The Lamp November 2005

magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

K P EC HI CH ERS T. TO B EC ET EM RR HE M CO YS NA RE FL E SW S A SE R N AIL U ET YO D

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Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

volume 62 no.10 November 2005

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ABOUT THE LAMP

C O N T E N T S

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

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

Cover story

lamp the

magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

volume 62 no.10 November 2005

’Take it or leave it’ is not a choice 14

TAKEORIT

Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

LEAVE ITe is not a choic

Cover Members of the Royal North Shore Hospital branch

News in brief

Industrial issues

8 8 9 9

31 Active members vital to private hospitals’ claim

10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 13

Health will provide one in five new jobs Police nurses deserve pay parity Filipino nurses exploited in NZ Beazley visits Wyong Hospital to hear members’ concerns New study confirms disastrous impact of labour laws on NZ economy NZ aged care strike follows Aussie takeover Pay battle spreads to other providers Bureaucrats stub out smoking ban Mental health nurses to meet Albury Liberal MP clueless on what IR changes mean for nurses Volunteers wanted for dementia helpline Help yourself and support breast cancer research too!

Hospitals head south for Mini Olympics

Nurses in the media 22 Nurses’ message of protest hits the airwaves

Special people 24 Bali attack brings out the best in nurses 26 Hurricane Katrina’s angels of mercy

Workloads 28 Beds closed to ensure patient safety 28 Goulburn nurses forced to reopen beds

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Agenda 33 ICAC report rejects SWAHS allegations

Professional issues conference 34 Advancing the nursing profession

Tips from members 38 Portrait of the artist as a nurse

Lifestyle 39 Josh Jarman unconvincing and blokey 41 Book me

Regular columns 5

Editorial

by Brett Holmes 6 Your letters to The Lamp 37 Ask Judith 43 Our nursing crossword 45 Diary dates

Competition!

29 Win a night of toe-tapping fun with Fiddler on the Roof and stay in comfort at the Medina Apartments

38

39

The Lamp COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Noel Hester T 8595 2153 EDITORIAL For all editorial enquiries, letters and diary dates: Sarah Thomson T 8595 1240 E sthomson@nswnurses.asn.au M PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 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.

Individuals $60, Institutions $90, Overseas $100.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 3

Direct debit works for Arnia and keeps our union strong.

Arnia Haurua chose to pay her NSWNA fees by direct debit because it benefits both her and the union. Direct debit means your NSWNA membership fees are deducted direct from your bank account or credit card each month. ‘It’s convenient for me but it also protects our union from future attacks by the federal government.

If the government stops payroll deductions for union fees after 1 July, this will seriously weaken the Association,’ said Arnia.

Switch to direct debit and go into the draw to win a 12-day European tour for 2 * Prize includes two return airfares ex Sydney to London * Prize drawn 4 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 30 December 2005

For direct debit or direct credit forms, to enter the competition or for more information call the NSWNA on 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962 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

‘Take it or leave it’ is not a choice g The federal government has finally put out for scrutiny some of its proposed new workplace changes and unions were on the mark when they said the changes would be radical, draconian and loaded in favour of employers.

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s we predicted, the proposed laws are heavily weighted towards individual contracts. In fact, they are designed to effectively kill off awards.

Workers signing new AWAs will have to negotiate with employers for many conditions they already enjoy as a matter of course in awards.

Conditions such as public holidays, rest and meal breaks, annual leave loading and penalty rates will be up for grabs in individual contracts.

While workers can’t be forced onto an individual contract while they remain in their existing job, employers will be allowed to insist new staff sign AWAs. Unions will have to hold secret ballots before a strike and will have no right of access to workplaces where all staff are on AWAs. Even one of the government’s favorite economic rationalists, Professor Mark Wooden, has dismissed the new, dishonestly named WorkChoices as porkbarrelling for employers.

Wooden is contemptuous of John Howard’s claim that they are providing workers with a choice, dismissing it as ‘political speak’.

‘This is not much of a choice, given the government intends to continue to undermine awards, both through further restriction on the types of matters that can be considered in awards and through abolition of the no-disadvantage test,’ Wooden says.

‘The fear is that many employers will offer their workers individual

agreements on a take-it-or-leave-it basis … and for new employees there may be no choice at all – signing an AWA could be made a condition of employment.’

Wooden’s voice can now be added to a growing list of church and community leaders, labour market economists, academics, business leaders, trade unionists, state premiers, Family First, the Democrats, the ALP, the Greens and even high-profile members of the Liberal and National parties who challenge the government’s arguments for change.

The most common refrain among these critics is that John Howard has failed to make the economic case for change. Rather, Howard revealed the real motives for the new laws in an address to the Liberal party room when he described the new workplace agenda as a Liberal Party article of faith.

That is, these changes are purely and simply about ideology: Liberal Party ideology.

That the government is prepared to spend $100 million of taxpayers’ money selling a policy described by the Prime Minister as a liberal party article of faith is a clear sign that people don’t want the new laws but will have them forced upon them.

The union movement will not lie down on this issue. We owe it to our

members and their families to contest this outrageous and heartless attack on the hard-won rights and conditions of Australian workers.

On 15 November, NSW nurses will have an opportunity to join hundreds of thousands of other Australian workers in a National Day of Community Protest. It will be Australia’s biggest ever meeting of workers, linked across the country in a satellite broadcast using Sky Channel.

The NSWNA has also arranged for it to be broadcast into a large number of NSW hospitals via the Rural Health Education Foundation network.

These changes are purely and simply about ideology: Liberal Party ideology.

I urge you to take part and send the strongest possible message to the Howard government that nurses will not stand by and let our workplace conditions be smashed by these unjust and unjustified laws. n THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 5

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L E T T E R S

LETTER of the month Jeffery Wade Shelley

Aged care nurses the forgotten nurses I am a 20-year-old, male AIN who has been working in aged care for five years.

I chose aged care out of love for elderly people. Since then I have been a very dedicated employee.

I have furthered my education by doing a Certificate III in Nursing, Certificate III in Community Services (Aged Care), Certificate III in Home and Community Care and Certificate IV in Community Services (Aged Care).

It has been a great challenge trying to improve my career and begin my enrolled nurse training or my registered nurse training. My facility does not sponsor the EN training and gaining entrance to the course has been difficult.

I would be happy to financially sponsor myself to do the enrolled nurse course but this does not seem possible.

I am now forced to make a decision whether to stay as a AIN or to look for alternative employment in another industry so that I can grow my career.

I do not want to leave nursing or aged care but there are limited opportunities to improve my career in this industry.

I have been accepted into a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in accounting for next year.

I wonder how many other aged care workers and AINs are forced to leave the industry because of the lack of support

and opportunities to improve their career.

The government is screaming for nurses and is even bringing in nurses from overseas.

Why not spend the money in upgrading people already working in the industry? We seem to be the forgotten nurses but I believe we are the backbone of nursing. It is time to appreciate our AINs and help them grow as nurses.

Jeffery Wade Shelley Shoalhaven Hospital Jeffery Wade Shelley won the prize for letter of the month, a $50 Myer voucher.

LIONS NURSES’

SCHOLARSHIP

Looking for funding to further your studies in 2006?

The trustees of the Lions Nurses’ Scholarship Foundation invite applications for scholarships for 2006.

Nurses eligible for these scholarships must be resident and employed within the State of NSW or ACT. You must be registered or enrolled with either the NSW Nurses and Midwives Board or regularity authority of the ACT, and must have a minimum of three years’ experience in the nursing profession in NSW or the ACT. Applicants must also be able to produce evidence that your employer will grant leave for the required period of the scholarship.

Details of eligibility and the scholarships available (which include study projects either within Australia

6 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

or overseas), and application forms are available from: The Honourary Secretary, Lions Nurses’ Scholarship Foundation 43 Australia Street, Camperdown NSW 1450 or contact Ms Glen Ginty on 1300 367 962 or gginty@nswnurses.asn.au

Completed applications must be in the hands of The Secretary no later than 28 November 2005.

LETTER of the month Only the best are bullied

I find Meg’s letter in the October issue of The Lamp very disappointing. I don’t think it’s a waste of union fees on articles like the body piercing one at all. I think that article was great. It highlighted just how diverse in character nurses are and also gets rid of the stern battle-axe matron stereotype that falls upon nurses. Cheers for diversity.

I was saddened to read that Stephen McMurtry is leaving the profession because of bullying (September Lamp). Whilst it is commendable to recommend that nurses be ever vigilant, there is a need to be much more pragmatic.

Bully OnLine (www.bullyonline. org) is the world’s leading website on workplace bullying and related issues which validates the experience of workplace bullying and provides confirmation, reassurance and re-empowerment. Bully OnLine is a goldmine of insight and information on the underlying behaviours of violence and exposes the serial bully.

Everyone knows at least one person in their life with this profile.

‘Bullying is a compulsive need to displace aggression and is achieved by the expression of inadequacy (social, personal, interpersonal, behavioural, professional) by projection of that inadequacy onto others through control and subjugation (criticism, exclusion, isolation etc).

Bullying is sustained by abdication of responsibility (denial, counter-accusation, pretence of victimhood) and perpetuated by a climate of fear, ignorance, indifference, silence, denial, disbelief, deception, evasion of accountability, tolerance and reward (eg promotion) for the bully.’ Tim Field, 1999.

You can obtain free information on bullying at www.successunlimited.co.uk/ irform.htm.

Nurses expect patients to help themselves, so why not heed your own advice. Even if you have not been bullied (yet), by finding out more you can help your colleagues and, better still, identify the bullies and help eradicate them.

Name withheld

Name withheld

Mary-Louise White

Concern over incorrect terminology I refer to an article published in the August Lamp entitled ‘Bringing heart and care to a tragic cycle of drug abuse’.

I have concerns over some of the language used in the article as it is not currently used or acceptable in the drug and alcohol area and is seen as unprofessional and stigmatising.

My specific concerns lie with the use of ‘abuse’ in the title and on numerous occasions throughout the article. The word ‘misuse’ or ‘dependence’ should have been used in its place.

‘Drunken teenager’ should read ‘intoxicated teenager’ and ‘speed addict’ should read ‘amphetamine user’. ‘Treating substance abuse and addiction’ should read ‘treating substance misuse and dependence’.

Mary-Louise White Drug & Alcohol CNC, Prince of Wales Hospital

Celebrating the diverse character of nurses

Competency Standards

for nurses in general practice

An Australian Nursing Federation project funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

www.anf.org.au/nurses_gp

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.

Got something to say?

Send your letters to: Sarah Thomson email sthomson@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.

Every letter published receives a copy of the Australian Nurse Diary 2005. The diary includes weekly shift planners, reference materials and foreign language translations, and is available from hospital newsagents.

t NSWNA Notice The ANF Federal Office Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2005 is now available at www.anf.org.au Members without internet access may obtain a hard copy of the report by applying in writing to: Finance Manager Australian Nursing Federation Level 2, 21 Victoria St., MELBOURNE VIC 3000

A tool-kit has been developed to assist with implementing the competency standards for nurses in general practice. These include the competency standards for both registered nurses and for enrolled nurses (RN division 2 in Victoria) in general practice on the website.

The following resources have been included in the tool-kit to show how the competency standards can be used: Nurses in general practice • Self assessment tool; • Sample professional development plan; • Guidance on developing a professional portfolio; • Resources to assist with using the competency standards as a professional framework; and • Assistance to review the scope of nursing practice.

General practitioners and practice managers • Sample job descriptions and performance assessment tools; • Assistance to review the scope of nursing practice for nurses employed in your general practice; • Glossary of terms used in nursing.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 7

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

HEALTH WILL

PROVIDE ONE IN FIVE NEW JOBS

Police nurses deserve pay parity

ealth will account for almost one fifth of all new jobs created in Australia over the next five years, according to a report by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Hospitals and nursing homes alone are expected to generate 64,000 jobs in Australia between now and 2010, the report says.

Health and community services is the fourth largest employing industry in NSW, accounting for 10% of jobs in the State.

The health sector accounts for almost three quarters of employment within the industry.

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Hospitals and nursing homes alone are expected to generate 64,000 jobs in Australia between now and 2010.

Nurses comprised 58% of employment within the health sector, according to the 2001 census.

The industry has the highest incidence of female employment at 78%. It is the second largest employer of women (after retail) and the largest employer of women working full-time.

