightly salary under the provisions applying to casual employees in the Annual Holidays Act 1944.

Any member who has been employed as a longterm casual can seek assistance from the Association to obtain a permanent position and the Association has had a high success rate in pursuing permanent employment on behalf of members.

EVERY LETTER PUBLISHED

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.

RECEIVES A DELIGHTFUL

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THE LAMP JUNE 2006 7

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

ELDERLY

LIVING IN FIRE TRAPS housands of NSW nursing home residents are living in fire traps – despite the homes’ owners pocketing tens of millions of dollars that should have been spent on safety.

In NSW, as of 23 March, 149 nursing homes – 16% of the total – had failed to meet a December 2005 deadline to upgrade safety.

But the federal government has applied no sanctions on the homes, despite them receiving a grant of $3,500 per bed for the purpose.

A total of $513 million was granted to 2936 facilities around Australia.

The new fire standards including installation of sprinklers, fire doors and alarms were set in 1999. A deadline of December 2003 was imposed but lack of compliance meant the deadline was extended by two years.

The Department of Health and Ageing has now written to all homes asking them for evidence of upgrade work.

A spokesman for the Minister for Ageing said most of the noncomplying homes have building work planned or in progress. The rest were being ‘individually case managed’ to ensure they are working towards achieving the target.

The Labor Opposition’s aged care spokeswoman, Senator Jan McLucas said the substandard facilities should be forced to send back the money if they showed no intention of complying.

Residents and their families should also be told the homes are sub-standard, she said.

Senator McLucas said some operators had taken the grant, not upgraded, and sold their home to a new owner.

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8 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

International Nurses’ Day

NSW Nurses Care

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cross Australia and the world, International Nurses’ Day on 12 May is an opportunity to acknowledge the essential and vital work that nurses do.

This year the NSWNA poster for International Nurses’ Day carried the theme ‘Nurses Care’, a subject that fits in with the International Council of Nurses theme ‘Safe Staffing Saves Lives’.

The focus on safe staffing recognises that this essential requirement is one of the key issues affecting the ability of nurses to provide safe, quality care.

Brett Holmes, NSWNA General Secretary said, ‘The theme for this year’s International Nurses’ Day is a reminder to all of us that safety is a fundamental issue for our members. All nurses at all levels need to embrace safety and consider it integral to the way work is planned, resourced, performed, monitored and evaluated.’

Evidence shows that safe staffing leads to increased recovery times, reduced morbidity, reduced risk of falls and a reduction in deaths. Studies also show that hospitals with a high rate of union membership among nurses have better patient outcomes.

This year the Association’s poster was hand-drawn by a young Sydney illustrator, Jim Tsinganos. Jim was pleased to be asked to produce a poster representing nurses and nursing that was inspirational and celebratory.

Jim said that he had the opportunity to closely watch nurses at work during the birth of his first child. Working with nurses at such a special and intimate time, the thing that struck Jim most was their hands – so capable and confident and, at the same time, nurturing, gentle and supportive.

The NSWNA hopes you all had a fabulous International Nurses’ Day!n

NURSES BLOW

THE WHISTLE

ON ALARMS

urses at one of Melbourne’s newest hospitals were forced to carry whistles to alert staff to an emergency because the alarm system was faulty.

Casey Hospital staff in operating theatres and recovery suites were given whistles because the emergency alarm system could not be heard.

The whistles were to be blown when patients had deteriorated to a life-threatening situation or suffered respiratory or cardiac arrest.

‘There have been situations where the buzzer has been utilised and a staff member came running, saying, “We need help, there’s a situation here,” because no other staff heard the buzzer,” a nurse told The Age newspaper.

The hospital’s executive director said the alarm system had been tested and certified before the hospital opened in 2004, but as equipment and increasing numbers of people were brought in, the ambient noise level made it difficult to hear.

The whistles were an interim solution and contractors were now installing a better alarm system.

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NOW PORTABLE he NSW public sector superannuation scheme, First State Super, is being expanded to include private sector employees.

The change will particularly benefit nurses and other workers who move between the public and private sectors.

Minister for Finance, John Della Bosca, said that as a first step, public servants leaving the sector could now remain with the scheme.

In addition, family members of current public sector staff will be allowed to join, and former public servants can rejoin.

These changes took effect from May. ‘While members of First State Super gain the benefit of portability, there is no change to their existing entitlements or to the security of their benefits,’ Mr Della Bosca said.

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Photo courtesy of Central Western Daily

FIRST STATE SUPER

Lee Taylor, RN from Orange Base Hospital.

Clean hands save lives

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he Clean Hands Save Lives Campaign is designed to improve hand hygiene and reduce health care-associated infections in NSW. The campaign was launched on 27 March 2006 and will run for 12 months.

Lee Taylor, RN and midwife at Orange Base Hospital, said, ‘Nurses are very conscious about cross infection, especially in my area working with babies, but it never hurts to remind everyone about this important health and safety issue.’

The campaign is aimed at everyone in the hospital community, not just those who work there. It is designed to encourage health care workers, patients

and visitors to wash their hands and help stem any spread of disease.

The Clean Hands Save Lives Campaign includes three key strategies: c Alcohol-based hand rubs placed in easy-to-access locations such as near patient beds and nursing stations c Promotional posters with key hand hygiene messages that will change every month c User-friendly materials designed to encourage patients to become involved in their own healthcare c A key message of the campaign targets patients and consumers of health care, telling them ‘It’s OK to ask’ health professionals if they have cleaned their hands. n THE LAMP JUNE 2006 9

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

NURSING COURSE

SAVED AT BATHURST

More voice for student nurses

ction by the NSWNA, nursing students and lecturers at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) has prevented the downgrading of the nursing course at the university’s Bathurst campus to a non-academic degree.

On 20 April, lecturers from the nursing faculty informed students of the proposal by the CSU to move the nursing school to a ‘learning centre’ outside the university’s academic structure, under the guise of a campus restructure.

However, all the allied health schools at Bathurst were to have remained within the academic structure.

The explanation provided by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers, was that the nursing course lacked academic rigour, as not enough research had been undertaken in recent years. A lecturer contacted by the NSWNA said some lecturers had been prevented from undertaking research due to excessive teaching loads caused by huge staff cuts.

The NSWNA, along with student and academic representatives, swiftly prepared submissions to the CSU voicing concerns about downgrading the professional standard of nursing. These were tabled at the university’s Senate meeting on 26 April 2006.

In May, the CSU announced it would not be proceeding with its plans to downgrade nursing.

‘Getting nursing qualifications recognised as an academic degree has been a hard fought battle for nurses and nursing, an achievement that none of us take lightly and will all fight hard to protect,’ said Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda.

‘If the nursing school was taken out of the academic structure at CSU Bathurst, it would be an opportunity for those with an agenda to move nursing out of universities to progress toward realising their vision.’

tudent nurses are set to have the opportunity to become more involved in the NSWNA through the formation of student branches in universities.

The request to form the first student branch at the UTS goes before the NSWNA Council on 6 June. NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said: ‘Student branches provide a structure for students to become more involved in the issues that will affect their future nursing careers.’

Jamie Mann-Farrar, EN and final year nursing student, is one of the students involved in forming the branch at UTS. ‘Student branches establish a formal link between nursing students and our industry union,’ he said Judith said the Association also benefits from forging closer and more formal links with nursing students. ‘The union benefits as we are establishing links with future nurses and encourage their future participation and involvement in the union movement.’

Students have already suffered the repercussions of the federal government’s anti-union policies through the introduction of voluntary student unionism. As a result, undergraduates are

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10 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

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‘Student branches provide a structure for students to become more involved in the issues that will affect their future nursing careers.’

NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda.

determined to become more conscious about their workplace rights and issues, according to Jamie. ‘Learning about our rights as nurses before we hit the workforce is particularly important as the new IR legislation will affect our careers as nurses,’ he said. n

Nursing students from UTS Sydney: Joanna Tattersall, Jamie Mann-Farrar, Angela Griffin, Joanna Amaral, Christeen Dinamarca and James Griffin.

NURSES TO

DO MORE Work continues to GP WORK protect all private edicare will be extended to allow nurses to do more work traditionally done by GPs under plans being developed by the federal government.

The $10.40 Medicare rebate at present can only be claimed when nurses carry out immunisations and wound management on behalf of a GP. The government intends to allow the rebate to be claimed for a wider range of services. It has not yet decided what these extra services might be.

Health Minister Tony Abbott told The Australian that widening the scope of practice for nurses was one way of using the entire health workforce more effectively.

‘The nurse rebate could potentially cover a much wider range of consultation activities than it currently does,’ he said.

‘The more you broaden the kind of occupations where nurses can work, the more likely it is that people with nursing qualifications will want to stay in nursing.’

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MOST OPPOSE MEDIBANK SALE lmost two-thirds of Australians oppose the federal government’s decision to sell Medibank Private.

A Newspoll of 1200 people in April showed nearly 75% believed premiums would rise once Medibank Private left government ownership.

Just over 14% supported the sale.

Financial Review columnist John Durie described the sale as ‘one of the great Finance ministerial swindles’.

He said the government would pocket close to $2 billion in return for a direct government outlay over the past 30 years of, at most, $85 million.

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hospital nurses

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he NSWNA has continued working to secure enterprise agreements with the 18 private hospitals where members are not covered by a current agreement.

With 95% of private hospital nurses now covered by a current agreement, the NSWNA has been conducting discussions and working to progress negotiations with the outstanding Members of the newly-formed NSWNA Branch at Sydney hospitals where members Private Hospital (from left): Vice President Barbara Stanton-Coe; are still unprotected.

President Dana Rowe; and Catherine Tseng.

The NSWNA has written to the Macquarie Hospital Group we thought we would we stronger as a asking it to start negotiations towards a branch rather than as individuals.’ new enterprise agreement.

Dana said that the nurses are conSeveral meetings have been held cerned that they are not receiving pay between the NSWNA and management at rises in line with other nurses working Canada Bay Private Hospital. at private hospitals. ‘Many nurses were Negotiations with management concerned about our pay and conditions at South Pacific Private Hospital are also and with the expertise and guidance of progressing well. the union we are working towards a NSWNA members at Sydney Private collective agreement,’ she said.

Hospital in Ashfield met on May 11 and The branch passed a resolution voted to form a branch of the Association. asking the chairman of the hospital The newly elected Branch President, board to commence negotiations with Dana Rowe, RN, said, ‘We thought it was the NSWNA. As The Lamp went to print, important to form a branch because we members and the NSWNA were awaiting don’t have an enterprise agreement and a response from the chairman. n

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.

delays. But if you need urgent assistance, you will get it.

If at all possible, please don’t ring on this day as there can be considerable

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

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.

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 11

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

RING A NURSE

Elderly go hungry IF YOU WANT while dollars sit idle

A SICKIE Sydney company that touts its ability to reduce work absenteeism will employ nurses at a call centre to take phone calls from workers who want to take a sick day.

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‘Nurses will definitely deter non-genuine sick leave.’

