The Lamp November 2011

lamp The magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

volume 68 no.10 November 2011

STRONG ACTION GETS RESULTS

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CONTENTS

The

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

SYDNEY OFFICE 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 (all correspondence) T 8595 1234 (metro) 1300 367 962 (non-metro) F 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au W www.nswnurses.asn.au HUNTER OFFICE 8-14 Telford Street, Newcastle Ease NSW 2300 ILLAWARRA OFFICE L1, 63 Market Street Wollongong NSW 2500

lamp Volume 68 No.10 November 2011

COVER STORY

12 | Strong action gets results A campaign of bed closures has delivered safer staff levels at Coffs Harbour Mental Health Services.

Sue Kendall and Jack Schwartz

REGULARS

5 5 6 6 8 8 35 39 36 42 37 43 42 45 45 47 47 49 48 50

Editorial Your letters News in brief Ask Judith Nurses online Nursing research online Books At the movies Our nursing crossword Diary dates

NURSES ONLINE

42 | 2011 Christmas Contest: Win an iPad 2

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

26 | Needless hurdles The search is on to find 1400 nurses and midwives to fill new ratio positions, but AHPRA is putting up unnecessary obstacles for nurses wishing to return to the profession.

AGED CARE

22 | AiNs the big winners from aged care agreements More than 90 employers in the not-for-profit aged care sector have signed up to a new agreement that delivers an average 9.2% pay increase.

COMPETITIONS

25 | Wash away your weekday worries

AGENDA

30 | A moody climate Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse are some of the mental health impacts of climate change, according to a new report.

NSWNA acting communications manager Janaki Chellam-Rajendra T 8595 1258 For all Lamp editorial enquiries, letters and diary dates: EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES T 8595 1234 E lamp@nswnurses.asn.au M 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 PRODUCED BY Hester Communications T 9568 3148 PRESS RELEASES Send your press releases to: T 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au EDITORIAL COMMITTEE • Brett Holmes, NSWNA General Secretary • Judith Kiejda, NSWNA Assistant General Secretary • Coral Levett, NSWNA President • John Lyons, Baradine MPS • Roz Norman, Tamworth Base Hospital • Elsie May Henson, Barraba Multi Purpose Service • Peg Hibbert, Hornsby & Ku-Ring-Gai Hospital • Michelle Cashman, Long Jetty Continuing Care • Richard Noort, Justice Health ADVERTISING Patricia Purcell T 8595 2139 or 0416 259 845 or 9662 1414 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

The Lamp ISSN: 0047-3936 General disclaimer The Lamp is the official magazine of the NSWNA. Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily those of the NSWNA. 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 NSWNA 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. Professional members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $50.

Individuals $73, Institutions $120, Overseas $130.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 3

a $2,000 Union Shopper gift certificate

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN WIN

* * *

PRIZE DRA DRAWN AW WN 31 DEC 2011

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

Alternatively, call us on 8595 1234 (metro area) or 1300 367 962l (non-metro area) for more information.

EDITORIAL

BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

Strong action gets results Nurses and midwives won a great outcome from our ratios campaign but, at the local level, nurses may need to take another step to make management accountable for their implementation.

‘Nurses told us they were nervous about the possible impact of closing beds on their wards, yet were adamant that action had to be taken.’

CLOSING BEDS IS A TOUGH call but one nurses and midwives are fully entitled to make if they believe it is in the interests of patient safety.

Throughout New South Wales nurses have been making that call.

Coffs Harbour Mental Health Services have fast–tracked the implementation of nurseto-patient ratios after determined action by the NSWNA branch, which included closing beds.

At Lismore Base Hospital management have routinely used locums at great expense to help doctors out, but has been reluctant to give nurses and midwives the same level of assistance. But they have responded to strong action and agreed to speed up the recruitment for existing vacancies.

At Cobar, management backed off from staff cuts when nurses restricted patient numbers by capping beds.

In other parts of the state, such as Griffith and Goulburn, nurses are saying enough is enough and taking ownership of the situation. If management is unprepared to respond to increased demand and the shortage of staff then nurses and midwives are prepared to do what they think is necessary to provide safe care.

The closing of beds and restricting of services is a serious course of action that is not taken lightly. The determining factor is whether we can deliver safe patient care with the available staff. If we can’t, and management won’t, then it is our professional responsibility to restrict the level of services to the resources available.

At the hospitals I have mentioned the action to close beds came after long periods of engagement with management about the severity of staffing shortages. At Coffs Harbour, the NSWNA branch had raised the issue at the Reasonable Workloads

Committee as far back as November 2009.

At Lismore months of management delays in filling vacancies preceded the closing of beds.

Nurses at these hospitals told us they were nervous about the possible impact of closing beds on their wards and services, yet they were adamant that action had to be taken.

It was finally taken after much deliberation and consultation among NSWNA members. Our Lismore branch told us they would normally get half a dozen nurses to a union branch meeting but 40 to 50 people turned up to the two meetings prior to shutting beds.

Cobar nurses extended that consultation to the community with a petition and a public rally in the main street, at which they received overwhelming support.

Nurses at Coffs Harbour, Lismore and Cobar have shown that it is possible to take ownership of a staffing issue, and solve it, if there is unity and tenacity at branch level and a willingness to take strong action.

The ingredients of their success are similar to those in all our winning campaigns: a legitimate issue, consultation and resolve among members, strong action and community support.

Two years ago we set ourselves a massive challenge: to increase the number of nurses and midwives in the NSW health system so we had the resources to deliver the quality of care the citizens of this state deserve.

We have won the funding for 1400 extra nurses and midwives – a great first step.

Now we have to make local management accountable and ensure they spend that money on nurse and midwife positions.

Our colleagues at Coffs Harbour, Lismore and Cobar have shown us a way to achieve that goal.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 5

LETTERS LETTERS

Wage comparison My younger sister and I are 18 months different in age. She left school at 15 years old and started at the local Woolworths store while I finished Year 12 and went on to become a registered nurse (RN). Both of us have worked full time for more than 30 years. Each year, for sister fun, we compare yearly gross wages at tax time. For some years we were very even, then, a few years ago, when we had our wage rises to professional rates, my wage was more. My sister has worked her way up and is now a fruit and vegetable manager at the Woolworths store and I am an eighth year thereafter RN working 8.30am to 5pm. She now gets $12,000 more than me a year.

Does this mean that caring for a bruised apple is regarded as more important than caring for people?

Just imagine what other jobs out there are being paid more than registered nurses. It is no wonder we have problems attracting nurses back. We live in a small town population approximately 24,000 (and, yes, it is not even a large Woolworths).

Community Nurse, RN Name withheld Editor’s response

Dear Member The fact that Woolworths reported a net profit of more than $2.1 billion, with revenues of $54.5 billion, for the 2010/11 financial year would have a lot to do with the size of your sister’s wage. Most healthcare employers operate on more modest budgets.The point is that it is not useful to compare apples with oranges.

However, your letter does point to the wellknown and researched phenomenon of poorer wages in the caring professions. A number of theories have been put forward to explain this, with the predominance of women in this sector of the labour market recognised as a key factor.

LETTER OF THE MONTH

The letter judged the best each month will be awarded a $50 Coles Myer voucher courtesy of Moore Equipment.

‘Clever carts to help clever nurses.’

For details on the range of clax carts please call (02) 9519 5540 or visit www.moore equipmentcom.au Every letter published receives the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun Herald delivered 7 days a week for 26 weeks.

Subscribe to the Herald today to save 41% off the newsstand price and enjoy the convenience of the paper delivered to you each morning. Visit www.subscribe.smh.com. au/lamp for more details.

6 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

Issue of Gay marriage I am disappointed with the Nurses’ Association of NSW that they have chosen to take up a political issue that has nothing to do with the profession of nursing.

The money that I pay each month is, in my opinion, to be spent on industrial issues and not the issues of a minority of one group of people who have their own agenda.

How can the Nurses’ Association use all of the money that members give for an issue that does not reflect the feelings of all the members and has a huge impact on the rest of society?

The issue of homosexual marriage is not a union matter and is an issue that has other arenas for the homosexual community to push their political stand to change the status of marriage.

If it is on moral ground that the union feels they are now needing to take a stand on issues other than nursing, it will have be done with a lot of caution, in my opinion.

Janine Tatchell, EN On same sex mariages It was with a degree of perplexity that I stumbled across the article in the October edition of The Lamp (p.9) informing its members on the union’s stance in regards to same sex marriages. I was perplexed initially by the fact that an article relating to same sex marriages would appear in a nursing union magazine to begin with.

The point I want to make at hand is how does the NSWNA include an article, which on the surface has little bearing on work practices, and shows no evidence of union members supporting such a point-of-view?

As a current member of the NSWNA (but now working in Queensland as a member of the QNU), I am wondering whether its members had the opportunity to vote on such a campaign, as stated in the article, or is it an opinion formed by a few heavyweights within the union that feel they have an agenda to satisfy?

The Lamp of course (and therefore nursing) should publish articles involving all facets of life, including health and well being, but such a campaign should not slip under the radar. A topic such as this will always attract emotive and often passionate debate/discussion: I don’t think I observed any of this.

Furthermore, and probably more importantly, is that marriage as a definition is between a man and a woman, designed as a covenant, to be cherished for life. Therefore in future should the NSWNA heavy weights (aka decisionmakers) focus on supporting and helping sustain marriages, rather than jumping on the band-wagon under the guise of equality.

Mark Davies RN/RM (Flight Nurse)

Editor’s response

The matter of marriage equality was referred to our most recent Annual Conference by one of our branches. Annual Conference is the Association’s supreme policy making body and is attended by delegates elected by each branch to represent that branch’s views in debates and votes on resolutions referred to the forum by our branches.

Contributions from branch delegates for and against the issue were heard and then the matter was put to the vote.There was a clear majority in the room supporting the resolution and thus the Association has adopted a position in favour of marriage equality.

While nurses and midwives and quality patient care remains our primary focus, social justice and human rights are fundamental principles that underpin the trade union movement. Historically trade unions have been at the forefront of many important human rights issues, including the fight against apartheid, human rights in Burma, indigenous issues, equal pay for women, the peace movement, anti-nuclear campaigns, refugee and asylum seeker rights, fair trade and workers’ rights to organise, rights of outworkers, the Green Bans and other environmental campaigns including climate change.

NSWNA represents more than just nurses’ and midwives’ immediate interests – we also seek to work towards a better and fairer society for all.

Importance of accurate documentation in the perioperative area I have been a witness in a medical court case in Sydney since 2008 involving a surgeon.

The alleged incident occurred in 2002.

I would like to raise your awareness of the importance of documentation in the perioperative area.

When giving every statement on each of the six patients, to detectives who were gathering their evidence, I was presented with the patient’s history and shown the specific pages, count sheet and perioperative patient care plan involving my documentation. I was then questioned on these notes, asked what I had written and if that was my writing and signature.You have to answer honestly and from your perspective rely on your documentation as your evidence.

In the court room I was frequently shown photocopies of schedules from the patient history, being the count sheet and perioperative care plan that I had signed. I was questioned and requestioned from different angles at length on these by lawyers for the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the judge. I was also extensively cross questioned by the defence lawyer on these documents to the point of interrogation.

At the conclusion of my time in the witness stand the judge commended me on the accuracy and neatness of the writing on these

LETTERS

schedules and the importance of this in the legal system.

Following my first appearance to give evidence the DPP lawyer spoke with me outside the courtroom regarding my documentation. She stressed the importance of the accurateness of documentation, that Nil or N/A had been written and that no space had a line through it, which could have been written by anybody or a mistaken slip of the pen, leaving no opening for misinterpretation.

Because of the duration of this case, from 2002 when the procedure took place until giving evidence in 2008, recollections of the events throughout the operation were non existent and I had to rely on what I had documented in the notes to provide an accurate statement to the detectives.

The intensity of the court case has impacted on my health and it has been a cruel educator but I have gained valuable insight into the legal/medical system.

Eight years is a long time frame for the memory on a specific perioperative patient.

I was an innocent witness and thankfully my documentation did me justice. I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of accurate documentation.

The bottom line is your registration is involved and that is to be treasured.

Penny Arnold, RN, ANF Victoria Thanks for the wonderful prize I would like to thank you all for the wonderful competition I won through the NSWNA. My husband and I were finally able to experience the beautiful Melba House at Katoomba and meet up with Sue Handley and Isabella (her 4-legged ‘baby’).

We stayed in the Dame Edna Room with a beautiful log fire, which we enjoyed both nights of our visit.

I enjoyed some pampering time at the Sublime Spa, with a massage and facial. We then ate ourselves silly enjoying lovely breakfasts that Sue was so good at! To top it off, we had a divine meal at The Rooster (restaurant, Katoomba).