It is also the largest employer of mature-age women, female migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds, and Indigenous women.

Anne Bligh

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small group of nurses working for the police have implemented work bans to bolster their campaign for pay parity with public hospital nurses.

The nurses, based at Surry Hills and the Goulburn Police Academy, are currently paid more than $4 per hour less than their equivalents in public hospitals.

Under a pay offer from the Police Service the nurses would continue to be paid $2 per hour less.

After 13 months’ fruitless negotiations, NSWNA members placed work bans from 30 September.

The bans cover clerical and filing tasks, unpaid work and medical assessments requested without notice.

NSWNA member Anne Bligh, who has worked for the Police Service at Goulburn since 1987, says nurses had no choice but to take action.

‘Our workloads and responsibilities have increased. We work in a similar environment to public hospital or community health nurses, yet we are paid far less.’

Police nurses have taken over most duties formerly performed by Police Medical Officers, including medical

‘Our workloads and responsibilities have increased. We work in a similar environment to public hospital or community health nurses, yet we are paid far less.’ assessments and dealing with emergencies.

The number of medicals performed by each nurse at the Surry Hills centre has increased from 400 in 2001-2002 to nearly 1,400 in 2004-2005.

‘I’ve got an OHS degree and all the nurses have done further study, but this is not recognised,’ said Anne.

‘If we have to, we will look at further bans to get our viewpoint heard.’

NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said: ‘It is extremely unfair that the State Government will not bring the pay of these nurses into line with public hospital nurses.

‘These nurses do a difficult and important job and they are worth at least the same pay.’ n

STOP PRESS: As we went to print, an improved pay offer has 8 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

been made which is being considered by the police nurses.

FILIPINO NURSES EXPLOITED IN NZ ilipino nurses working in New Zealand are being exploited by some immigration agents and at least one private aged care provider, an investigation by the NZ Nurses Organisation has revealed.

Filipino nurses employed by the aged care facility are paid less than its other registered nurses, do not receive shift penalty rates and are constantly rostered on unpopular weekend, afternoon and night shifts.

The Filipino nurses’ contracts state they can be made to work in any of the provider’s facilities throughout the country, the NZNO magazine, Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, reported.

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Filipino nurses employed by the NZ aged care facility are paid less than its other registered nurses, do not receive shift penalty rates and are constantly rostered on unpopular weekend, afternoon and night shifts.

Two immigration agencies charged exorbitant fees – up to $NZ15,000 – to place Filipino nurses in jobs and in one case, nurses had to continue paying $NZ278.14 a fortnight to the agent from their earnings, once employed in New Zealand.

In another case, an immigration agent retained the nurses’ passports and original nursing documentation, despite repeated requests for their return.

‘NZNO staff believe those Filipino nurses who have contacted the union about their plight are just the tip of the iceberg,’ Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand reported.

The NZNO has developed an information sheet for overseas nurses wanting to work in New Zealand because of the Filipino nurses’ experience.

Beazley visits Wyong Hospital to hear members’ concerns

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abor leader Kim Beazley surprised staff at Wyong Hospital in October with an impromptu tour of the hospital’s Emergency Department, where he met several members of the Wyong Hospital branch and answered questions from concerned healthcare workers about the federal government’s radical IR changes.

‘I’m glad the union is behind us because we desperately need someone fighting in our corner.’

‘The reaction to his visit was definitely positive from all of the staff,’ said RN Owen Checkley.

‘Kim asked to tour the ED in the middle of a very busy day and saw how hard we work and how poorly resourced we are and how stressful and difficult it

is to work in these conditions sometimes.

Everyone got to have their say and almost everyone felt he really listened.

‘Beazley was incredibly supportive towards us and seemed genuinely concerned about our lack of resources,’ said Owen.

‘I’m just glad the union is behind us on the IR issue as we desperately need someone fighting in our corner.’n THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 9

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

NEW STUDY CONFIRMS

DISASTROUS IMPACT OF LABOUR LAWS ON

NEW ZEALAND ECONOMY new study has found that both wages and productivity tumbled in New Zealand after new workplace laws that championed individual contracts – similar to those proposed by the Howard government – were introduced.

Research by a New Zealand economist Paul Dalziel found that the NZ economy lost almost two points of GDP growth between 1987 and 1998, while from 1990 to 1998 Australian productivity rose by 21.9%, compared to only 5.2% in New Zealand.

‘The hope in 1984 was that economic reform would reverse the trend of the previous 30 years. Seventeen years later, with higher unemployment and lower real incomes at the bottom end of New Zealand’s income distribution, it is clear that the comprehensive reforms of the late 1980s and early 1990s did not achieve that core objective,’ Dalziel writes in the Review of Political Economy.

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NON-UNIONIST’S PSALM The dues-paying member is my shepherd; I shall not pay.

He provideth me with sick days and holidays So that I may lie down in green pastures.

Beside the still waters He reclaimeth my back pay He guardeth my welfare, without cost to me I stray in the path of the non-righteous for my money’s sake Yeah though I alibi and pay no dues For generation to generation, I fear no evil, for he protects.

The working conditions which he provides They comfort me.

He anointeth my head with oil of Worker’s Comp, Sick pay, Annual leave, and Long Service Leave.

And my cup runneth over with gratitude.

Surely his goodness and loving kindness Shall follow me all the days of my life, Without cost to me I shall dwell in his house forever And allow him to pay the bills.

Author unknown 10 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

NZ aged care strike follows Aussie takeover g As big companies swallow smaller rivals, nurses across the Tasman demand decent wages from their Australian employer.

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ew Zealand nurses have gone on strike and set up picket lines in a campaign to extract a pay rise from NZ’s biggest aged care business, the Australian-owned Guardian Healthcare group.

Hundreds of nurses and other Guardian employees converged on downtown Auckland to protest about their poor pay and conditions. Many were bussed from picket lines at Guardian sites.

The NZ Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and Service and Food Workers Union are seeking a national agreement covering all Guardian Healthcare workers.

‘This dispute is a classic David and Goliath situation. On the one hand hundreds of low-paid, hard-working women and on the other an overseas (Australian) owned operator, rich in cash and poor in spirit,’ said NZNO spokesperson Jane Kostanich.

Guardian is NZ’s largest for-profit aged care business with 8 per cent of the market.

It was bought by the Sydney-based DCA Group for $270 million in July.

DCA Group has a market capitalisation of $1.75 billion. It has the largest diagnostic imaging network in Australia and also operates imaging centres in the UK. The Guardian purchase lifts DCA’s aged-care portfolio to more than 5,700 beds, units and apartments at 69 sites.

It marks a further consolidation of the global retirement village sector and

follows Macquarie Bank’s purchase of Canada’s leading private aged care provider, Leisureworld, for $552 million in March.

Macquarie Bank owns Retirement Care Australia which has taken over Zig Inge Retirement Villages, the Salvation Army’s aged care hostels and a dozen Moran family sites.

Investors are piling into the aged care sector as an ageing population seeks modern medical and residential services, and the federal government prepares to inject more subsidies into the industry.

DCA managing director David Vaux described New Zealand’s aged care industry as similar to Australia’s. ‘It has the same sort of drive – that is an increasing demand but shortage of supplies of beds, occupancies are increasing, government funding is increasing,’ he said.

‘There are a lot of church and charitable groups looking to exit [the industry] and so we think the industry will consolidate quite quickly.’

Consolidation is also a feature of Australia’s private hospital sector.

So far this year, Ramsay Health Care has swallowed most of the assets of rival Affinity Health at a cost of $1.43 billion.

At least 14 of the former Affinity hospitals purchased by Ramsay are being on-sold to Healthscope for $490 million.

This will make Healthscope Australia’s second biggest private health operator (after Ramsay) with nearly 4,200 beds. n

PAY BATTLE SPREADS TO OTHER PROVIDERS

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Z nurses’ push to improve pay rates in aged-care facilities has spread from the Guardian Healthcare group to two other employers, Presbyterian Support and Qualcare.

Nearly 400 nurses and other staff went on strike at Presbyterian Support hospitals and rest homes, picketing the organisation’s offices and homes.

‘On the one hand PS says it can’t pay because it is waiting for government funding and on the other hand it refuses to write into any agreement that they will pass on that funding.’

NZNO Organising Services Manager, Cee Payne-Harker, said Presbyterian Support, Qualcare and Guardian Healthcare Group had refused to offer wage increases that equal increases in government funding.

‘In some cases they refuse to increase wages even when they are announcing millions of dollars of profits, saying they are waiting for increased government funding,’ she said.

‘On the one hand PS says it can’t pay because it is waiting for government funding and on the other hand it refuses to write into any agreement that they will pass on that funding.’

Cee Payne-Harker agreed that the sector is significantly underfunded and the new Labour-led government had to deliver on its promise to significantly increase funding.

‘However some providers are ripping off workers and exploiting the elderly and the community by refusing to pass on existing funding.

‘It is hypocrisy for providers to use the excuse of not being able to afford pay increases because of inadequate government funding and then refuse to guarantee that increases will be passed on to their employees when government delivers,’ she said.

Smokers can continue to light up despite the signs.

Bureaucrats stub out smoking ban g OK to light up at St George, says area health service.

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t George hospital staff were surprised and disappointed when a two-year plan to ban smoking was scrapped at the eleventh hour.

The hospital was directed not to proceed with the ban just two days before it was due to come into effect on 1 September.

The directive from the South Eastern Sydney/Illawarra Area Health Service gave staff no reason for the decision.

A local newspaper quoted an area health service spokesperson as saying the area wanted all its hospitals to go smoke-free at the same time. The spokesperson gave no indication when that might happen.

Nurses' Association branch president at the hospital, Coral Levett, said staff were ‘pretty upset’ by the decision which also came as a surprise to hospital management.

‘Almost two years of planning went into the goal of St George becoming the first major hospital in the state to go smoke free on 1 September,’ Coral said.

‘The hospital set up a working party

and employed a project officer to do this as a pilot so it could then be rolled out across the area,’ she said.

‘We consulted with management, unions, community groups and drug and alcohol counsellors and set up a terrific program for staff to stop smoking with advice and counselling from experts.

‘We negotiated free nicotine replacement therapy for staff for an initial period of four weeks.

‘They seem to want us all to be clones and not do anything innovative.’

‘Those who couldn’t give up after that time would get another go at the same program for a period of time each year.

‘That was an expensive commitment but one that the NSWNA and the hospital felt was worthwhile.

‘All the no-smoking signage went up around the hospital grounds and the smoking ban was about to be advertised in local papers and on SBS radio.’

Coral said the ban included a sensible policy for exemptions if there was a risk of aggression towards another patient or staff member by not allowing a person to smoke.

‘Staff and patient safety was the primary goal in formulating the exemptions policy,’ she said.

The plan to provide nicotine replacement therapy to staff wishing to quit smoking after 1 September is now in jeopardy.

‘The idea that all hospitals must do everything at the same time is really quite frustrating. They seem to want us all to be clones and not do anything innovative,’ Coral said. n THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 11

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

MENTAL HEALTH NURSES TO MEET he small but growing band of Consultation Liaison Mental Health Nurses in NSW will hold their 5th annual conference in Sydney on 18 November.

Consultation liaison nurses, or ‘CL’ nurses, are usually at the grade of CNC. They practise in general hospitals including emergency departments. They work on the emergency psychiatry model to assess, stabilise and transfer patients.

Seven years ago they formed their own professional group, the NSW and ACT Consultation Liaison Mental Health Nurses’ Forum.

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‘We welcome attendance from nurses working in the field and also from nurses interested in mental health and consultation liaison as a future career path.’

Since the group first met, their numbers in NSW have risen tenfold to over 50.

Demand for their skills has grown along with the mainstreaming of mental health patients through general hospitals.

Forum president Denis Casey said nurses from metro, rural and regional hospitals will attend the conference at the Harbour View Hotel, North Sydney.

‘We welcome attendance from nurses working in the field and also from nurses interested in mental health and consultation liaison as a future career path,’ Denis said.

Conference keynote speaker is Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Baker.n For more information email Denis Casey at denisc@nrahs.nsw.gov. au or phone him on (02) 6620 2300.

Albury Liberal MP clueless on what IR changes mean for nurses

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group of aged care workers from the Lutheran home in Albury decided to take up the mantle and voice their concerns to Liberal MP Susan Ley, after reading The Lamp report last month about the nurses from Dubbo Private Hospital who met with their local MP John Cobb and questioned him over the federal government’s planned changes to industrial law.