The company, Direct Health Solutions, is offering the service to employers in the private and public sectors.

Under the system, employees will no longer phone their manager when they are sick. Instead they will call Direct Health Solutions and register their time off with a nurse.

‘It won’t be popular with employees who like to get away with their sickies,’ Direct Health Solutions managing director Paul Dundon told The Sun Herald. ‘The nurse will definitely deter non-genuine sick leave. It’s not that easy to pull the wool over the nurses’ eyes.’

Direct Health Solutions claims its service will reduce absenteeism by 30% and disability and workers compensation claims by 40%.

Its website says a nurse will record a worker’s absence and ‘offer first line medical advice under strict medical guidelines’ before notifying the employee’s manager. The nurse may also make ‘follow-up calls’ to the sick worker.

Direct Health Solutions will alert the employer when an employee’s absence reaches ‘an agreed trigger point.’

Work-related accidents are also notified to Direct Health Solutions first. A nurse will provide immediate medical advice and report to a manager of the client company.

This will ‘reduce the risk of workers’ compensation and litigation claims’.

12 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

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lderly and disabled ‘I received a letter from people have been one 86-year-old man who forced to go is very frail and has had to without meals cut back his meals. I don’t following a doubling of the know what’s going to price of Meals on Wheels by happen to him.’ the Greater Southern Area The health service said it Health Service. had subsidised the price for The cost of the service five years and the increase jumped from $3.30 (threewas necessary to cover costs. course meal plus juice) to Meanwhile, the State Councillor Anne Napoli. $6.50 (main course and Government has failed to dessert only) with soup $1 extra and juice spend about $37.5 million of allocated also extra. funds on the Home and Community Care Pensioners are jeopardising their program, The Sydney Morning Herald revealed. health and risk malnutrition as a result, Meals on Wheels is partially funded warned Griffith City Councillor Anne by a mix of Federal and State money Napoli. She urged them to contact Meals delivered via the HACC program. on Wheels, which was offering shortThe Herald estimated the unspent sum term assistance to needy clients. was enough to buy an extra 6.5 million ‘In Griffith alone, 20 clients have meals through Meals on Wheels. stopped receiving soup, some have Councillor Napoli said local Meals on cancelled meals altogether and others Wheels were looking at alternatives such have cut back to three days a week,’ as seeking sponsorship or sourcing meals Councillor Napoli told The Lamp. from other suppliers.

‘One gentleman said to me, “I’ll ‘I understand we have an $11 billion order for three days a week and make surplus in the federal Budget, so why them stretch.” And they’re not very big can’t some of that go specifically to Meals meals to start with. on Wheels?’ she asked. n

Public patients outsourced

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SW Health is spending millions of dollars to send public patients to private hospitals.

Four Sydney Area Health Services spent at least $2 million on private hospitals in the 2004-2005 year, according to The Daily Telegraph.

In NSW, the average wait for a cataract extraction jumped from 168 days to 218 days. A third of patients waited more than a year for a knee replacement and 10% waited more than 400 days for a hip replacement.

The paper said the spending was revealed in documents it obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The newspaper quoted a NSW Health spokeswoman as saying that outsourcing patients was now ‘acknowledged and endorsed’ by the department to help cope with ‘short term’ bed shortages.

Meanwhile, figures obtained by The Australian newspaper show elective surgery waiting times in 2004-2005 increased most significantly in NSW, Victoria and the ACT, while Queensland and South Australia showed some improvement.

‘NSW is going out backwards in every category covered by the data,’ the paper commented.

In NSW, the average wait for a cataract extraction jumped from 168 days to 218 days. A third of patients waited more than a year for a knee replacement and 10% waited more than 400 days for a hip replacement.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the State Government was committed to reducing the number of patients waiting more than 12 months for surgery.n

TEMPORARY RESIDENT NURSES WORKING IN AUSTRALIA:

Don’t forget your superannuation money when you leave Every year nurses from overseas work in Australia and leave money behind in superannuation accounts when they go home.

If you work in Australia while visiting on an eligible temporary resident visa, you may be entitled to the money in your superannuation account when you permanently leave Australia.

Australian employers generally contribute to an employee’s retirement by paying money into a superannuation or retirement savings account when an employee is paid more than $A450 in a calendar month. Superannuation contributions are made for most employees, including temporary residents.

You can apply online for your superannuation money at www.ato.gov.au/departaustralia.

You can also download a paper application form from the above website, or you can order an application by phoning 13 10 20.

Temporary residents can start the application process any time after arriving in Australia.

Keep in mind that applications cannot be lodged before your departure from Australia.

For more information visit www.ato.gov.au/departaustralia or phone 13 10 20 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.

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cation progr u d e a am swn

WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH s Bullying in the Workplace 6 June, Newcastle, 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

s Basic Foot Care for AINs 8 June, Sutherland, 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 Legal & Professional Issues for Nurses 19 June, Newcastle, 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 Basic Foot Care for RNs & ENs 22-23 June, Dubbo, 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 For registration and more information: go to www.nswnurses.asn.au or ring Carolyn Kulling on THE LAMP JUNE 2006 13 1300 367 962.

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

‘It was a reasonable thing for a NUM to ask.

It was about procedure ...

Losing my job affects all aspects of my life.’

14 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

Sacked for doing my duty g Anne Woodward, a nurse unit manager at the Kapooka Health Centre near Wagga Wagga, was sacked last month for voicing concerns about life-threatening delays.

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he ink is barely dry on the federal government’s new IR laws and an ADF Health Services nurse feels the force of her employer’s new, unfettered power.

Anne Woodward, a nurse unit manager at the Kapooka Health Centre near Wagga Wagga, was sacked last month for voicing her concerns with her defence force supervisor about the delay of an ambulance called in to attend a suspected cardiac arrest.

The ambulance was delayed at the barrack gates and then escorted to the hospital at a slow speed.

Anne, alarmed at the risk this posed to the patient, asked her supervisor what could be done to avoid such an occurrence in the future.

‘I thought it was a reasonable thing for a nurse unit manager to ask. It wasn’t a personal thing, it was about procedure,’ she said.

This exchange led to the ADF Health Services removing her from the base.

Anne, who is technically employed by a nursing agency, RED Alliance, was given an hour to clear out her desk.

Management even threatened to call military police to remove her. She had worked at Kapooka Health Centre for six years.

It is the fourth sacking at Kapooka Health Centre since the middle of last year.

ADF the real employer but the buck stops nowhere The Australian Defence Force is washing its hands of responsibility for the dismissal, saying it is not the employer.

Nurses working at Kapooka Health Centre say the Senior Health Officer Lieutenant Colonel Langworthy told them the ADF Health Services could simply ask the agency to remove any nurse and replace them with another.

‘He told them they have no right to appeal and the traditional concepts of natural justice and procedural fairness do not apply because the ADF is technically not the employer,’ said Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda.

The NSWNA has filed an unfair dismissal case on Anne’s behalf with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, but Judith Kiejda says it is still unclear what rights she has under the new federal industrial relations laws.

‘If the Commission finds RED Alliance is the employer, it will be exempt from an unfair dismissal claim as it employs less than 100 employees.’

No chance to defend herself Not only has Anne been unfairly sacked from her job, she has had no opportunity to respond to the trumped up reasons put forward by the ADF. In fact it took 13 days before she was given written reasons for her removal.

Anne’s workmates are so outraged they have signed a statement condemning the ADF for its actions: ‘As staff members of Kapooka Health Centre we wish to state our angst and disillusion of the dismissal from our workplace of Anne Woodward.

We categorically state that Anne Woodward is the most proficient and respected leader that we have had the pleasure to work with,’ they wrote.

Not only has Anne been unfairly sacked from her job, she has had no opportunity to respond to the trumped up reasons put forward by the ADF. Over her six years at Kapooka, Anne had contact with a significant number of army personnel as all the new army recruits come through Kapooka for 42 days and advanced soldiers for 12 weeks.

‘I found it a very satisfying job,’ she said. ‘But now I feel shattered. Losing my job affects all aspects of my life – my career, my family, my finances.’

‘I’m worried about the job security of the staff that remain.’ n

EMAIL ADF HEALTH SERVICES AND TELL THEM TO GIVE ANNE WOODWARD HER JOB BACK You can add your voice to this campaign and make ADF Health Services take responsibility as Anne’s employer and give her back her job.

The NSWNA has set up a protest email on our website addressed to key ADF Health Services management. The email can also be sent to Anne’s local MP Kate Hull.

This is a quick and easy way for you to make a difference and to show your support for one of your colleagues.

Go to http://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.

Let’s keep the pressure up on ADF Health Services and let them know that if you touch one nurse you touch them all.

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 15

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

h i e n b d s e t i n u y t i n u m m o C

Anne with Bryce Wilson, local teacher at Greenway High School and Branch Secretary of Country Labor.

- Among a large contingent from Wagga Base Hospital were Vicki Hewitt, Fay Thorpe, and Julie Neill.

7 NSWNA Assistant Secretary Judith Kiejda: ‘Nurses don’t traditionally rise to anger quickly but we are a family and we’ll fight like a family to protect our own.’

, Penny Wright, RN, and Kathleen Gaudron (left), RN, from Calvary Private Hospital with Anne (right).

, Community health nurses Jenny Jordan, CNS and Ann Wilson, RN 16 THE LAMP JUNE 2006 from Wagga Base Hospital.

sacked nurs e

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t was rustic and peaceful outside the Kapooka Army Base until a bright orange bus arrived and disembarked a battalion of very angry nurses and supporters. They were there to do battle with ADF management over the outrageous sacking of their colleague Anne Woodward.

There were nurses from Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, Leeton and Henty Hospitals and from Calvary Private. There were nurses from community heath and aged care. Members of other unions – the LHMU, the Teachers Federation, PSA and NTEU – also turned out in support.

Nervous but determined, 14 very brave nurses still working at Kapooka stood with their sacked colleague outside the gates of the camp and told their military management they could not wash their hands of responsibility for her unfair dismissal.

In the midst of this supportive throng, in her crisply pressed uniform, was Anne Woodward.

, A brave stand by nurses from ADF Health Services still working inside Kapooka’s gates, who all turned out in support of their former nurse unit manager.

- Bev Galvin, RN Henty Hospital: ‘It was 65 years yesterday that my father was killed at Tobruk and today I find myself outside an army base fighting for a nurse.’

‘It’s overwhelming to see so many nurses coming out in support of me,’ she told the crowd. ‘I’m ready for work today.’

NSWNA Assistant Secretary Judith Kiejda explained how the federal government’s new laws allowed the ADF to summarily dismiss an employee without accepting responsibility.

‘Anne was sacked for doing her duty – advocating for someone in her care. These laws now put nurses’ jobs at risk if they dare to question management procedures.’

Carmel Price, secretary of the NSWNA branch at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital read out a resolution of support to be presented to the ADF. ‘We’re appalled at what has happened to Anne,’ she said. n

, Wagga Wagga Base Branch Secretary Carmel Price, accompanied by NSWNA officer Linda Griffiths, were turned away after trying to hand the ADF a resolution calling for Anne’s reinstatement.

