The Lamp April 2012

lamp The

magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

volume 69 no.3 April 2012

WE CAN DEFEND OUR RATIOS TOO

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CONTENTS

The

CONTACTS

lamp

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

Volume 69 No.3 April 2012

Hunter Office 8-14 Telford Street, Newcastle East NSW 2300 NSWNA Communications Manager Janaki Chellam-Rajendra T 8595 1258

COVER STORY

12 | Ratios under threat The State Government’s plan for a comprehensive attack on the working conditions of nurses is becoming clearer.

Clare Bolton, RN, and Pam Barrett, NUM.

5 6 8 11 25 34 38 40 41 42 44

Editorial Your letters News in brief What’s On Ask Judith Nurse Uncut Nursing research online Crossword Books Movies of the Month Diary dates

COMPETITIONS

11 | Win a world-class stay at the Hunter

RATIOS IN VICTORIA

16 | Victorian nurses save ratios

After a marathon industrial dispute the Victorian Liberal Government gave up trying to return the state’s hospitals to the dark ages.

RATIOS IN VICTORIA

20 | Facebook battleground

Victorian government moves to censor nurses’ use of social media fell flat.

COMPETITIONS

47 | Sign up a new member and win

Produced by Hester Communications T 9568 3148 Press Releases Send your press releases to: T 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au

COVER PHOTO BY SHARON HICKEY

REGULARS

FOR ALL LAMP EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES, LETTERS AND DIARY DATES: T 8595 1234 E lamp@nswnurses.asn.au M 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017

AGED CARE

26 | Regional Australia needs quality aged care Influential federal MP Tony Windsor has pledged his support for the Because We Care campaign to win better wages and conditions for nurses working in aged care.

Editorial Committee • Brett Holmes, NSWNA General Secretary • Judith Kiejda, NSWNA Assistant General Secretary • Coral Levett, NSWNA President • 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 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 for 2012 Free to all Association members. Professional members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $50.

Individuals $78, Institutions $130, Overseas $140.

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 3

POSITIONS SV VACANT ACANT A

Information Infor m mation Offi Officers ficers

Or Organiser g ganiser

Member Industrial Ser Services vice es TTeam e eam

Permanent Per m manent Position

The Association is seeking s applications for Infor Information mation Offi Officer fficer positions within the Memberr Industrial Ser Services Waterloo aterloo office. vices TTeam eam e based in the W The positions are aavailable permanent vailable on a secondment/contract or per manent basis.

Do you want to be involved and ma make ake a dif difference? ference?

THE ROLE This position is res responsible sponsible for pro providing viding telephone ad advice vice and embers. The information infor mation on ind industrial members. dustrial and professional matters to m w members is promotion of the Association A activee recr recruitment uitment of ne and activ nnew an impor important component tant comp ponent of this position. ou be ablee to demonstrate TToo be successful inn the role it is essential that yyou and erbal communication skills an understanding undeerstanding of excellent written an nd vverbal environment, resolution the clinical en vironment, negotiation neggootiation and conflict resolutio on skills and be energetic, motivated computer literate. YYou ated and be oou must be self-confident, energ getic, e motiv m change. able to deal with ddynamic ynamic groups/individuals, groups/individuals, conflict andd rapid chang ge. e

ESSENTIAL CR CRITERIA RITERIA 2 Demonstrated d commitment to the union mo movement. vementt. ticulate and interpret com 2 Demonstrated d ability to ar articulate complex mplex 2 2 2 2

Agreements, Awards Agreements, A and other documents.

Demonstratedd competence in appropriate compute computer er skills. skills Demonstratedd ability to produce written documentss and letters.

Ability to w work orkk within a complex team en environment. vironment. ticulate telephone mann Demonstratedd polite and ar articulate manner. ner.

DESIRABLE CR CRITERIA RITERIA idwifer y 2 Appreciation of o the complexity of nursing and/or m midwifery professional and a industrial issues.

Relationns, Social 2 Relevant Relevant tertiary tertiaar y qualifications in Industrial Relations, Science, and Human Resources Manag Management. ement. e.

2 Ability to spea speak ak a second languag language.

2 Previous Previous expe experience rience in w working orking within the union mo movement. vement.

THE APPLICA APPLICATION ATION T PROCESS For an application pack including position description please goo to www.nswnurses.asn.au/about jobs@nswnurses.asn.au www .nswnurses.assn.au/about or email jobs@ns wnursess.asn.au information Please read the inf posiition. Applications formation on how how to apply for this position. accepted who follow will only be accept w this process. proocess. ted from candidates w ho follo For further information 1234 receivee an further infor maation please telephone (02) 8595 123 34 to receiv Employment Application which Employment Emplo yment Applic yment cation pack w hich includes an NSWNAA Emplo Form Information Application For m and a an Infor osition Description.

Deescription. mation Officer PPosition

The NSW N Nurses’ Association is seeking applications applicaations from our membership permanent Waterloo aterloo membersh hip for per manent Organiser Organiser positions,, located in our W allow w applicants to develop develop the skills in the office. The position will allo following takee back to the workplace. workplace. wing areas follo a to tak

THE ROL ROLE LE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR: 2 2 2 2 2

the de development evelopment of strategies to recr recruit uit ne new w members rpreting Awards advocating advoccating on behalf of members and inter interpreting par participating ticipating in w workplace orkplace campaigns orkplace industrial issues responding respon nding to w workplace reting and applying industrial instr uments in both the public interpreting interp instruments rivate sectors and pprivate vels of manag ement.

2 liaison n with all le levels management.

TO BE CONSIDERED C FOR THIS ROLE YOU NEED: 2 2 2 2 2 2

a reco recognised ognised nursing qualification er’s licence a cur current r NSW driv rent driver’s erbal communicationn skills excellent excelle ent written and vverbal negotiation neg otiiation and conflict resolution skills to be computer literate and self-confident ly and a commitm to be able to tra travel vel regular regularly commitment ment to impro improving ving working midwives the w o orking conditions for nurses and mid w wives and to the TTrade rrade movement Union mo vement 2 an un understanding derstanding of industrial, political andd health issues.