‘Susan Ley was clearly very supportive of the proposed legislation but she seemed unsure as to what the changes would mean to workers and nurses in particular,’ said EN Dianne McKillop.

‘She was very set by the fact that John Howard had openly discussed the changes and felt that any critics of the proposal, particularly unions, were running a “scare campaign” using propaganda.’

When challenged to study a copy of Dianne’s award and pay rates to assess it for fairness, Ms Ley declined and repeated

NSWNA Membership Fees* 2006

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embership fees for members of the NSWNA will be increased effective from 1 January 2006 as listed below.

Members who would normally pay by account will be invoiced these new rates in December 2005.

Members who pay by direct debit or automatic credit card will be charged the new rates from 1 January 2006.

Employers who deduct fees via payroll deductions have been asked to deduct the new rates from members’ pay.

NURSE CLASSIFICATION

YEARLY RATE

QUARTERLY RATE

MONTHLY RATE

FORTNIGHTLY RATE

Registered Nurse

$515.00

$128.75

$42.92

$19.80

Enrolled Nurse

$437.00

$109.25

$36.42

$16.80

Assistant in Nursing Trainee Enrolled Nurse Residential Care Nurse

$360.00

$90.00

$30.00

$13.84

*NSWNA fees are tax-deductible.

12 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

that she did not believe the changes were unfair and that they were to the benefit of all workers – although she could not offer any specific information.

‘We were disappointed that Susan did not get to the heart of our questions and seemed unwilling to go into detail about the possible effect of the changes on workers,’ said Dianne.

‘However, I am very glad we asked the questions we did as it is so important to get our concerns out there, particularly to those MPs who could make a difference. Susan rejected our point that the Liberal party could face a real backlash at the next election because of these proposals. I don’t think she is right.’ n Dianne McKillop

GST inclusive

VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR DEMENTIA HELPLINE lzheimer’s Australia NSW is seeking expressions of interest from nurses who are interested in doing volunteer half-day shifts on its Dementia Helpline (Monday to Friday 9 am – 5 pm). This service provides information, emotional support and referral to other agencies and to other services within Alzheimer’s Australia NSW for persons with dementia, carers, families, professionals and the general public.

Some volunteers incorporate involvement as part of their workplace professional development. For others it provides the satisfaction of direct contact with the community.

Please contact Nonie Hodgson, Dementia Helpline and Counselling Service Coordinator, 9888 4208, for a statement of duties and a volunteer application form.

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HELP YOURSELF

AND SUPPORT

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH TOO! ith only four months until we farewell 2005, you can start planning ahead to 2006 and support breast cancer research by purchasing the 2006 edition of the Australian Women’s Health Diary.

The diary raises funds for the Breast Cancer Institute of Australia to support research that identifies safe and effective ways to treat, cure and prevent breast cancer.

Not only does it have all of the essential diary features, it has the latest information and advice on how to improve your health and wellbeing.

It is also a wonderful gift so keep it in mind for your family and friends this Christmas!

The 2006 edition of the Australian Women’s Health Diary is now available for just $12.95 at newsagents and most Woolworths and Safeway supermarkets, or by phoning 1800 423 444.

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Hospitals head south for Mini Olympics g Two Shoalhaven nurses have played a key role in making this year’s competition possible.

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ore than 700 hospital staff from around NSW will gather in the South Coast district of Shoalhaven for the 29th annual Inter Hospital Mini Olympics this month.

The two-day event at sporting venues throughout Nowra, Bomaderry and Shoalhaven Heads will take place on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 November.

the hospital’s full-time fundraising officer left the Shoalhaven area.

Both nurses compete in the Mini Olympics every year, Tracey in darts and Sharon in swimming.

Sharon said she got involved in Hospital Mini Olympics competition after moving from Sydney to Nowra eight years ago.

‘Every year we send away a team of athletes – I use the term loosely – to compete in things like swimming, touch footy, darts, tenpin bowling and snooker,’ Sharon said.

‘This year we’ve got teams coming from as far a field as Mullumbimby, Bathurst, Queanbeyan and Kempsey. Shoalhaven

Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital hosts the Mini Olympics this year. Funds raised will go towards an Orthopaedic Trauma Unit at the hospital ... The NSW Nurses’ Association is a major sponsor.

Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital hosts the Mini Olympics this year. Funds raised will go towards an Orthopaedic Trauma Unit at the hospital.

This year’s Mini Olympics covers 13 events for teams and individuals in athletics, darts, petanque, golf, soccer, lawn bowls, netball, surfing, swimming, touch football, volleyball, tennis and tenpin bowling.

The NSW Nurses’ Association is a major sponsor along with the Shoalhaven Tourism Board, Kladis Estate Wines, the Health Services Union and Hesta Super Fund.

Two Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital nurses, Tracey Allen and Sharon O’Neill have played a key part in making this year’s Mini Olympics possible.

Tracey is an EN in the surgical ward and Sharon is a CNS for the acute pain service.

They stepped in to become the main organisers of the event in February after

Hospital will have 110 competitors.

‘Netball is the most popular sport on the program with 24 teams registered.’

Sharon said local sporting clubs had been very supportive, especially the Bomaderry bowling club which is hosting the lawn bowls and the official night.

‘As well as donating the venue, Bomaderry Bowling Club has gone out of its way to reduce buffet costs and allowed sponsors to set up displays on the night.

Also up for grabs on the night will be a weekend for a family in the beautiful South Coast area of Bendalong/ Manyana kindly donated by RE/MAX-Synergy Real Estate at Wandandian.’ n Volunteers are still needed to help with events or social evenings.

Anyone interested can phone Sharon on 4423 9370.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 13

HOWARD’S ‘WORKER’ IS THE BOSSES’ SISTER A worker who appeared on the front page of the Sydney Daily Telegraph supporting the Federal Government’s IR changes has turned out to be the bosses’ sister.

The UnionsNSW Workers Online web site has revealed that Betty Wehbe, whose photo appeared in the paper, works as a waitress at Ray & Lou’s Café in Parramatta. Ray and Lou’s Café is owned by her brothers, Louis, Ray and Joe Wehbe.

The Telegraph said Betty Wehbe approved of the changes‚ and was keen to trade in her holidays for extra money.

It made no mention of her relationship to her employers.

14 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

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6 MYTHS ABOUT WORKCHOICES

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

A farcical choice g The federal government will spend a reported $100 million of taxpayers’ money on a hard sell of its new workplace relations system.

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ut glossy ads don’t hide the fact that WorkChoices gives employers the power to unilaterally determine people’s pay and employment conditions.

It’s been a long time coming but the federal government has finally revealed some detail its new IR agenda called WorkChoices, backed up by an expensive TV campaign peopled with happy workers and caring employers.

‘The only choice that working people will have in the government’s new world will be a choice between inferior conditions or the door.’

WorkChoices was unveiled in a special briefing for business groups in Canberra. Excluded from the meeting were unions, church groups and social services organisations.

Beneath the big happy family imagery the substance of the policy is even nastier than unions had predicted.

Among the changes that open the way for employers to cut the working conditions of Australians are: c unfair dismissal protection will disappear for four million Australians working in businesses with less than 100 employees. c individual contracts will be able to cut take-home pay and working conditions. c minimum wages will no longer be set by the independent umpire, clearing the way for them to be lower in the future. c the award safety net is drastically undermined. c it will be even harder for workers to bargain collectively or be represented by a union. c the Australian Industrial Relations Commission is to be gutted.

Hard-won conditions that can no

longer be included in awards include skills-based career paths, apprenticeships, picnic days and union training leave.

Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews will have the power to halt protected industrial action in essential services if it ‘threatens life, personal safety, health or the welfare of the population or is likely to cause significant damage to the economy’.

This will have significant consequences for NSW nurses, virtually curtailing the right to strike.

Far from the ‘simpler, fairer’ system described in the government’s TV ads, the government has crafted a complex, highly-detailed system specifically designed to cut the take home pay of Australian workers.

Apart from a small number of employer groups, the government’s package has been roundly condemned for its extremism and bias towards employers.

Among the voices with concerns are church leaders such as Catholic Cardinal George Pell and Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen, economists Ross Gittens and Professor Mark Wooden, labour market academics, all State Premiers, Family First Senator Steven Fielding, the Democrats, the ALP, the Greens and the RSL. Even high-profile members of the Liberal and National parties challenge some aspects of the changes, in particular the reduced role of state IR systems.

Unions have condemned the government for hiding its true intentions from the Australian people.

‘To call the package ‘WorkChoices’ is the greatest farce perpetrated in politics for some time. The only choice that working people will have in the government’s new world will be a choice between inferior conditions or the door,’ said ACTU Secretary Greg Combet. n

Unlike the federal government, the NSW Nurses’ Association hasn’t got $100 million to spend on TV advertising. But here is our analysis of the assertions made in WorkChoices – the new workplace relations system. c It will provide workers with more choice between awards and workplace agreements.

NOT TRUE: The clear goal of the new laws will be to push people on to individual contracts and discourage collective bargaining. The government continues to undermine awards by restricting the types of conditions that can be included in awards and through the abolition of the no-disadvantage test. Even worse, employers will be able to offer workers individual agreements on a takeit-or-leave-it basis and for new employees there may be no choice at all – signing an AWA could be made a condition of employment. c It won’t cut award conditions like penalty rates.

NOT TRUE: the trashing of the award safety net will give employers the opportunity to reduce pay and conditions such as overtime, casual loading, meal breaks and annual leave. The government will only maintain five minimum entitlements – everything else can be negotiated away. Federal awards currently have 20. c It won’t stop workers from participating in a union.

NOT TRUE: WorkChoices significantly limits unions’ ability to strike and makes it harder for union officials to enter the workplace. It will be illegal to include in agreements trade union training leave, paid union meetings or references that future agreements must be a union collective agreement. c It won’t take away the right to industrial action.

NOT TRUE: Industrial action by employees seeking collective agreements will be subject to secret ballots and large fines in some cases and may be outlawed under new ‘essential services’ provisions. This has serious consequences for NSW nurses. c It won’t impact on minimum wages.

NOT TRUE: Minimum wages will no longer be set by the independent umpire leading the way for them to be lower in the future. In every single minimum wages case since 1996 the federal government has opposed the ACTU application for a decent pay rise for the low-paid. c It will be a simpler system.

NOT TRUE: These changes are not about deregulation, they are about reregulation in favour of the employer. They are highly detailed and complex – one of the reasons it has taken the government so long to reveal them is that a reported six law firms laboured over the wording. Moving millions of workers from state awards to the federal system will require a complicated transitional arrangement that many believe will create instability and uncertainty for employees and employers alike.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 15

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

Australia’s biggest ever workers meeting

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nions throughout Australia will hold a National Day of Community Protest to protect the rights of workers on15 November. It is anticipated the day will be Australia’s biggest ever meeting of workers.

The National Day of Community Protest is organised by the ACTU with the support of unions including the NSWNA. NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes says unions will link up at hundreds of separate locations across the country in a satellite broadcast using Sky Channel. There will be screenings in clubs, sporting venues, community centres and other convenient locations.

‘The NSWNA has also arranged for the broadcast to be beamed into a large number of NSW hospitals via the Rural Health Education Foundation satellite

network. So nurses who are rostered on that date can still view the satellite meeting at their workplace,’ he said.

‘This national day of action is a crucial moment to send a clear message to John Howard that Australian workers will not tolerate their hard-won workplace conditions being eroded. It is vital that NSW nurses participate and demonstrate their opposition to the government’s radical industrial relations reforms.’

Hundreds of thousands of workers across Australia are expected to participate in the event. Community rallies and marches will also take place on 15 November, following people’s participation in the national hook-up.

The Australia-wide hook-up will feature a briefing from ACTU secretary Greg Combet on the details of the government’s industrial relations reforms. n

HOW TO TAKE PART IN THE

NATIONAL DAY OF COMMUNITY PROTEST DATE: Tuesday, 15 November TIME: 8.30 am VENUES: Clubs, sporting venues, community centres, and other locations with access to the Sky Channel satellite network. Also to be broadcast in hospitals with access to the Rural Health Education Foundation satellite network. Contact your branch or organiser for more details.