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 17

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

h i e n b d s e t i n u y t i n u m m o C

í¢“ 18 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

í¢”

sacked nurs e

ORANGE BUS CARRIES MESSAGE TO COMMUNITY

he NSWNA painted the town of Wagga Wagga orange in support of Anne Woodward.

The Unions NSW Your Rights at Work bright orange bus made a big impact driving around the town and later parked at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital as a backdrop for a BBQ lunch where nurses and members of

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the public heard Anne’s story of her dismissal and the NSWNA fightback.

NSWNA representatives also stood outside busy shopping centres and spoke to shoppers about Anne’s treatment.

The overwhelming public feeling was that Anne, and nurses in general, should not be penalised for standing up for improved patient care. n

í˘“ Kathleen Gaudron, RN and After Hours Nursing Coordinator, Calvary Hospital: ‘I came today because I’m passionate about the rights of nurses in the workplace. I believe nurses are obliged to question procedure if they think it will improve the delivery of quality patient care. This case has serious implications for all nurses and their ability to speak out.’ í˘” Jan Oke and Judy Beasley, RED nurses working at Kapooka Army Base. Judy said: ‘We are here because it is unfair that Anne was dismissed with no right of reply and no opportunity to defend herself, all because she was trying to improve patient care.’ í˘• Ambulance officers Alanna McIlwan and Steve Trood.

Steve said: ‘Ambulance Officers are extremely disappointed by the way Anne has been treated considering she raised important issues about improving procedures.’

í˘•

í˘– Paramedic Brett Campbell: ‘I’m here because Anne has been advocating for patient’s rights. It is a problem when employers don’t want managers to be leaders in the workplace – they want them to be subordinates and ask no questions.’

í˘– THE LAMP JUNE 2006 19

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

Moran takes advantage of new IR laws g Moran Health Care claims the dubious honour of being the first health employer to take advantage of the new federal IR laws, with an attack on the working conditions of nurses at its Dubbo facility.

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NSWNA Assistant Secretary Judith Kiejda

urses at Moran’s Dubbo Nursing Home have been asked to sign contracts that allow their hours to be set at the employer’s whim.

NSWNA Assistant Secretary Judith Kiejda says Moran is aggressively using the federal government’s new laws to unilaterally strip back nurses’ conditions.

‘Full-time nurses were told they were to lose their RDOs and nurses who had worked permanent shifts for up to 15 years, were suddenly told they

were working other shifts without any reasonable explanation. Full-time staff were made part-time, with a loss of hours and conditions,’ she said.

Judith Kiejda says the way nurses were ‘asked’ to sign was heavy handed.

‘Even the draconian federal IR laws prohibit coercion in agreement-making and we object to these tactics by the Dubbo management,’ she said.

Employer blocks union access Moran has also taken advantage of a loophole in the new laws, which enables them

REGIONAL RESISTANCE BUILDS he strength of feeling in regional areas about the federal government’s new IR changes was evident with a solid turnout to a recent NSWNA seminar in Murwillumbah.

Thirty-three nurses working in aged care came to Murwillumbah from all over the Northern Rivers area including Tweed Heads. A carload of nurses even made the two-hour trip from Casino to talk about how the federal IR changes and other issues in aged care will impact on nurses.

Brian Bruce, an AIN at Amaroo Nursing Home, says the meeting focussed his thinking on workplace issues.

‘At the moment my employer is still paying us under our award. I don’t think we are in immediate danger but

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20 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

you’ve got to look down the track at what might happen in say three years,’ he said.

‘The meeting gave me some ideas about how we might address the problems arising from the federal IR changes.

‘We had eight branch members at the meeting. It was fantastic to hear the young people discussing the issues and what we could do about it. There was a lot of enthusiasm.’

Brian says nurses still have some sway because of the nursing shortage but he sympathises with other professions.

‘When you look at builders, electricians and workers in tourism – they are being crucified by the new laws. I feel sorry for them. They are vulnerable in regional areas.’

Brian Bruce, AIN, Amaroo Nursing Home

to restrict access by union officers to the workplace.

Union officers were prevented from visiting concerned members at the Dubbo facility when management brought in the changes – without consultation with staff.

‘We wanted to go to the nursing home to conduct standard union business: hold discussions with our members about the issues they felt strongly about and then hold discussions with the employer to try and resolve these issues and find a way forward for everybody,’ said Judith.

Instead, NSWNA officers were denied access to the nursing home – as the federal government had not yet issued the Association with right of entry cards that are a requirement under the new laws. Nurses were forced to meet with their union representatives down the road from the facility.

‘Moran doesn’t have to deny us access under the law but they can choose to do just that,’ said Judith.

At the meeting, 15 nurses passed a resolution calling on their employer to enter into a meaningful dialogue with their NSWNA representatives to resolve their concerns.

Judith says the unnecessary confrontation at Dubbo is the latest in a pattern of behaviour by Moran Health Care towards its employees and their union representatives.

‘Moran are responsible for the worst excesses in aged care and what is happening in Dubbo fits in with other incidents across the state,’ she said.

‘We’ve had the downgrading of ENs to AINs, reduced hours and reducing the number of people on penalty shifts – all things that are about saving money on labour costs.

‘Despite this poor behaviour, we are still looking for a constructive relationship. All that will take is a change of attitude from Moran and appropriate consultation.’ n

New branches support aged care DONs

Lorraine Read, DON at Bethel Nursing Home.

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ew Area Aged Care branches have been set up by the NSWNA to provide networking and support to aged care DONs Working as a DON in aged care can be a lonely role.

Belonging to an area aged care branch gives nurses working in aged care management the opportunity to network with other members in similar positions and seek support from colleagues.

Belonging to a DONs branch also has a social component that enables you to get to know the DONs in your area.

Lucille McKenna, DON at Palm Grove Nursing Home, is the Secretary of the NSWNA Northern Beaches Nurse Managers Branch. She said, ‘The value of a DON’s branch can be measured in a number of positive ways. The opportunity to network with other NSWNA DONs in the area is a great way to keep informed about the issues at hand.’

Lorraine Read, DON at Bethel Nursing Home, is the secretary of the NSWNA Inner West DON’s Branch and says there are not a lot of places you can go to meet other DONs. She said,

Lucille McKenna, DON at Palm Grove Nursing Home.

‘Networking is important for keeping each other up to date. It also acts as a kind of buddy system – you know that if you are new or concerned about something going on at your facility you can check with other DONs and ask for advice.’

Lucille adds, ‘We are all so busy and we have very little time to speak to fellow nurses about issues and about what is confronting them in the bigger picture and what are issues at their own sites. People can have common problems and often if someone has experienced something before they will be able to suggest a solution.’

The NSWNA is actively supporting members in aged care to build support networks and branches. To find out if your area has a DON’s branch, please contact the Association. If you would like to form a DON’s branch in your area: c Contact the DONs in your area to invite and encourage them to attend a meeting c Find a date and time that is convenient and most people can attend c Call the NSWNA for assistance on 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (non metro). n THE LAMP JUNE 2006 21

THE NEW AND EASY WAY TO FIND THE BEST HEALTHCARE JOB.

A good job is one thing. Finding a job you really love is another thing altogether. For the largest choice of healthcare jobs, simply log on to the Internet and go to seek.com.au to our healthcare section.

Then SEEK and you shall find.

22 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

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

4% pay rise for public hospital nurses

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ublic Hospital nurses will receive a 4% pay rise from 1 July 2006, part of the 14% pay rise won in the Public Health – There’s No Fix Without Nurses campaign waged by the NSWNA last year.

The 4% is the third tranche of payments laid out in the agreement covering public hospital nurses, which was endorsed by the IR Commission in May 2005.

The agreement delivered public hospital nurses a celebrated 14% pay win and significant improvements in conditions.

The 14% pay rise was broken down into 3% back paid from 1 January 2005; 3% from 1 July 2005; 4% from 1 July 2006; and 4% from 1 July 2007. The agreement expires in July 2008.

The improvements in conditions included a $15 per-week base pay increase for ENs with medication endorsement, groundbreaking 14 weeks’ paid parental leave and recognition of midwives in the award.

Michelle Cashman, RN at Gosford Hospital’s Continuing Care Centre, says the extra 4% will be gladly welcomed by members of the NSWNA Long Jetty Branch. ‘Every little bit helps, especially with rising petrol costs,’ she said. ‘The pay case was a great win by the union and it’s very positive for members to feel involved in the union and know they have the union behind them.

Michelle Cashman, RN, Gosford Hospital’s Continuing Care Centre.

The 4% coming through reminds us of what the NSWNA union achieved and the strong role of the union.’ n

WHAT YOU WILL EARN The following table shows salaries after the 4% pay increase across a selection of nurse classifications NEW SALARY FROM 1/7/06: CLASSIFICATION

*Payable FFPP commencing on or after 1/07/06

INCREASE PER FORTNIGHTLY PAY:

EN ‘Thereafter’

$810.10 per week

UP $62

RN Year 1

$843.90 per week

UP $66

RN Year 8

$1,185.20 per week

UP $91

CNS

$1,233.40 per week

UP $94

NUM 1

$1,486.70 per week

UP $114

2OOM FOR A FOSTER CHILD )F YOU HAVE ROOM IN YOUR HOME AND YOUR HEART FOR A FOSTER CHILD WE RE WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU !S A FOSTER PARENT YOUR COMMITMENT CAN RANGE FROM CARING FOR A CHILD ONE WEEKEND A MONTH TEMPORARY CARE FOR UP TO TWELVE MONTHS OR PERMANENT CARE &OR MORE INFORMATION CALL #ENTACARE NOW ON OR GO TO OUR WEBSITE WWW FOSTERKIDS COM AU #%. E #*"

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 23

IR SHORTS CAP EMPLOYERS’ PAY, SAYS ACTU

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f the High Court upholds the federal government’s new IR laws, a future Labor government could use the same legal avenues to put a cap on chief executives’ salaries and directors’ fees, argues ACTU Secretary Greg Combet. Business chiefs – the principal cheerleaders of the federal government’s workplace changes – argue that the market should determine CEO salaries.

Kim Beazley

ne in seven working women could be left without rights to superannuation under new proposals by the federal government to lift the minimum earnings before employers must pay super from $450 to $800 a month.

Labor’s spokesperson on women, Tanya Plibersek, told The Australian this would exacerbate an already existing problem particularly for women already on a low income while they are raising children and only working a few days a week.

Tanya Plibersek

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS ACT THE NEXT IR ONSLAUGHT

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he ALP says it will abolish the Coalition’s foreign apprenticeship visas if elected. Kim Beazley said the Howard government had the immigration balance wrong, and that the Trade Skills Training Visa introduced last November gave apprenticeships to unskilled migrants rather than young Australians. He said the foreign apprenticeship visas were pitched at regional areas across Australia, where youth unemployment was high.

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nthony Longland, a partner with Freehills, one of the law firms that drafted the federal government’s IR laws, has admitted the protected conditions for workers were really ‘smoke and mirrors’.