THE APP APPLICATION PLICA ATION T PROCESS k, please ggoo to For fur further therr infor information mation and an application pack pack, oyee Relations bbyy www.nswnurses.asn.au/about www .nswnurses.asn.au/about or contact Emplo Employee 367 962 (countr telephoning telephonin (countryy ng (02) 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 3 jobs@nswnurses.asn.au callers) or via email: jobs@ns wnurses.asn.au Applications received Fridayy 20 Ap April Applicatio ns should be receiv ed bbyy Frida pril 2012 and addressedd to: Robyn Rob byyn Morrison Moorrison Employee Manager Emplo yee Relations Manager WATERLOO 50 O’Dea Avenue, WA ATTERLOO NSW 2017 email: jobs@nswnurses.asn.au or via ema ail: jobs@ns sw wnurses.asn.au

received Applications shouldd be receiv adddressed to: ed by by 20 April 2012 and addressed Robyn Morrison, Manager rison, Emplo EEmployee Rob byyn Mor yee Relations Manag geer Waterloo 50 O’Dea Avenue,, W aaterloo NSW 2017 jobs@nswnurses.asn.au Email: jobs@ns sw wnnurses.asn.au

INFORMATION INFORM MA ATTION SESSIONS SESSIIONS Want W ant mor a more e information information about working g for the NSW Nurses’ As Association? sociation?

We information mation session session at our W Waterloo office on you’d W e are are holding holdiing an infor aterloo a o 17 April at 5pm. If you ’d like to attend session,, RSVP Employee Relation Relations jobs@nswnurses.asn.au obs@nswnurses.asn.au this session ns on 02 8595 1234 or jo

EDITORIAL

BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

These attacks can be stopped The bad news is the O’Farrell Government has revealed its true character with an agenda to roll back public sector wages and conditions. The good news is our Victorian colleagues have shown that determined action by nurses is more than a match for any government that treats patient care with contempt.

“Now a second wave of attacks aims to severely punish workers who pursue industrial action.”

Twelve months after its election in a landslide the O’Farrell Government’s honeymoon is well and truly over. It has had time to establish its own credentials and pursue programs that it was elected to undertake.

It can no longer rely on blaming its predecessor to distract attention from itself.

The state is now its responsibility.

From the viewpoint of nurses,midwives and other public sector workers an assessment of the government’s record and intentions is not good.

Within 50 days of attaining office they had capped public sector wages at 2.5%, virtually embedding in law cuts in real wages into the future. They also gutted the independent umpire – the NSW Industrial Relations Commission – of its powers to arbitrate in wage negotiations. Nurses and Midwives know better than anyone else how important the Commission has been in establishing fair pay and conditions for our profession.

Now a second wave of attacks aims to severely punish workers who, via their unions, pursue the type of industrial action that would be recognised as legitimate in the rest of the country.

The massive increase in fines for taking industrial action (see page 12) is clearly intended to intimidate us from taking the kind of action that has won us fair pay rises in the past and the historic victory of nurseto-patient ratios in 2011.

More worryingly, the government is now sitting on a Commission of Audit report that recommends the removal of nurse-to-patient ratios and other staffing measures from awards, such as ACORN and BirthRate Plus.

When asked to commit to reject such recommendations, the government is noncommittal about the future beyond the current agreement.

This is unconscionable behavior. The nurseto-patient ratios, as agreed to in the last Memorandum of Understanding, are now

half way to being implemented. Where they have been implemented the feedback is that they are delivering what we always they said they would – a safer hospital environment and better patient care.

The government did not put these industrial relations policies before the electorate prior to the election. Jillian Skinner, Minister for Health, tells us they are reforms “to deliver a more productive, efficient, and responsive NSW public sector”. We have all heard these politicians’ words before and we all know what they are code for.

Dispiriting though it is for public health system nurses to see their state government – effectively their employer – advance such reactionary measures, that would take us back to the dark old days when staffing was determined by managerial whim, hope is at hand.

Victorian nurses had to defend their ratios from the moment they first won them in 2001 and then again and again through every subsequent pay and conditions campaign, no matter which political party was in office.

They have just done it again after a titanic nine-month struggle with a very well organised and determined Liberal-National state government (see page 18).

Time and again Victorian nurses have put themselves on the line to defend what they know – through what is now long and established practice – that ratios are right for patient care.

If Victorian nurses can do it so can we.

We need to make it clear to every politician, especially from the Liberal and National parties but also those on the cross benches – the Shooters and Fishers Party and the Christian Democratic party – that the government’s agenda is unacceptable and damaging to safe patient care. We need to do it now.

I urge you to make your feelings known to your local MP.

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 5

LETTERS LETTERS

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Defend ratios When you are sick you have a right to be safe. When you go to work you have a right to be safe. Safety is something that we value highly and constantly promote, at work, at home, at school and recreationally. We teach it, practise it and write policies around it.

Nurses value safe levels of care for our patients and strive to provide this every day.

The implementation of NHPPD (nursing hours per patient day) will see a much needed injection of nurses into a workforce that was being eroded, overlooked and undervalued, until crisis intervened at the risk to those servicing the system and those accessing it.

Those of us on the floor welcome the ratio initiative as now we can practise in a safe and competent manner.

The State Government wants to make changes to industrial relations law and remove “workforce management policies” such as NHPPD because they are not “flexible”. In practise NHPPD has, finally, allowed flexibility in the allocation of staff according to demand, patient acuity and skills mix, which results in improved outcomes for unstable patients, better detection of deteriorating patients, increased standard of care for recovering patients, boosted staff morale and increased job satisfaction. To sum it up, it is now safer for all of us and the biggest winner is the patient.

As a service provider to the elderly, sick and injured within our community, isn’t this what it is all about and why we pay our taxes?

Meg Pendrick, EEN Why must I inhale second hand smoke at work?

As a nurse working in the NSW prison system, no one can explain to me why I have to go to work as a NSW Health employee and breathe in toxic Class A carcinogenic tobacco smoke. I’ve heard a bucket load of excuses from everyone (riots, it’s very hard, and time is needed) and still some people are either ignorant of the truth, research and best practice at other systems overseas, or don’t care about the health and safety of employees. They might think twice if they were diagnosed with breast, bowel or prostate cancer or develop CAL (chronic airway limitation).

I note that the bureaucrats working in administration can enjoy a smoke-free workplace. What about the workers at the frontline? Bad luck, get another job if you don’t like it?

Corrective Services has been aware since 2004 that levels of tobacco smoke in NSW prisons are above the World Health Organisation standard of safety (zero). No exposure is safe and a little over time is enough to cause cancer and or lower airway diseases.

So, I would like the Association to ask the Commissioner for Corrective Services if he will develop a cancer fund so that, when nurses, and other

staff including non-smoking inmates with chronic diseases, are diagnosed with cancer, or die, they will be compensated.

What about the new Work Health Safety (WHS) legislation? Senior bureaucrats have a duty under the new legislation to exercise due diligence to ensure compliance mechanisms are in place to meet WHS requirements. I suggest the Association needs to take action against Corrective Services or we will still be talking about smoking in prisons in another 10 years. They have had years to implement a complete smoke-free prison system. If New Zealand can do it in 12 months, and correctional systems in the USA and Canada can, why can’t we? There is a significant smoking culture in prisons and when staff members are exposed to this, time and time again, they just accept it as part of the job. No one should have to work in an environment that will cause them cancer in the future.