Thank you once again for this wonderful prize. It was just what we needed after moving in January from Lismore to Wollongong. It’s been a busy year and I’m pleased to say I have a great job at Figtree Private.

Robyn Hanckel, RN

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Prudence was rewarded

‘The NSWNA leadership made absolutely the right decision to take what was on offer and not wait for an election and a new government.’

SAY

SOMETHING Send your letters to: Editorial Enquiries email lamp@nswnurses.asn.au fax 9662 1414 mail 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017.

Please include a photograph along with your name, address, phone and membership number.

Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

It is often said that you can’t please all of the members all of the time, and, as the new Nursing Hours Per Patient Day ratios and Birthrate Plus, start to roll out across the state, there will be community nurses out there still wondering why there was very little in the last round of negotiations for them. However, I believe it is timely to reflect on the journey that brought us to where we are today, and the difficult position the leaders of the NSWNA were in; having to decide whether to accept a great offer for some, at the cost of very little for others. Because, no matter what the NSWNA did, the previous government could not be made to understand how desperately the community nurses need those face-to-face hours.

In light of Barry O’Farrell’s new laws to freeze public sector wages, the loss of negotiation through the IRC and the promise (threat?) of having to prove productivity gains prior to any pay increments, I can not help thinking how prudent it was that we signed off on the deal the previous government finally offered us, before the election took place. I shudder to think of the position we could have found ourselves in now.

While it was far from easy to accept that we would not achieve what we wanted for our community colleagues, we must now surely realise that the NSWNA leadership made absolutely the right decision to take what was on offer and not wait for an election and a new government. However, that decision was only made after two or three months of working 14 to 16 hour days, for the negotiating team, 10 or 12 council meetings throughout January and February, some lasting up to three hours till late at night, and many a time when the council said ‘Not acceptable! Back to the negotiating table and try to get more! More for the EDs, more for rural hospitals, something, anything, for community.’

And, although the outcome was not acceptable to some, for a large percentage of members, what was achieved will mean being able to remain in nursing/midwifery as a career, acceptable, safe standards of care for our patients and women, and reasonable workloads we can use to encourage new nurses into the profession.

I am truly sad for community nurses. We were all getting very tired, we needed help and many of us are now about to get it with the roll out of 1400 extra nurses across the state. I really wish that community nurses could have had a share in that, but this time the government were not be persuaded. I have no doubt that the NSWNA will continue to lobby for community nurses and all members must support future campaigns for changes to community face-to-face hours.

Thank you to the leadership and the rest of the negotiating team for all your efforts and long, long hours in achieving for us what you did.

This outcome has surely shown what strong leadership the NSWNA has.

Angela Pridham Ex councillor, delegate for Illawarra/Shoalhaven Mental Health Nurses

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 7

NEWS IN BRIEF

Australia

United Kingdom

Bob Fenwick Memorial Mentoring Grants Program 2011/12

Secret plan to privatise NHS

Bob Fenwick was a mental health nurse tragically killed in a work-related incident at Bloomfield Hospital, Orange NSW, in January 2011.

The Bob Fenwick Memorial Mentoring Grants Program 2011/12 has been developed to recognise Bob’s long service to mental health nursing and the important role he played in mentoring less-experienced mental health nurses.

The program aims to encourage experienced mental health nurses to mentor less experienced colleagues, for the betterment of mental health in NSW. Funding for the grants is provided by NSW Health and administered by the New South Wales Nurses’ Association.

Who can apply?

Applicants for the grants must be currently registered nurses working in a public mental health service in NSW. Mental health nurses with less than 2 years experience working in rural or remote services will be given priority .

Applicants must: • have in-principle agreement from their organisation to participate • be able to complete the mentorship experience in early 2012 • develop a plan identifying the mental health experiences sought through the placement • articulate their objectives in undertaking the mentorship and how these relate to current employment and career goals.

How are grants awarded?

Up to 20 grants will be awarded. Priority will be given to applicants with less than two years experience, who work in rural or remote public mental health services in NSW. The Program Steering Committee will determine the successful grant applications.

Successful applicants will be personally notified and awards announced in January 2012.

For more information download the information booklet and expression of interest from the NSWNA website www.nswnurses.asn.au.

8 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

Australia

Roxon releases e-health blueprint The federal government has released its blueprint for national electronic health records.

The three lead sites for the personally controlled e-health records (PCEHR) program are operational and initial evaluations have been completed, according Health Minister Nicola Roxon.

The three pilot sites are in Brisbane, the NSW Hunter Valley and Melbourne East. They have received almost $5 million each to deliver e-health record systems that patients and clinicians can use by July 1, 2012.

The system will allow patients or their doctors to search and view clinical documents and access reports through a 16-digit identification number.

Australians will be able to register for PCEHR from July 2012. The scheme will be ‘opt-in’ and voluntary.

‘E-health will help us provide better care, save lives and save money,’ said Nicola Roxon.

‘Patients will no longer have to remember every medical test, immunisation or prescription they have.

‘Doctors and other health care professionals will no longer have to rely on patients to accurately recall past treatment and will be able to work together more easily to provide better care.’

Secret emails, obtained under freedom of information from the British Department of Health, reveal plans to privatise large chunks of the British National Health Service.

The emails between senior health officials show they have been planning to bring in international companies to manage up to 20 NHS hospitals.

According to The Guardian newspaper one of the emails released by the department shows that consultants at the private sector firm McKinsey, which advises ministers, were actively discussing bringing in overseas firms to take over up to 20 hospitals in return for contracts running into hundreds of millions of pounds.

An email to Ian Dalton, head of provider development at the Department of Health, talked about ‘interest in new solution for 10-20 hospitals but starting from a mindset of one at a time with various political constraints’.

‘It is clear that behind the scenes the government is planning to privatise the NHS.’ The emails show that McKinsey is acting as a broker between the department and ‘international players’ that are bidding to run the NHS. The documents even lay out some of the conditions required by ‘international hospital provider groups’ for running NHS hospitals. ‘International players can do an initiative if 500 million revenue [is] on the table.’ They also need to have ‘a free hand on staff management’. The NHS would be allowed to ‘keep real estate and pensions’.

The public service union Unison said: ‘It is clear that behind the scenes the government is planning to privatise the NHS. Private companies will only run hospitals if they see a profit in it. It will be profits before patients.’

NEWS IN BRIEF

United Kingdom

NHS among world’s most efficient Reduction of number of adult deaths per million in 2010 UK

3951 FRANCE

2779 GERMANY

2395

While the British Conservative government plans to flog off the NHS, a report in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine finds it is one of the most cost-effective health systems in the world.

The study found that the NHS saved more lives for each pound spent as a proportion of national wealth than any other country, apart from Ireland, during the past 25 years.

Among the 17 countries compared, the United States healthcare system was one of the least efficient and effective.

Using the latest data from the World Health Organisation, the paper shows that although the previous Labour government’s strategy for the NHS saw health spending rise to a record 9.3 per cent of GDP, this was less than Germany with 10.7 per cent or the US with 15 per cent.

The NHS reduced the number of adult deaths per million of the population by 3951 a year. This was significantly better than comparable European countries. France managed 2779 lives a year and Germany 2395.

These dramatic NHS improvements have resulted in 162,000 fewer deaths every year compared with 1980.

United States

‘Our findings demonstrate that the nurse-topatient ratio mandate in California was effective in increasing registered nurse staffing in hospitals.’

Ratios deliver more RNs for California Nurse-to-patient ratios have added more registered nurses to the staffing mix in Californian hospitals compared to similar hospitals in other parts of the United States.

This is revealed in research by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

‘California’s state mandated nurse staffing ratios have been shown to be successful in terms of increasing registered nurse staffing. From a policy perspective, this should be useful information to the states currently debating legislation on nurse-topatient ratios,’ wrote lead researcher and nursing professor Matthew McHugh in the current issue of the policy journal Health Affairs.

California was the first US state to legislate nurse staffing levels. Now Massachusetts is considering enacting similar legislation. California, the researchers wrote, experienced a more serious nurse shortage than other areas of the country but made up the gap by hiring ‘travel nurses’ – temporary RNs who move from hospital to hospital as needed.

‘Our findings demonstrate that the nurse-to-patient ratio mandate in California was effective in increasing registered nurse staffing in hospitals,’ wrote Dr McHugh.

EDUCATION@NSWNA

WHAT’S

ON DECEMBER 2011

Review and Implementation of Guidelines and Policies One day 2 December, Waterloo Seminar is suitable for all nurses.

Members $85.00 Non Members $170.00 ——— • ——— Enrolled Nurses Forum One day 7 December, Waterloo Members $30.00 Non Members $50.00 To register or for more info go to www.nswnurses.asn.au/education or ring Carolyn Kulling on 1300 367 962

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 9

NEWS IN BRIEF

Australia

Nano-silver products ‘breeding superbugs’

‘If we use these chemicals in more and more products, the bacteria will build up a resistance and then hospital uses won’t be as effective.’

Growing use of household antibacterial products containing nano-silver could breed bacterial resistance, undermining nano-silver’s effectiveness in hospitals, a study claims.

A report by the environmental organisation Friends of the Earth (FoE) warns against the common use of nanoparticles of silver to kill bacteria that cause odour.

Consumer items such as socks, shoe inserts, sports clothing and towels, now marketed as antibacterial or odour controlling, use nanoparticles of silver.

Similarly, antibacterial soaps, acne treatments, toothbrushes, hair brushes, mattresses and cots, computer keyboards, refrigerators and other appliances, pet products and even water flasks contain nano-silver.

As resistance has developed to antibiotics and antimicrobials used in hospitals, nano-silver has become increasingly important as a medical germ-killer of last resort.

It is now used in many Australian hospitals, in wound dressings and to stop the growth of bacteria on medical devices.

Friends of the Earth wants nano-silver use restricted to hospitals.

Report author Dr Gregory Crocetti said: ‘If we use these chemicals in more and more products, the bacteria will build up a resistance and then hospital uses won’t be as effective.’

The report quotes Professor Hatch Stokes from the Three Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney, and past president of the Australian Society for Microbiology, cautioning that: ‘If we start using nano-silver quite broadly in the environment, then not only will we have bacteria that are resistant to nano-silver, then I would bet that they’ll already be multi-drug [antibiotic] resistant as well.’

Australia

Japan

COD wants fresh approach to refugees

Research links diabetes to dementia

THE NSWNA Committee of Delegates (COD) has voted to support a call by the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) for a new approach to asylum seekers and refugees.

ACOSS representing more than 200 charities and community organisations is urging both major political parties to de-politicise policies about the treatment of asylum seekers.

ACOSS wants to move beyond the options of Malaysia or Nauru and end offshore processing altogether. It calls on the political parties to uphold Australia’s human rights obligations domestically and internationally.

ACOSS urges the major political parties to respect the High Court ruling that declared the Malaysia refugee swap deal invalid. It says the High Court ruling should be seen as a watershed to reform Australia’s stance on asylum seekers in line with international obligations.

The NSWNA COD resolution stated: ‘The fate of displaced populations is a global concern and Australia must honour its responsibilities under the UN Refugee Convention. This Committee of Delegates supports the ACOSS statement calling for an end to offshore processing of asylum seekers and lobbies Unions NSW and the ACTU to do the same.’

10 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

25%

of people with diabetes developed dementia.

A study of more than 1000 people in Japan found that 27 per cent of those with diabetes developed dementia, compared to 20 per cent of people with normal blood sugar levels.

The study was conducted from 1988 to 2003 and published in Neurology magazine. The study followed 1017 men and women, age 60 and older, who took a glucose test to find out if they were diabetic or pre-diabetic. They were then tracked over an average of 11 years each.

In all, 232 developed dementia, Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, allcause dementia or another form. Of the 150 who had diabetes, 41 developed dementia, compared to 115 of the 559 people without diabetes.

Among the 308 people with pre-diabetes, 76, or 25 per cent, developed dementia.

Experts believe diabetes could be connected to dementia because it contributes to vascular disease, disrupting the flow of oxygen to the brain and other organs.

NEWS IN BRIEF

JOBS@NSWNA

Organiser 12 MONTH SECONDMENT OR CONTRACT POSITION Do you want to be involved and make a difference?

The NSW Nurses’ Association is seeking applications from our membership for an Organiser position on a secondment or contract basis, located in our Waterloo office. The position will allow applicants to develop the skills in the following areas to take back to the workplace.

The role is responsible for:

Australia

Unions push for 12% super Unions have launched a new campaign to increase the Superannuation Guarantee to 12 per cent.

ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said the new campaign, Stand Up for Super, would include a petition of Australian workers addressed to Members of Parliament.

The petition can be accessed online at www.standupforsuper.com.au. There is also an online calculator so you can estimate your retirement income with a 12 per cent Superannuation Guarantee.