According to The Australian, Longland also warned employers to watch competitors who abolish penalty rates and allowances.

‘They might be able to get an advantage over you in terms of labour costs,’ he said. A senior Freehills lawyer was seconded to Canberra for six months to help write the laws.

WORKERS DOCKED PAY FOR RAISING MONEY FOR DEAD COMRADE workers who stopped work for 15 minutes to take up a collection for the family of a building worker, Christos Binos, who was crushed to death by a concrete slab on a Victorian construction site were docked four hours’ pay ‘for taking unprotected industrial action’ – illegal under the government’s new IR laws. The construction union said the employees did not blame the employer, which had no choice under the law as it was liable to 24 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

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ALP TO ABOLISH FOREIGN APPRENTICESHIP VISAS

GOVERNMENT’S LAWYER: ‘PROTECTED BY LAW’ IS A JOKE

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LOW-PAID WOMEN AND CASUALS SET TO LOSE SUPER RIGHTS

a $33,000 fine and the prospect of losing future government contracts.

EMPLOYERS TOLD, ‘BLAME GOVERNMENT’

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espite the overwhelming evidence that the new federal IR agenda has been wholly conceived and sponsored by the business lobby, employer organisations are urging their members to shift the blame for the new industrial relations laws onto the Howard government. An article published on the Australian Business Limited website advises: ‘Blame the Government will be a popular strategy. If an entitlement has been removed by law, tell employees that you had no option but to get rid of it because that is what the law required you to do.’

IEMMA FLAGS NEW PUBLIC HOLIDAY

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he Iemma government is considering an eleventh public holiday to compensate workers who stand to lose a day off under federal workplace laws. Up to a million NSW workers are set to lose holidays that are set out in awards but no longer protected by law. ‘Anything snatched off people by WorkChoices we’re going to do our level best to reinstate,’ NSW Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca told the Daily Telegraph.n

ot content with the wide-sweeping power they have given business through the new federal IR changes, the Howard government is now proposing further laws that will allow employers to escape their responsibilities to workers.

The proposed Independent Contractors Act will allow more employers to avoid paying entitlements to people who are called ‘contractors’ but are essentially employees.

A recent University of Melbourne study found that up to 400,000 workers currently classified by the Government as ‘independent contractors’ are actually employees that do all their work for the one employer.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow says surveys of independent contractors have found that around one third are people who could not find permanent work, and three quarters believe that independent contractors are simply used by employers to avoid their obligations to staff.

‘The fact is that many so-called independent contractors would prefer to be permanent employees receiving a decent wage and standard job entitlements such as paid leave, superannuation and access to workers compensation,’ she said.

Sharan Burrow

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

Nurses getting active GREG COMBET TO ADDRESS NURSES NSW nurses are invited to a Your Rights at Work forum with ACTU Secretary Greg Combet and NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes to discuss how the new laws will impact on nurses and what we can do to defeat this antiworker agenda.

C O M P E T I T I O N

EAGLEREACH WILDERNESS RESORT

THE ULTIMATE NATURE ESCAPE The Eaglereach Wilderness Resort in the Hunter Valley offers a uniquely Australian break just two hours’ drive north from Sydney. Eaglereach is a world-class, nature-based resort with over four kilometres of natural adventureland featuring an amazing variety of Australian fauna and flora.

There are 38 custom built deluxe and spa lodges to choose from, along with a full range of resort facilities including swimming pools, tennis courts, a volley ball court, a games room and a series of dams for yabbying. Goonarook Lagoon is another superb location for swimming.

You can enjoy fresh local produce at the on-site Treehops restaurant. Within easy access are the Hunter vineyards, historical villages such as Morpeth, Port Stephens for dolphin cruises and the Barrington Tops National Park.

The Lamp is offering members the chance to win a Discover Eaglereach adventure for up to six guests*.

When: Wednesday, 14 June 2006

The prize includes three nights’ accommodation, unlimited use of all resort facilities including a guided nature walk in our private rain forest*, champagne on arrival, Discovery Buggy hire.

Where: Masonic Centre (cnr Elizabeth and Goulburn Streets, Sydney)

To enter , write your name, address and membership number on the back of an envelope and send to:

Complimentary light refreshments Entertainment: Reg Mombassa’s band ‘Dog Trumpet’

YOUR RIGHTS AT WORK ACTIVISTS COURSE This ACTU-run course is designed to bring together activists from a range of unions and community organisations in the marginal seats of Eden Monaro, Greenway, Lindsay and Central Coast.

The NSWNA will sponsor members, subject to approval, to attend this great course to assist with the Rights At Work community action campaign.

The feedback we have had from members who have previously completed this course has been very positive.

Eaglereach Resort Giveaway PO Box 40, Camperdown 1450 *conditions apply. Based on twin share accommodation. Valid until 31 March 2007 excluding peak periods. Sunday to Thursday subject to availability. Midweek guided nature walks every Wednesday. Discovery Buggy hire for 24 hours. Not transferable or redeemable for cash. Ref: The Lamp 20506

SPECIAL OFFER FOR NSWNA MEMBERS The Lamp is offering members a special offer of ONE NIGHT FREE. Book for 3 nights for the price of 2 at the Eaglereach Wilderness Resort B&B. Includes champagne on arival and unlimited aceess to all resort facilities.

For reservations call (02) 4938 8233 and mention the NSWNA offer.

The course will be from 5-7 July 2006.

Contact Rita Martin: rmartin@nswnurses.asn.au

YOUR RIGHTS AT WORK PROTEST AT BLACKTOWN Rising interest rates, petrol prices and health insurance premiums are all eating into the budgets of Australian working families. The federal government’s new work laws add even more pressure as wages and conditions are pushed down.

Unions NSW is maintaining the momentum against the federal government’s new laws with a protest at Blacktown Showground.

When: 9am, 28 June 2006 Where: Blacktown Showground. n THE LAMP JUNE 2006 25

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A G E N D A

A budget for the rich g Tax cuts eclipsed by rising costs. ax cuts for all’ was Treasurer Peter Costello’s message in last month’s federal Budget. But don’t get too excited.

A nurse on $50,000 gets a tax cut worth $9.81 a week from July 1.

That is good news – unless you are paying off a mortgage, driving a car or paying for child care. $9.81 doesn’t even compensate for already-announced increases in petrol prices and home loan interest rates.

Last month’s interest rate rise added $14.67 to weekly repayments on a $400,000 mortgage. Many economists are tipping a second jump in interest rates in September.

‘T

Add the recent 10 cent a litre petrol price increase – another $6.80 a week on average. Fuel has soared from just over $1 a litre in the early months of last year to about $1.40 when this edition of The Lamp went to press.

On these figures you are already $11.66 worse off after the tax cut, without even taking increased child care fees into account.

They have gone up an average $100 a month in the last year, according to the ACTU. NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda described the tax cuts as outrageously unfair and designed to benefit high income earners.

‘Almost all working people on incomes up to $70,000 a year receive tax cuts of only $7 to $10 a week,’ Judith said.

‘High income earners on $200,000 a

year win a $138.46 a week tax cut while someone on $100,000 pockets $51.92 a week.’

Judith said the Budget would do little to help mothers who want to, or need to, enter the workforce or return to work.

‘There is no increase in the child-care benefit to help defray the cost of care which has gone up 60% in four years.

‘The tax system still acts as a disincentive for mothers who want to enter or re-enter the workforce.

Many women will still be financially better off staying at home rather than paying tax, losing family benefits and forking out for child care.’ n

THE BUDGET AT A GLANCE AGED CARE The Budget essentially ignored the growing number of residents of aged care centres, and their families who want to be assured of quality standards in these centres.

A pittance will be spent to increase spot checks on homes, and there is bit more for increased training for community care workers.

Crucially, there was no extra funding to improve training and wages in order to reduce staff ratios and overcome the chronic skills shortage created by poor pay and conditions.

CHILD CARE The government lifted the cap on the number of family day care and outside-school-hours care places. But there are already 30,000 vacancies in family day care.

The real crisis is in long day care yet the Budget does nothing to make this more available or more affordable.

No increase in the child care benefit, no revival of subsidies for non-profit centres, no initiatives to overcome the shortage of carers, no removal of 26 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

the Fringe Benefits Tax to encourage employers to provide care.

In February 2006, 250,000 mothers who wanted to work couldn’t, because they couldn’t find childcare.

EDUCATION Australia suffers from a chronic skills shortage, yet spending on education as a proportion of total government spending will actually fall from 8 to 7 per cent.

The military now gets more than our schools and universities.

Childcare costs have increased $23/week over the past year.

Military spending will be 17.9 billion next financial year compared with $16.3 billion on education.

HEALTH The major initiative was the previously announced extra funding for mental health (see The Lamp May issue).

Medical research was the other big winner. Treasurer Costello said increased funding for research would come from part of the proceeds from the sale of Medibank Private.

There was nothing extra for our cashed-starved public hospitals.

$6.80 additional weekly fuel bill due to recent increases in the price of petrol.

Julia is $34/week worse off Julia Kinnish is an RN at Blacktown Hospital who earns $57,000 per annum (gross) or $1,094.20 per week.

She is paying off a mortgage and has four children, one in childcare and three attend after-school care. Even with the tax cuts announced in the May budget, Julia is more than $34 worse off due to increased day-today costs over the past year.

Julia gets a

$9.81/week tax cut from July 1.

Last month’s interest rate rise

added $14.67 to weekly repayments on a $400,000

WHAT THE PAPERS SAID ‘The Budget was unashamedly directed at helping the rich get richer.’

– John Durie of The Financial Review.

‘The typical Sydney family earning $70,000 a year and supporting two children gets nothing from the family tax benefit changes.’

– Sue Dunlevy of The Daily Telegraph.

‘When Mr Costello says he’s out to help middle-income families, you’d be crazy to believe it.’

– Ross Gittins of The Sydney Morning Herald.

mortgage.

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 27

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A G E N D A

MAY

,

Y A D

2006

TOGETHER

Loss of penalty rates and conditions

Linda Abercrombie, Marilyn King and Angela Pridham are midwives at Shellharbour Hospital. They are concerned about the affect the legislation has on their award and the possible loss of penalty rates, long service leave and paid maternity leave. They are also concerned that the reasonable workloads clause they fought hard to include in their current award would disappear under a federal system. / ‘The

changes generate an atmosphere of fear’

Julie Flanagan, RN at St George Hospital, said her family is concerned about the WorkChoices legalisation. ‘The changes to unfair dismissal laws generates an atmosphere of fear in the workplace.’

28 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

‘T

ogether we can win’ was the theme to this year’s May Day rally held in Hyde Park and NSWNA members hit the streets to voice their opposition to the federal government’s industrial relations legislation chanting, ‘WorkChoices; No Choices’.

WE CAN WIN

, ‘Don’t give away conditions we’ve fought hard for’ Gayle Hartley, RN at Gosford Hospital, said she attended the rally with her daughter Corina because she doesn’t want to give away any of the conditions that her family fought for in the past.