16 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

NORTH SHORE HOSPITAL ENGAGES THE COMMUNITY

North Shore Hospital branch members Elizabeth Williams, Simon Richards, Patricia Jankovic and Linda Latham.

imon Richards, RN and President of the NSWNA Royal North Shore Hospital branch, is very concerned about the government’s workplace changes and says the North Shore Hospital branch of the NSWNA is planning to do its part to engage the community on 15 November.

‘This is a blatant attack on unions – an attempt to cut us off at the knees,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to galvanise support and stand together.’

Simon says he doesn’t accept John Howard’s arguments that the government is giving workers more choice and that the changes are

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necessary for a stronger economy.

‘This is about ideology, not about economics. Employers will now be saying, either sign this or I’ll employ someone else. They won’t have to worry about unfair dismissal. I’d hate to be working in a small business under these new laws,’ he said.

‘To say, as the (federal) government does, that you are giving individuals more power is illusory. As one individual among many, what power do you have to influence a wages agreement?

‘What will happen to the wages and conditions of nurses will be a nightmare. Who would want to work in aged care on an AWA, for example, not

getting paid penalty rates under these laws? It’s very worrying.’

Simon believes it is important that nurses take a stand with other workers against the changes.

‘At North Shore we’re going to get as many people along to the Sky Channel broadcast as we can. And we’re going to get the message out to patients and their families. We’ll wear our Your Rights At Work T-shirts and badges on the day. We’ll set up a booth in the hospital foyer to pass out information and we’re going to have a sausage sizzle where we can engage the public.’

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 17

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

Not happy, John g Wollongong, Shellharbour nurses send a message to the PM

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hen John Howard came to Wollongong to spruik his case for ‘economic reform’, local nurses delivered the Prime Minister a message of their own: your ‘reforms’ are bad for nursing and the health system.

The PM’s visit prompted Wollongong and Shellharbour Hospital nurses to vote to stop work for a few hours to attend a protest meeting.

Around 100 nurses walked out of Wollongong hospital and headed down Crown Street to the City Beach Function Centre where Howard was addressing a $200-a-head Liberal Party fundraiser.

the Tuesday. We already had a union meeting arranged for Friday, which voted unanimously to stop work on Tuesday while leaving skeleton staffing on the wards to ensure patient safety.

‘It was a surprisingly good turnout considering it was organised at the last minute.’

Melissa said she already found working conditions too tough for a full-time rotating roster in cancer care.

‘I had burnout and resigned about five years ago, and came back part-time.

‘If they take away any of the rights we’ve worked so hard for, who in their right mind would become a nurse?

‘If Mr Howard makes it any easier

‘I honestly believe the proposed changes are going to cripple our health care system.’

They were met by other Wollongong nurses who came into town on their day off, and about 50 nurses from Shellharbour Hospital – almost half the nursing staff.

The rally grew to over 700 people as teachers, public servants, police, emergency service personnel and steelworkers joined the nurses.

Shellharbour nurse Angela Pridham spoke to the crowd, warning that the government’s new industrial laws would severely damage the health system.

It is a view shared by Wollongong cancer care nurse Melissa Jackson, who told The Lamp why she voted to stop work for the protest.

‘I honestly believe the proposed changes are going to cripple our health care system, so there’s no way I wouldn’t have been at the rally,’ Melissa said.

‘We found out on the Friday that Mr Howard was coming to town on 18 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

for employers to take away any of our conditions I believe nurses will leave the industry in droves.

‘Four out of our 51 conditions will potentially be the only ones to stay. Of course we don’t yet know how many of the other 47 conditions will be removed from us, but let’s face it – if these changes come in we are not going to have a lot of power to negotiate.

‘We already find it difficult to stand up for our health care system, and each day it gets harder and harder to do our job of caring for patients.

‘What is the sense in allowing an employer to take away financial incentives such as penalty rates for working on weekends or at night?

‘You are not going to feel too great about, say, working on a Saturday night and being paid the same as someone who works on a Monday morning.’n

WHAT NURSES PM to nurse:

‘Don’t you worry about that’

SAY ABOUT WORKCHOICES b I get angry when I see the government’s ads because I know they’re not true. Doing away with award conditions like paid maternity leave and some other leave will cut support for families. And scrapping our reasonable workloads clause will not only take away one of the few rights we have to manage our workloads, it will also affect the quality of care we can deliver.

g Howard fails to convince workers’ deputation.

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hellharbour Hospital nurse Angela Pridham (pictured) spent an hour with the Prime Minister, who sought to reassure her that public hospital nurses had nothing to fear from his planned new laws.

Angela wasn’t convinced, and believes John Howard’s answers were ‘either misleading or showed a misunderstanding of his own

legislation.’

Angela, NUM in the maternity unit at Shellharbour Hospital, joined a firefighter, a police officer and the secretary of the South Coast Labor Council, Arthur Rorris, in the meeting with Howard following the Wollongong demonstration.

Howard agreed to meet the deputation after Rorris complained to the PM’s staff that Howard’s Wollongong itinerary took in the local Liberal Party and Chamber of Commerce but ignored working people affected by the legislation.

Angela said she asked Howard what would happen to the nurses’ award, given that most of its conditions were not guaranteed under the proposed new system.

‘Howard said that if you’re under a state award that wouldn’t change and all clauses would be protected,’ Angela said.

‘I felt either all the unions and all the legal advisers in the unions have got this totally wrong, or John Howard doesn’t understand his own legislation.

‘I didn’t feel any more reassured that changes weren’t going to affect us.

‘When I tried to talk about private sector nurses he was very evasive. Even if public hospital nurses are protected under state awards, that’s not going to be the same for private hospital nurses or aged care nurses.

‘When I tried to draw him on that he kept coming back to the fact that obviously there will be some changes to the private sector but you don’t need to worry because you’re under the public hospitals award.’n

Carolyn Hook, NUM, Prince of Wales Hospital c I think the ads are just propaganda. The government is just trying to Americanise our workplaces. There won’t be freedom of choice, there will just be the bartering off of our conditions. I’d hate to lose my holidays and my long service – I’ve been in my job for 17 years – and I think that is a possibility. My question for John Howard is why change something that doesn’t need fixing?

Tracy Devenish, AiN, Pioneer Nursing Home b These changes are unfair to employees and will leave them without redress. I feel strongly about them doing away with unfair dismissal laws and award conditions.

The idea of selling off for a few cents things like sick leave and other conditions which we, our parents and our grandparents have fought for is appalling.

It’s also appalling that the government is spending so much taxpayers’ money to promote Coalition policy.

Janet Scarfo, RN, Prince of Wales Hospital THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 19

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

HOWARD’S ECONOMIC ARGUMENTS BAGGED LEFT,RIGHTANDCENTRE Many of these quotes were first aired on Four Corners. A full transcript of the program can be found on the ABC website at: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/ content/2005/s1466395.htm.

‘These types of changes are an article of faith for the Liberal Party and we’ve not seen the government try and justify these changes on economic grounds, not in any serious way. We have not seen them justify it certainly on fairness or equity grounds.’

Greg Combet, Secretary, ACTU

‘I think the real, the cruellest irony of these changes is that it will in fact retard productivity growth.

It takes away the incentive for employers to think about other ways of using their labour more efficiently.’

Dr John Buchanan, Workplace Relations Centre, Sydney University.

Howard fails to make economic case for IR changes g Even John Howard’s business supporters are sceptical of the federal government’s weak economic arguments for workplace change.

PM John Howard

Professor Mark Wooden

Heather Ridout, CEO of the Australian Industry Group

20 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

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prominent business leader and a conservative economist often used by the federal government are the latest voices to question the economic arguments put forward by John Howard and his Minister for Workplace Relations Kevin Andrews to justify their new workplace laws.

Professor Mark Wooden, a high-profile economist who has been a witness for employer groups and the federal government in test cases on reasonable hours, redundancy and unfair dismissal has slammed government claims that the changes would give a boost to workplace productivity.

‘There’s not a lot of evidence that individual contracts produce productivity. I think that the biggest gains for productivity still revolve around a system which is collective-based. There’s plenty of evidence around again that unions can enhance productivity where they’re very active in representing the worker’s interests and where they collaborate cooperatively with firms,’ he said.

Wooden is equally dismissive of government arguments that the changes will lead to more jobs.

‘A stated objective of the reform is to provide more jobs; yet it is unable to deliver any proposal that will help the unemployed to secure employment,’ he said.

‘The cost on the other hand is greater uncertainty and insecurity for some Australian families, directly contrary to the aims of the reform agenda.’

‘There’s plenty of evidence that unions can enhance productivity where they’re very active in representing the worker’s interests and where they collaborate cooperatively with firms.’

Wooden’s dismissal of the government’s economic arguments is backed up by Heather Ridout, CEO of leading employer organisation the Australian Industry Group. She disputes John Howard’s claim that unfair dismissal laws stop employers from hiring people and that rolling back these laws will create jobs.

‘You’re not going to go around putting on more people just because the unfair termination laws have changed,’ she said.

She also casts doubts on government claims that individual contracts will boost productivity.

‘I’m not aware of direct research to that effect,’ she said. n

‘We’ve failed in the last decade, under this government, to produce the skilled workforce the country needs. That and innovation in business and the problems we have with our infrastructure.

That’s lowered labour productivity. That’s what’s got to be fixed.’

Kim Beazley, Leader of the Opposition.

‘It’s not legitimate to bully through change and reform which is, essentially, badly argued.

Which is poorly motivated.

Which comes from a competitive anger towards the labour movement.’

Senator Andrew Murray, Democrats Workplace Relations Spokesman.

‘What the changes will do is they will lead to the loss of penalty rates, the loss of overtime.

That isn’t the same thing as increasing productivity. What that does is increases profits.

But it doesn’t mean that if you cut somebody’s penalty rates that for a waitress in a cafe, that she’s carrying more plates per hour out to the restaurant. It means that she’s just getting paid less for it.’

Professor David Peetz, School Of Business, Griffith University.

Howard’s unfair dismissal ‘solution’

5 winners, 21,000 losers

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he announcement by John Howard that $4,000 may be available to a worker who has an arguable case for unlawful termination does absolutely nothing to help workers who are unfairly dismissed.

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes says the Howard government is devious to suggest that workers will still be protected from unfair dismissal under the new laws.

‘John Howard is fudging the two types of laws relating to the dismissal of employees – unfair dismissal laws and unlawful dismissal laws.

‘Unlawful dismissal laws do not

protect workers from unfair dismissal.

They only cover terminations of employees for very narrow discrimination reasons such as race, sexual preference, disability, ethnicity, age or gender.’

There have been just five unlawful dismissal cases decided by the Federal Court in the past three years.

Unfair dismissal laws cover all the most common types of unfair or unjust dismissal: for raising an issue about their pay, or requesting time away from work, or if their employer is unfairly criticising your work performance.

About 21,000 Australian workers lodged unfair dismissal claims with the IR Commission in the same period.

‘If the experience of the past three years is repeated in the next three years, the government’s $4,000 would partially help five people and leave up to 21,000 others with no protection,’ said Brett Holmes.

Lawyers say the Prime Minister’s plan to offer $4,000 towards legal fees in suitable cases will help only a handful of people due to the expense and difficulty of the type of actions that will be available once the government introduces its IR changes.

‘It [$4,000] would cover about 10 per cent of the cost of an action in the Federal Court,’ says Steven Penning, partner of law firm Turner Freeman. n

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UNFAIR DISMISSAL AND UNLAWFUL DISMISSAL Unlawful dismissal

Unfair dismissal

c unlawful termination laws do not protect workers from unfair dismissal.

c unfair dismissal laws protect all Australian workers from being sacked for an unfair reason.

c unlawful termination laws only cover terminations of employees for very specific anti-discrimination reasons such as race, age, sexual preference, ethnicity, disability or gender.

c unfair dismissal applications are heard in the Industrial Relations Commission, do not require workers to be represented by lawyers, are heard quickly with little cost to employees or employers.

c unlawful termination cases are legalistic and must be heard in the Federal Court.

c about 7,000 Australian workers lodge unfair dismissal claims with the Industrial Relations Commission each year.

c there have been just five unlawful termination cases decided by the Federal Court in the past three years.

c the Federal Government plans to remove access to these laws for all employees in businesses with less than 100 staff. This means more than 3.6 million workers employed in 99% of Australian companies would have no protection from unfair dismissal.

c the cost to an employee of running an unlawful termination case is between $30,000 and $40,000. c the cost of preparing a statement of claim to initiate the proceedings would be $8,500 to $15,500. c If a worker lost the case they may end up paying their former employer’s legal costs.