I request all my fellow nurses working in the health system to write to the ministers concerned and ask for an independent external judicial inquiry, so the truth can come out.

Thank you Anthony Craig, RN

That’s a wrap I recently attended a two-day, fully sponsored NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) filmmakers’ workshop thanks to the NSWNA. What a fascinating eye-opening experience it was to learn about the “grammar” of film and television. Simple camera techniques like establishing shots and medium close-ups were dealt with at inception and then interwoven with Point of View, “crabbing” and the intriguingly named “Dutch” shot.

You wouldn’t dare chance “crossing the line” while shooting an “over the shoulder” unless attempting a “surveying pan shot” which, if needed, can build to a great climax or anticlimax. Did I mention what type of camera I want for my birthday? You learn all about that too.

Cut. Take 23. Action!

Malcolm Leabon, RN

From the editor This passionate letter from our member highlights one of many work health and safety risks faced by nurses and midwives, simply by going to work each day. NSWNA vigorously supports the removal of exposure to passive smoking for all workers and has been actively working to ensure that this will soon be a reality for nurses working for Justice Health.

Lithgow Correctional Centre is about to commence a Smoke-Free Buildings Trial, ultimately to be rolled out to all corrections facilities in NSW. Nurses will then be completely free from exposure to the effects of the smoking of others in all Corrective Service buildings and establishments, including cell blocks. In the interim, harm minimisation measures are in place and Justice Health is implementing a newly developed strategic plan related to smoke-free environments.

The letter is also timely in emphasising some of the changes that will give front line nurses and midwives more say in the control of the hazards they face at work. Consultation arrangements under the new Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation (implemented 1 January 2012 in NSW) make provision for a new style of Health and Safety Representative (HSR) who will represent their work group on WHS matters. HSRs can request training and then be able to issue notices against an employer, if necessary, or stop work where an imminent risk to health and safety is apparent.

Every letter published receives a $20 Coles Group & Myer gift card.

6 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

LETTERS

Help nurses to reconnect Details of AHPRA’s (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) new registration system came as some surprise to me. It wasn’t just that the government thinks it reasonable to establish a preferential trading scheme with the College of Nursing, or that AHPRA believes that all nurses returning to the workforce, no matter how experienced, should be forced to pay $10,000 to refresh their skills. I wasn’t even particularly surprised that the Nurses’ Association had done little more than “inform” its members of the impending changes, or that the highly discriminatory nature of this gendered policy has been largely ignored. I was surprised, however, that the government is reinventing the wheel at significant cost to individual nurses, when a perfectly good programme for retraining returning nurses already exists. I am a midwife who decided to return to nursing after 12 years devoting myself to family responsibilities. I participated in the Reconnect programme that paid me to undertake on-the-job refresher training.

The programme respected my existing expertise and more than 16 years of experience. With the help of nurse educators in the ward I was quickly able to bring my skills up to speed and learn how to work in a contemporary hospital environment. This is what returning nurses need, not onerous requirements to maintain their registration and expensive, one-size-fits-all classes.

The government cannot fret on the one hand about a nurse shortage and then actively discourage experienced nurses – the majority of whom are women – from returning to the workforce. While AHPRA’s goal of maintaining professional standards is laudable, it should look to schemes that are proven to work for nurses, rather than transplant programmes from other industries onto the nursing profession.

Janis Jesu, RN RGN RM

From the editor While agreeing with the sentiment that AHPRA should “… look to schemes that are proven to work for nurses” there are a number of inaccuracies in Janis Jesu’s letter: 1. Any Registered Training Organisation can develop a re-entry to practice program and apply to have it accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council.There are currently more than 40 approved programs for RN re-entry in Australia.There is no “preferential” relationship between the government and the College of Nursing.

2. AHPRA does not “require all nurses returning to the workforce” to undertake the College of Nursing course – the requirement for returning to the workforce is either successful completion of a program or assessment approved by the Board, or successful completion of a supervised practice experience approved by the Board.

3. NSWNA has committed significant resources to achieving the best possible outcome for nurses and midwives throughout the establishment of the national registration scheme. Most recently we have been intensely engaged in advocating for those nurses and midwives who were on career breaks and were unaware of the new requirements, with state and federal ministers, members of parliament, the Nursing and Midwifery Office and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.We have a petition circulating (go to www.nswnurses.asn.au).

We raised the discrimination issue last year and are consulting with legal counsel with regards to a possible discrimination action.

We also agree with Janis when she says that a model that respects the candidate’s existing expertise, such as the Reconnect model (registration with a period of supervised, supported practise), is the preferred option, particularly for those nurses and midwives who have been caught out by the retrospective application of the new requirements.

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.mooreequipment.com.au

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

Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Defend ratios: get ready The next wave of attacks against nurses’ rights is on the horizon and we must act now. The interim report into public sector management proposes some concerning changes to the decisions about how staffing levels are decided. This report recommends that specific staffing requirements be removed from industrial awards and should be a “managerial prerogative”.

This proposal is a direct threat to nurse-topatient ratios and safe patient care, before ratios have even been fully rolled out.

Nurses and midwives across NSW campaigned long and hard to secure ratios in the award. We must ensure that staffing requirements such as ratios remain a feature of the award as this means that nurses are involved in these decisions through the NSWNA and that ratios are enforceable.

Edward Makepeace, RN Aged care needs ratios too While better pay and conditions are part of the campaign for the renewal of our enterprise agreements there seems little chance that some conditions will ever change. It is unbelievable that in 2012 we still don’t have mandatory minimum staffing levels in nursing homes.

What is a fair workload for aged care nurses? Has anyone ever really assessed the actual amount of work that nurses do per shift? If they had then certainly a ratio of nurses per residents would be considered.

All aged care facilities are required to meet care standards to pass accreditation. These standards include that a high quality of care must be given to every resident.Yet, how can we give the quality of care that each resident needs and deserves when we are rushed off our feet?

Residents will say “sit and have a chat”.

How do you explain that you just don’t have the time?

Moira Devlin, AiN Proud to be in the profession It was with much pride and admiration that I read two items in the March issue of The Lamp: Amanda MasonJones’ letter of the month, and Margie Harris’ dedication to “the Singing Night Nurse”. Both were eloquent and succinct. It made me very proud to be in a profession where I could meet and work with such gorgeous people. I often recognise these qualities in my colleagues, yet you don’t often see such professionalism articulated in black and white. Thank you.

Corinne Green, RN THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 7

NEWS IN BRIEF

Australia

Nurses knock down 60 “needless hurdles” NSW health minister Jillian Skinner has announced 60 scholarships to cover the $10,000 cost of re-entry programs for nurses wishing to return to the profession.