The reforms mean a 30-year-old worker on average weekly earnings would retire with an additional $108,000 in superannuation. Even someone the same age, who can expect work patterns to be interrupted by parenting, would have an extra $78,000 in retirement savings.

‘Workers deserve a comfortable retirement but the current 9 per cent contribution rate simply means that will not be an option for many Australians,’ Mr Lawrence said.

He said 8.4 million Australians would receive an increase in their retirement incomes as a result of the government’s proposed reforms, to take effect from July next year.

It is uncertain if Parliament will support the Labor Government’s plan to increase super.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has refused to commit his support as the increase will be funded by the Minerals Resource Rent Tax.

• • • • •

the development of strategies to recruit new members advocating on behalf of members and interpreting Awards participating in workplace campaigns responding to workplace industrial issues interpreting and applying industrial instruments in both the public and private sectors • liaison with all levels of management

To be considered for this role you need: • • • • • •

a recognised nursing qualification a current NSW driver’s licence excellent written and verbal communication skills negotiation and conflict resolution skills to be computer literate and self-confident to be able to travel regularly and a commitment to improving the working conditions for nurses and midwives and to the Trade Union movement • an understanding of industrial, political and health issues

What is a secondment?

• A secondment is an arrangement made with mutual consent of your current employer and the NSW Nurses’ Association • A secondment with the NSW Nurses’ Association is for a period of 12 months • You will continue to be paid by your current employer which ensures that you maintain your continuity of service for the purposes of leave accruals and increments • On completion of the secondment, you will return to your substantive position with your current employer

Application Process For further enquiries and an application information pack, please contact Employee Relations by telephoning 02 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (country callers) or via email: jobs@nswnurses.asn.au Applications should be received by 18 November 2011 and addressed to: Robyn Morrison, Employee Relations Manager 0 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 or via email: jobs@nswnurses.asn.au

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 11

COVER STORY

COFFS HARBOUR

Closing beds wins more staff Breakthrough for mental health nurses

A campaign of bed closures has delivered a major breakthrough for safer staffing levels in the Coffs Harbour Mental Health Services.

‘Nurses were worried about what might happen to a patient as a result of the pressure.’

12 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

DURING A HEARING IN THE NSW Industrial Commission, management guaranteed to roster eight nurses on morning and afternoon shifts and four on the night shift at the 30-bed acute mental health unit.

In return the NSW Nurses’ Association mental health branch reopened six beds it shut during the campaign of bed closures.

The 8:8:4 roster was a key demand of the branch, which had been battling for more staff for at least two years. Previously the unit had seven nurses on mornings and afternoons and four at night.

NSWNA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said management of the Mid North Coast Local Health District also agreed to fast-track the implementation of nurse-to-patient ratios according to the Nursing Hours Per Patient Day (NHPPD) model.

The NSWNA secured these ratios for most NSW hospitals following a public campaign in 2010. They are due to come into effect in June next year.

Brett said the Coffs Harbour nurses correctly decided they could not safely continue their high levels of overtime and double shifts.

‘They were burning out and many were considering leaving, which would have made the vacancy situation worse,’ he said. ‘The safest thing to do, for all concerned, was to

take this action (bed closures) while recruitment efforts were beefed up.

President of the union’s mental health branch at Coffs Harbour, Sue Kendall, said the branch voted unanimously to close beds after more than two years of fruitless negotiations.

Sue said nurses were concerned about working in an environment that was unsafe for both patients and staff. The branch had raised the issue at the Reasonable Workloads Committee as far back as November 2009.

She said two high dependency beds and four acute/sub acute beds were closed in the 30-bed unit. This meant only those beds that could be safely staffed remained open, after existing patients were discharged.

‘It wasn’t difficult to get nurses to agree (to close beds) because they have had to work in an unsafe environment under great stress for so long. Nurses were worried about what might happen to a patient as a result of the pressure,’ Sue said.

She said management had agreed to re-establish an active Reasonable Workload Committee, where nurse and management representatives would meet fortnightly, to discuss issues such as rosters, recruitment and the skill mix.

‘We need to follow up the 8:8:4 agreement and make sure recruitment happens as quickly as possible.’

Sue Kendall: ‘It wasn’t difficult to get nurses to agree to close beds because they have had to work in an unsafe environment under great stress for so long.’

How the dispute unfolded: A TIMELINE 2 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 1 The Coffs Harbour NSWNA Mental Health branch resolved to impose work bans, including closing beds, from September 26 ‘unless management satisfactorily addresses the problem’ of insufficient staffing.

14 September A further branch meeting reaffirms the motion and decides to seek union head office help in applying work bans.

22 September The branch gives management yet another chance to provide safe staffing before bed closures take effect.

The branch asks for a list of all vacancies and requests a meeting with Local Health District (LHD) management and a NSWNA organiser, to discuss immediate recruitment.

The branch resolves that from 26 September, members will ban non-essential paperwork (i.e.

MHOAT, seclusion review, medication chart reviews, etc.) and gives the LHD until 17 October to find enough staff before beds are closed.

29 September The meeting with LHD management makes insufficient progress. The branch meets and decides to escalate the campaign by closing beds from October 3.

1 October Management offers to supplement staffing with another security officer on two shifts until they can find more casual and agency nurses. The branch meeting decides this is unacceptable because: • patients’ greatest need is adequate therapeutic treatment with sufficient numbers of nurses • filling nursing positions with a security guard does not lessen the workload on nurses and would still require the NUM to take a patient load • using security staff without mental health experience would simply add to the nurses’ workload.

The branch reaffirms its intention to start closing beds from 3 October, unless the unit can be staffed by nurses according to the 8:8:4 shift profile.

5 October With bed closures underway, the branch meets to consider a management letter outlining efforts to fill vacancies, including a pledge to meet 7:7:4 staffing by 10 October without overtime. …continued overleaf

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 13

COVER STORY

COFFS HARBOUR

A TIMELINE CONTINUED

The branch unanimously adopts a resolution pointing out that, ‘This has been an ongoing, long term issue and promises have been made in the past that have not come to fruition. The branch will not consider reopening closed beds without a written commitment from management of their intention to staff to 8:8:4 and a timeframe for implementation. The branch says this would be an interim measure until NHPPD can be implemented earlier than scheduled.

The six beds will remain closed until the eighth staff member is rostered.’

6 October Union officials hold a teleconference with Area mental health management who agree to an 8:8:4 roster ‘as soon as staffing becomes available’ and other concessions.

Management proposes that some beds remain closed while others reopen.

A branch meeting welcomes the acceptance of 8:8:4 but says management’s proposal on bed closures does not address the issue of patient and staff safety. The branch puts forward an alternative bed plan with other measures, including weekly staff recruitment updates from management.

LHD management notifies the Industrial Relations Commission of an urgent dispute.

7 October The Commission recommends management immediately roster 8:8:4 pending recruitment to make the new rosters permanent, bans be lifted on the six mental health beds while three ED beds be closed.

Branch members considered the recommendation and decided to keep the six beds closed but as a gesture of good faith, accept three patients from the ED. Meanwhile the branch would monitor management’s ability to roster 8:8:4 over the weekend until a further Commission hearing on 10 October.

10 October The NSWNA confirms that the 8:8:4 roster is operating and management pledges to continue it, with agency and casual nurses as an interim measure until positions can be permanently filled. The beds are now open while the agreed staffing arrangements remain in place.

Jack Schwartz: ‘8:8:4 is a huge breakthrough … and the members are ecstatic.’

Determination to close beds pays off Coffs Harbour mental health branch Vice President Jack Schwartz, said members got a result because of the decision to close beds in the interests of patient safety.

Jack and Sue discuss the bed closure campaign.

14 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

JACK SAID MANAGEMENTWAS USING agency and casual nurses to fill the new agreed rosters while it recruited for permanent positions.

‘The NUM 3 is trying very hard to fill 8:8:4 but recruitment is very slow,’ he said.

‘We have agency nurses but we are still doing lots of overtime – it is not unusual for four nurses to be doing overtime on one day.

‘Nevertheless 8:8:4 is a huge breakthrough no matter how they roster it and the members are ecstatic,’ he said. ‘However the fight is not over yet.

‘This is not about more money for nurses; it is about safety of patients and staff and preventing staff burnout.

‘Leading up to the dispute we had four or five nurses go off work with fairly serious injuries and at least one required surgery.

Their positions were not filled and this put huge pressure on the remaining staff.

‘I was taking over from people who had done a double shift the day before and a double shift the day before that.They might be working from 7.30am to 10pm with someone else working from 1.30pm to 7.30am.’

Jack said nurses who left the unit were not replaced. Staff knew of nurses who applied to work in the unit but their applications were not acted on, for unknown reasons.

He said the union campaign received a major boost when the hospital’s clinic nurse unit managers — NUM 1 positions — produced a letter supporting the stand taken by the NSWNA branch.

‘That was the turning point – management were no longer able to divide and conquer,’ he said.

Mental health branch officials praised former branch president Scott Hanson, now on light duties in another part of the hospital, for his assistance to the campaign. They said invaluable contributions going back to 2009 had also been made by workload committee members, Kath Hooper, Jann Capstick and Helen Blunt.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 15

COVER STORY

COBAR

PHOTO COURTESY THE COBAR WEEKLY.

At the Cobar nurses’ rally, from left: registered nurses Cheryl Black, Denise Cohen and Genie McMullen, Dr Ruben Edyp and Abbi Josephson EN.

16 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

Staff cuts reversed at Cobar DECISION TO CAP BEDS WAS CRITICAL Management has backed away from staff cuts at Cobar Hospital in the face of nurses’ determination to enforce safe staffing levels by capping beds.

WESTERN NSW LOCAL HEALTH District has agreed to partially restore nursing hours and give nurses the authority to call in relief staff under an agreed escalation plan.

The arrangement will be trialled for three months and reviewed in December.

RN Genie McMullen called it a win for the NSWNA branch and the people of Cobar who strongly backed the nurses.

‘Our decision to cap beds was pivotal. It pushed management to the point where they needed to make a concession,’ she said.

‘Capping beds would have caused uproar in the community.’

‘People are still nervous about the situation but at least we have something we can work with.

‘Our decision to cap beds was pivotal.’

‘There is a sense of celebration but we know it’s not over. We expect to have to be putting our case again in a few months when the review finishes.’

Until last July the hospital had two eighthour nursing shifts and one six-hour nursing shift for both day and evening shifts – 2.75 FTE staff to cover the 21-bed acute ward and emergency department.

Then, district management scrapped the two six-hour shifts claiming they could not be justified by admissions data.

But nurses compiled their own data, which painted a different picture. ‘Management didn’t look at the acuity of the patient load or take other factors into consideration,’ Genie said. …continued overleaf THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 17

COBAR

PHOTO COURTESY THE COBAR WEEKLY.

COVER STORY

Cobar nurses were delighted by public support for their rally against staff cuts.

‘If we need to call a nurse we can – we don’t have to check with three or four people first.’

18 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

These included time spent with critical patients waiting to be transferred to bigger hospitals, the lack of any occupational or physical therapists and social workers, and nurses having to do their own pathology and most of the administrative work.

The NSWNA branch took their case to the Cobar community with a petition and public rally in the main street.

‘We had huge local support. Everyone was cheering and beeping their horns, it was quite a buzz,’ Genie said.

‘Around 200 people came to support us, including 20 teachers who turned up with banners in their lunch break.

‘We had immense support from the mayor of Cobar, Lilliane Brady, who calls us at least weekly to find out how we are going and see if there’s anything more she can do for us.

‘Lilliane and the local mine managers were prepared to argue the case for more hospital resources. We service four large mines with

another starting up. The mines know it will be harder to attract workers if services such as health are cut.’

Public support for the nurses helped push management to make a first offer to restore 32 nursing hours a fortnight.

Nurses rejected this as inadequate and decided to impose a cap of eight inpatients, stop treatment of triage 4 and 5 patients in ED and ban clerical duties.

‘Management came back with a second offer to restore 60 nursing hours a fortnight. We said we would only accept this if we also got an oncall roster with a clear escalation plan.’

Management agreed to the nurses’ counterproposal just before their bans were due to come into affect.

Genie said capping beds and restricting triage in ED was a tough decision.

‘We talked about it months ago and asked how far are we going to take it and where’s it going to end,’ she said.

‘The staff didn’t want to go down that road. It’s our job to care for people who walk through the door, so to have to tell them, ‘I’m sorry the doctor will treat minor injuries himself, we can’t help you’, was going to put us in a difficult situation.

‘But eventually we realised we had no alternative. We were just exhausted and exasperated from working such long hours under such stress.

People were calling in sick because they were too exhausted to turn up for work. Plus we were getting more injuries from increased manual handling.