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NU ER WSSE S I N I N BTRHIEE F MEDIA

Nurses’ message of protest hits the airwaves g Three Sydney nurses fronted the TV cameras to debate how John Howard’s assault on industrial law will impact on working people such as nurses.

Channel Nine’s Business Sunday interviewed St George Hospital nurses Jodie Bancroft and Coral Levett, and Nine’s A Current Affair spoke to Lucille McKenna from Palm Grove nursing home in Narraweena.

The Lamp talked to Jodie, Coral and Lucille about their interviews.

22 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

Lucille McKenna, Director of Nursing at Palm Grove Nursing Home in Narraweena:

‘It is really important that people understand how important it is to protest, and to protest now.’

Current Affair interviewed a few people for the program, not just nurses. They had Mike Carlton from 2UE who was very vocal in support of workers.

I thought, here’s a chance to make some points about politicians who make decisions to take rights and conditions and income away from workers while not giving anything up themselves.

I talked about the likely impact of John Howard’s new laws on aged care nursing. I think that workers who aren’t politically aware and haven’t taken an interest in what John Howard is proposing, just don’t have an understanding of what might happen to them.

I’m worried that under the new system, so many workers particularly AINs who often have limited education and speak English as a second language, would be expected to negotiate their own AWA or individual workplace agreement.

We could have a divided workforce where new workers are put under an AWA while the rest stay under current award conditions which will gradually be eroded over time as people leave and new people come on board. It will be a very difficult situation if people doing the same job in the same nursing home are getting different rates of pay.

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The government might try and tie Commonwealth funding for aged care to the offering of workplace agreements to our staff. They’ve done it in the tertiary sector and quite possibly they would do it to us.

We are very vulnerable in aged care. The federal government started to tie funding increases to various conditions last year. They could make it a condition of federal funding that workers be ‘offered’ AWAs and they wouldn’t need to pass a law, they could do it overnight.

Most nurses may think the union will be able to look after them and fix it – they always have in the past. But it may be too late once the laws come in.

It is really important that the word gets out and people understand how important it is to protest, and to protest now.

I’ve been in aged care for 30 years. I went there because I could get working hours that suited me. The attraction of aged care for most nurses has been the ability to get permanent shifts and to get shifts that suit you.

If penalty rates disappear and we have to go to a seven-day roster, I won’t be able to attract people who want to work weekends. They probably will go back to the public system where the wages are higher.

Jodie Bancroft, Nurse Educator at St George Hospital: agreed to speak up because this is a worrying time for us nurses. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen to our futures with John Howard’s new laws. I read the government’s WorkChoices booklet which had a lot of worrying things for us.

Our state award could disappear and we could lose some of the conditions that we and our union have fought really hard for.

I mean conditions we are entitled to such as penalty rates for after-hours work and maternity leave. Our 14 weeks paid maternity leave is a good thing especially in the current nursing shortage, because it helps keep nurses in the profession.

I

‘Our State award could disappear and we would lose conditions we fought really hard for.’

Coral Levett, Manager Nurse Education at St George Hospital: believe John Howard’s proposed changes will have a number of serious impacts on the nursing profession. Some of the award conditions we have now will not be guaranteed in the suggested transitional federal agreement that the government is pushing.

If public hospital nurses move to the federal system, things that could be 'bargained away' include the reasonable workloads clause that allows nurses to have a legally enforceable right to a reasonable workload.

Under our award, nurses get an in-charge shift allowance if they take on the extra responsibility of being in charge of a particular shift. That allowance would be up for grabs if our employer decided they wanted to 'bargain' it away.

I

‘John Howard’s proposed changes will have a number of serious impacts on the nursing profession.’

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 23

s

SPECIAL

PEOPLE

Bali attack brings out the best in nurses g A group of Newcastle families dining together in Bali copped the full force of a bomb that killed three of the group and left 11 seriously injured. The tragedy has rocked the Newcastle community – including nurses at John Hunter Hospital who have been caring for the injured survivors.

Jo-anne Whitson (left) and Jonine Sinclair 24 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

O

n 1 October 2005 three bombs exploded in the popular restaurants at Bali’s Jimbaran Bay and Kuta Beach, killing 22 people and injuring scores of victims.

A group of Newcastle families with children at the local St Francis Xavier College on holiday together were dining in a crowded restaurant at Jimbaran Bay when the second bomb exploded.

Novocastrians Jennifer Williamson, Colin Zwolinski and Fiona Zwolinski were killed in the blast and 13 of the group were seriously injured.

Nine victims of the bomb blast were airlifted to their home city of Newcastle and ferried by a fleet of ambulances to the John Hunter Hospital for treatment, where they were reunited with friends and families.

Two patients were admitted to the hospital’s high-dependency unit and the other patients to the general surgery ward.

At the time of printing, two patients had been discharged and the other seven patients were in a stable condition and are expected to have a full recovery.

According to acting NUM of the general surgery ward at John Hunter Hospital, Jonine Sinclair, nurses caring for the Bali bombing victims have demonstrated outstanding levels of professionalism and commitment. The tragedy has brought out the best in nurses at the John Hunter Hospital.

‘This ward is a busy high acuity unit.

The nurses have maintained high levels of competency and clinical skills and have worked long hours under very stressful circumstances doing what they can for these patients.

‘Working closely as a team has helped us get through. We have had great support from the medical teams and hospital management has also been very supportive.’

Jonine says it is important to acknowledge the psychological impact on nurses caring for patients who have undergone such traumatic ordeal.

‘This is the first time we have been in a situation nursing the victims of a terrorist attack. It’s not something we have experienced before.

‘Nurses have been dealing with more than just the patients’ injuries. The patients are very traumatised and so are their families and loved ones. It was two days before the patients could be flown to Newcastle and reunited with their families and friends and it has been a very anxious time,’ she said.

‘Newcastle is a very close-knit community and everyone has been very affected by what happened. Some of the nurses know the patients they are caring for.

Jo-anne and Jonine with a patient injured in the blast, Vicki Griffith

Outstanding professionalism: nurses at the John Hunter Hospital who have been caring for the Bali survivors

‘We’re having regular debriefing sessions, and I anticipate nurses will need ongoing debriefing and support for some time,’ said Jonine.

‘The nurses working with these patients have really demonstrated their skill and professionalism. It’s been an absolute honour working alongside them,’ she said.

As a CNS in the high dependency unit, Jo-anne Whitson has been working with two of the most seriously injured patients.

‘It was a new experience for me caring for patients with injuries like this.

They both sustained extensive shrapnel wounds in the bomb blast and are suffering multiple traumas.

‘Even though we had small numbers of patients coming to John Hunter Hospital it was very hectic at first and we worked very long hours treating their injuries.’

While the initial priority was to stabilise the patients and treat their physical injuries, Jo-anne says it is clear these patients are also suffering deep psychological trauma.

‘The patients in my ward have responded very differently. One is just elated that he is alive, at this stage. He was sitting

right next to one of the victims killed. The other patient is very depressed. Both patients said they could still smell the bomb and the first thing they wanted was to be washed.

‘The emotional trauma will live on long after the injuries have healed.

These patients will require ongoing psychological counselling.’

‘Being close to home with friends and family is helping the patients to recover,’ said Jo-anne.

The Newcastle community has been widely affected by the tragedy, according to Jo-anne. Many families have been touched and many know someone who has been affected.

‘It’s been difficult standing by and watching the distress and anxiety of the families and loved ones of the patients.

There have been lots and lots of tears. I’ve been quite affected by this.

‘I’ve never experienced nursing under these circumstances. At the back of my mind I’ve often wondered what it would be like nursing the aftermath of an attack or large-scale disaster. But I clicked into clinical mode, focusing on doing what I can to help these people. That’s the best that I can do for them,’ she said. n THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 25

s

SPECIAL

PEOPLE

Hurricane Katrina’s angels of mercy g Volunteer nurses are filling the gaps left by an uncaring, incompetent government following the USA’s worst natural disaster.

W

ith their homes smashed to rubble and their lives reduced to a struggle for survival, most of America’s hurricane victims had received no government help more than a month after Katrina struck.

Hundreds of thousands remained homeless, hungry and in need of medical attention.

Many are alive thanks only to the efforts of volunteers including nurses from across the USA. Nurses reported that many survivors were too stunned to even realise that they needed care.

Federal government and Red Cross relief efforts were described as ‘a disorganised, embarrassing mess’ by S.O.S. (Saving Our Selves) Katrina, a coalition of community organisations arranging freelance efforts to fill the gaps in emergency relief.

Unpaid nurses, doctors, psychologists, technicians, paramedics and social workers have joined forces to create mobile medical units.

They provide first aid, prescription medication, diabetic testing equipment, insulin and tetanus shots for people left homeless.

Volunteer nurses are also staffing hospitals and clinics along the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Hundreds of nurses have come from the California Nurses Association (CNA) and its national arm, the National Nurses Organizing Committee. The CNA provides administrative and logistic 26 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

support and is requesting donations to help cover the US$1,500 in travel and other expenses for each nurse.

‘Our nurses are giving care to many people who have gone without care for much of their lives,’ said Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of CNA. ‘In a civilised society, not caring for our own is a disgrace and an embarrassment for us to the rest of the world.

‘These heroic RNs are not just on the scene, they are saving lives, healing patients, connecting families, uplifting the spirit of the community and the local staff who are worn down after too many nights and days of unimaginable conditions.’

As Louisiana’s biggest public hospital, the Earl K Long Medical Centre routinely accepted poor patients turned away by other institutions. But after Katrina struck, the hospital, critically short of staff, began shutting its doors to desperate evacuees.

Then within four days of the disaster came the first wave of 30 volunteer nurses from the California union. The hospital was immediately able to double its patient load.

‘They are our California angels,’ said A. J. Barbier, director of the hospital’s nursing staff. ‘They received a round of applause when they showed up.’

At public hospitals like Earl K Long the volunteers are caring for victims of the nation’s worst natural disaster from society’s lowest social rung. Many patients are elderly people with chronic heart and respiratory problems and diabetes. They have been pulled off rooftops, loaded onto boats or helicopters, then forced to stay in one or more shelters before finally being taken to hospital. n

Stories from the disaster zone ... c Volunteer RN Christie Delemos, deployed to the Houston Astrodome: ‘Many of the evacuees did not have good access to care prior to the hurricane. We’ve seen untreated diabetes here that was an issue before people even arrived. Many of the people here have never seen a doctor, have never had an eye exam.

This event really proves that we need a national health care plan.’ c Volunteer RN Janelle McClung, deployed to Pascagoula Mississippi: ‘One day I went to the small town of Pass Christian, Mississippi. We drove up and down and anywhere we saw people we asked what they needed.

We found one man whose mother had died and she was still in what was left of the house. He didn’t know what to do, so we helped him get assistance.’

c Volunteer Joelle Marek Treanor, labour-and-delivery nurse: A lonely woman who’d lost her home, car and clothing to Hurricane Katrina went limp in Joelle’s arms. ‘I hugged her really tight,’ Joelle recalled. ‘She started sobbing. She was whispering “Thank you.” She told me it was her first hug. She needed it so badly.’ c Volunteer Sharon Hill, RN, hears a story of neighbourly love and trauma: ‘He was a 37-year-old construction worker. He lived down near the levy and had the only two-storey house in the neighborhood and he had a boat.

‘When the water started to rise, he went around collecting people from the neighborhood and brought them to his house, and all of them were on the second floor and on the roof.

While he was going through the water, he bumped into floating bodies, but said he just pushed them out of the way. He told me, “Sometimes I wanted to turn them over, to see who they were, but I couldn’t”. ’ Sharon said that part of her job is just listening to people who are deeply traumatised, hearing their stories and attempting to understand while comforting them.

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THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 27

s

W O R K L O A D S

Beds closed to ensure patient g Nurses win extra staff pending review.

M

uswellbrook Hospital nurses closed six general ward beds for a week due to concerns that understaffing was compromising patient safety.

The nurses reopened the beds when the NSW Industrial Relations Commission brokered a temporary settlement of their staffing dispute.

The Commission recommended as an interim measure that beds reopen with an extra EN on afternoon shift and an extra RN on call for night duty.