United States

“It’s a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed but at least it is a start.” — Brett Holmes

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes welcomed the initiative, saying that pressure applied by nurses and midwives and their union was paying dividends.

“It’s a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed but at least it is a start,” he said.

Brett said that while the scholarships were useful, there were other “needless hurdles” still in the way of nurses and midwives wishing to return to the profession.

“The Australian Nurses and Midwifery Accreditation Council is responsible for approving online courses that would facilitate re-entry of these nurses into the NSW public health system. They have been reviewing an online course for more than nine months without coming to a decision.

“Faster action there would remove another hurdle for these nurses.”

Deadly link to sleeping pills Commonly used sleeping pills such as temazepam and zolpidem are associated with more than a fourfold risk of death, according to a study published in the BMJ Open online journal.

Researchers from the Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Centre in La Jolla, California, conducted the study over a two-and-a-halfyear period. They compared the death rates among more than 10,500 people who received sleeping pill prescriptions, to those of more than 23,600 others who had not received such medication.

The scientists found that even at a relatively low rate of prescription – fewer than 18 doses a year – those who were given the pills had a 3.5 times greater risk of death compared with those who were not prescribed them. Individuals who were given pills more frequently – between 18 and 132 doses in a year – were more than four times more likely to be dead at the end of the study. The risk of death for those on the most pills – 132 doses or more a year – was more than five times that of those on no pills.

Those who had taken the most pills were also 35% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer.

In the US, where this study was carried, up to 10% of the adult population took sleeping pills in 2010. The authors estimate that sleeping pills may have been associated with 320,000 to 507,000 extra deaths in the US that year.

Australia

Actor and ACTU join forces for Indigenous employment The ACTU has linked up with the Jack Thompson Foundation, formed in 2008, to improve skills and job training opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence announced the partnership alongside the renowned actor, saying the alliance would empower Indigenous Australians and their communities by strengthening the skills base within local communities.

“The Jack Thompson Foundation is already doing fantastic work in this area, training young Indigenous people in construction trades so that they can use their skills to build homes in their local areas,” he said. “Unions have long been committed to improving the outcomes for Indigenous Australians and just last year developed the Indigenous Action Plan 2011-13, which includes a focus on improving employment opportunities.”

Jeff Lawrence said that an immediate goal of the partnership was to secure more apprenticeship opportunities for young Indigenous Australians.

“The partnership will work closely with unions in the trade and education sectors to explore training pathways for young people in remote communities,” he said.

Jack Thompson said: “This partnership with the ACTU is exciting and is essential for the ongoing achievement of the Jack Thompson Foundation’s aims, to provide trade-recognised skills that will enable remote Indigenous communities to house and support their needs now and into the future.”

s

8 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

COMPETITION

United States

Doctors sack patients for vaccine refusal A growing number of US doctors are telling parents to find another practitioner if they’ve refused to have their children vaccinated, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In a study of Connecticut pediatricians, published last year, some 30% of 133 doctors said they had asked a family to leave their practice for “vaccine refusal”. Another survey of 909 pediatricians in the US Midwest found that 21% reported removing families for the same reason. This compares with about 6% of physicians surveyed by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2001 and 2006, who said they “routinely” stopped working with families due to parents who continued to refused vaccines, and 16% who said they “sometimes” dismissed them.

Most pediatricians consider preventing disease through vaccines as a primary goal of their job. As patients have become savvier and more willing to challenge doctors, physicians have become increasingly reluctant to deal with uncooperative patients, Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania told the Wall Street Journal.

An important factor raised by paediatricians for their stand was the concern that unimmunised children could pose a waiting room danger to infants or sick children who haven’t yet been fully vaccinated.

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, rates for several key inoculations in young children rose between 2009 and 2010, while lower immunisation rates have been blamed as a factor in outbreaks of whooping cough and measles in recent years in the US.

NURSING POSITIONS

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We are looking for Nurses at all levels in the Riverina with a similar commitment to the Health Industry to us to meet our clients requirements.

Please contact Eric on 0418 867440 or through our website www.professionalnursing.com.au

Win a world-class stay at the Hunter Eaglereach, twice awarded Best superior Accommodation in Australia, is a world-class resort in the Hunter Region, with over 1,000 acres of natural land and an amazing variety of fauna and flora. It comprises of 33 custom-built and sole-use, family and spa lodges, as well as superior resort rooms to suit every budget.

Expansive verandahs provide spectacular views across the Hunter region to the Barrington Tops or the Pacific Ocean.

Guests can discover Eaglereach on foot, kayak, mountain bikes or self-drive Discovery Buggies. The resort’s facilities include swimming pool, tennis court, a volley ball court, childrens play centre, a games room, outdoor fitness centre and a series of dams for yabbying. Goonarook Lagoon is superb for swimming, kayaking and sport fishing. All non-motorised equipment and activities, the use of internet kiosks and DVD library, are complementary. A comprehensive activity program is available; from walks from the accessible private rainforest to the lookout at the Mount George Trig Station, to massages and facials in the Health & Fitness Centre.

Visit www.eaglereach.com.au or call (02) 4938 8233 for more details.

The Lamp is offering NSWNA members a chance to win a Discover Eaglereach adventure for up to four guests*. This fantastic prize includes four-nights lodge accommodation, champagne on arrival, breakfast daily, unlimited use of all resort facilities, complimentary hire of all non-motorised equipment, and a half-day Discovery Buggy hire to explore the resort.

To enter the competition, simply write your name, address and membership number on the back of an envelope and send it to: Eaglereach Competition 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo, NSW 2017 Competition closes 30 April 2012. Please note: only one entry per member will be accepted. *Conditions apply, based on twin-share accommodation, valid until 30 April 2013, Monday – Thursday inclusive, subject to availability.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Australia

United States

Redheads feel more pain Anecdotal evidence suggesting that redheads require more anesthetic than patients with other hair colours has been confirmed by a number of studies.

One study revealed that redheads are more sensitive to thermal pain and more resistant to the pain-numbing effects of certain anesthetics. A second study found that redheads required on average, 19% more anesthetic than women with dark hair. These two studies were funded by the US National Institute of Health in 2004 and 2005.

A third study published last year in the Scandinavian Journal of Pain revealed that redheaded women are actually less sensitive to stinging sensations than either blondes or brunettes.

The causes of these findings are still unclear. One theory is that redheads have a mutant melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) that interacts with endorphins that act as painkillers.

Redheads require on average

19%

more

anesthetic than women with dark hair.

Helping patients with financial problems In their caring role, nurses often hear about the personal or financial problems that are affecting a patient’s health. As such they are well placed as a point of referral to help people out of difficulty or even avoid it in the first place.

Those who have health issues that limit their ability to earn an income, or who use powered medical equipment in the home, are particularly vulnerable.