‘The only way I have been able to build a good future for my children and provide for them is through shift work and penalty rates, and the industrial relations changes means that they could be taken away from us.’ /

May Day, an international day of workers’ rights and peace, is traditionally used by unions to celebrate the eight-hour principle – eight hour’s work, eight hour’s play and eight hour’s sleep. This year May Day marches across Australia were directed at rallying against the federal government’s new industrial relations laws that compromise this principle. n

-

WorkChoices makes the workplace sick

Hugh Clark, RN at Rozelle Hospital, likens the federal government’s industrial relations legislation to an illness affecting Australia. ‘John Howard has injected a disease into the workplace and it’s going to spread to our kids.’

Vanessa Nielsen, RN at RPA Hospital, said she has just started her career as a nurse and is concerned about instability in the health sector as a result of the legislation.

Solidarity among workers

Peg Hibbert, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Hornsby Hospital, said, ‘It’s important we have solidarity among workers in this country before our rights at work are completely eroded.’

- ‘WorkChoices doesn’t just affect workers, it affects whole families’ Jon and Katina Farry, both RNs at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said it was important to take their family to May Day to show their opposition to the WorkChoices legislation because ‘it doesn’t just affect workers, it affects whole families’.

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 29

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

Spirit of Edith Cavell keeps g The Edith Cavell Trust – established by the NSWNA to commemorate Edith Cavell, a British army nurse who was executed in World War I – awards scholarships to NSWNA members to support their nursing research and education. The call is now out for applications for 2007 scholarships.

E

dith Cavell remains an inspiration to nurses everywhere. After a distinguished nursing career in England, she was invited by a surgeon to establish a nursing school in Brussels. When World War 1 started, Edith stayed to nurse wounded soldiers, some of them Germans. Tragically she was executed by the German authorities because of her heroic efforts to help Belgian and other allied refugees to escape.

In 1992, the NSW Nurses’ Association formed the Edith Cavell Trust as a significant and enduring way to commemorate Edith Cavell. It was established to support members and associate members of the NSWNA in nursing research and nurse education, now and for future generations of nurses.

THE EDITH CAVELL TRUST Scholarships for the academic year

2007

Applications close 5pm on 31 July 2006 30 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

This year 69 members are benefiting from Edith Cavell scholarships and the call is now out for applications for 2007.

Scholarship provided helping hand for further education Kathryn Watts, CNS with Acute/Post Acute Care at Royal North Shore Hospital, was one of last year’s recipients and received assistance in completing a Graduate Certificate in Breast Cancer Nursing.

Kathryn recognised that to be more useful in her role as a breast cancer nurse she needed further education. She said,

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’

on helping others ‘Studying and working full time was very challenging. While the course was one of the most difficult I have done, it has been invaluable in my more advanced role as a breast cancer nurse and multi-disciplinary team leader.’

Kathryn’s advice to members is to apply for the scholarship if you are planning to study. ‘Thanks to the Edith Cavell Trust for the financial support, which has afforded me an opportunity that I will never forget.’

Help to complete RN education Caraline Sullivan used the scholarship to meet the financial requirements of her final year studying a Bachelor of Nursing degree through Charles Sturt University.

Caraline is enjoying her new role as a registered nurse. ‘The knowledge

I gained has broadened my approach to nursing. I have a heightened sense of responsibility for my nursing actions and the consequences of these actions. I feel I can provide a more holistic approach to nursing care with a deeper understanding of the rationales behind my nursing actions.’

Caraline said, ‘The scholarship was very much appreciated and the assistance, in turn, contributed to lowered stress of managing the everyday necessities of life like paying my mortgage while studying.’ n

Edith Cavell.

A postgraduate course in nursing is just the thing for a healthy career Whether you’re looking to progress your nursing career or specialise in a certain area, the UWS School of Nursing will help you move ahead.

UWS has a reputation within industry for high-quality, postgraduate nursing courses with the following courses on offer via distance education: • Master of Nursing • Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Mental Health) • Master of Nursing (Mental Health – Nurse Practitioner) • Master of Nursing (Clinical Leadership) Applications for mid-year intake are closing 16 June 2006.

To find out more contact: Telephone 1300 366 897 or email postgraduatestudy@uws.edu.au THE LAMP JUNE 2006 31

Nurses, still paying your NSWNA fees by payroll deductions?

If so, we strongly urge members to switch to direct debit to protect themselves from employers who threaten their union protection by attempting to cancel their payroll deductions under the guise of Howard’s new laws.

NSWNA announces the new Direct Debit Campaign’s Travel Prize WIN a trip which includes Return flights for 2 (ex Sydney) to Cairns and cruising the Great Barrier Reef for 4 nights on the Captain Cook Cruises’ ship – the MV Reef Endeavour PLUS 2 nights accommodation at the luxury Hilton Hotel Cairns

Paying your union fees directly to the NSWNA via your bank means that your union membership is your business – not your employers.

If you would like more information regarding Direct Debit don’t hesitate to call the Association.

wn Dra une J 30 06 20

The MV Reef Endeavour is a stunning small ship, purpose built to negotiate the reef’s shallow bays and narrow passages where larger ships cannot go. It’s the ideal way to experience the Great Barrier Reef’s remote and exotic locations.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN GET ONE OR MORE CHANCES TO WIN cancel your payroll deductions and start paying your fees through direct debit/auto credit and you will go in the lucky draw. convince your colleagues to convert from payroll deductions to direct debit/auto credit and you, and each of your colleagues who switch to direct debit/auto credit, will go in the lucky draw. sign up a new member using the direct debit/auto credit method of paying their fees and you, and the new member, will go in the 32 THE LAMP JUNE 2006 lucky draw.

Membership Application Forms or Direct Debit or Direct Credit forms can be downloaded from our website www.nswnurses.asn.au.

Alternatively call the NSWNA on 8595 1234 (metro area) or 1300 367 962 (non-metro area) for more information.

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

Photo courtesy of Northern Star

Award-winning manager stays close to her staff

A

nurse manager’s success can be measured partly by their ability to retain staff and encourage former nurses back to the profession, believes Rosanne Squire, the winner of the National Care Award for Nursing.

To hold onto staff a manager must stay in close touch with them and understand their personal needs, says Rosanne, Deputy Director of Nursing at Lismore Base Hospital.

Rosanne’s nursing team nominated her for the National Care Award as a tribute to her 32 years’ service at the hospital.

Presented for excellence in nursing practice, the award is supported by organisations including the Australian Nursing Federation and Royal College of Nursing.

‘Nurses need to know there is someone in management they can go to for help when they need it,’ Rosanne says. ‘It’s important that staff are heard, understood and offered options to deal with problems in a flexible manner.

‘Lismore is a very busy hospital with a high occupancy rate and I have seen many staff leave in times of stress and

distress. I worked very hard at attracting and retaining staff and I think that’s why I was appreciated.’

Rosanne says that despite 27 years in management, she chose to stay as a deputy DON because she got greatest satisfaction from an operational position that allowed her to stay close to staff.

Rosanne Squire, Deputy Director of Nursing at Lismore Base Hospital.

else’s needs ahead of yours and to look after them – that all successful nurses have.

‘The technical aspects of nursing have changed a lot since I started my career, and there are very skilled graduates coming through now.

‘But technical knowledge alone won’t get you through the physically and

‘It’s important that staff are offered options to deal with problems in a flexible manner.’

‘If you are close to your staff and know how they are getting on, you are in a better position to offer them support with issues such as rosters, workloads and additional education and training.’

Rosanne trained at Sydney Hospital from 1964, did midwifery at St Margaret’s and worked in Brewarrina and Cootamundra before going to Lismore in 1974.

Her earliest memory of wanting to be a nurse was at the age of 10, when she helped her aunt recover from severe burns. She never considered any other career option at school or after she started nursing.

‘I had that basic desire to care for people – that willingness to put someone

emotionally demanding job of nursing.

You still need to have that willingness to care for patients and other workers in your team.’

Rosanne believes the Nurses’ Association can take credit for improvements to nurses’ conditions such as more flexible rostering to take into account family responsibilities, and carers leave.

‘It’s important for nurses to join the Association and be aware of the support they can give you.

‘I was able to take carers leave to look after my aged mother when she was unwell – we would never have been able to do that previously.’ n THE LAMP JUNE 2006 33

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NURSES IN

ACTION

Nurses reach out to ‘invisible’ women g Help for women supporting men in jail.

Nurse Narelle Shinfield of Goulburn Community Health Centre (right) and social worker Kayte Wilson of Goulburn Base Hospital with the Invisible Sentence pack.

34 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

T

wo community nurses in NSW are playing key roles in a project to assist the ‘invisible populations’ of women supporting men in jail in country towns.

Christine Gillman in Bathurst and Narelle Shinfield in Goulburn have joined with other service providers in their areas to produce an information pack for women supporting jailed partners and relatives.

Christine Gillman and project worker Philippa Scott of the Central West Women’s Health Centre initiated the project.

They received funding to research problems faced by women who travel long distances, or relocate to new towns, in order to visit and support husbands, sons and grandchildren. They also researched issues women face once men are released from prison.

With four jails in the central west – Bathurst, Lithgow, Kirkonnell and Oberon – Christine realised more needed to be done to support a transient population of women and children who follow male prisoners who may be transferred several times during their incarceration.

‘We went to the jails and spoke to women who were visiting, to find out more about their problems,’ said Christine, a psychiatric nurse turned health educator.

‘We found very high levels of anxiety, stress and depression.

‘Many of these women had suddenly become sole parents, had lost an income, and were trying to cope with grief and loss.

‘They faced the stigma of their partner’s incarceration, had sometimes suffered the sudden loss of support from family and friends, and were trying to cope with problems experienced by children who were also impacted by the imprisonment of their father.’

Christine’s research produced the first ‘Invisible Sentence’ information pack to help such women cope with a myriad of problems including health issues.

The Women’s Health Centre trained support workers to distribute the packs at the jails. The feedback was very positive, Christine said.

Following its successful trial in Bathurst a similar information pack was produced for Goulburn by women’s health nurse Narelle Shinfield and social worker Kayte Wilson of Goulburn Community Health, and representatives of other service providers.

‘It is called the Invisible Sentence pack because while the women themselves are not serving a sentence, many of them feel as if they are,’ Narelle said.

‘The women often feel isolated and invisible when they are in a strange town with no support.

‘Sometimes they don’t want to mix with locals because they are frightened of receiving negative judgements because their partner is in jail.

‘The pack explains how to go about visiting prisioners, what support services are available for women and children, transport services, allowances and different organisations to contact.’

‘Women sometimes really struggle to understand the system.’

‘There is information about health issues, counselling services and emergency accomodation, and the pack includes a CD for people with low literacy skills.

Christine Gillman and project worker Philippa Scott.

‘Women sometimes really struggle to understand the system, and often haven’t got a lot of money.’

Narelle said women sometimes lack basic information such as how to find out whether the inmate they intend to visit is still at a particular jail.