This arrangement is to apply pending a nurses review of staffing and workloads.

Nurses Association branch secretary at the hospital, Maeve Brooks welcomed the nurses review. She said a major problem was insufficient staff to cover the high dependency unit and emergency department at night.

‘We had one RN to cover both

the HDU and ED which created a risky situation, for example if we had cardiac patients in the HDU and had to leave them to attend the ED,’ Maeve said.

‘We tried unsuccessfully to find a solution via the hospital workloads committee, before deciding to close beds.

‘We didn’t want to inconvenience the people of Muswellbrook but we have to ensure we have a manageable workload, so we can provide a safe environment and optimal care for our patients.’

organise staffing on-call and calling in staff for emergencies in theatre or obstetrics.

‘They also have to take care of transfers in and out after hours, security matters, and pharmacy ordering as we do not have a pharmacy on site.

‘They must also be available to assist the staff in the 18-bed aged care facility when there is no RN available to work, and it is therefore staffed by an EN and AIN or on rare occasions two AINs.’ Maeve said a ward clerk position was

‘We have to ensure we have a manageable workload, so we can provide a safe environment and optimal care for our patients.’

Maeve said the HDU, ED, medical, surgical, paediatrics and oncology are all on one floor, ‘so you can imagine how frantic it gets at times’.

‘Now if we have HDU patients and the ED gets busy we can call in the RN. ‘Aside from ED/HDU staffing and safety, other issues include the fact that the hospital in charge out of hours has to

recently created for A Floor, for four hours per day Monday to Friday.

This has just been upgraded to eight hours. This position is currently filled by an EN who sustained an injury and is on restricted duties.

‘From 5pm to 8am the phones, admissions and all paperwork is done by the nurses,’ she said.

Goulburn nurses forced to re g Nurses struggle to ensure patient safety at the understaffed Goulburn Base Hospital.

N

urses at Goulburn Base Hospital were forced to reopen beds they closed because a desperate staff shortage threatened patient care.

Nurses say hospital management acting on orders from the Greater Southern Area Health Service, forced them to reopen the beds.

The Nurses Association branch at the hospital earlier had unanimously resolved to call on management to close two beds in maternity and two beds each in the medical and surgery wards to ease workloads.

28 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

In later negotiations assisted by the Industrial Relations Commission, the health service agreed not to admit patients unless it was safe to do so, said NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes.

‘However members remain concerned about their ability to do this and the Association supports the right of Goulburn Base Hospital nurses to close beds if staff numbers drop to an unsafe level’, Brett said.

‘Further discussions are continuing via the hospital’s Reasonable Workloads Committee. If the situation does not improve the Association will again seek the Commission’s assistance.

‘Other hospitals in Greater Southern, such as Albury and Wagga, close beds when they are in crisis mode. But for some unknown reason the area health service seems to have an attitude about Goulburn that it can’t close beds.’

Hospital Branch Secretary, Lorraine Emerton said the 102 bed hospital was short 8.1 full-time equivalent registered nurses and staff often had to work double shifts.

‘The staff shortage has been going on for years and years and the workloads situation has just about reached crisis point due to inadequate staffing,’ she said.

‘A staffing review is supposed to take place but as far as we know, the report has not yet been released’.

‘We are still waiting for our funded profile of six years ago to be reviewed’.

COMPETITION

safety ‘With all the extra jobs we are doing without any support, it gets to the point where you think, how much longer can we keep going with what we are doing? ‘The support we’ve had from the Nurses' Association has been magnificent. We weren’t sure how to handle the issues or what to do, but our union officials came in and got things on track. They have been very supportive and were brilliant in the meetings and the Industrial Commission.’ The nursing review was carried out by the director of nursing at Armidale hospital and a nurse manager from John Hunter hospital in Newcastle.

Their report has gone to the chief executive of Hunter New England Area Health Service, Terry Clout. Muswellbrook nurses had not seen the report’s recommendations before The Lamp went to press. n

Maeve Brooks

open beds ‘There are huge problems resulting from a lack of staff and other resources in country areas – Goulburn is not alone.’ Brett Holmes said excessive workloads and low morale could be contributing to Goulburn hospital’s difficulty in recruiting staff, despite widespread advertising. ‘The hospital is antiquated and nurses have to work in pretty awful conditions,’ he said.

In a memo sent to all staff as part of a skills inventory, the hospital Director of Nursing wrote: ‘Should the mismatch between staffing and clinical demand become overwhelming and [if] this situation continues for some time, consideration should be given to declaring an internal disaster.’ An editorial in the Goulburn Post newspaper described the situation at the hospital as alarming. ‘For those at the coalface, the over-stretched nurses, an internal disaster won’t be too far off unless Greater Southern Area Health acts quickly to address staffing levels and implements long-term strategies for a very sick hospital,’ the paper wrote. n

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See for yourself why critics and audiences are raving worldwide.

The Lamp is offering two members the chance to win two Premium Tickets to Fiddler On The Roof plus one night’s accommodation for two at Medina Central Executive Apartments (prize valued at $500).

SPECIAL OFFER FOR NSWNA MEMBERS NSWNA members can see Fiddler On The Roof for only $59.90* per A Reserve Ticket. That’s a saving of $25 per ticket!

Fiddler On The Roof is playing at the Capitol Theatre until 20 November, so book now**.

S $25 ave per tic to F iddle ket r On The Roo f

Call Ticketmaster on 1300 136 166 and ask for the Nurses’ Association offer.

Also available at The Capitol Theatre and Ticketmaster Outlets. * Price includes booking fee and GST. Transaction fee may apply. ** Special offer valid Tuesday to Thursday, 8pm, and Sunday, 3pm.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 29

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INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR I E S FS U E S

Active members vital to private hospitals claim g It’s vital private hospital nurses get active to lock in strong outcomes in the new wages claim before Howard’s dangerous IR changes cut deep.

F

rom 17 November 2005, the NSWNA can commence negotiations with the Private Hospital employers for a new round of wages and conditions for private hospital members covered by the Private Hospitals Award.

More is at stake than private hospital nurses’ wages and conditions – the new claim for private hospital nurses is one of the earliest industry negotiations to deal with the implications of the federal government’s new Industrial Relations agenda.

‘This campaign will be one of the most important campaigns in recent years. Not only will it establish wages and conditions for private hospital nurses over the next few years but it will be one of the first industry negotiations that deals with the federal government’s new Industrial Relations agenda,’ said NSWNA Assistant General Secretary, Judith Kiejda.

The wages round will apply to private hospital nurses covered by the Private Hospitals Award – except those

working in workplaces where enterprise agreement negotiations have finalised wages and conditions.

Private hospital members have a say The NSWNA has engaged in a comprehensive consultation process to ensure that private hospital members’ priorities and concerns are reflected in the NSWNA claim.

A meeting has been held at all private hospitals so that members can nominate their priorities in the new round of wages and conditions. NSWNA is currently analysing the results from the data collected.

Each workplace has consolidated the feedback from members at the meetings and this is being used by the Private Hospital log of claims committee to develop the final claim for the new wages and conditions round – known as a log of claims.

More information will be provided to Private Hospital members as the log of claim is developed and the negotiations begin. n

GET ACTIVE FOR A BETTER OUTCOME The higher the density of NSWNA members and the more active our branches are, the more negotiating power the Association has.

Here’s what you can do to strengthen the Union:

‘This campaign will be one of the most important campaigns in recent years.

1

Ask nurses who are not members to join the NSWNA and get them involved in achieving the wages and conditions that private hospital nurses deserve.

2

If you do not have an NSWNA branch at your private hospital, talk to your workmates who may be interested and contact the NSWNA for assistance in establishing a branch. More than 50% of private hospitals have NSWNA branches.

Branches help to give nurses in these hospitals a strong voice.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 31

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s

A G E N D A

ICAC report rejects allegations about SWAHS

A

n Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) report into alleged misconduct in the South West Area Health Service (SWAHS) has found that most allegations were unsubstantiated and based on ‘nothing more than gossip, speculation and hearsay’.

ICAC interviewed or obtained statements from over 200 witnesses and examined more than 100,000 documents.

The inquiry’s final report, released in late-September, dismissed the allegations which included cover-ups, criminal offences, reprisals and hush money.

Most of the allegations were made

by Nola Fraser, a former After Hours

The inquiry’s final report dismissed the allegations which included cover-ups, criminal offences, reprisals and hush money.

However, the ICAC inquiry also found that three nurses were subjected to disciplinary action ‘that was so flawed and unfair’ that the nurses were ‘entirely justified in suspecting they were being victimised’.

The inquiry investigated allegations made by seven nurses concerning alleged events at Campbelltown, Camden, Liverpool and Fairfield Hospitals.

Nurse Manager at Campbelltown and Camden Hospitals.

ICAC rejected all allegations made by Nola Fraser – who stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal candidate in the recent Macquarie Fields by-election.

Allegations by the other six nurses were also rejected.

In each case, ICAC found ‘no

evidence’ or not ‘sufficient evidence’ to support the allegations.

The most sensational allegations made by Nola Fraser and Sheree Martin were supported by ‘no evidence’ and were ‘founded on gossip, speculation and hearsay’.

Former Health Minister Craig Knowles’ handling of ‘the nurses’ complaints was entirely responsible and commendable’, ICAC found.

ICAC found insufficient evidence that nurses and others were ‘bullied, harassed or disciplined for making complaints’ within SWSAHS. But ‘ICAC considered that nurses Yvonne Quinn, Valerie Owen and Sandra Solarz (all formerly of Campbelltown and Camden Hospitals) were subjected to disciplinary action by the Macarthur Health Service that was so flawed and unfair that they were entirely justified in suspecting they were being victimised’. n

MISTAKES MADE, BUT GOSSIP DAMAGED NURSES

BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY hen the allegations covered in the ICAC inquiry were first aired, the NSWNA took a cautious position. We recognised that the appropriate bodies such as the HCCC had a legitimate role to investigate such claims.

We provided assistance to members to respond to the HCCC and subsequent inquiries by the Special Commitee of Inquiry and ICAC. The NSWNA did not presume to know all the facts. Nor was it in a position to judge our members or other health workers.

Some of the claims made about the care of patients by the media and a small number of the nurse informants were clearly sensational and damaging to all those nurses and health workers who were diligently carrying out their

W

roles at Macarthur Health and other South Western Sydney hospitals.

A great deal of damage was done to individual health workers and managers, including nurses, based upon what the ICAC called hearsay, gossip and speculation.

But it is clear from all the reports that mistakes and misjudgements were made and that care standards could not be met to the expectations of the community.

The government response to develop the South Western Sydney Clinical Services Plan and commit an additional $300 million over four years was, in my opinion, a recognition of chronic underfunding to that part of the health system.

Nurses play a very important role as advocates for their patients’ rights to a decent public health system.

It is vital that processes – within and external to the health system – allow nurses to play this role while ensuring that nurses can maintain their professional dignity and respect.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 33

s

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES CONFERENCE

Advancing the nursing pr NZ nurses put pay equity at heart of pay campaign The right of women to have incomes and job choices that are not constrained by gender discrimination and gender expectations is a big idea and we should not be afraid of it, according to Laila Harre of the NZ Nurses Organisation (NZNO).

L

aila outlined the NZNO national campaign for fair pay and safe staffing which recently achieved significant gains for NZ nurses after 10 years of fragmented bargaining under the Employment Contracts Act, and 15 years of continual health service restructuring.

‘Through actively building trust and confidence in each other’s resolve to make a lasting difference, nurses and midwives overcame the suspicions implanted by years of divide and rule,’ she said.

A key argument used by the NZNO for the pay increase was pay equity – to overturn the historical undervaluing of the large, highly skilled and mainly female occupation of nursing.

‘This led to a $700 million commitment from the government in the budget for the implementation of fair pay,’ said Laila.

She said a major challenge for the NZNO during the campaign was overcoming the low expectations of nurses.

‘The sense of duty – expecting little but the reward of the job well done – won’t sustain our profession at a time when we need to attract welleducated young people to start a lifetime career.

Governments and employers thrive on low expectations.’ n

34 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

The future of enrolled nursing in a training package world Readers may recall the report in the October Lamp describing NSWNA concerns that EN qualification will be undermined by a proposal to transfer EN training from the current TAFE qualification to a National Health Training Package. Dr Chris Manwarring explained the implications of incorporating EN training into the National Training Package from her perspective as TAFE Program Manager Health and Aged Services.