The government provides several rebates and a payment assistance scheme to help these people with their electricity or gas bills: • The Low Income Household rebate ($200 per year) is available to electricity account holders who have a Centrelink or Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Pension Concession Card, a Centrelink Health Care Card or for some with Gold Cards issued by the DVA. • The Life Support rebate is available to those who need certain life-sustaining medical equipment at home, such as a dialysis machine or a respirator.

• The Medical Energy rebate ($200 per year) can be claimed if someone in the household has a medically diagnosed inability to self-regulate body temperature when exposed to extreme temperature.

There are other forms of help, such as energy account vouchers, that are available from some community welfare organisations such as the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and Anglicare.

The Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) provides a free, independent service for NSW electricity, gas and some water customers when they cannot resolve a problem directly with their provider. For more information call EWON on 1800 246 545 or visit www.ewon.com.au

United States

Jury out on robots The use of robots in surgery has been increasing in the United States in recent years, but the jury is still out on their efficacy and cost effectiveness.

Robotics are routinely used for prostate removal and for certain procedures like suturing the urethra during prostate cancer surgery.

Robotic extensions can be so tiny they can go where human hands won’t fit, reducing the risk of complications and patient recovery time.

But a new study suggests that men who have their prostates removed have no better sexual function or less incontinence with robot-assisted surgery compared to the conventional kind. Other research has found that there are no differences in how well the two procedures actually treat cancer, although robotics may be linked to shorter hospital stay, and less blood loss and transfusion. They also suggest that the skill of the surgeon and the number of prostatectomies done at a hospital may have more to do with the success of the surgery than anything else.

In hysterectomy the rates of complications in women who had laparoscopic (minimally invasive surgery) surgery compared to robotic surgery were virtually identical. The cost associated with robotics, however, was over $US1200 more than conventional surgery.

“Robotics is a tool, albeit the most technologically advanced and expensive one, but a tool nonetheless,” Dr Bernard Park, chief of thoracic surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center told the Atlantic magazine.

“No technology will ever replace the critical importance of a skilled, thoughtful surgeon.”

10 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

c o st as s o c i at e d w i t h r o b o t i c s :

over

$US1200

more

t han c o n v e n t i o na l su r g e ry.

EDUCATION@NSWNA Australia

Nurses have their say in Sydney Alliance Parramatta The newly formed Parramatta District group of the Sydney Alliance has been listening to nurses in the Westmead, Mt Druitt and Blacktown areas about transport, social inclusion, and community support and health.

These issues are core components of the Sydney Alliance’s activities.

The Alliance is made up of a coalition of unions including the NSWNA, faith groups, and community groups who want to make Sydney a more liveable city.

NSWNA members working in hospitals in Westmead, Mt Druitt and Blacktown, responded to a recent survey about improving services and building a stronger community in these western areas.

The survey reveals how passionate NSWNA members are about their community. Many are involved in voluntary work and community activities such as sports and recreation clubs, support groups, church and faith based activities and assisting at schools and playgroups among others.

There were some concerning responses about public transport.

Many respondents only feel safe on public transport ‘sometimes’. Some ‘never’ feel safe. Other transport themes that emerged were wanting increased security, cleanliness, reliable timetabling, better access and lighting, and better linking between services to reduce travel time and cost.

The key themes in community support and health were excessive waiting times, difficulty for people getting public transport to services, poor parking for staff and patients at hospitals, lack of space for clinics and services at some hospitals and community health services, and the need for more culturally diverse services to meet the fast-growing muticultural communities.

The survey is to be followed by in-depth interviews with respondents on these issues.

To express your views about the Sydney Alliance agenda and to show your support or get involved please contact Rita Martin on rmartin@nswnurses.asn.au.

Australia

Woman of the year, no more NSW Woman of the Year had become an institution that coincided with International Women’s Day. But now it is no more, the victim of partisan politics.

NSW Minister for Women, Pru Goward, announced recently she was cancelling the award.

“It was a very tired award and it seemed to be mostly Labor’s friends who got awards and we want to make it much more inclusive,” she told 2UE radio.

Last year, Pru Goward nominated refugee advocate, doctor, researcher and humanitarian Helen McCue from the Southern Highlands Foundation for the award.

WHAT’S ON APRIL 2012

Computer Essentials for Nurses and Midwives – 1 day 4 April Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick 18 April Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick Seminar is suitable for all nurses and midwives.

Members $85 Non-members $170

——— • ——— Legal and Professional Issues for Nurses and Midwives – ½ day 20 April Shellharbour 26 April Gymea, Sydney 11 May Tweed Heads Topics covered include the Nurses and Midwives Act 1991, potential liability, importance of documentation, role of disciplinary tribunals and writing statements.

Members $40 Non-members $85

——— • ——— Practical, Positive Actions in Managing Conflict and Disagreement 18 April NSWNA Waterloo Seminar is suitable for all nurses and midwives.

Members $85 Non-members $170

——— • ——— Policy and Guideline Writing 27 April NSWNA Waterloo Seminar is suitable for all nurses and midwives.

Members $85 Non-members $170

——— • ——— Are you meeting your CPD requirements? – ½ day 18 May Wagga Wagga 25 May Armidale Seminar is suitable for all nurses and midwives to learn about CPD requirements and what’s involved in the process.

Members $40 Non-members $85

——— • ——— Appropriate Workplace Behaviour – 1 day 3 May Shellharbour Topics covered include understand why bullying occurs; anti-discrimination law and NSW Health policies; how to behave appropriately in the workplace; identifying behaviour that constitutes unlawful harassment and bullying; what to do if subjected to unlawful harassment and bullying; how to use workplace grievance procedures; identifying, preventing and resolving bullying.

Members $85 Non-members $170

——— • ——— To register or for more information go to www.nswnurses.asn.au/education or phone Carolyn Kulling on 1300 367 962 THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 11

COVER STORY

Ratios under threat The State Government’s plan for a comprehensive attack on the working conditions of nurses is becoming clearer.

L A S T Y E A R T H E O ’ FA R R E L L Government passed laws that capped the wage increases of public health nurses at 2.5% and rendered the NSW Industrial Relations Commission powerless as an independent umpire in wage negotiations.

Now the government has introduced more new laws that are a clear attack on the right of nurses and other public sector workers to take legitimate industrial action or be represented by a trade union.

It has also laid the groundwork for an attack against award conditions covering staffing, including nurse-to-patient ratios.

Health Minister Jillian Skinner has written to the NSWNA confirming that the interim Schott Report is the Coalition’s “roadmap” for public sector reform.

Premier Barry O’Farrell endorsed the report, which his government commissioned.

Former investment banker Kerry Schott undertook an Expenditure and Management Audit of the NSW Public Sector and, among other things, advocated the removal of conditions such as ratios from the award.