‘The pack explains how a woman can obtain a pin number and put through a phone call to make sure the inmate hasn’t been transferred to some other jail.

That knowledge might save a woman travelling with three kids for half a day only to discover the man they are visiting is not there.’

The pack covers sexual health issues, Hepatitis C, drug and alcohol services, counselling services and sexual assault services.

Narelle said it was necessary to

explain to women that the pack offers a wide range of information, some of which may not be relevant to them, because some women may be offended about being offered information on domestic violence or sexual health.

Later this year Narelle will help devise and run sessions for women whose partners are soon to be released from Goulburn jail.

In Bathurst, Christine Gillman is involved in ‘train the trainer’ sessions for volunteers who will run information sessions for women awaiting release of partners.

For information contact: c Christine Gillman in Bathurst 6331 4133 c Narelle Shinfield in Goulburn 4827 3913. n

Visit our website or call about our next USA Nursing program presentation.

website www.ogradypeyton.com.au freecall 1800 100 139 email info@ogradypeyton.com.au C3531

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 35

SHOES DESIGNED TO MOVE YOU When it comes to comfort, ECCO is world renowned, which makes our shoes ideal for nurses who spend long hours on their feet. For a limited time, we’re offering something a little special to the Nurses of NSW - 20% off four of our very best comfort styles, ‘Business Comfort’, ‘Soft Fresh’ and ‘Soft II’. After all, we believe you deserve it! These four styles are the most suitable for the demands of nursing. With a built in contoured arch support and soles made from lightweight PU, they’re the ultimate in comfort. In fact, they’re designed to feel like you’re not wearing shoes at all. This offer is valid at any one of our ECCO stores throughout Sydney, plus at the shoe stores listed below. This once only offer is for a limited time – it’s open to Nurses across NSW for the next 12 weeks. So treat your feet today!

There’s never been a better excuse to treat yourself to a new pair of ECCO shoes.

ECCO Business Comfort Mens

ECCO Soft Fresh - Laced Ladies

ECCO Soft II - Navy Ladies

ECCO Soft Fresh Ladies

Ê

20% off

Take this coupon instore and receive 20%off your pair of Soft Fresh or Soft II. Hurry offer ends August 31st 2006.

Limit of 2 pairs per coupon.

NSWNA Details Name.

Member No.

Address.

Phone.

Email.

BOKAS SHOES BIRKENHEAD POINT THE SHOE SHOP CASTLE GARDENS NORTHBRIDGE SPLAT FOOTWEAR BIRKENHEAD POINT BLACKHEATH FAMILY SHOE STORE BLACKHEATH LEISURES ST. IVES MONA VALE NEUTRAL BAY SEAFORTH AND ECCO STORES AT CASTLE TOWERS WESTFIELD BONDI JUNCTION CHATSWOOD CHASE WARRINGAH MALL WESTFIELD CENTREPOINT WESTFIELD CHATSWOOD WESTFIELD HORNSBY WESTFIELD PARRAMATTA CALL TOLL FREE 1300 138 099 36 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

www.ecco.com www.ecco.com

s

Q & A

ASK

JUDITH

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS AT WORK, NSWNA ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY JUDITH KIEJDA HAS THE ANSWERS.

Workers’ compensation payments

Transferring leave entitlements

I injured my shoulder recently and as a result will be off work on workers’ compensation for some weeks. How will I be paid?

I work in the public sector and want to know how I can transfer to another public facility without losing my leave entitlements.

For the first 26 weeks that a worker is totally unfit for work (total incapacity), the workers’ compensation payments are at the award rate or enterprise agreement rate of pay, capped at a maximum weekly amount.

Overtime, shiftwork, payments for special expenses and penalty rates are excluded.

For casual workers not employed under an award rate, workers’ compensation payments are based on what the worker earned over the past 12 months.

Beyond 26 weeks of total incapacity, the workers’ compensation payments are at the statutory rate, which varies if the worker has a dependent spouse and/or children. The statutory rate is adjusted in April and October of each year to keep up with movements in wages. For further information on workers compensation access the NSWNA website: www.nswnurses.asn.au (members’ section) and download a copy of Workers’ Compensation Essentials for Nurses’, as published by the NSWNA in January 2004 or call 1300 367 962 and ask for a copy to be posted to you.

There are several requirements you need to meet in order to transfer your leave between public sector health facilities. With annual leave, you cannot have a break in employment. eg you need to be on the roster with your current employer up until 30 April and commence at your new employer’s roster on 1 May. For sick leave, you may take up to 28 days’ break without losing the ability to transfer your accrued leave or a period of time equal to the period of any annual or long service leave that was paid out on termination.

For maternity leave, you may have up to two months’ break without losing the ability to access maternity leave, provided the new position was secured before ceasing duty in your previous position.

Long service leave is not affected by the length of break you take, and you can transfer this across with you.

It is important when transferring between public facilities to notify both employers of your intention to transfer your leave, and keep copies of all letters for your own records. Obtain a printout of your current

leave accrual prior to transferring and ensure all the leave is transferred across accordingly.

Working two jobs I am an EN who works in two nursing homes. My employers are paying me as a 2nd year EN, even though I have worked more than 4,500 hours which would make me a third year. They state I am required to notify them of the hours I work elsewhere on a regular basis, is this correct?

Yes, this is correct.

Under the Nursing Homes, & C., Nurses’ (State) Award clause 8 subclause vi and vii, if you are employed at more than one facility under the same award you are required to notify your employers within one month of the end of each quarter of the hours that you have worked elsewhere during the preceding three months.

If you are entitled to progress to the next yearly increment, and you have provided proof of those hours worked to your employers, they are required to pay you the higher rate of pay from the date you were entitled to progress to that rate of pay. If you do not provide proof of the hours worked elsewhere within a three month period, your employer is required to pay you the higher rate of pay from the date that you provide the proof of hours worked. n

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THE LAMP JUNE 2006 37

s

L I F E S T Y L E

It’s time for a sponge bath, possum g Donna Rundle, Nurse Manager at Canterbury Hospital, combines her nursing skills with her passion for animals as a volunteer carer with the animal rescue service, WIRES.

W

orking as a volunteer foster carer with WIRES – the NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service, Donna says that caring for a 70-gram furless possum is ‘not much different from neo-natal nursery care’.

Donna specialises in caring for ‘pinkies’ – the tiny furless offspring of marsupials. Pinkies – ‘Little dots of things’ with their eyes often still closed – come to Donna when they are orphaned, usually through the mother being hit by a car or attacked by a cat or dog.

She keeps the pinkies in sheepskin-lined, woollen ‘pouches’ that are laid on heat pads to maintain a constant temperature, feeding them animal-specific milk formula through purpose-designed teats.

‘Because of my nursing background my skills transfer,’ she told The Lamp.

‘The same principles apply – except it’s a marsupial and, of course, the anatomy and the physiology is totally different!’

38 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

WIRES is a non-profit charity set up in 1985 to care for injured native animals.

Today the organisation rescues about 50,000 native animals every year.

Central to the WIRES ideology is to release native animals back into the wild once they have been nursed back to health.

‘If I get a joey brush-tail in, he could be in foster care for up to six months. I take him up to about 800-grams and then transfer him to a WIRES carer who has a huge purposebuilt aviary backing onto bushland.

‘That’s when we try to buddy them up with another possum so they can learn

how to socialise and adapt to wildlife conditions and get ready for “softrelease”. This is where a section of the aviary is left open and the animal is free to come and go,’ said Donna.

WIRES carers like Donna are also paired up with human buddies – other carers to call for advice or just to ‘… cry your heart out if you need’.

‘It is very intense, especially when you might have been caring for an animal for a month and thinking it is going well, but then it doesn’t survive.’

Her greatest success story was a

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND AN INJURED OR ORPHANED NATIVE ANIMAL c c c c

Contain the animal by gently covering it with a towel.

Place the animal, covered with the towel, into a cardboard box.

Put the box somewhere warm, dark, quiet and secure.

Don’t feed, handle, or display the animal. The stress of being handled can be enough to kill an injured animal. c Take the animal to the nearest veterinary clinic, or call WIRES on 1800 641 188.

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N O T I C E

2006 N.S.W. NURSES’ ASSOCIATION

ELECTION OF BRANCH

ALTERNATE DELEGATES Pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act, 1996, Robert Leslie Whyburn will be the Returning Officer for the election of branch delegates and alternate delegates to the Annual Conference and the Committee of Delegates of the NSW Nurses’ Association.

NOMINATIONS Nominations in writing are hereby invited for the following positions: Concord Repatriation General Hospital branch: alternate delegates (6) John Hunter Hospital branch: alternate delegates (7) Note: A person may nominate for one position only Candidates for election to the position of branch alternate delegate are required to be financial members of the Association at the opening of nominations i.e. 1 June 2006.

Nomination forms may be obtained from Robert Leslie Whyburn, 43 Australia Street, Camperdown (Telephone 8267 0926) or from the NSW Nurses’ Association, 43 Australia Street, Camperdown (Telephone 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962).

ELECTION TIMETABLE

DONNA’S TIPS FOR

c

c Keep cats and dogs inside at sunrise and dusk, the busiest time for native animal activity. c Provide sufficient food and water for your pet so it is not tempted to stray or hunt. c Plant native trees and shrubs to provide food and shelter for native animals. c Create a pond in a sheltered spot to provide water for birds. c Add a couple of large rocks to your garden to give shelter to lizards. c Place a possum box high in a safe tree. c Let mulch build up as it provides food and nesting material for birds. c Keep your garbage securely contained – plastic waste and even glass jars can be lethal to native animals. c Drive responsibly, especially when you see road-signs indicating wildlife activity.

If an election is contested:

PROTECTING NATIVE ANIMALS

42-gram brush-tail pinkie that survived against all odds and went on to become a healthy adolescent before being released.

So unlikely was his survival that Donna never photographed him (as she does her other ‘patients’ for teaching purposes) because each time she went to the pouch she felt sure he might have passed away.

While Donna has been lucky to have more successes than failures with her tiny charges, her neighbours’ back gardens are dotted with the last resting places of those too small or too badly injured to survive.

‘The day that one death doesn’t affect me, is the day that I’ll stop doing this,’ Donna said. n

Nominations close at noon on 15 June 2006. They may be hand delivered to R.L. Whyburn, 43 Australia Street, Camperdown; posted to PO Box 239 Camperdown 1450; or faxed to 9565 2747.

c

A draw will be conducted to determine the order of candidates’ names on the ballot paper at 43 Australia Street Camperdown at 2.00pm on 16 June 2006. Candidates or their representatives are invited to witness the draw

c

Ballots will be posted to all eligible branch members on 21 June 2006

c

The postal ballot will close at 10.00 am on 7 July 2006

c

The method of voting to be observed for this election will be first past the post

All members should ensure that they have advised the Association of their current residential address. No information in respect of candidates will be sent with electoral material.

For full details please see “Branch Elections” on the “Members” page @ www.nswnurses.asn.au Robert Leslie Whyburn – RETURNING OFFICER for the 2006 NSW Nurses’ Association Election of Delegates to the Committee of Delegates.