T

he proposal to replace the current TAFE qualification with a set of ‘competency standards’ for ENs outlined in a National Health Training Package derives from a recommendation by the National Review of Nursing. The Health Training Package is being developed and will be maintained by the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council.

A Training Package identifies the specific roles of an occupational group, eg dental technicians, and comprises core units of competency and elective units.

A draft framework for the EN qualification was released in August for comment from the nursing profession.

Dr Manwarring said the move to replace the EN qualification with a Health Training Package aims to accommodate the needs of industry employers. Under the package, EN training will be targeted to workplace needs.

‘A Health Training Package qualification will provide national consistency in EN training and education, national consistency in the qualification level (it currently varies across the states) and scope of practice for ENs.

‘For nurses it means they can obtain national recognition of their skills. They can receive on-the-job training where their existing skills can be recognised. It may mean a broadening of career pathways in the health industry.

However, Dr Manwarring raised concerns about the structure of the health training package. ‘There is inconsistency in the number of core and elective units of competency of the Health Training Package qualifications. There is significant variation in number of units required for different qualifications at the same level,’ she said.

‘Training package qualifications do not specify the duration of the training nor the teacher qualification or delivery mode.’

The Industry Reference Group – set up to provide advice on a framework of core and elective units, priority areas for industry skills development based on the job role, industrial issues, and regulatory and licensing issues – raised concerns about the draft framework for the qualification.

‘The Industry Reference Group believes the units must be specific to the enrolled nurse role. The qualification needs to have nursing in its title and the specific units must have nursing in their name and be delivered in the context of nursing where appropriate to prevent other workers adopting the role of a nurse.

‘It is important the units from a Certificate IV qualification are embedded into the Diploma to ensure consistency in knowledge and skills, allow portability of the EN qualifications and provide a pathway from Certificate III to undergraduate programs,’ she said. n

ofession

g Academics and leaders from international nursing unions addressed this years’ NSWNA Professional Issues Conference about a range of issues concerning the advancement and protection of the nursing profession.

Surviving shiftwork Shiftwork is a loathsome aspect of the nursing that’s almost impossible to avoid. Research psychologist Dr Delwyn Bartlett shared some tips with conference delegates on how get more and better sleep when you’re caught in the shiftwork zone.

W

hen you’re working nightshift it may seem that everyone else is off having a good night’s sleep. But you’re not alone. Around 20% of workers work nightshift, said Dr Bartlett.

‘When you are working nightshift you lose around five to seven hours' sleep per week,’ she said. ‘Twice the number of accidents happen on nightshift than dayshift and nightshift workers are more vulnerable to car accidents on the way to and from work.’

So how much sleep do we need?

Around 7-8 hours said Dr Delwyn.

However, some people need as little as 4 hours per night, and others need 10 hours.

According to Dr Bartlett, shiftwork means you are working against your body’s natural rhythm.

‘Shiftwork is very stressful. You are pushed into a state of hyperarousal,’ she said.

‘When you are stressed muscular tensions increases, memory can be affected, you become moody, you can suffer stomach upsets and diarrhoea, more frequent illnesses like colds and flu and sleep disturbance is common.

‘In extreme cases individuals suffer from a clinical condition called shiftwork sleep disorder (SWSD) where they cannot maintain a normal sleep duration despite attempts to optimise environmental conditions for sleep. Around 2-5% of shiftworkers are thought to suffer from SWSD.’

windows if need be and have background white noise like a fan. Keep your bedroom cool. Don’t forget to pull out the phone and leave a note on the front door telling all callers that you are sleeping.’

Whether you’re working nightshift or not, Dr Bartlett has some tips for a better night's (or day's) sleep: c Use your bed for sleep and sex only c Get out of bed if you haven’t fallen asleep after 20 minutes. Sit on the floor for five minutes then get back in to bed.

‘If you are not sleeping well it is important to check out whether you have a sleeping disorder such as insomnia, restless

To maximise sleep after a nightshift Dr Bartlett recommends you wear dark sunglasses with side shields on the way home from work – the darker the better. ‘Go home and get into bed as soon as possible. Avoid doing anything else.’

To maximise sleep after a nightshift, Dr Bartlett recommends you wear dark sunglasses with side shields on the way home from work. ‘The darker the better but you need to be able to see.’

‘Go home and get into bed as soon as possible. Avoid doing anything else.

‘Make your sleep environment as dark as possible. Use black plastic bags on the

legs syndrome, obstructive sleep apnoea,’ said Dr Bartlett. ‘It’s also important to check out the possibility of other medical conditions or psychological disorders.’

Sleep can be disturbed by increased stress. Disturbed sleep also predicted by increased work demands, high physical workload, being female aged over 45 years and having a high body mass index.

How you think is how you feel, warns Dr Bartlett. ‘Negative thoughts can keep you awake so it’s important to distract negative thoughts in bed. Focus on something calming and try to think realistically about sleep and being awake at night, instead of catastrophising about the consequences of not sleeping.’n

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 35

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.

What are the chances that you will be unable to work?

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 insurance cover do you have?

Why is insurance important?

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.

If your pay is your main source of income, it is important to make sure that you protect it against future uncertainties, such as death, illness or injury by taking out adequate insurance cover. For example, if you were to become temporarily or permanently unable to work, you and your family would still need to meet expenses, such as the mortgage, credit card payments or school fees.

According to statistics#, there is a one in three chance of you 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 you to meet financial commitments during this period.

Eligible First State Super members may receive an automatic level of Basic Death and Total and Permanent Disablement (TPD) insurance cover for a low monthly fee.

While this amount of insurance cover sounds like a lot of money, you may need to seek independent, professional, 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 or Fact Sheet 7.1 Insurance Cover, which is available: ■

through our website at www.firststatesuper.nsw.gov.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

This communication is prepared by FSS Trustee Corporation ABN 53 226 460 365 (FTC). It may contain general advice and is not a substitute for professional financial or other advice on your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. FTC recommends that you consider the appropriateness of information contained in this communication to your own situation and consult a licensed financial or other appropriately qualified advisor before acting. FTC also recommends that you obtain a Your Member Guide regarding First State Super (FSS) and consider the statement before making any decision in relation to FSS.

36 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

www.firststatesuper.nsw.gov.au

INSURE HEALTH 08/05

Disclaimer:

s

Q & A

ASK

JUDITH I work in a public hospital as a 1st year RN working permanent parttime. Should I get extra pay for doing on-call telephone counselling?

Yes. Under the Public Hospital Nurses (State) Award Clause 10(vii)(a) when you’re on call you will be paid the on-call allowance of $2.53 for a min. of 8 hours ($20.24). Should you be required to do telephone counselling during the on-call period you’ll be paid a different amount. Under Clause 10(vii)(c) you will be paid one-third of your hourly rate with a maximum of 1½ hours for up to 8 hours on-call, or a maximum of 2½ hours for up to 8-16 hours on call.

For example: 1st yr RN (1/7/2005) @ $21.3526/hr For up to 8 hrs on call: = hrly rate x 1.25hrs = $21.3526 x 1.25 = $26.69 For 8-16 hrs on call = hrly rate x 2.5hrs = $21.3526 x 2.5 = $53.38

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS AT WORK, NSWNA ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY JUDITH KIEJDA HAS THE ANSWERS. THIS MONTH JUDITH RESPONDS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY MEMBERS. I’m an RN working fulltime in a pubic hospital. I am regularly on call for 12 hours. I was called in after 8½ hours and paid overtime, but only got 8½ hours of the on-call allowance — is this right?

have been employed continuously for more than five years), annual leave (including any public holiday leave and additional leave accrued for working Sundays and public holidays). Under Clause 23(v)(b) no annual leave loading is payable on resignation.

No. Under the Public Hospital Nurses (State) Award Clause 10 (ii)(a) & (b) you are entitled to be paid 12 hours at the on-call rate. Plus, under Clause 10 (vii)(d) you are entitled to be paid at overtime rates for the call back, with a minimum payment of 4 hours. So you should be paid both.

I am an EN working full-time in a medical practice. How much annual leave am I entitled to? Is there a difference if I am a shift worker rather than a day worker?

I am an RN leaving the nursing home. I have worked at full-time for 7½ years. How much notice do I have to give? What will I receive in payment? Do I get my leave loading on my untaken annual leave?

Under the Nursing Homes &c., (State) Award Clause 36 (ii) you are required to give seven days’ notice. By the end of your last shift you will receive your termination pay. This will include pro rata long service leave (as you

If you work Monday to Friday with hours between 7am to 7pm you are entitled to four weeks’ annual leave under the Nurses’ Other Than in Hospitals &c., (State) Award Clause 10(i)(a). If you are a shift worker who works ordinary hours on Sundays/public holidays, you are entitled to additional annual leave on a sliding scale. This is set out in Clause 10(ix), with 1 additional day’s annual leave for working 1-4 Sundays/ public holidays, up to a maximum of 5 additional days’ annual leave for working 32 or more Sundays or public holidays. n

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 NOVEMBER 2005 37

s

N IEPW T S SF RI N O MB RMI E F M B E R S

g Jenny Kyng, RN at Wesley Private Hospital, shares her passion for visual art and the cinema with fellow NSWNA members.

Portrait of the artist as a nurse

J

enny Kyng works more than 60 hours per week – but only gets paid for half of it.

Working four days per week as an RN in the Eating Disorders Unit at Wesley Private Hospital, Ashfield, pays Jenny’s bills.

The additional 30 hours per week Jenny spends on her art pays nothing – but Jenny couldn’t live without it.

‘I’ve been producing art since I was two years old, but it doesn’t pay the rent.’

For 15 years, Jenny has shut herself away in her home studio in Sydney’s Inner West, painting, drawing and printing.

But it was only this year that Jenny plucked up the courage to show her work.

‘I had my first exhibition in May when I was 45 years old,’ said Jenny.

‘I didn’t really want to sell my work but my partner Doug – now also my manager – convinced me to do it.’

‘I’ve been producing art since I was two years old, but it doesn’t pay the rent.’

Above and right: self portraits.

38 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

The exhibition at Stanmore Galleries was a big success. Jenny sold 10 paintings and received very encouraging feedback.

Now Jenny is planning her second show for 2006 – but says she would continue to create art even if only her friends and family ever saw it.

‘If I don’t do it I start to feel frustrated. But I am glad I’ve shown my work. It was a bit pointless keeping my paintings under the bed.’

Jenny studied art in her 20s after dropping out of a ‘confrontational’ acting course.

By the time she was 25, Jenny came to ‘the stark and horrible realisation that you have to work for a living and can’t make any money out of art’.

She turned to nursing and was in the first intake of students who studied a Diploma of Applied Science.

After an internship at Sydney Hospital, Jenny worked at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at St Vincent’s and the Langton Clinic.

She recently finished an eight-year stint working night shift at St John of God, Burwood. The night shift was tough-going, but now she’s moved on to work with adolescents in the Eating Disorders Unit.

‘You’re working with people who are young enough to change behaviour so hopefully you can make a difference.’

Finding quality time for art on top of her nursing is difficult. But Jenny says that having ‘no kids and a partner who has lots of interests and activities and doesn’t need entertaining’ makes it possible.

‘I try to be very disciplined and put in the hours every week, I just force my self to keep at it.’ n

s

L I F E S T Y L E

Josh Jarman unconvincing and blokey

g Despite some excellent performances, Josh Jarman – with its blokey humour and weak gags – is a disappointing film, according to Jenny Kyng.

M

arcus Graham is a very fine actor.

He’s by far the best thing about the new Australian comedy Josh Jarman, directed by Pip Mushin. As Josh, the lead role in this

likeable but rather disappointing movie, Graham manages to bring genuine emotion and subtlety to what could have been an unconvincing character.

Josh is a geeky, struggling playwright whose earnest works attract tiny audiences to hole-in-the-wall venues. Having been rejected by every producer in town, he is desperate for a real break. Suddenly, as a result of a chance encounter, he finds himself swept along on a giddy ride to the top.

In the process, his cherished play A Man, A Woman becomes unrecognisable, thanks to the efforts of script-tweakers, directors, producers and publicists.