‘The union advised us we had no options left, other than to keep talking in circles.’

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes says the agreement provides for an extra nurse rostered for six hours on Saturday and Sunday AM and PM shifts and the Monday PM shift.

Public holidays will be staffed the same as weekends, with the next working day treated as the first business day with an extra six-hour PM shift.

Brett says the escalation plan, worked out in consultation with the NSWNA Cobar branch, includes an on-call roster to be invoked by the in-charge nurse when the hospital gets to 10 in-patients or the in-charge nurse decides the acuity is too high for two nurses.

‘Then a registered nurse or medicationendorsed enrolled nurse will be called in. The important thing here is that it is the clinician who makes the decision,’ he said.

Genie said the nurses insisted on a rapid escalation plan partly because most presentations arrive at Cobar by private transport with no notice.

‘Most people don’t arrive by ambulance, but in the back of a car or ute, or they are carried in or stumble in.

‘The escalation plan is very clear. If we need to call a nurse we can – we don’t have to check with three or four people first. And there will be a nurse on call so we can make one phone call and get someone.’

‘Public support for the nurses helped push management to make a first offer to restore 32 nursing hours a fortnight.’

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 19

COVER STORY

LISMORE

Lismore nurses shut beds Branch secretary and association councillor Gil Wilson: ‘Our staff deserve the biggest pat on the back for the way they have taken care of patients, but sooner or later something’s got to give, and it’s happened.’

Agency nurses rejected NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes wants to know why Lismore Base Hospital management is ready to support overworked doctors but not nurses under the same or greater pressure.

He said union investigations showed hundreds of hours of overtime had been worked in three wards during August.

‘For some reason management refused to use agency staff to do some of this work and take pressure off the exhausted nurses and midwives,’ Brett said.

‘After much delay, management did finally agree to speed up the recruitment process for existing vacancies, but that takes time.

‘In the meantime a stronger casual pool system should be used along with agency staff.

Locums are regularly used, at great expense, to help doctors out. Why can’t nurses and midwives get the same level of assistance?’

20 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

NSWNA STANDS UP FOR SAFE STAFFING Management’s refusal to tackle excessive workloads and overtime has forced worn-out nurses at Lismore Base Hospital to close beds.

AFTER MONTHS OF EXCESSIVE overtime and management delays in filling nursing and midwifery vacancies, nurses implemented safer bed numbers over a three-day period in September.

Nurses planned to close six short-stay overflow beds on September 12 and five surge beds in Ward A7 the following day.

On 14 September the maternity unit were to admit only maternity patients to its four surge beds.

Nurses lifted the bans after management assured the NSW Nurses’ Association that all shifts were filled and casual staff were available to fill any unplanned leave.

However within days staff were again required to work extreme amounts of overtime leading the NSWNA hospital branch to vote to shut beds a second time.

Branch Secretary and Association Councillor Gil Wilson said the hospital entered the winter months with 14 permanent vacancies and 30 to 40 unfilled relief positions.

‘Hospital management insisted on overtime rather than use of agency nurses, and wanted us to wait two months to recruit staff. It was burning people out – they went home fed up every night,’ Gil said.

‘Our staff deserve the biggest pat on the back for the way they have taken care of patients but sooner or later something’s got to give, and it’s happened.

‘At our union branch meetings, people said we can’t put bans on overtime because we can’t just leave patients in beds unattended. But we can stop patients getting into beds to start with.’

Gil said some nurses were nervous about the possible impact on the ED but also acknowledged that action had to be taken.

He said the 180-bed Lismore hospital needed another 50 beds to adequately serve the region.

‘The recommended size of an emergency department is one bed per 1000 presentations. We’ve got a 14-bed ED but we had over 30,000 presentations last year.

‘We’ve had instances where seven ambulances are lined up in front of our ED (And patients on trolleys in corridors waiting for beds – for prolonged periods).

‘That level of pressure on beds was always going to present problems for industrial action at Lismore Base, but the nurses nevertheless held their ground.’

Workloads out of control Shaen Springall, a NSWNA delegate at Lismore Base Hospital, said it was not difficult to convince most nurses to close beds because management had left them no choice.

‘Workloads and overtime got out of control over winter — in one two–day period we had 170 hours of nursing overtime,’ Shaen said.

‘People were worn out and just looking for some relief.

Normally we would get half a dozen nurses to a union branch meeting but 40 to 50 people turned up to the two meetings prior to shutting beds.

‘Hospital management refused to do anything short term to help us out, such as agreeing to agency nurses. I find that unbelievable considering we are a large referral/teaching hospital.

‘Instead they want to nitpick about what are acceptable levels of overtime.

‘We have at least two agencies servicing Lismore that could provide us with nurses on short notice but they flatly refuse to use them.

‘Instead they tried to fill temporary positions with casuals and sucked up the casual pool.

‘Management also dismantled our permanent relief pool of two nurses per shift who used to be allocated to fill gaps.

(Management still refuse to reinstate that.) As a result of our action, and as part of our resolution, they have agreed to reinstate the permanent relief pool.

‘I can’t believe you can go to a manager and say, “We’re worn out, we’re making mistakes, This is unsafe.

Can you do something about it?”and they flatly refuse.’

Shaen Springall: ‘Management also dismantled our permanent relief pool of two nurses per shift who used to be allocated to fill gaps.’

Implementation of Birthrate Plus gains pace After a slow beginning the implementation of Birthrate Plus is accelerating.

Armidale, Dubbo, Orange, Wagga, Port Macquarie, Royal North Shore and Westmead hospitals have recruited enough midwives to meet the Birthrate Plus profile.

Liverpool, Campbelltown and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals have recruited more midwives but as yet have not fully met the Birthrate Plus criteria.

Wollongong and Shoalhaven are yet to recruit the required extra midwives.

NSW Health maintains that the remaining maternity services in Phase 1 should be implemented completely by the end of October. It anticipates a smoother implementation of Phases 2 and 3.

NAMO are now finalising data collection for Phase 2 hospitals and are collecting data for Phase 3 hospitals.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 21

AGED CARE

AiNs the big winners from aged care agreements More than 90 employers, covering 176 facilities in the not-for-profit aged care sector have signed up to a new template agreement that delivers an average 9.2% pay increase to nurses over three years. For some the pay increase will be as much as 12.38%. ‌continued overleaf 22 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

RN Judith Nicholas (centre) wore her traditional nursing uniform to symbolise the importance of nurses in aged care and in dementia care services at the Alzheimers Australia rally in Canberra on 13 October, attended by a delegation of NSWNA and QACAG members.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 23

AGED CARE

MORE THAN 1400 NSWNA MEMBERS will benefit from a new agreement with employers in the not–for–profit aged care sector. Over 92 per cent of members have voted in support of the agreement.

The three year agreement includes a 3 per cent pay increase in the first year (from 1 July 2011), 2.8 per cent in the second year and 3 per cent in its final year.

Wage increases are even higher for AiNs, with their wages to be at least 3.5 per cent above the Nurses’ Award minimum rate.

‘This is a big win for AiNs,’ said NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes.

‘In the past AiN wages have been very close to the minimum wage. There is now a clear increase above the minimum wage. This is well-earned recognition for the valuable work that AiNs contribute to the aged care sector. ‘The wage increase, along with salary packaging, now makes the not–for–profit sector more attractive than other parts of the aged care sector.’

‘Some RN classifications are getting close to public sector rates. This will make the not–for–profit aged care sector a more appealing place to work for many nurses.’

The first pay increase will be backdated to the first pay period on or after 1 July 2011, and paid after the agreement is approved by Fair Work Australia.

The employers have agreed that, if the Productivity Commission Report results in more funding for aged care, discussions about further wage increases will be held.

What has been won Wage increases • 3% first pay period on or after 1 July 2011

‘This is a big win for AiNs,’ — Brett Holmes

• 2.8% first pay period on or after 1 July 2012 • 3% first pay period on or after 1 July 2013

Other important conditions • existing conditions, including penalty rates and leave entitlements, are protected • overtime applies for part-timers and casuals after 10 hours • under–18 AiN rates removed • employer pays for cost of criminal checks • casuals can request permanent employment after six months • casual loading increases to 21.5% from July 2011; 22.67% from July 2012; and 23.83% from July 2013.

FIGHT DEMENTIA RALLY Left: Albert and Janet Ma, Annette Peters, Margaret Zanghi, Minister Mark Butler, Judith Nicholas.

A NSWNA and QACAG delegation travelled to Parliament House to support the Alzheimer’s Australia rally on 13 October.

The rally called for greater recognition of the impact of dementia on families and communities and the need for much greater commitment by the government to plan and fund services for dementia care.

24 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

COMPETITION@NSWNA

Wash away your weekday worries o lucky members The Lamp is offering tw their weekday the chance to wash awayt stay for two at worries with a four-nighiday Park. beautiful Shoal Bay Hol

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‘Union members can save valuable time and literally thousands of dollars on gifts and holiday costs over the Christmas period when shopping with Union Shopper,’ Union Shopper executive officer Brett McCreadie said. ‘Members can save on a range of Christmas time purchases, including electrical and white goods, perfume and jewellery, new and used cars, groceries, travel and accommodation, tickets and passes, and car hire.’

Union Shopper reduces holiday costs, with a number of hotels and resorts offering discounted rates for members, and Hertz providing members with ‘mate’s rates’ on car hire.

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Union Shopper even helps members save on Christmas groceries and drinks, with Coles and Woolworths WISH gift cards reduced by five per cent (credit card fees and other conditions apply).

On average, members save nine to 13 per cent off their best price on white good and electrical purchases, which make great Christmas presents.

To register for free with Union Shopper or to find out more about Union Shopper’s range of products and services, please call 1300 368 117 or visit www.unionshopper.com.au

Sitting directly opposite one of the most stunning beaches on the east coast of Australia, Shoal Bay Holiday Park has a games room, tennis court, basketball court, playground, wireless internet, and free barbecues, and is just minutes from the cafes, shops, restaurants and clubs of the pretty village of Shoal Bay. These marvellous prizes include four nights, midweek accommodation for two people, staying in a brand new, onebedroom Sunseeker Villa. The modern facilities and plentiful activities and options available at Shoal Bay Holiday Park will have you squealing with joy. Let the games begin!

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PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

Janelle Atkinson: ‘Why was I not informed of these new laws and standards, and of when they were going to be introduced?’

26 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

Needless hurdles The search is on to find 1400 nurses and midwives to fill the new ratio positions, yet AHPRA is placing unnecessary obstacles in the way of nurses wishing to return to the profession.

WE HAVE A CHRONIC SHORTAGE OF nurses, funding has become available for around 1400 new jobs in the public health system and many nurses and midwives who who took time out to have children now want to return to work.

It should be simple: all efforts should be made to help these nurses back into nursing.

Yet, many nurses and midwives have told the NSWNA they face numerous obstacles to re-entering the workforce.

Under the new national registration system a nurse or midwife in NSW, seeking to return to practice after a break of more than five years, must complete a re-entry to practice program.

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes says the new system has created many unnecessary obstacles to re-entry at a time when around 1400 nursing and midwifery positions have been promised for public hospitals in NSW. ‘We are concerned that NSW nurses and midwives wishing to return to professional practice do not have reasonable access to programs approved by the Nurses and Midwives Board of Australia,’ he said.

‘The College of Nursing has a waiting list of applicants for their program and the $10,000 fee for this program will deter many nurses from taking the required steps to return to the workforce.

‘We are also concerned that there is no Board-approved re-entry to practice program for midwives on the entire eastern seaboard of Australia.’

Is this discrimination?

The NSWNA believes the retrospective nature of the recency of practice standard could constitute indirect discrimination under the federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and equivalent state laws on the grounds of sex/pregnancy and/or family and carer’s responsibilities.

Indirect discrimination occurs when a requirement that is the same for everyone disproportionately disadvantages a particular group of people with a particular characteristic – such as nurses with carer’s responsibilities, compared to nurses who don’t have carer’s responsibilities – and is unreasonable in the circumstances.

In the union’s view the retrospective application of the standard imposes a requirement that cannot be met by a higher proportion of nurses on extended parental leave, or on leave due to carer’s responsibilities, in the five years prior to the introduction of the standard.

The NSWNA believes the retrospective imposition of the standard is unreasonable and eligibility for re-entry should be assessed on the basis of meeting competencies relevant to the profession and to the area to which the nurse or midwife practices or proposes to practice.

THE RE-ENTRY PROCESS IS ARBITRARY Brett Holmes says the NSWNA has several other concerns over aspects of the re-entry to practice program.

‘NSWNA believes that re-entry should be on the basis of competency relevant to the profession and other Board requirements for registration, such as the ‘fit and proper’ person test, medical fitness and English language proficiency.