OUR REVIEWERS & TIPSTERS RECEIVE

A DELIGHTFUL ABC CLASSICS CD –

FOR UPLIFTING ENJOYMENT! The Classic 100 Opera 8CD Box Set $89.95 • Spotless Paperback $19.95 Visit an ABC Shop near you.

For locations visit abcshop. com.au or call 1300 360 111 for home delivery.

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 39

➡

STATE SUPER SAS Trustee Corporation

SASS ADVERTORIAL

SASS — Additional Invalidity and Death Benefit Cover SASS — State Authorities Superannuation Scheme If you are a current member of SASS and don’t already have Additional Benefit Cover, you might want to consider the benefits of making an application — but check your SASS annual benefit statement or call Customer Service first if you are not sure whether you are already covered for this valuable additional benefit.

HOW DO I PAY FOR THE COVER?

Additional Benefit Cover gives you or your dependants extra benefits from SASS if you are totally and permanently disabled or die while in NSW public sector service.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Optional Additional Benefit Cover provides an extra benefit for eligible members calculated up to the scheme retirement age (58 years for most members).

The Optional Additional Benefit Cover is designed to cover you for the difference between: ❚ the benefit you have accrued up to the date of your total and permanent invalidity or death, and ❚ the benefit you might have accrued had you kept contributing at the same average rate you have been contributing to date, through to the early retirement age — including an allowance for the contributions you would have made yourself.

The Additional Benefit Cover takes your average contribution rate at the date of your total and permanent disability or death and projects it through to the early retirement age. These prospective benefit points are then multiplied by 4% of your final salary.

The levy you pay is based on your age and the amount of your cover. Please contact Customer Service for further information.

The levies paid by members covered for the Additional Benefit go into a pool to meet 25% of the cost of the Additional Benefit … your employer pays the rest!

NSW FIRE-FIGHTERS If you are employed by the NSW Fire Brigade as a permanent or retained fire-fighter, you are not eligible to apply for Additional Benefit Cover in SASS. Alternative insurance cover is available through the ‘Death and Disability Superannuation Fund’ established as a result of the Award agreement in June 2003.

HOW TO APPLY All you need do is complete the confidential Application for Additional Benefit Cover form (SASS 431) — available from Customer Service — and lodge it with State Super.

Most applications will be assessed on the information provided on the application form. However, if we are unable to make an assessment of your eligibility from this information, you may be required to provide additional information or undergo a medical examination. The Additional Benefit Cover will commence from the day your application is approved and the levy generally commences to be deducted from your SASS account, usually 6–8 weeks after approval.

LIKE MORE INFORMATION? Fact Sheets

The gap between the benefit you have accrued and the benefit you might have accrued can be significant and represents the major advantage offered by Optional Additional Benefit Cover.

See the fact sheets on the web (under your scheme and/or Publications) www.statesuper.nsw.gov.au or call Customer Service.

Remember — the optimum average annual contribution into SASS is 6%.

Customer Service (8.30 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday) SASS members: call 1 300 130 095

Reasonable care has been taken in producing the information in this advertorial and nothing in it is to be regarded as personal advice. If there is any inconsistency between the advertorial and the relevant scheme legislation, the scheme legislation will prevail.

Neither the SAS Trustee Corporation nor its respective Boards or officers will be liable for any decision taken on the basis of information 40 THE LAMP JUNE 2006 shown or omitted from this advertorial. Members should seek professional advice before making decisions which may affect their future.

SASS_AIDBC_LAMP:0506

As a SASS member, you enjoy a standard level of death or invalidity cover based on the value of the retirement benefit you have accrued up to the date of total and permanent invalidity retirement or death. To find out your level of cover, check your annual benefit statement or call Customer Service for a benefit estimate.

A levy is deducted from your SASS account each month (after interest has been applied), which means that no extra deductions are made from your pay. Nor does the levy reduce the value of the employer financed benefits you accrue during your membership.

s

L I F E S T Y L E

Odd memoirs of a childhood in Swaziland

Rachel O’Neill, CNE at Gosford Hospital, is this month’s star reviewer.

In the end I found the film confusing.

It seemed more of a collection of scattered memories rather than an actual story. I’m sure it meant a lot to the writer but on the whole the movie lacked substance. n

SPECIAL OFFER

FOR NSWNA MEMBERS Wah Wah 100 double passes to be won!

The Lamp has 100 double passes to give away to see the preview screening of Wah Wah. To enter, email Salim Barber at sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au with your name, membership number, address and contact number.

First 100 correct entries win!

g Despite some colourful characters and an interesting plot about an English child growing up in Swaziland, Wah Wah is an odd film, says Rachel O’Neill.

W

ah Wah is written and directed by Richard E. Grant and is loosely based on his childhood growing up in the small African nation of Swaziland.

The story takes place just prior to its independence from the British Empire.

However, despite this unique time, there are only a few glimpses of the political upheaval that must have taken place during this time. I didn’t think it was very compelling.

It is essentially a story about a sensitive, misunderstood teenager growing up in a twitty English society.

The boy finds himself in the middle of

his parents’ crumbling marriage and his father’s drinking problem. His father later marries a brash American lady (Emily Watson), who manages to shake things up in a big way.

The film’s title Wah Wah is her term for the silly-sounding English phrases that poke fun at the pretentious and ‘stiffupper-lip’ colonial gentry of the time.

At first I thought this film was going to be really entertaining and exotic but in the end I found it just plain odd! The characters were really colourful and funny, except perhaps for the whingeywhiny adolescent.

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 JUNE 2006 41

Valuable insurance benefits for First State Super members A recent survey indicates that two thirds of Australians aged 18-59 have life insurance, half of which is provided through compulsory super. And, only one third of Australians have comprehensive income protection insurance.

Fortunately, eligible First State Super members can apply for insurance in the event of death, total and permanent disablement, as well as total and temporary disablement (income protection), all at competitive rates^.

What are the chances of becoming unable to work?

According to statistics#, there is a one in three chance of a person being unable to work for more than three months due to illness or injury. The cover provided through total disablement (temporary or permanent) insurance may assist in meeting financial commitments during this period.

What insurance cover does First State Super provide?

Eligible First State Super members may receive Basic Death and Total and Permanent Disablement (TPD) insurance cover for a low monthly fee. For example, a person joining First State Super who works in the Public Service Health sector, aged up to 35 years, may be eligible to receive $54,000 in Basic Death and TPD insurance cover for only $5 a month.

You may need to seek licensed financial advice to determine if this is sufficient cover for your own situation.

How to get more information Check the First State Super Your Member Guide, Product Disclosure Statement or Fact Sheet 7.1 Insurance Cover, which is available: ■ through our website at

www.firststatesuper.com.au or ■ call Customer Service on 1300 650 873.

Sources: * CommInsure Life Insurance Study, September 2004 ^ Source: www.selectingsuper.com.au/Snapshot_First_State_Super.html # Institute of Actuaries Disability Committee, 2000 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 May 2006. First State Super: SPIN FSS 0100AU.

www.firststatesuper.com.au Australian and New Zealand Publication

10% discount exclusive to NSWNA members

midwifery preparation for practice

Editors: Sally Pairman, Jan Pincombe, Carol Thorogood and Sally K Tracy

Midwifery: Preparation for Practice is the first text of its kind in Australia and New Zealand and places the woman and midwife at the centre of midwifery care. The approach is in line with the philosophy, education and practice standards set by the Australian College of Midwives and the New Zealand College of Midwives. Written by experienced and respected midwives from both countries, this highly illustrated book provides a sound foundation on which to base midwifery practice while reflecting today’s socio-political contexts.

features

To receive a 10% discount on Midwifery: Preparation for Practice, contact Elsevier Australia toll free on 1800 263 951 or fax 02 9517 2249 and quote NMPAIR0506.

For further information visit

www.elsevier.com.au 42 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

• develops and supports competent and confident midwives who are able to make professional judgements – in partnership with women – on their own authority • pedagogically rich chapters with chapter overviews, learning outcomes, key terms, clinical interest boxes, reflective and critical thinking questions, context-specific boxes, research and critical appraisal activities, plentiful diagrams and illustrations, summary boxes and questions for review, references, further reading lists and online resources • a unique emphasis on a woman-centred approach, which emphasises the normal, physiological life event that is child-birth, that is, birth without unnecessary intervention • equips midwives to work autonomously within the full scope of midwifery practice, and collaboratively with other health professionals June 2006 • 0 7295 3756 0 • PB • approx 976pp • approx 215 illus • Churchill Livingstone • A$99.00

INSURE HEALTHL 05/06

*

s

L I F E S T Y L E Reviews by NSWNA librarian, Jeannette Bromfield

Book me people who have difficulty communicating and provides strategies that will help you make the best use of any time you can spend visiting a family member or friend who has dementia. It also includes suggestions on how to maintain a sense of contact during the periods when you cannot be there.

Rural Women’s Health addresses the social, economic, and cultural factors that contribute to this elevated risk profile and describes various model programs and best practices designed to lower the health risks associated with being a rural woman in the United States. This book will be of particular value to the training of psychologists, social workers, nurses, and physicians who practice or plan to practice in rural areas.

In Our Own Right: Black Australian Nurses’ Stories edited by Sally Goold (OAM) & Kerryanne Liddle, e-Content Management Pty Ltd, RRP $33.00 : ISBN 0-9757422-2-2 In Our Own Right: Black Australian Nurses’ Stories is a collection of 23 personal stories from Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander nurses and carers and the difficulties they have overcome. These women and men describe how they dealt with a range of issues such as family separation, racial discrimination and prejudice in order to successfully establish their careers. The stories explain their circumstances and their spirit in pursuing their aims with strength and endurance.

Beyond Leading and Managing: Nursing Administration for the Future

by Patricia Yoder-Wise, Elsevier-Mosby, RRP $96.80: ISBN 0-323-02877-2 Beyond Leading and Managing provides real life stories and insight into how nurses at the level of clinical director and higher are focused on making key changes in the healthcare system. Theory, case studies, and current literature are covered to provide the information required to become a leader of tomorrow in healthcare organisations.

By Kevin J Kendall, with forward by Sue Cornish, Ausmed Publications, RRP $59.95: ISBN 0-9579876-0-9 Despite significant advances in prevention and therapy, infectious disease is an everpresent threat. This easy-to-read book is written in a no-nonsense, straightforward style, to assist nurses and other care providers to reduce the risk of transmitting infection from: staff to residents or visitors; resident to resident; resident to staff members or visitors; and staff member to staff member.n

WHERE TO GET JUNE NEW RELEASES

Keeping in Touch With Someone who Has Alzheimer’s

by Jane Crisp, Ausmed Publications, RRP $29.95 : ISBN 0-9577988-2-2 Whether living with you or some distance away, Keeping in Touch With Someone who has Alzheimer’s is for people who want to keep in touch with a loved one with Alzheimer’s for as long as you possibly can. This book is an excellent guide to interacting with

Practical Approaches to Infection Control in Residential Aged Care (2nd edition)

Rural Women’s Health: Mental, Behavioural, and Physical Issues edited by Raymond T Coward, Lisa A Davis, Carol H Gold, Helen Smiciklas-Wright, Luanne E Thorndyke and Fred W Vondracek, Springer Publishing, RRP $99: ISBN 0-8261-2945-5

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 JUNE 2006 43

HARD WORKING, RELIABLE AND ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE SOMEONE FEEL BETTER.