Other staffing arrangements in the public sector that are up for grabs include teacherto-pupil ratios, police authorised strength and fire fighter crew per appliance.

“The government welcomes the release of the report as a roadmap for reform to deliver a more productive and responsive NSW public sector. Until such time as the final report has been released and the government has fully considered its recommendations it would be pre-

‘I’m really angry’ Pam Barrett, a NUM in Acute Medical and Coronary Care at Tweed Hospital, says nurse-to-patient ratios are already making a difference in her hospital and it is infuriating to think the government would take them away.

“Ratios are in the process of being rolled out now. When we won them people felt satisfied that something positive may happen – that you wouldn’t walk off the shift frustrated anymore.”

Pam says the prospect that the government would remove them from the award has provoked a strong reaction.

“People are stunned. I have eight first year grads on my ward. One said to me ‘I had my first vote and I voted for Barry O’Farrell and now I am totally disillusioned. This government is taking away what I moved into nursing for’.

Pam says she is equally stunned that the government would contemplate taking away an award entitlement.

“I’m really angry. I believe in the community of Tweed.

I’m angry that my community will get a raw deal.

Nurses in the Tweed will take a strong stand on this.

They strongly believe in ratios and that they are about safe patient care. Even the doctors believe in them. We will be asking our local National MP Geoff Provest what he is going to do to protect our community.”

12 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

mature to be definitive in regard to the adoption or otherwise of (its) recommendations,” Jillian Skinner wrote.

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes says this “non-answer” should set off alarm bells among NSW nurses.

“A key element of the campaign for nurse-to-patient ratios was that ratios were mandated and embedded in the award.This was to protect them from political interference and managerial whim. With the proposed changes it will be a manager’s call how a ward will be staffed.There will be no compulsion to make safe patient care the priority when allocating resources,” he said.

“This report’s recommendations will see a return to the bad old days when decisions that impacted safe patient care were determined by Treasury officials with no knowledge of the reality of life on the wards of our public hospitals.

“If this is implemented it could be the end of ratios forever. This is a critical point and there is a small window of opportunity to stop it.We need to convince MPs that it is not in their interests for this to go through.”

MASSIVE FINES FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION The government has already introduced legislation into parliament that if passed will impose the most draconian penalties in Australia for industrial action, including an 11-fold increase on current penalties.

Currently the maximum penalty for a union in breach of an order made by the Industrial Relations Commission is $10,000 for the first day of an offence and $5,000 for each subsequent day.

Under the new law it will increase 11fold to $110,000 for the first day of an offence and $55,000 for each subsequent day.

Any further breach – such as further bed closures - would attract a fine of $210,000 for the first day and $110,000 for each subsequent day.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO DEFEND RATIOS LET YOUR LOCAL MP know that this is unacceptable. You can go to www.nswnurses.asn.au and send a message to your local MP online.

WRITE A LETTER to your local newspaper about the importance of ratios for patient care. A sample letter is available online at www.nswnurses.asn.au/topics/33602.html DON’T GET MAD – GET ACTIVE! Contact your Branch Organiser at the Association if you’d like some brochures to distribute or download one at www.nswnurses.asn.au/topics/33602.html

These extreme penalties compound a unique situation that exists in NSW. In other states, and at the federal level, industrial laws allow “protected industrial action” free from the threat of such damages.There is no such clear right to strike in NSW. Brett Holmes says that if these laws had previously existed the NSWNA would have been massively fined for actions such as the mass meeting of nurses held at Homebush on November 24, 2010, which had a crucial impact in winning nurse-topatient ratios.

“That statewide strike came from a sense of frustration at the intransigence of the NSW government. If we had not taken the action, we would not have got the government to talk about nurse-to-patient ratios.We would not have won the funding for another estimated 1400 nurses. It would have been a travesty of justice, given that nurses are always seeking better outcomes for patient care when they take industrial action,” he said.

The strike and mass meeting at Homebush was the first time in 10 years that the

NSWNA had defied an order from the IR Commission.

The government has also introduced changes to the Industrial Relations Act that allow employees to choose which union to join.

“This is a part of a strategy to destabilise the union movement and encourage demarcation disputes, splinter unions and employer-sponsored unions,” Brett said.

‘I’m not surprised’ Rosalie Menadue, RN, works on a ratio ward at Concord Centre for Mental Health. She says ratios have already made a marked difference.

‘It’s safer all round for staff and patients. Ratios mean improved care continuity within and across shifts, in addition to better continuity when patients are discharged. We have time to make the contact with community nurses or GPs. Before it was difficult to have time to do the follow up.

“There is a change of atmosphere. There is more time for inductions. There is more time to mentor new grads. There is more time to support each other. It feels safer for everyone – nurses and patients. We can offer support to the adjoining ward, which doesn’t have ratios, when incidents occur.

Rosalie says she wasn’t totally surprised but still felt shocked that the government would consider rolling back ratios.

“I felt horror. I couldn’t believe they would even think about removing those safety provisions from an award. People are talking about them. Now that we’ve experienced ratios we don’t want to lose them.

“After they capped our wages and attacked our access to the independent umpire it was always possible they would go after our award conditions.”

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 13

COVER STORY

‘Wow, this is what work should be like’ Clare Bolton, an RN in the ICU at John Hunter Hospital, says nurses in the Hunter Valley love ratios.

“Some wards like the general surgical and the neuro ward are renowned for their high acuity and for being heavy and busy. Nurses didn’t have meal breaks and had to stay behind after shifts to hand over notes.

“Now they’ve got ratios they are saying ‘Wow, this is what work should be like.’

NUMs and staff are saying it is a different world.”

Clare is flummoxed that the O’Farrell Government would think about a reversal.

“Why, when you’ve got something that is working well, when the research says it is better for staff, patients and visitors, why would you take them away?

“The quality of the public service doesn’t matter to him. He doesn’t care about the quality of care that nurses, teachers and police provide.

“Nurses at John Hunter will fight this.

They will really arc up and say ‘No’.

“At John Hunter we not only had to fight for ratios but we also had to fight against balanced rostering. Barry O’Farrell and Jillian Skinner shouldn’t think we have forgotten that. If they try and take ratios away it will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

COALITION’S ATTACK PLAN TAKES SHAPE The O’Farrell Government has revealed its plan of attack against public sector conditions in stages: O’FARRELL’S 1ST WAVE The government’s first assault on public sector conditions started within a few months of winning a landslide election in 2011, despite no mention of its radical anti-worker industrial relations policy during the election campaign: • Public sector wages were unilaterally capped at 2.5%.

• The NSW Industrial 14 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

Relations Commission was reduced to a rubber stamp in public sector wage negotiations.