‘Nurses and midwives who haven’t practiced for 10 years shouldn’t have to undertake another qualification without the opportunity to demonstrate their competence.’

A major issue for the NSWNA is the retrospective application of the recency of practice laws, which has left many nurses in NSW with as little as six months to provide evidence of three months practice.

‘For many nurses the goalposts have been moved. Many nurses and midwives took a career break to have children believing they would be able to renew their registration and return to work when their children entered pre-school. These plans have been disrupted,’ he said.

‘Many were unaware of their new obligations as their focus was on their children.

It is the NSWNA’s opinion that applying this standard retrospectively can be perceived as discriminatory.’

>> TURN OVER TO READ JANELLE’S STORY

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 27

Punished for looking after the family Janelle Atkinson, a qualified nurse and midwife living on the North Coast, learned only last August she had lost her registration due to the recency of practice laws that took effect in July last year.

LIKE OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN OUT of paid nursing work for years, Janelle Atkinson has been barred from re-entering the workforce due to the way the new national professional standards have been implemented, in her case the recency of practice rule.

This requires a re-entry to practice course unless the nurse has done at least three months’ nursing in the previous five years. People who have been out of nursing for at least 10 years must start again.

Janelle has been dealing with the new Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), members of parliament, the College of Nursing, and others, including the NSWNA. She has proposed a way forward to enable qualified practitioners such as her to re-enter paid work.

The NSWNA is trying to negotiate with authorities for a period of supervised practice for such nurses, most who are believed to be women who took time out for motherhood.

28 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

Janelled has been offered local clinical practice, which may help in reaching a solution in her case.

$10,000 FOR RE-ENTRY COURSE Currently in NSW, the only available re-entry course for Registered Nurses is from the College of Nursing, a non-profit provider at Burwood in Sydney, which is offering a twomonth re-entry course of one month’s theory and another of practice for $10,000 for 300 hours of training. This fee, if annualised and in the present absence of any public support, would equate to a full-fee university course of as much as $50,000 a year. AHPRA has given Janelle a letter of referral to the college. There is no specific re-entry course for midwifes in NSW. Janelle, who is country-based, practiced and studied from 1989 to 1999, when she took a break to have her first child. She returned to work on the night shift in 2000, until well into her second pregnancy.

Janelle told The Lamp: ‘In 2002, after the birth of my second child, I made the heartwrenching decision to stop nursing temporarily and stay home with my children.

‘My older colleagues said to me that this was what they had done and that they had been supported and welcomed back to work when they returned.

‘I was isolated on a farm in the Riverina, and my husband was away from the farm seven days a week, baling hay to make ends meet during the drought.

‘In 2010, my third child commenced primary school and I had planned to return to nursing, but then in January my husband purchased a new business which, for that year, required my assistance to set up and run.

‘This year was to be the year for me. I have renewed my registration on time every year, as I have always planned on returning to the profession I loved.

‘I subscribed to Healnet and started

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

‘Four-and-a-half years of education and years of experience — and it’s been discarded.’

standards. I prepared a submission to the [nursing] board, with advice from AHPRA over the phone and support from the [campus]. My submission failed.

‘I am completely devastated that I cannot commence my position as a midwife and, more so, that my whole career has been discarded after all my years of education and experience.

‘Why was I not informed of these new laws and standards, and of when they were going to be introduced? If I had been informed ... even in March 2010 when my NSW registration renewal arrived in the mail as usual, from the former Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW, then I would definitely not be in this position now.

‘As difficult as it would have been at the time, I would have returned to nursing sooner.’

NO COURSE FOR RURAL NURSES

undertaking recognised online courses to obtain continuing professional development points.’

Janelle also trained as a volunteer ambulance worker, requiring in-depth training by the ambulance service and to be on call 24/7, as volunteers can often get to a scene faster than regular staff.

‘I was interviewed, and offered a position, at the Coffs Harbour Health Campus [of the Mid North Coast Local Health District], as a midwife.They offered to fully support me back into midwifery via a buddy system, and a midwifery support educator located in the ward.

‘The [campus] is a teaching hospital. I was so excited to be going back to the profession that I loved and to be an integral part of a hospital system again. ‘[Last June] I received a letter from AHPRA proposing to refuse my registration due to the recency of practice laws and

Attending the course at Burwood, and paying for it, was difficult because ‘I have a mortgage, three children and a business that takes my husband away two nights a week, and requires me to be in the office two days a week. I also live six hours away from Sydney.

‘I feel I have been caught in the middle of old rules and new rules. It would be much easier, and more sensible, for me to be supported back into work where it will not disrupt my family/business life, and leave my spot at the College of Nursing open to someone else.’

Janelle proposed to the college that she split the re-entry course into one month’s theory done at home online, and one month’s practical at a local hospital. She told The Lamp she was informed the theory would have to be done at Burwood, though it might be possible to do the practical locally. The college indicated it would help with finding a local clinical placement, but warned it wouldn’t be easy as university nursing students also sought such places.

Janelle has pointed out that the college had only four intakes a year, so a place with the college was not certain for anyone.

AHPRA’s position was that it was up to other individual institutions to decide whether to go into this area of training and set up a re-

entry course, which would need accreditation from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council. No plans for a course were known.

Janelle said a correspondence course at the Charles Sturt University was being phased out.

She understood that better re-entry pathways had been found for nurses in New Zealand after that country reformed its registration system.

AN APPEAL UNLIKELY TO SUCCEED Janelle has contacted her state and federal MPs, Andrew Fraser and Luke Hartsuyker, and Andrew has put her situation before the NSW Health Minister, Jillian Skinner, with a response still awaited. The NSWNA’s legal advice has been that a state nursing tribunal appeal would probably not succeed given the way the legislation is framed.

According to Janelle much of what she needs to learn concerns new machines and procedures introduced in recent years.

‘The basic nursing care is still the same,’ she said. ‘Ï’m better than I was in 2002, after the responsibility of children and 10 years of life experience.

‘I’m irate I was not informed of these new laws, which were applied retrospectively. I was sent registration papers every year, paid every year, yet not one piece of information came with the papers saying they’re going to change the system. A whole cohort in NSW has been caught out.

‘I have to pay $10,000 even to be considered. I could possibly put together $10,000 but to leave my family and the business even for four weeks is difficult.

‘I’ve been a nurse for 20 years and midwife for 16 and nursing is all I’ve wanted to do since I was 17. Burwood does other courses online so why not the theory? I feel punished for being a mum and supporting wife.’

Under the new national law her registration has been formally removed.

‘I’ve been wiped from the AHPRA website. I feel my whole career has been discarded. Four and a half years of tertiary education and years of experience and it’s been discarded.’

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 29

AGENDA

A moody climate Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse are some of the mental health impacts of climate change, according to a new report.

30 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

A NEW REPORT BY THE CLIMATE Institute – A Climate of Suffering – mental health and community wellbeing in the wake of extreme weather – highlights the human toll of extreme weather events such as severe drought or cyclones, which are likely to increase with climate change.

The report outlines the mental health consequences of these severe weather events: • a significant part of the community – as many as one in five – will suffer the effects of extreme stress, emotional injury and despair.

• the emotional and psychological toll of disasters can linger for months, even years affecting whole families and communities.

• higher rates of drug and alcohol misuse, violence and family dissolution are likely to follow more extreme weather events.

• drought and heat waves lead to higher rates of self-harm and suicide.

The report says that the impact of droughts

Australian life under unrestrained global warming

on employment and cost of living also exacerbates this mental health toll.

In 2004, one in four rural workers in Australia lost their job as a result of drought – about 100,000 agricultural workers, contractors and those employed in allied businesses. The dry conditions cost Australia $5.4 billion while the cost of the average grocery bill went up by 12 per cent.

Climate change will almost certainly increase the demand for social support and mental health services and at the same time make them harder to sustain in affected areas.

Children in particular are vulnerable to predisaster anxiety and post-trauma illness.

The report says Australia’s mental health burden will grow significantly unless there is immediate substantial action on climate change.

Seeing action on climate change as an investment in preventative health care is an important first step it says.

‘Australia has been known for more than a 100 years as a land of droughts and flooding rains, but what climate change means is Australia becomes a land of more droughts and worse flooding rains.’

— ProfDavid Karoly,Professorof Meteorology,UniversityofMelbourne.

In the past decade Australians have been given a preview of life under unrestrained global warming. The first decade of the 21st Century was the hottest and driest on record in Australia and globally. Drought and heat fuelled the fire risk in the southeastern parts of the country and the off-the-scale heat wave conditions produced bushfires so ferocious that ‘very extreme’ and ‘catastrophic’ categories have been added to the official fire weather index.

In late 2010, a strong La Nina event brought torrential downpours and heavy flooding up and down the eastern half of the continent.

The combination of a wet winter and bursts of warm spring weather saw extraordinary locust plagues threaten crops in large parts of the southeast.

Events like these give us a picture of life in a world of greater extremes. Sea surface temperatures off the north-east of Australia reached record highs and tropical cyclone Yasi pounded north Queensland penetrating as far inland as Alice Springs and narrowly missing large population centres.

The extensive damage to many smaller communities, local industries and the national economy registered $9 billion in the 2011 Federal Budget papers.

Recent conditions are entirely consistent with the best scientific predictions: as the weather warms so the weather becomes wilder with big consequences for people’s health and wellbeing.

From A climate of suffering.

Climate Institute.

FOUR DEGREES AND WE ARE DEAD Unless there is drastic action during the next decade to reduce carbon emissions the global aim to restrict global warming to a 2º increase will fail and is more likely to reach 4º, a recent conference on climate change was told.

Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Chair of the German Government Advisory Council on Global Change, told the Four Degrees Conference in Melbourne that failure to deal with carbon emissions would be catastrophic.

‘It is the critical decade we are living in now. If you think of your body temperature, with a 2º increase you have a fever, with a 4º increase, you are dead. We are looking at the body temperature of our planet,’ he said.

Professor Schellnhuber said the global target agreed to by more than 190 nations was a compromise that provided a base level of action that was sadly lacking.

‘2º is not a hard scientific target. It is a compromise, a firewall.Without this firewall we might see the disappearance of a higher level of civilisation on this planet,’ he said.

‘There is a complete discrepancy between the 2º target and the global strategy needed to reach it.’

Professor Schellnhuber said that European countries like Germany provided evidence that strong action on carbon emissions was not incompatible with maintaining a strong economy.

‘Germany is about to undergo an energy systems revolution.The country is doing well with economic growth – it has about 4 per cent GDP growth. This is an encouraging message – trying to protect the environment doesn’t necessarily mean we will be de-industrialised and poverty stricken,’ he said.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 31

AGENDA

Children bear the brunt of climate change In the year 2000 climate change was responsible for 150,000 deaths worldwide. Of this disease burden 88 per cent fell upon children.

Research by Perry Sheffield and Philip Landrigan from the Mt Sinai School of Medicine New York, has found that children are bearing the brunt of climate related health problems.

In particular children are falling prey to vector borne diseases including malaria and dengue and increased diarrheal and respiratory diseases. They also suffer from the detrimental impact of climate change on food and human habitation according to the studies.

Emerging research on heat related health impacts also highlight diminished school performance, increased rates of pregnancy complications and renal effects.

Children are more at risk because they have less effective heat adaptation than adults and are more vulnerable in utero and in early childhood.

When children contract malaria from mosquitoes (a vector which is particularly sensitive to temperature and precipitation) they have a higher complication rate and a higher mortality rate relative to older populations because of a less acquired functional immune response.

Because they breathe more air, drink more water and eat more food per unit of body weight children have greater exposure to a variety of climate sensitive impacts.

Approximately one in five deaths around the world occur in children less than five years of age. Lower respiratory tract infections, diarrhea and malaria are responsible for more than 50 per cent of childhood deaths. All three of these categories worsen with climate change.

32 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

‘We have a responsibility to do something about climate change.’

Greg Combet, a former Secretary of the ACTU and now Minister for Climate Change talks about the federal government’s plan to reduce carbon pollution.

‘THE BASIS OF OUR POLICY IS THE science, which is overwhelming. The science has been clear for a long time: there are significant economic and environmental risks from climate change.’

‘When you have the scientific evidence you have to act on it.’

‘We have a very energy dependent economy.We have high levels of pollution.We have the highest levels of emissions per person in the world mainly because of the high pollution levels of our energy production. Our plan will cut this pollution.’

Greg Combet says the central goal of the government’s plan is to force the worst polluters to reduce their emissions. It will have the added benefit of making these industries more competitive in the global economy.

‘This is a major, progressive Labor reform.

Carbon trading starts with a three–year fixed price for carbon and then moves to an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in three years.The largest polluters will have responsibility for buying permits for carbon that they emit. There will be a fixed price of $23 at the beginning.