You and Medicraft – a great combination.

The FEF 5400 Bariatric Bed

The FE 5000

The DSE 2600

Sophisticated and strong, developed to cater for the heavier patient.

SWL 400kgs.

Simply everything you would expect plus more in Australia’s most preferred hospital bed.

SWL to 280kgs.

Setting the standard is what sets us apart

Australia’s most popular day surgery and recovery trolley.

SWL 250kgs.

For details on the full range of our hospital beds, trolleys and ward furniture please visit: www.medicraft.com.au or call 02 9569 0255

AUSTRALIAN DESIGNED, AUSTRALIAN MADE, AUSTRALIAN OWNED.

GO FURTHER

t han yo u e ve r imagine d The Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery offers an amazing array of Graduate Certificate and Masters 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 Masters degrees.

Graduate Diplomas are available in Health Services Management and Midwifery.

A number of research degrees are available that prepare nurses for leadership in research, teaching and administration.

M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N 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

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMS 44 THE LAMP JUNE 2006

www.nursing.usyd.edu.au

The University of Sydney G O F U RT H ER go beyond

s

CRoSSWoRD

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

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 9

10

11 12

13

14 15

16

17 18

21

19

22

20

23 26

24

25

27

28

29

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31 32

33

34

s ACROSS 1.

5.

8.

9.

11.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

21.

24.

27.

28.

29.

30.

Relating to the heart (7) The membrane lining each lung (6) Organ of smell and respiration The ‘n’ in 4 Down Part of the eye (6) Occupational therapy, abbrev (1.1) Psychological condition where a person stops eating (8) Intensive care unit, abbrev (1.1.1) Echocardiography, abbrev (4) Years of existence (3) Enamel on the fingertip (4) Group of three (4) Adipose tissue (3) Bones of the thorax (4) Consume, ingest (3) Relating to large blood vessels (8) Breathe in (6) Magnetic resonance imaging, abbrev (1.1.1)

31. Cartilage in the nose (6) 33. Drooped, wilted (6) 34. Pointed instrument used with a cannula in paracentesis

s DOWN 2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

10.

12.

20.

22.

23.

25.

26.

Sterile, free from infection (7) Separation, boundary (8) The brain and spinal cord, abbrev (1.1.1) The time immediately before or after an operation (13) Self-worth, self …… (6) Sprinting (7) Link between the mother and child during pregnancy (9,4) Rigid, tight (4) An insert into a shoe to improve mobility (8) Deficiency in red blood cells (7) Common name for bacteria (4) Pattern of binge eating and purging (7) Dull, throbbing pain (6)

Solution page 47 THE LAMP JUNE 2006 45

CAREGIVERS a change is as good as a rest

use your nursing background to work as a temporary live-in care giver Are you between 25 and 60 and want to travel?

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

OXFORD AUNTS CARE 3 Cornmarket Street Oxford OX1 3EX UK Phone: ++ 44 1865 791017 Fax: ++ 44 1865 242606

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Book and Pay by 15 July 2006. For further details see your travel agent, phone 1300 900 800 or visit goldenholidays.com.au

*Conditions: Please read this information very carefully because additional charges may apply to some flights. Limited offer. You must book and pay by 15 July 2006. Valid for travel: 1May–14Jun06; 17Jul–13Sep06; 9Oct–15Nov06. All prices are per person, twin share and valid for return economy class travel ex Sydney. Above prices include flights, accommodation, fuel surcharges, fees and taxes. Prices are correct as at 13 April 06 but may fluctuate due to changes in currency, surcharges, fees and taxes. Seasonal surcharges apply. Additional local taxes may apply. Stopovers and transfers are at an additional cost. New bookings only. Extra nights are available and may be required to connect to some flights. All products are subject to availability andLAMP may not be2006 available on every day/flight throughout the travel period. Scheduling subject to change without notice. Cancellation fees apply. Other conditions apply.

46 THE JUNE For more information please contact your travel agent or call 1300 900 800. Golden Holidays are operated by i-xplore Pty Ltd under license No: 30775.

Jack Watts Currie MAS0098

DIARY DATES

Conferences, seminars, meetings SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA Renal Society of Australasia (RSA) NSW Branch RSA education evening/AGM Date: 9 June & 1 August, 6 – 8pm Venue: NSW College of Nursing Info: Susan San Miguel, (02) 9828 5544, Susana.sanmiguel@swsahs.nsw.gov.au

Holistic Nurses Association (HNA) NSW Meeting Date: 13 June 2006, time: 6:30pm Macquarie Hospital – Conference Ctr Contact: David Terelinck, 0409 031 191 Email: dterelin@bigpond.net.au

Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia Conference

Contact: Sue Tait (02) 4222 5812 Email: piriej@iahs.nsw.gov.au

Cost: $45 (members) / $60 (non members) Contact: Lyn Rapley (02) 4323 8141.

Venue: Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Darling Harbour, 21 – 23 June 2006 Contact: Eventcorp (07) 3846 5858

20th Anniversary – Enrolled Nurse Education Program

INTERSTATE

Prostate Cancer- A Man’s Journey. ANCAN Study Day Date: 23 June 2006, time: 8:30am – 5pm Venue: St Georges Leagues Club Cost: ANCAN members – $40 and $60 for non-members Contact: Cheryl Meade (02) 9534 2555

HIV, Sexual Health & Viral Hepatitis Nursing Update Dates: 26 – 30 June 2006 Inclusive Venue: RNS Hospital, St Leonards Cost: $550.00 Contact: Carol Martin (02) 9926 6508 cmartin@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Date: 27 July 2007, venue: Ultimo TAFE Contact: Paula Winchester, 9942 3290

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

Westmead Hosp. Midwifery Conf.

Venue: Crowne Plaza Norwest 1 Columbia Court, Baulkham Hills Date: 4 August 2006 Contact: Sadie Dugdale 9845 5555

Holistic Nurses Association (HNA) NSW AGM

Date: 14 June 2006, time: 7pm Venue: St George Leagues Club Contact: Rhonda Brownlow, 9534 2555 Email: brownlowr@optusnet.com.au

Date: 6 – 7 July 2006 Venue: Rydges Jamison Sydney Contact: Louise Pitney (02) 9437 9333 louise@conferenceaction.com.au

Date: 8 August 2006, time: 6:30pm Macquarie Hospital – Conference Ctr. Bookings: All members are encouraged to attend and vote Contact: David Terelinck (Secretary) 0409 031 191, dterelin@bigpond.net.au

Nurses Christian Fellowship Autumn Dinner

Association of Discharge Planning Nurses

Susan Ryan ’Neonatal Emergencies’

Date: 17 June 2006 Venue: St Pauls Anglican Church Pearces Corner Wahroonga Contact: Jane (02) 9449 4868

Date: 10 July 2006 (Prev. 12 June) Venue: Concord Hospital, time: 2pm Contact: Kerrie Kneen (02) 9487 9750 Email: kerriek@sah.org.au

Date: 11 August 2006, time: 8am – 4pm Carlton Hotel, Church Street Parramatta Cost: Early bird – $100, Full registration – $120 (after 11 July). Bookings: Final registration closes 28 July 2006 Contact: Kylie Tomich (CNE) (02) 9845 2748, kylie2@chw.edu.au

Children Bed Wetting Workshop Stroke – It’s Time

The Art Of Handling Stress Meeting HNA NSW Special Interest Night Date: 17 June 2006, time: 2 – 4:30pm 78 Alt Street, Ashfield NSW Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Centre Contact: Lynn Gander (02) 9716 7066 www.brahmakumaris.com.au

Day Surgery Nurses Educ. Session Date: 19 June 2006, time: 7pm Blacktown Hosp. – Day Procedures Unit Info: Michael Parini, 9881 8000 pg 7670

Date: 11 July 2006, time: 6:30pm Macquarie Hosp. – Conference Centre Contact: David Terelinck 0409 031 191 Email: dterelin@bigpond.net.au

‘Creating a Future for Children and Family’

ACAT Nurses Special Interest Group – Meetings are held bi-monthly

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

Date: 20 June & 15 August, 1 – 3pm Bankstown/ Lidcombe Hosp. – Level 4 Contact: Wendy Oliver (02) 9722 7300 Wendy.Oliver@swsahs.nsw.gov.au

Bones On The Beach – Orthopaedic Conference Date: 22 July 2006 Venue: WIN Entertainment Centre

Diary Dates

Salim Barber Email: sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au Fax: 9550 3667, mail: PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450

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:

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

CNSA 9th Winter Congress 2006 Venue: Adelaide Convention Centre Date: 14 – 15 July 2006 Contact: Ruth Lilian (02) 9280 0577 Email: cnsa@pharmaevents.com.au

4th Australasion Conference for Safety & Quality Care ‘Raising the Bar for Quality’ Date: 21 – 23 August 2006 Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Ctr Contact: Michelle (02) 9424 5703 mwens@doh.health.nsw.gov.au

Reunions Marrickville Hospital Reunion Breakfast Venue: Mercure Airport Hotel Date: 30 July 2006, time: 8:30am Contact: Lynne Greenwood (02) 9518 0780, auntylynne@bigpond.com

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

Nurses Christian Fellowship – Professional Breakfast

Date: 19 August 2006 time: 6:30pm for 7:00pm start The Golden Pavillion Restaurant, 14 – 16 Blamey Street, Revesby Cost: $25.00 per person, includes a Chinese Banquet. Drinks are available your own cost from the bar. Bookings: Please R.S.V.P by 1 August 2006 Contact: Beryl Smyth (02) 9825 2901.

Date: 12 August 2006, time: 9am Mount Annan Botanical Gardens Contact: Jane 9449 4868

Crossword solution

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

NSW GENCA Venue: North Shore Private Hospital Date: 26 August 2006 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 JUNE 2006 47

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Nursing – United Kingdom

Sometimes size does matter...

Recruitment Solutions Group & Hays have joined together to create a major new international healthcare recruitment specialist – Hays Healthcare Combining Recruitment Solutions Group’s long-standing experience in the medical and allied health staffing sector, alongside the size and scale of Hays, we will be able to deliver an even higher standard of service and opportunities for you across the UK. We have immediate positions available for experienced General, Specialist, Theatre and Psychiatric RNs for a variety of vacancies across England.

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T 1300 305 687 E aus.healthcare@hays.com

Specialist Recruitment www.rsg.uk.com

FACULTY OF NURSING & MIDWIFERY

ATTENTION:

Shift working Enrolled Nurses 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

THE LAMP JUNE 2006 49

w w w. anmc .org . au WHEN EXPERIENCE COUNTS ...

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52 THE LAMP JUNE 2006