Supposedly a no-hoper with women, Josh can hardly believe his luck when he meets the kittenish, oversexed Sasha (Kestie Morassi, doing a good job with a cardboard cutout role). He soon finds himself entangled in a deal with her father Stan, a cynical big-time producer (Kim Gyngell, wasted in this part).

Complicating matters is Stan’s wife Edwina (Suzi Cato), the neglected, sexually predatory older woman (ho hum) who has an eye – and a wandering hand – for Josh. Predictably, there is a girl next door, a cello player with an unusual problem (another flimsy role but wellplayed by Daniela Farinacci).

Josh Jarman is well-produced, with good cinematography and mostly good or excellent performances. It has some genuinely funny and touching scenes.

Sadly, like many Australian films, it could have been better.

Having a bet each way, it pitches and rolls between over-the-top comedy and

drama like a Sydney-to-Hobart yacht in the Bass Strait. Some of the weak gags and set-ups are shamelessly repeated.

With an eye on the overseas market perhaps, Josh Jarman is stuck in a blokey and self-consciously ‘Aussie’ style of humour. Ultimately, despite the best efforts of many, it falters because of a weak script and stereotyped characters. n

WANTED STAR REVIEWERS & TIPSTERS FOR OUR REVIEW PAGES We're seeking members with a nonnursing skill or talent they'd like to share with other nurses. You could be a wiz 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. All published tipsters and reviewers will receive a NSWNA watch.

Be part of the action by calling Sarah Thomson now on 02 8595 1240 or email sthomson@nswnurses.asn.au

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 39

40 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

s

L I F E S T Y L E

Book me Take Control of Your Life: The five-step plan to health and happiness

by Dr Gail Ratcilffe, Finch Publishing, RRP $24.95 Take Control of Your Life is based on the Five-step life plan – a method of life planning and stress management that has developed and been refined in clinical practice for over 13 years. The five-step life plan is a blueprint for taking control of your life and includes information about how to identify what kind of life you want, and how to achieve it.

Death of a Doctor: How the medical profession turned on one of their own

by Sue Williams, Allen & Unwin, RRP $29.95 Dr John Harrison’s passion, commitment and an unshakeable belief in healing were his life and were also his downfall. A patient suffering a serious mental illness accused him of sexual assault. In the ensuing trial it became obvious that this doctor’s real enemy was not one troubled woman, but the medical establishment itself.

John’s struggle is a David and Goliath story of power, fear and justice. It’s about the sexual minefield in which so many doctors now find themselves, and the ongoing battle between complementary and conventional medicine and the immensely powerful pharmaceutical companies. And ultimately, it’s about losing faith in an industry we trust with our lives.

Practical Guide to Moderate Sedation/Analgesia

by Jan OdomForren and Donna Watson, Elsevier Mosby Publications, RRP $79.20 Practical Guide to Moderate Sedation is especially tailored as a guide for the RN managing the care of patients receiving conscious sedation/analgesia during a short-term therapeutic, diagnostic or surgical procedure.

This 2nd edition features the latest Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations (JCAHO) standards, new chapters on geriatric sedation and risk management/legal issues, documentation and more.

Talking Policy: How social policy is made

by Judith Bessant, Rob Watts, Tony Dalton and Paul Smyth, Allen & Unwin, RRP $45.00 Talking Policy is an introduction to the process of social policy-making in Australia. The authors empha-

sise the intensely human and political nature of the development of social services and programs, illustrating their arguments with detailed case studies.

They also outline the competing political and philosophical ideas that influence the different ways in which governments respond to social inequality and needs in the community.

Beyond Right and Left: New politics and the culture wars

by David McKnight, Allen & Unwin, RRP $24.95 Beyond Right and Left presents the reader with the compelling argument that the New Right has a radical agenda, not a conservative one, and points to the rise of a new politics based on moral values.

The author argues that the Left needs to rethink its fundamental ideas and offers a positive political vision beyond Right and Left, which he calls a new humanism, based on classic principles of freedom, compassion for others and the common good. n

Reviews by NSWNA librarian, Jeannette Bromfield

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

For borrowing information, contact Jeannette Bromfield, 8595 2175, jbromfield@nswnurses.asn.au or Cathy Matias, 8595 2121, cmatias@nswnurses.asn.au THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 41

BreakFree extends to all NSW Nurses Association members access to an exclusive voucher promotion offer saving you up to 70% on your next holiday with BreakFree

As NSW Nurses Association members, BreakFree Resort Apartments extend to you an exclusive offer to purchase 7 night Accommodation Vouchers which are valid at more than 30 resorts in the BreakFree group.

Vouchers are valid for travel for 18 months and are available for you to purchase at up to 70% off the normal retail price for travel. These vouchers are for non-peak periods and are subject to availability.

BreakFree Resorts are located in Australia’s favourite holiday destinations and provide fully self contained apartment accommodation with full resort facilities.

Current locations of BreakFree Resorts: Tropical North Qld: Cairns, Palm Cove, Port Douglas, Mackay Sunshine Coast (Qld): Noosa, Mooloolaba, Caloundra Gold Coast (Qld): Main Beach, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Burleigh Northern NSW: Kingscliff, Coffs Harbour Victoria: Lorne You have the option to purchase either a one bedroom or two bedroom apartment voucher which are valid at more than 30 BreakFree Resorts.

Room Style

Voucher Purchase Price

Value of Holiday

$550 incl GST $660 incl GST

From $924 to $1,855 From $1,211 to $2,345

1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom

For example, purchase a 2 bedroom apartment voucher for $660 and this entitles you to book a 7 night holiday at BreakFree Amphora Resort, Palm Cove (normal price $2,345), BreakFree Wings Resort, Surfers Paradise (normal price $1,260) or BreakFree Erskine on the Beach, Lorne (normal price $1,498).

This offer is only available for a limited time and purchases must be made online at http://corporatedeals.breakfree.com.au between 1 - 30 November 2005 by 5pm EST. The BreakFree Resort Apartments 7 night Accommodation Voucher offer for NSW Nurses Association members is also extended to your family and friends. Full details on how to book are available on the purchase website. Upon receipt of voucher, bookings are made online - full details on voucher.

Your password is: NSWNURSES02

http://corporatedeals.breakfree.com.au

42 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005

s

CRoSSWoRD

Test your knowledge with The Lamp’s nursing crossword.

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The opposite of acute (7) Triangle endocrine gland above each kidney (7) Facility to conduct scientific experiments in, abbrev (3) Hepatitis, HIV and the flu are all this class of disease (5) Not many (3) None (3) Group, batch (3) Common name for the tympanum (7) Irritable bowel syndrome, abbrev (1.1.1) Removed fluid (7) Redness due to overexposure of the sun (7) Another name of fatty tissue (7) Another name for the larynx (7) Non-accidental injury, abbrev (1.1.1) Part of the nose (7) The egg of a head louse on the scalp (3) Transient ischaemic attack, abbrev (1.1.1) Total amount (3) Nose job, properly called …..plasty (5) Neither (3) Contraction of the heart (7) Impaired communication due to brain damage (7)

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THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 43

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Diary Dates

DIARY DATES

Conferences, seminars, meetings SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA

Royal North Shore Hospital 3rd Australasia Urological Nurses Annual Neuroscience Symposium Society & Urological Society of Australasia Conference Date: Friday 24 March 2006 Venue: North Sydney Harbourview Hotel Contact: Anne MacLeod 02 9926 8074 or amacleod@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au

St Vincent’s & Mater Hlth Sydney 8th National Breast Care Nurses Nursing Research Symposium. Nursing Conference – “Dawning of a new Research: follow the yellow brick road Date: 10 November, 9:00am Venue: Function Room, Level 4, St Vincent’s Clinic, Darlinghurst Contact: Sharon Wiley 83829443

era” In breast cancer nursing Venue: Star City Sydney Date: 9 –11 March 2006 Website: www.bcnc2006.com Contact: info@bcnc2006.com

NSW Lactation College Inc

Newcastle & Hunter Region Aged Care RN Support Group

AONA Inc – Australian Orthopaedic Nurses’ Assoc. Annual Conf. & AGM Date: 7 April 2006 Venue: Crown Plaza Parramatta Contact: Sally Goodchild, sallygoodchild@uniquejourneys.com.au.

Date: 8 November 2005, venue: TBA Contact: Rachel Wilson, krwilson@tpg.com.au

Aged & Community Services Australia 1st National Community Care Conference

“Talkin’ Bout Our Generation capturing the issues and interests of over-50s women”

Dates: 3 – 5 May 2006, time: TBA Sydney Convention & Exhibiton Ctr Contact the Conference Organising Team on 9799 0900 for more information

Evening Breastfeeding Seminar Date: 23 November, St George Hospital Contact: Gwen Moody 98456964

Topics to be discussed: work and family, finances, superannuation and retirement; ageing and caring; health and wellbeing.

Date: 2nd December, time: 5:30 for 6 Venue: TBA, Sydney Contact: Joy, 9251 9333

INTERSTATE

s

LOOK WHO'S

Date: 26 – 30 March 2006 Venue: Brisbane Convention Centre Contact: www.auns.org or www.usm2006.com.au

26th Annual Scientific Meeting of Australian Pain Society ‘Pain Across The Life Span’ Date: 9 – 12 April 2006 Venue: Grand Hyatt Hotel – Melbourne Contact: 02 9954 4400, apsoc@dcconferences.com.au/aps2006

Reunions St George Hospital Graduate Nurses’ Association 2006 will mark 60th annual general meeting and we are seeking all graduates who are no longer, or never were, members.

Contact: BM Carruthers, 4/1 Carlton Parade Carlton NSW 2218

RNSH Midwifery 20 year Reunion

Send information to: Ms Glen Ginty Email: gginty@nswnurses.asn.au Fax: 9550 3667, mail: PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Please double-check all information sent is correct. The Lamp cannot guarantee that the issue will always be mailed in time for the listed event.

Due to high demands on the page, some dates too close to publication or too far in the future may be cut.

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 the results in The Lamp.

From page 45 Crossword solution

November 1985 group. Hoping to organise reunion for November 2005.

Contact: Megan, Leuenberger@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au Jenni Sullivan (Wilson) (07) 55248142

Australian Nurses Cardiovascular and Hypertension Association Sutherland Hospital 30 Year (ANCHA)10th National Conference Reunion – PTS August 1972

South West Infection Ctrl Assoc. Date: 9 December Workshop & meeting Date: 7th December, Albury Base Hospital Contact: Cheryl Fox Cheryl.Fox@swsahs.nsw.gov.au

Diary Dates is a free service for members. Please send information at least two months before the event, in the same format used here – event, date, venue, contact details.

Venue: Rydges North Melbourne Cnr Harker Street & Flemington Road Contact: Helen Tully, 9926 6009, www.ancha.org.au

Date and venue: TBA Contact details: Lois Berry (née Cassidy) (02) 4441 6884. Particularly seeking contact with Gwenda Burchil (née Hudson), Debbie Baker and Penny Lewis.

Orange Base Hospital PTS Feb and March 1981 Date and venue: TBA Details: Joyce Kennedy (Biggs), 6361 0408,jkenne14@postoffice.csu.edu.au

NURSING

Well-earned rest for dedicated nurse

D

ozens of people, including SESIAHS CEO Deborah Picone and Sydney Children’s Hospital (SCH) Executive Director Professor Les White, turned out to farewell Clinical Nurse Consultant Sheila Petty who retired last month after 30 years of service.

After training at Concord between 1956-1960 and working for ten years as a registered nurse at Gundagai, Fairfield and Broken Hill, Sheila began working at Prince of Wales Hospital in January 1974.

She worked in ICU from then until 1978 when she was appointed Charge Nurse Children’s Sub Acute Area.

In 1991 she was appointed Clinical Nurse Consultant Neonatal/Lactation at Sydney Children’s Hospital, a position she retained until her retirement.

Elected to NSW Nurses Association council 1995, she retired as branch President in 2004. She was also honorary appointee to the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health at UTS. n

Barry Duffy, Sheila Petty, Les White and Deborah Picone at Sheila’s farewell THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2005 45

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For quality super contact HIP: 1300 654 099 hipsuper.com.au This information from Health Industry Plan is general only. It is not specific to your personal financial situation, objectives or needs. Get the facts from www.hipsuper.com.au or talk to a financial advisor before making any super decisions. The Trustee of HIP is Private Hospitals Superannuation Pty Ltd ABN 59 006 792 749, AFSL 247063.

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