When the ETS comes in the price will be determined by supply and demand. The market will determine prices but business will always know we are heading towards a target.’

‘We’ve designed this scheme so that by 2015 we arrive at a common international

price. We have a high carbon economy. The price will be high if it is just about us. It will be less if it is linked internationally. If you link with international schemes these will provide stable prices. This will create more stability around jobs.’

‘Reform like this will drive investment and capital. It will modernise our industries. It will make us more competitive with recently modernised economies like China.’

WE’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES DOING IT Greg Combet says it is wrong to say Australia is the only country doing something about climate change.

‘In Europe there has been an ETS since 2005. New Zealand put in place a scheme three years ago. New Zealand is keen for us to get ours going so they can link up with us.

California has just put in place an ETS as have several other American states. South Korea is just about to put in place an ETS. ‘China is investing hugely in renewable resources and replacing dirty coal fired power stations with more efficient ones. They have made a large investment in solar energy. They are starting up an ETS in five of their provinces.

‘We have a keen interest in China developing an ETS – in fact in all our main trading partners developing such schemes.’

HEALTH EXPERTS ON THE CARBON POLLUTION TAX

A price on carbon is a health measure like a tobacco tax

A welcome investment in health

Dr David Shearman, Honourary Secretary of Doctors For The Environment Australia.

‘Doctors For The Environment Australia regards a price on carbon as a public health measure, for climate change is one of the great health threats of our time. It is a measure primarily to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

‘Even in Australia there is significant morbidity and mortality from the cardiorespiratory pollutions of coal mining and combustion.

‘A price on carbon is a health measure like a tobacco tax.

‘After 20 more years of prevarication we have a small but significant step to effectively reduce carbon emissions and to change our consumptive economy and lifestyle into a sustainable one.

‘The Prime Minister is on the front foot, the proposals are comprehensive and should be supported and built on.’

Michael Moore and Helen Keleher from the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA).

Action by the government to address the environmental issues will also assist in addressing the health impacts.

The PHAA understands that the impact of climate change will be even more devastating on those at the lower end of the socio-economic scale.

A carbon pricing system actually begins to address this issue before the health impacts of climate change really begin to impact on poorer members of our community.

The PHAA welcomes the efforts made in the package to mitigate against the inequities that are inherent in the system of carbon trading.

Climate change will have a devastating impact on health from changing patterns of vector borne diseases and heat impact on the elderly and vulnerable, through to food and water security and death and injury from severe weather events.

We’ve got our heads in the sand Fiona Armstrong, Convenor, Climate and Health Alliance The carbon price package is welcome and quite possibly the best we could get in the current environment. But let’s not kid ourselves that it is bold, generous or responsive to the science.

Most people in Australia are content to bury their head in the sand, and pretend it’s not happening.

At its core climate change is a health issue.

Around 300,000 people are dying each year from climate change. Around 5 million more will die in the coming decade if we fail to act effectively.

HOUSEHOLDS AND JOBS WILL BE PROTECTED Greg Combet says an important component of the government’s package is assistance for households and protection for jobs.

‘The pricing impact on the economy will be a 0.7 per cent increase in prices. By comparison the introduction of the GST increased prices by 2.5 per cent.’

‘Tony Abbott’s claim that that there will be an “unimaginable increase” in prices is absolute rubbish. The average increase will be $9.90 per week. Labor is bringing in assistance to help.

For example, the average household will receive assistance of $10.10 per week.

Advocating for action on climate change is possibly the biggest contribution health professionals can make to global public health.

The voice of all health professionals, as respected leaders in society, would be very welcome in keeping this trajectory on track, to denounce those who misrepresent the science, and to call for action as civil society leaders to send the clear message to the rest of the community, from people who have no vested interest, that climate change is urgent, and ultimately it’s good for health.

‘The tax benefit for many low wage earners is significant.’

‘We are also increasing the tax free threshold.

The tax benefit for many low wage earners is significant. Pensions and benefits will also be increased. Nine out of 10 households will get some assistance and there will be no carbon price on petrol.’

‘There is a lot of fear [mongering] by Abbott and some business groups that it will destroy jobs. It’s so ridiculous it’s disgusting. He has instilled fear and concern among working people that is totally unwarranted.’

‘We have a huge plan to help vulnerable industries. For example in the aluminium and steel sectors they will receive 95 per cent of their carbon permits for free.’

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 33

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JOBS@NSWNA

Nursing & GP Opportunities NSW FAR SOUTH COAST

Professional Officer The Organisation The NSW Nurses’ Association (NSWNA) is a trade union which represents the industrial, professional and legal interests of nurses and midwives in NSW.

The Role The NSWNA is seeking applications for the permanent position of Professional Officer. Are you after a challenge? Are you interested in a role focused on promoting the professional interests of nurses and midwives? Do you want to make a difference in an exciting role with diverse challenges and demands?

If so, then this position is for you.

Essential Criteria

If you are interested in a new, professional challenge and would like to live in a pristine coastal environment with convenient access to national parks, the Snowy Mountains and Canberra by road, and to Sydney and Melbourne by regular air services from Merimbula, then read on!

Pambula District Hospital needs qualified and experienced staff: RNs, midwives, theatre nurses, neonatal and paediatric nurses, and GP obstetricians.

If you are interested in a career and/or a life-style change and would like to register your interest, or obtain more information, please contact SOHI President Sharon Tapscott on 0429 956 433, or by email tapscotts@netspace.net.au or by letter to SOHI P.O. Box 35 Pambula NSW 2549.

All enquiries strictly confidential.

The successful applicant will have: • a good understanding of union issues and a commitment to the principles of trade unionism; • current registration with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and postgraduate qualifications in nursing or relevant field; • practical experience working as a nurse or midwife; • an appreciation of the professional context of nursing and midwifery practice; • the ability to network and form relationships with key stakeholders, including professional groups, government agencies, community groups and academics; • the capacity to promote the interests of our members through activities such as: — issue identification — policy analysis and critique — lobbying — influencing agendas — alliance-building — consultation and liaison • demonstrated ability to work independently as well as part of a team, the ability to meet deadlines and manage several issues simultaneously; • high level written and oral communication skills; and • a current driver’s licence and the ability to travel occasionally.

Application Process For further enquiries and an application information pack, please contact Employee Relations by telephoning 02 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (country callers) or via email: jobs@nswnurses.asn.au Applications should be received by 25 November 2011 and addressed to: Robyn Morrison, Employee Relations Manager 0 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 or via email: jobs@nswnurses.asn.au

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 35

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OBITUARY

Cynthia Therese Pirlo RN, RM 9 October 1964 — 30 July 2011 [e\

Cindy completed her general training at St Vincent's Hospital in 1986. Cindy then worked in general nursing at Casino Memorial Hospital. Cindy commenced her midwifery training at Lismore Base Hospital (LBH) 14 years ago and was one of the first LBH midwifery graduates.

Cindy was a lactation consultant and a birth suite core midwife. A true and faithful servant to her patients, Cindy was a valued member of the midwifery team at Lismore Base Hospital. Cindy is survived be her husband and their three children. She will be sadly missed by us all. [e\

NSW Health has released the outcome of the first peer selection process for appointment of eligible clinicians to hospital clinical councils.

The results for Northern Region (including Central Coast, Northern Sydney, Hunter New England, Mid North Coast and Northern NSW Local Health Districts) are available at www.health.nsw.gov.au/peerselection.

Local Health Districts are currently going through the process of advising the peer selected nominees. Where there was no nomination or peer selection, the hospital clinical council will appoint a peer selected member in accordance with the by-laws.

As The Lamp goes to print peer selection had just closed for Western Region hospital clinical councils. Southern Region hospital clinical council peer selection began on Monday 24 October 2011.

SYDNEY HEALTH LAW Sydney Law School offers Australia’s leading specialist program in health and medical law. Available to health professionals and non-lawyers, our programs can help improve your career opportunities in nursing and health care management.

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For more information visit: sydney.edu.au/law/health THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 37

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Q&A

ASK JUDITH Do I get paid if I am called back?

I am a Registered Nurse (RN) working full time in a public hospital. I was rostered on call for one afternoon and was then called back to hospital to work. It took me 40 minutes to return to work and 40 minutes to go back home. Is this period of time paid?

You will not be paid for the travel time as you are only paid from the time you arrive at the employer’s premises.You will be paid a minimum of 4 hours for each start.You will also be paid travel allowance as per (ii)(d) of Clause 12, Special Allowances.

Do I need to apply for my position?

I am currently working full time as an Endorsed Enrolled Nurse (EEN) in a medical ward of a public hospital. I am also studying for my degree in nursing and will graduate in December 2011. I would like to remain on the ward that I am currently rostered on. Can I ask to be appointed to the ward or do I have to apply for a position?

If you want to continue to work with your current employer or on a particular ward, and there is a vacant position, you will need

C Continuing ontinuing Pr Professional ofessional D Development evelopment

to apply for that position.You will also be required to go through the interview process and be appointed on merit to the position. There is no obligation on the employer to offer you a position.

Must I sit an English test?

I am an RN trained in South Africa.

I have been getting conflicting information about whether the qualification I have needs to be supplemented by an English exam, to be registered in Australia.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) requires all nurses to have a high level of English competency. From 19 September 2011 a new English Language Skills Registration Standard applies.

Provided certain criteria are met, candidates from the following countries do not have to sit the English test: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

When it comes to your rights and entitlements at work, NSWNA Assistant General Secretary JUDITH KIEJDA has the answers.

Further, RNs must have in their five years at least two years of their pre-registration course of study taught and assessed in English. Enrolled Nurses (ENs) must have in their five years at least one year of their pre-enrolment course of study taught and assessed in English.

Transitional arrangements are in place for current students who complete their course by the end of 2011, or who complete outstanding course requirements by 30 March 2012. They can elect to be assessed under the AHPRA requirements in force up to 18 September 2011, or under the new requirements.

Candidates who are required to complete the English test must achieve a minimum of seven, in one sitting, in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) of the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or a B score or above, in one sitting, of the four components of the Occupational English Test (OET).

The criteria are, firstly, that the candidate has completed a minimum of five years (full time equivalent) of a combination of secondary, vocational, and/or tertiary education taught and assessed in English.

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ARCHI

Australian Resource Centre for Healthcare Innovations

ARCHI is a free, national knowledge sharing and networking service for health professionals, supporting clinical practice improvement and innovation. ARCHI promotes discussion, sharing tools and resources as well as connecting health professionals across the country.

What’s new on ARCHI? Essentials of Care – The Essentials of Care (EOC) program aims to improve patient safety and outcomes through the implementation of a NSW state-wide framework that focuses on the essentials of clinical care, as well as enhancing the experiences of patients, families and carers as well as staff involved in the delivery of care. This EOC program is sponsored by the Chief Nursing and Midwifery OfďŹ cer of NSW.

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NURSE UNCUT

What’s hot on Nurse Uncut?

CPD requirements, new English language skills, and nursing homes without nurses?

Read the latest happenings at www.nurseuncut.com.au

Hot topics Feeling anxious about your CPD requirements?

Don’t worry, there’s help out there! www.nurseuncut.com.au/feeling-anxious-about-your-cpd-requirements-dont-worry-theres-help-out-there/ It’s now mandatory for nurses and midwives to clock up 20 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) each year. This requirement has been in place in other Australian states for some time, but is a first for NSW. Nurses may feel daunted at the prospect of trying to squeeze another layer of work into their busy lives, but don’t worry. Fulfilling your CPD requirements is a lot easier than you think!

2011 Christmas contest — win an iPad 2!

Why is nursing a profession worth staying in?

In 50 words or less, tell us why you’ve stayed with nursing. We all know the challenges and difficulties that nurses have gone through over the years. What is it about the profession that’s kept you here?

Enter our contest by leaving a comment on the nurseuncut website. Simply complete this sentence: I’ve stayed with Nursing because …

If you’re a student nurse, I went into nursing because…

All nurses who enter get the chance to win an iPad 2 with WiFi + 3G worth $894!

New English language skills registration standard www.nurseuncut.com.au/new-english-language-skills-registration-standard/ A revised English language skills registration standard for nurses and midwives is in place from Monday 19 September 2011.

The new standard was developed through extensive consultation with the professions and the community, which helped ensure it is fair, reasonable and guided by public safety. Read about it at Nurse Uncut.

Nursing homes without nurses? www.nurseuncut.com.au/nursing-homes-without-nurses/ ‘…nurses are providing almost 50 per cent less care today than in 2004!’

What is really happening with the nursing workforce in aged care? The shortage of nursing staff is having a real impact — registered nurse care in aged care facilities has been shown to improve health outcomes for residents, yet nurses are providing almost 50 per cent less care today than in 2004! Read the full story at Nurse Uncut.

42 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

What nurses are talking about?

Cert III’s and Cert IV’s? www.nurseuncut.com.au/forum/component/option,com_ccboa rd/Itemid,24/forum,13/topic,690/view,postlist/#ccbp4113 ‘From someone who has taught Cert III students it worries me greatly that the upsurge in the number of RTOs (registered training organisations) who are churning out Cert III supposedly-qualified AiNs is having a detrimental effect on the standard of care in ACFs. When an allegedly qualified Cert III AiN asked me one night ‘What’s a femur?’ It prompted me to ask how much anatomy and physiology she had done in her course. Answer was, none!’

Legal question regarding false accusations. www.nurseuncut.com.au/forum/component/option,com_ccboa rd/Itemid,24/forum,13/topic,672/view,postlist/#ccbp4105 ‘Say a patient accuses a nurse of doing something they never did and they get fired from the job or get in trouble for whatever reason, and they find the patient was falsely accusing the nurse, can you take any legal action on the patient?’

On the ‘I Support Nurses’ Facebook page: What do you think? Is 3 to 5 years far too long to fix the aged care sector? www.facebook.com/NurseUncutAustralia ‘What a crock! These bureaucrats need to spend a few days in an aged care facility (as residents), (I suggest in pads and immobilised in day chairs) this makes me so angry! Just another example of how many dumb and dangerous sand-box generals are in powerful positions!’

What are your thoughts on the English language skills standards? www.facebook.com/NurseUncutAustralia ‘It’s about time; communication is one of the most important things we do as nurses/health care workers.’

NURSING RESEARCH ONLINE

The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) was established in 1971, replacing its parent body the Social Science Research Council of Australia, itself founded in 1942. It is an autonomous, non-governmental organisation, devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the various social sciences. Dialogue, the Academy’s journal is published three times a year. It is distributed electronically, in hard-copy, and is also available for download.

Visit www.assa.edu.au/publications/dialogue/ Mental health care reform: more, please Alan Rosen is Secretary of the Comprehensive Area Service Psychiatrists’ Network; Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Sydney; and Professor, School of Public Health at the University of Wollongong.

The federal government’s budgetary enhancements to mental health are either a good start towards a happier ending, or herald an uncontrolled descent into more disconnected fragments of service.

The reforms announced to date will barely keep mental health’s head above water. They struggle to stop a decline below the habitual 7 per cent of health expenditure, even when full funding eventually kicks in five years time.

Over time, the moneys committed will begin to enhance some well-researched or promising programs, yet many of the reforms are untested or do not go far enough.

Even so, providers and the consumer and carer movements need to get behind this belated encouragement and work together to make these initial steps work, with a willingness to test new delivery systems, as well as to continue to pressure governments to develop their commitment further.

Designing the health system for the 21st century Jane Hall, ASSA Fellow, is founding Director of the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation and Professor of Health Economics in the Faculty of Business at the University of Technology, Sydney.

There is no doubt that the health of Australian society, as measured by the health of its members, has improved significantly over the past century. Australians live longer and live more of their years without disability or disease. Paradoxically, Australians are recording higher levels of disability, of chronic disease, and of

precursors to disease such as obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This is due to a range of factors: preventing the acute, often fatal diseases of middle age leaves more people open to the chronic diseases of older age; higher levels of awareness and the ability to screen for early disease and precursors to disease results in more case finding. All of which tells us something about the challenges the health system of the 21st century must meet.

Before the beginning of the 20th century, medicine could not offer many effective treatments. The focus of the system was doctors who offered comfort rather than cure.This changed over the course of the 20th century, with developments in diagnostic interventions, surgical techniques, better understanding of the causes of illness and the aids to recovery. Much of this took place in hospitals. Hospitals became the focus of modern medicine. Health care was divided into services that were provided outside hospitals and those that were provided inside. This division is still reflected in the way services are funded.

Directions for ageing well in a healthy Australia Professor Hal Kendig is Director of the Ageing, Work, and Health Research Unit in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney.

Professor Colette Browning is Professor of Healthy Ageing and Director of Monash Research for an Ageing Society at Monash University.

The quest for ageing well is arguably as old as humanity itself and is deeply embedded in individuals’ consciousness and collective ideas of social advancement.

A constructive path to a Healthy Australia requires a lifespan approach and strong recognition of the importance of the social determinants of health and processes of social change.

The lifespan approach must begin with investing in the development of children and younger adults, given the lifelong

returns from investing in their health, well-being and productivity. But it cannot stop there.There are ethical responsibilities to also value people through midlife and later life ages and there are significant, but often unrecognised, opportunities to enable ageing well to the benefit of people at all ages.

The challenges and opportunities of ageing demand deep consideration of the varying experiences and meanings of growing older as well as the socio-economic forces that shape our ageing society. Yet why is so little done on positive approaches to ageing and what can be done about it?

Landmark moment in e-health Dr Mukesh Haikerwal (AO) is the National Clinical Lead with the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) working on the NEHTA program to deliver e-health for Australia.

In Australia we enjoy an enviable health system that up to now has ensured we have access to timely, quality healthcare when we need it, and that the care is affordable and in general equitable. However, maintaining this level of healthcare, keeping the system sustainable and improving the health outcomes of Australians, requires a fundamental change in approach to the way healthcare is delivered. Core to this is placing the patient at the centre of their care, moving the care settings out of the hospital care sector and into primary care, and reserving the high cost, high intensity technically complex hospital sector for the types of care and treatments to which it is best suited.

The patient journey today is hampered by disjointed communication and limited access to quality information.As a result, the ability to make sound decisions about care is often impaired by delays or lack of available information.There are significant adverse effects and high levels of frustration, particularly among patients who are elderly, disabled, or suffering from chronic conditions or mental health disorders.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 43

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U UNION NION S SHOPPER HOPPER IS IS A ALL LL A ABOUT BOUT E ENSURING NSURING M MEMBERS EMBERS R RECEIVE ECEIVE G GREAT REAT VALUE FOR OR M MONEY ONEY O ON V ALUE F N WHATEVER YOU W HATEVER Y OU ARE ARE LOOKING L OOKING TO TO BUY. BUY.

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LIONS NURSES’SCHOLARSHIP

Loooking for fundding to furtheer your stuuddies i

in 2012?

20

The trustees of the Lions Nurses’ Scholarship Foundation invite applications for scholarships for 2012.

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 Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or regulatory 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 or overseas), and application forms are available from: The Honourary Secretary, Lions Nurses’ Scholarship Foundation 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 or contact Ms Glen Ginty on 1300 367 962 or gginty@nswnurses.asn.au www.nswnurses.asn.au Completed applications must be in the hands of the secretary no later than 28 November 2011.

44 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

BOOKS

BOOK ME Clinical Companion: Medical-Surgical Nursing (2nd revised ed.)

SPECIAL INTEREST

By Gayle McKenzie and Tanya Porter, Elsevier Australia, RRP $49.95 ISBN 9780729539968

This second edition of Clinical Companion: Medical-Surgical Nursing is designed to provide practical suggestions and helpful tips to assist with nursing care and learning outcomes. A consistent format presents common diseases and disorders by causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, complications and nursing considerations. Where medical or surgical interventions, tests or pharmacology are required, actions are clearly indicated.

Each body system is addressed with an overview of the anatomy and physiology followed by the pathophysiology of related conditions.

Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics A-Z (2nd ed.)

By Adrian Bruce and Michael Loughnan, Elsevier Australia, RRP $136.36 ISBN 9780729539579

The second edition of Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics A-Z is a compact, well illustrated and educational manual of anterior eye conditions that will readily assist with diagnosis and management of these conditions. This quick reference guide will appeal to both the primary and specialist eye-care clinician who requires a succinct description of anterior eye conditions with the extra information needed to confirm diagnosis, consider additional differential diagnoses and/or alternatives for therapy.

Preoperative Assessment and Perioperative Management Edited by Mark Radford, Alastair Williamson and Clare Evans, M & K Publishing, RRP $54.40 ISBN 9781905539024

This text sets out to be different, by bridging the gap between the books on the market that examine perioperative management, anaesthesia and surgical nursing. Preoperative Assessment and Perioperative Management aims to deliver the core clinical aspects of practice, linked to the education and service development needs of perioperative service as well as a helpful text for those who wish to understand more about the management of patients undergoing surgery.

The Human Body in Health and Illness (4th ed.)

Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres; Deciphering the Ends of DNA

By Catherine Brady, MIT Press, RRP $31.95 ISBN 9780262026222 Catherine Brady tells the story of molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn’s life and work, and the emergence of a new field of scientific research on the specialised ends of chromosones and the enzyme, telomerase, which extends them.

She explores Blackburn’s struggle to break down barriers in an elite, maledominated profession, her role as a mentor to other women scientists (many of whom have made their mark in telomere research), and the collaborative nature of scientific work. This book gives us a vivid portrait of an exceptional woman and a new understanding of the combination of curiosity, imaginative speculation, and aesthetic delight that powers scientific discovery.

By Barbara Herlihy, Saunders (available through Elsevier Australia), RRP $59.99 ISBN 9781416068426

The Human Body in Health and Illness begins with a basic discussion of the human body and cellular structure and moves toward genetics and the greater complexity of the human organism.

Using colourful cartoons, illustrations, and an easy-to-read approach, this text makes it fun to learn anatomy and physiology. Clear, step-by-step explanations provide all the information you need to know, so concepts are easy to understand even if you have a limited background in the sciences.

Making the Transition from LPN to RN

By Rose Kearney-Nunnery, F. A. Davis Company, RRP $POA ISBN 9780803621480

Making the Transition from LPN to RN uses an informal, conversational writing style to engage and encourage students.

It presents a balance of theory, clinical application of knowledge, and clinical decision making. It builds on basic nursing skills knowledge to address the practice issues that differentiate LPN from RN practice. It provides contextbased learning through nursing process, safety, critical thinking, nursing theory, and evidence based practice to RN practice.

These books are all available on order through the publisher or your local book shop. Members of the NSWNA can borrow any of these books and more from our records and information centre. For borrowing information, contact Jeannette Broomfield nswnurses.asn.au or Cathy Matias 8595 2121 cmatias@nswnurses.asn.au. Some of the items featured are based on information received and have not been independently reviewed. Reviews by NSWNA librarian Jeannette Broomfield.

Publishers Websites: MIT Press: mitpress-ebooks.mit.edu • Elsevier Australia: www.elsevierhealth.com.au Saunders: www.us.elsevierhealth.com • M & K Publishing: www.mkupdate.co.uk • F. A. Davis: www.fadavis.com THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 45

DON’T PUT YOUR NSWNA MEMBERSHIP AT RISK! The State Government could at any time stop payroll deductions.

As a matter of urgency please convert to the Direct Debit or Credit method of paying your fees.

BE PREPARED. CHANGE TODAY. Download, complete and return your Direct Debit form to the Association.

www.nswnurses.asn.au Alternatively call us on Metro 8595 1234 or Rural 1300 367 962 Authorised by B Holmes NSW Nurses’ Association.

MOVIES

MOVIE OF THE MONTH Burning Man

Only at the movies NOVEMBER 17TH www.BURNINGMANMOVIE.com.au Twitter - #BurningMan © 2011 Screen Australia Screen, NSW and Burning Man Holdings Pty Ltd. All rights reserved

Move over Margaret and David, Nurse Reviewer is on the couch!

Join our movie review team – share your opinions with your fellow Association members and see free screenings of next month’s new release films!

Email twofish@theplanet.net.au to join our Nurse Reviewer email list and receive notification of upcoming screenings.

Health professionals will value this film’s attitude to dying, writes reviewer O’BRAY SMITH. WALKING INTO THIS MOVIE I thought it was going to be about an English chef, his restaurant in Bondi and his relationship with his son. WRONG, that doesn’t touch the surface of the messages sent to us through film. Burning Man is a fragmented tale of death, grief and everyday life events.

Director/writer Jonathan Teplitzky feeds the viewer strands of information about a man, Tom, his rather unusual sex life, and his son, Oscar.

The movie has value in its approach and attitude to dying, something I think health professionals will appreciate and understand. Not many films can put humour into such an emotional time. I admit I was laughing at many parts and could relate to experiences in my career. It made the process believable and confronting, I imagine even for people who have not been involved in palliative care. Not an easy task.

Unfortunately, I felt that in some parts the humour missed it’s mark and I did find myself cringing. Rather unusual for a nurse as normally we can laugh at anything.

I think this movie could have value in our nursing schools.

Perhaps we could run it as a lesson in what not to do as a nurse. Once again the doctor has compassion, is accessible and mindful. The nurses unfortunately have the virtues and skills of dead fish.

The film was very creative in its imagery, symbolism and structure but to my mind it was strange to add comedy to this. I’ve read other reviews that have applauded Burning Man’s ‘slice and dice structure’ and intensity.

If you’re saving yourself up for a good cry and just need the final straw, this is the movie for you. I give one star for the lead actor Matthew Goode, one star for his cooking and nudity in the movie, and one star for the top Australian actors littered throughout the film; even though most of them seemed to be giving their worst performances ever.

O’Bray Smith is an RN at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

NSWNA MEMBERS GIVEAWAY The Lamp has 20 double passes to giveaway to Burning Man, thanks to Paramount Pictures & Transmission Films. The first 20 members to email their name, membership number, address and contact number to: lamp@nswnurses.asn.au will win!

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 47

THINK. CHANGE. DO.

OPPORTUNITIES@NSWNA

HEALTH RESEARCHER CENTRE FOR HEALTH COMMMUNICATION FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

JOIN UTS For further information go to: www.hru.uts.edu.au/jobs

48 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

Interested in social justice? Then consider becoming a Union Summer cadet!

UTS CRICOS Provider Code 00099F

The Centre for Health Communication at UTS is undertaking a three-year NHMRC funded research program on infection control. We are seeking a Health Researcher to conduct research in two hospitals focusing on clinicians’ infection control and contributeto the production of new knowledge about approaches towards infection control.

This innovative project seeks to change health care worker beliefs and practices about infection control in order to lower hospital-acquired infection rates and to strengthen clinicians’ capacity for infection control.

For more information please visit http://www.centreforhealthcom.org Working as part of a multi-disciplinary research team, your previous experience of building working relationships with hospital stakeholders and postgraduate qualifications in a health or social science discipline will be key to your success in this role.

Closing Date: 7th of November 2011 Ref No. R061011

Are you passionate about workers’ rights?

Union Summer is a three-week internship program run by Unions NSW. It is aimed at people who are interested in workers’ rights and social justice, would like to learn more about how unions work, and would like to get involved in making Australia a better place for working people and their families.

Successful interns are placed with a union between Monday 30 January and Friday 17 February 2012 and given training and work experience in working for a union.

All members and associate members are encouraged to apply, with the view to successful nursing and midwifery applicants undergoing a three-week placement with the NSW Nurses’ Association.

There are no prerequisites to be accepted for the internship, however experience in union, community, social justice or student activism is desirable. Closing date for applications: Monday 21st November.

For an application form please email Kate Minter, kminter@unionsnsw.org.au For more info contact Phillipe Millard NSWNA on Metro 8595 1234 or Country 1300 367 962 or pmillard@nswnurses.asn.au

CROSSWORD

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE 1

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Across 1. Vaccination (12) 7. A protective covering for an incomplete tooth (3) 9. Scurf (8) 10. Restless (7) 11. Severe seborrheic dermatitis in newborns (6.7) 12. A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution (2) 14. Queasy (8) 15. A rare but often fatal disease that affects the central nervous system by causing painful muscular contractions (7) 16. Cauda (4) 17. Cubitus (5) 18. Biconvex transparent body behind the iris (4)

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Nurse classification (1.1) Rhesus (2) A straight muscle (6) An image produced by ultrasonography (8) Relating to the fibula (8) A hollow sound indicating a cavity in the lungs (8) An individual or cell with an extra chromosome (7) Inferior vena cava (4.4)

Down 1. Inactive, sluggish (8) 2. Relating to the lower jaw (10) 3. Neuron (5.4) 4. One of an early indicator of macular degeneration (4.6)

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An inward bending (10) A knob-like or knotty swelling (8) To grind with teeth (4) Mental state characterised by loss of contact with reality (9) Loss of bodily sensation with or without loss of consciousness (11) Pregnant (7) The tympanum (7) Sediment, dregs (7) A salivary calculus or tartar (6) A midwife classification (1.1) Enzyme containing secretion of the salivary glands (6) Rate, pace (5) Carbon monoxide (1.1)

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011 | 49

DIARY DATES

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, MEETINGS SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA Anaesthesia and Post Anaesthesia Care Nursing Two-day seminar 18-19 November 2011 Westmead Hospital, Westmead.

(03) 9390 8011 or info@criticalcare.edu.au or www.criticalcare.edu.au The ‘ALERT’ Course — Acute Life-threatening Emergencies, Recognition and Treatment Two-day seminar 25-26 November 2011 Wests Mayfield, Newcastle.

(03) 9390 8011 or info@criticalcare.edu.au or www.criticalcare.edu.au Nepean Midwifery 21st Annual Conference Friday 2 March, 2012 Sebel Resort, Windsor murrayt@aimhigherevents.com.au

REGIONAL INTERSTATE & OVERSEAS Ready to go Discharge Planning Masterclass Edinburgh 18 November 2011 London 3 February 2012 bookings@mkupdate.co.uk Ph: 017687 73030 Post: M&K Update Ltd, The Old Bakery, Keswick CA12 5AS 2011 International Symposium on Reducing Child Mortality Tuesday, 15 November 2011 Melbourne Convention Centre Room 207 alexandra.brown@sydney.msf.org Website: childmortality.msf.org.au The ECG Workshop Glasgow 5-6 December 2011 bookings@mkupdate.co.uk Ph: 017687 73030 Post: M&K Update Ltd, The Old Bakery, Keswick CA12 5AS

Understanding Blood Results Dublin 17-18 November 2011 London 6-7 December 2011 Manchester 8-9 December 2011 bookings@mkupdate.co.uk Ph: 017687 73030 Post: M&K Update Ltd, The Old Bakery, Keswick CA12 5AS web: www.mkupdate.co.uk 3rd Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium 14-16 November 2011 Mercure Hotel, Ballarat VIC Laura Hancock Conference Secretariat ruralhealth@anzmh.asn.au Please be sure to submit your work via the symposium website www.anzmh.asn.au/rrmh11 Evidence Based Rehabilitation London 19 November, 2011 bookings@mkupdate.co.uk Ph: 017687 73030 Post: M&K Update Ltd, The Old Bakery, Keswick CA12 5AS Or book online: www.mkupdate.co.uk/acatalog/Allied_ Health_Professionals.html The Future Role of Support Workers in Perioperative and Critical Care Manchester 24 November 2011 www.mkupdate.co.uk to see complete listing of events, dates and venues in the UK. Advanced Emergency Skills Masterclass West Midlands, UK, 19 January 2012 Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust bookings@mkupdate.co.uk Ph: 017687 73030 Post: M&K Update Ltd, The Old Bakery, Keswick CA12 5AS 14th National Nurse Education Conference 2012 Perth 11-13 April Pan Pacific Hotel, Perth WA nnec@iceaustralia.com www.iceaustralia.com/nnec2012/

The International Conference on Integrative Medicine May 13-15, 2012 Jerusalem Conference Secretariat Paragon Conventions, 18 Avenue Louis-Casai, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland.

Tel: +41 22 5330 948 Fax: +41 22 5802 953 rlevy@paragon-conventions.com www.mediconvention.com

NSWNA events Check venue location with Lyn Stevens 02 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962.

Education dates For more information on NSWNA education courses contact Carolyn Kulling at the NSWNA. (02) 8595 1234 free call 1300 367 962 or visit our website: www.nswnurses.asn.au/topics/2761.html

REUNIONS Charles Sturt University Bathurst 1989-1991 Reunion Saturday 5th November, 7pm Church Bar, Bathurst Grant Frecklington 0418610288 RPAH 50 year reunion Still seeking registered nurse graduates from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital January 1962 PTS group for a 50 year reunion on Wednesday 8 February 2012. Please contact barbdryland@hotmail.com or Rosemary at rabrab75@gmail.com RPAH April 1979 graduation reunion April 2012. Date and venue to be advised.

Jane Howland (02) 6581 3381 Reunion for RNS graduation group February 1972 (and anyone who started with us but graduated later). Please contact Jenny Haddon (jmaylc@yahoo.com) Sonia Asman (billandson@optusnet.com.au) or Julia Lucas-Edwards (julia.thommo@gmail.com).

Diary Dates Diary Dates is a free service for members.

Please send diary date details, in the same format used here – event, date, venue, contact details, via email, fax and the web, before the 5th of the month prior, for example: 5 May for June Lamp.

Send information to: Email: lamp@nswnurses.asn.au Fax: 9550 3667 Post: 50 O’Dea Ave, Waterloo NSW 2017 Please double-check all information 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.

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

Special Interest Groups Special Interest Groups is now part of Diary Dates. If you are a special interest group, you must send information about your event as above. Diary Dates are also on the web: www.nswnurses.asn.au/events Send us your snaps If you’re having a reunion, send us some photos and any information from the night, and we’ll try to publish them.

Crossword solution

RNs EENs EEN s Sydney wide Great team Flexible hours/shifts

9988 4588 www.healthcall.com.au ww w ww.healthcall.com.au

50 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2011

Hospitals, H osp pita s, Aged ged Ca Care are Facilities, ac itie Community ommun

I N D O L E N T I G E S T A N T

M I A I E I A I T I I O I M I R

M A N D I B U L A R I N I P I I

U I D I N I S I I I T O P H U S

N E R V E C E L L I I G I O I O

I I U I R I O I I E A R D R U M

S O F T D R U S E N I A I I I Y

A I F I I I S I L I R M I C O I

T I I I S I I I B I H I P I I P

I N F L E C T I O N I T E M P O

O I I I A I E I W I R I R I I S

N O D O S I T Y I D E P O S I T

I I G I E I A I L I C I N I I C

C H E W I A N A E S T H E S I A

A I T I P I U I N I U I A I I V

P S Y C H O S I S I S A L I V A

Are your workmates or friends members of the NSWNA? Why not ask them. And, if not, invite them to sign up. Like you, they need the security of belonging to a strong and dynamic union.

Not only will you be building your union by signing up new members, you and a friend could win this fabulous cruise to the Great Barrier Reef. The more members you sign up, the more chances you have to win!

Prize includes return airfares for two from Sydney, a seven-night cruise of the fabulous Barrier Reef in a stateroom on the beautiful Coral Sea Princess Cruises.

Multi-award-winning Coral Princess Cruises will introduce the lucky prize winner to Australia’s most famous natural wonder: the Great Barrier Reef. With over 28 years’ experience and an unrivalled reputation for cruising excellence, their exclusive itineraries

DRAWN D R AWN 30 JUNE 2012

showcase the very best of the Great Barrier Reef and tropical islands in total comfort and unmatched style.

You’ll enjoy the hidden jewels of the Great Barrier Reef: the reef, ancient rainforest and secluded tropical islands most visitors never see. Exclusive reef moorings mean you won’t be surrounded by hundreds of other reef visitors – and the company’s small ships accommodate a maximum of just 44 guests, ensuring an intimate and personalised experience.

You can be as adventurous or as relaxed as you please. Explore remote coral cays, deserted but for a myriad of colourful tropical fish, peaceful tropical islands and primordial rainforests well beyond the reach of most visitors, or simply relax on the sun deck or in the open-bridge or spa and cruise serenely through some of the most aweinspiring scenery Australia has to offer.

Coral Princess Cruises’ informative crew is always on hand to provide assistance and information about the fascinating reef life and habitats, and an experienced dive instructor can take you for an exhilarating introductory scuba dive, revealing even

more of this breathtaking world heritage-listed wonderland.

Three, four and seven-night cruises depart Cairns and Townsville each week, all year round. A special 10% discount is available to NSW Nurses’ Association members on the company’s range of small ship cruises on the Great Barrier Reef, Western Australia’s Kimberley, Across the Top of Australia, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia and New Zealand.

HURRY! Call the Association now for a recruitment kit and recruitment incentive scheme details.

Phone 8595 1234 (metropolitan area) or 1300 367 962 (rural) or go to www.nswnurses.asn.au RECRUITERS NOTE: nurses and midwives can now join online!

If you refer a new member to join online, make sure you ask them to put your name and workplace on the online application form. You will then be entitled to your vouchers and draw/s in the NSWNA Recruitment Incentive Scheme.

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WARNING: This comparison rate is true only for the example given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Available at participating dealers only. Nissan reserves its rights to withdraw, vary or extend this offer. Excludes Government, Rental & Large Fleet Buyers. ~Includes 12 months registration, stamp duty and CTP. Excludes dealer delivery. †Nurse’s pack is free with every car purchased from this ad between November 1st & November 30th 2011.

Vehicles and offer are available at time of printing. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion. Offer valid until November 30th 2011. MD20305 2381-FP YPA

NISSAN & KIA 02 8014 4487 | 37 Blacktown Road | Blacktown www.landernissan.com.au

www.landerkia.com.au

ONLY 4 MINS FROM PROSPECT HWY TURN OFF ON THE M4