The Workplace Relations Centre at Sydney University has calculated that if the new laws had been enacted in 2001, a public health system RN8 would be $12,232 a year worse off.

O’FARRELL’S 2ND WAVE • An 11-fold increase in penalties for unions contravening dispute orders made by the Industrial Relations Commission. Penalties will rise from $10,000 for

the first day of a first offence to $110,000, and $220,000 for repeat offences. These are the most draconian penalties for industrial action in Australia • Changes to the Industrial Relations Act to allow employees to choose which union to join. This is intended to destabilise the union movement and encourage demarcation disputes, splinter unions and employer sponsored unions.

• Laws that ensure the government can

terminate excess public servants who do not have permanent jobs as a result of internal restructures.

In addition, the government commissioned a report, The Schott Report, that recommends certain conditions be removed from awards, such as: • Nurse-to-patient ratios • Teacher-to-pupil ratios • Police authorised strength • Fire fighter crew per appliance.

Premier Barry O’Farrell immediately gave his tick of approval to the report.

O’Farrell gags your voice The Your Rights At Work campaign would have been banned under new laws passed by the NSW State Government.

THE COALITION STATE GOVERNMENT

“At the heart of the Coalition’s aims is a cynical attempt to stop unions running robust campaigns ...”

— mark lennon

is not only attacking nurses’ pay and conditions, such as ratios, they have also passed laws to silence your voice.

Amendments to the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act, passed last month, severely restrict the rights of unions to pool resources and run campaigns under a collective banner. The government says the aim of the laws is to restrict political donations to individuals.

Unions NSW Secretary Mark Lennon says the NSW trade union movement is “aghast” at this prospect: “Individuals do not win justice in the workplace, nor do they effect broader political and social change. That is the role of a movement,” he says.

FREEDOM FOR THE RICH, SHACKLES FOR UNIONS Under the new laws wealthy individuals will now be able to donate up to $14,600 per year to the Coalition (by contributing to the Liberals and Nationals), while at election time they can self-fund “third party campaigns” on the Coalition’s behalf to over $1 million.

Organisations (such as unions) however, will be banned from making donations to other bodies (such as the ACTU or Unions NSW) for running electoral campaigns.

The law would prevent unions campaigning against a bad law or a bad government decision if it “promoted or opposed a party” or “influenced voting in an election”.

Mark Lennon says this effectively means “we will live in a society where mining magnates can purchase media companies or blanket advertising, but the political voice of three million working people will be drowned out”. He says that in what is “a clever piece of political subterfuge”, the

O’Farrell Government has “managed to lump the likes of trade unions and community sector organisations in the same pile as tobacco companies and property developers”.

YRAW WOULD BE ILLEGAL Mark Lennon says a good way to understand the impact of these laws is to measure what their impact would have been on the Your Rights At Work campaign.

“Faced with the most profound attack on workplace rights since the inception of the Australian Commonwealth, working people, their unions and other community organisations banded together. We made advertisements, held rallies, knocked on doors and began a vibrant community discussion about how we thought our workplace laws should be constructed.

“But under the laws recently passed in NSW, that campaign would have been impossible. A key feature of Your Rights at Work was the capacity of peak bodies such as Unions NSW and the ACTU to play a coordinating role, in terms of message and strategy, but also in the marshaling of funds and people. Understanding that this was an existential threat to workplace justice, the peak bodies applied levies to their affiliates.

Under these new laws that would be illegal.”

Mark Lennon says the changes in the electoral laws are blatantly party partisan to entrench Coalition power.

“At the heart of the Coalition’s aims is a cynical attempt to stop unions running robust campaigns that challenge the conservative orthodoxy. These laws have nothing to do with some idealised, abstract notion of individual political liberty.

They have everything to do with tying the hands of the political organisations of working people.”

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 15

RATIOS: A WIN IN VICTORIA

Victorian nurses save ratios After a marathon industrial dispute the Victorian Liberal Government gave up trying to return the state’s hospitals to the dark ages.

V I C T O R I A ’ S N U R S E S H AV E defeated the state’s Liberal government in its attempt to destroy nurse-to-patient ratios and replace registered nurses with assistants.

The nurses also won pay rises of at least 3.5% a year and a professional development allowance worth up to $1000 per year.

After a nine-month campaign in which hundreds of hospital beds were closed and more than 1000 elective operations cancelled, the government of Premier Ted Baillieu capitulated.

Nurses who defied a court order not to strike risked individual fines of up to $6600 and their union risked a fine of up to $33,000.

More than 1000 nurses who took part 16 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

in rolling work stoppages were docked up to 20 hours’ pay.

The public supported these nurses by donating to a hardship fund set up by the Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF).

ANF State Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said more than 2000 nurses and midwives had joined the union since October.

“I have seen the birth of more than 1000 activists who are very keen that this government is only in power for one term,” she said.

“The Baillieu Government has politicised a new generation of nurses and ensured that there will be red t-shirt clad nurses and midwives at every polling booth on 29 November 2014, reminding voters that this government wanted to

substitute nurses with a three-year degree, with health assistants who had three months training.”

She said the four-year deal signed with the government meant, “Health assistants will not replace nurses as part of the ratios and hospitals will not be introducing unlimited four-hour shifts or split shifts.

“Patients admitted to rehabilitation wards will now benefit from an improved nurse patient ratio, from 1:7 on the evening shift to 1:5, in recognition of the enormity of nurse workloads in this speciality.

“ANF has also secured annual funding to work towards a 1:3 ratio in day oncology units.”

Continued page 18

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 17

RATIOS: A WIN IN VICTORIA

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 9 months since negotiations began

128

days since conciliation in Fair Work Australia started

8 statewide meetings of nurses 14 days of industrial action involving bed closures

700 hospital beds closed by nurses Emotions ran high at the ANF mass meetings.

From page 16

1516 hospital beds closed by the Baillieu Government

Lisa Fitzpatrick said productivity offsets included the union agreeing to waive its right of veto for hospitals to staff wards below ratios “in very limited circumstances”. The agreed safety checks required were so onerous most would never bother trying.

Safety checks would be “based on consideration of the consequences of strict criteria including patient acuity, nurse satisfaction and nursing-sensitive outcomes such as falls, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, decubitus ulcers, thrombosis, sepsis and medication errors.”

In another union concession, hospitals can now use a skill mix of 20% enrolled nurses in medical and surgical wards, an increase from 15% in the 2007 agreement.The remaining nurses will be registered nurses.

Enrolled nurses will now have the same entitlements as registered nurses, including an additional week of annual leave and access to exam leave for many.

Lisa Fitzpatrick said it was important to recognise that nurses and midwives were not alone in their fight to protect patient care.

“Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of people who called or emailed the ANF, posted supportive messages via our Facebook page and Twitter, wrote letters to the newspapers, called talkback radio, signed our petition, attended a rally or stoppage, generously donated to the hardship fund and opened their doors when we door knocked in Bentleigh,” she said.

“This victory is bittersweet because it will take a long, long time before the Baillieu Government earns back the respect of nurses and midwives. It should not take nine months to convince a state government that its job is to protect and improve patient care.

“The Baillieu Government was naïve and ill advised when it embarked on a campaign to end mandated minimum nurse/midwife ratios. It was naïve and ill advised when it was told flexibility was needed to meet patient peaks and troughs, which of course are unpredictable. It was naïve and ill advised when it was told it could replace nurses with health assistants and expect the same standard of patient care.”

Lisa Fitzpatrick: “It should not take nine months to convince a state government that its job is to protect patient care and improve patient care.”

18 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

35 community rallies 10,000 protesters march from Bourke Street to Spring Street in Melbourne CBD

One international protest in New Delhi, India

15

hospitals in rolling stoppages over 14 days

2000 nurses and midwives involved in stoppages

110,000 signatures on a petition to Premier Baillieu

29,500 names on an online petition to Premier Baillieu

19,000

doors knocked in Bentleigh electorate

5 ANF television commercials 3 ANF radio commercials 70,000 Respect Our Work t-shirts sold

2500

new ANF (Victorian Branch) members

1000

new nurse and midwife activists

Fantastic result for now and future

Tracey: “I’m just so happy for what’s been achieved.”

BAILED UP IN DELHI

Victoria’s nursing dispute went global when Indian nurses targeted Premier Ted Baillieu outside his Delhi hotel.

Premier Baillieu was in India to lead a trade mission when about 30 Indian nurses gathered outside his hotel to support their Victorian counterparts.

Wearing red Australian Nursing Federation t-shirts, the Indian nurses chanted “respect our work” and carried a banner reading: “Mr Baillieu don’t take away nurse patient ratios from Victorians”.

ANF state secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said Indian nurses in Victoria had helped the union send red t-shirts in time for the Premier’s arrival in Delhi.

“We have a lot of Indian nurses here in Victoria and they have friends and colleagues at home who they know and have trained with. There is a lot of international camaraderie around nurses,” she said.

Tracey Meacham, a registered nurse in the Murray River town of Wodonga, is “thrilled” with the outcome of the ninemonth Victorian ratios campaign, but admits there were times when she feared nurses might lose.

“We were in dispute for so long, we all thought at different times that maybe the result wouldn’t be anything like we were hoping for,” Tracey, who works in the surgical ward of Albury-Wodonga Regional Health Service, said.

“Now I couldn’t be happier – I think the result is fantastic for nursing and the future of nursing.

“We achieved much more than we were expecting after such a long drawn-out dispute.”

After seven years of nursing, Tracey was one of thousands of nurses driven out of the profession by spending cuts imposed by the Kennett Liberal Government in the 1990s.

Six years and a change of government later, she returned to nursing in 2000 under improved conditions, including nurse-to-patient ratios.

She was stunned and dismayed when the current government tried to take it all away.

“It was a hard fight but it was worth it in the end,” she says.

“I have a daughter doing nursing and midwifery at university and hopefully I put in a good fight for her future too.

“I’m just so happy for what’s been achieved and what our union representatives have been able to negotiate.”

She says the dispute taught nurses a vital lesson: “If it’s worth fighting for then keep fighting, and stay united.”

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 19

RATIOS: A WIN IN VICTORIA

Facebook battleground

Victorian government moves to censor nurses’ use of social media fell flat.

FACEBOOK BECAME THE FRONTLINE in the Victorian nurses’ dispute when the State Government demanded that the ANF censor individual nurses’ Facebook posts.

The website www.facebook.com/RespectOurWork was established to allow communication and comment by Victorian nurses and members of the public about the ANF campaign.

With well over 15,000 “likes” the site had become a powerful tool in the campaign when Federal Court judge Richard Tracey ordered the nurses to cease industrial action.

When nurses continued with rolling stoppages at 15 hospitals, government solicitors argued that comments on the Facebook site were in open defiance of Justice Tracey’s directive that the union stop encouraging and assisting its members to strike.

The lawyers wrote to the ANF demanding it delete Facebook posts that “organise, advise or assist the taking of industrial action by ANF members or which aid, threaten or propose to engage in such conduct”.

The letter continued: “We also require that you confirm in writing that, once deletions have been effected, the ANF continue to maintain its social media websites to en-

Hundreds of photos, above and over page, were posted on the Facebook ‘Respect Our Work’ site.

sure that comments of a similar nature are immediately deleted.”

The union faced an unenviable choice: stop nurses talking about the dispute on their own Facebook site, or risk contempt of court proceedings and heavy fines.

So users of the site took to using code names to advertise and discuss stoppages and protests.

Instead of referring to walkouts and street protests, nurses developed an apparent fondness for “morning teas”“bake offs” and “barbecues”. Others, more athletically inclined, spruiked the virtues of “walking clubs” featuring photos of nurses in their bright red union t-shirts holding placards outside hospitals.

Meanwhile, the government could do nothing to stop nurses openly discussing the industrial action on their personal Facebook pages. Many changed their profile photos to the ANF’s “Respect our Work” poster or photos of themselves and other nurses holding placards and banners.

Here is a small sample (names deleted) from thousands of posts on the ANF Victorian branch Facebook page www.facebook.com/RespectOurWork: “Out and about shaking the tins. People were so generous today and very supportive.We got 4 cans filled.Thanks Port Fairy.”

Continued page 22

20 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

Public backs nurses Before the Victorian nurses’ dispute was over, more than 110,000 people had signed a petition in support of their campaign.

Comments on the union’s Facebook site show that nurses collecting signatures were swamped with support.

One nurse reported: “Bentleigh door knock. Amazing response, people driving the streets to look for us to sign and people answering the door eagerly saying ‘I’ve been waiting for you to call!’ This retired police Inspector had been a recent recipient of the healthcare system and was very happy to support our cause!”

Another wrote: “My very first community petition event – on my own at Mulgrave Farmers’ Market, generating 350 signatures in about 4 hours!

That was the start!”

Nurses also used the Facebook site to encourage other nurses to join the campaign, despite the government’s threats: “For those who haven’t signed the petition yet, the nurses’ EBA isn’t over yet. We still need to let the Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu know that we will NEVER give up our current nurse/patient ratios. EVERY nurse can sign this petition.

Every signature sends an email to Mr Baillieu. Don’t be the nurse who sat back and did nothing in this EBA. You can’t have your pay docked or be fined for signing a petition.”

The Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper on March 13, before the end of the dispute, showed an 11-point drop in Premier Ted Baillieu’s leadership satisfaction rating since October.

Support for the nurses came from surprising quarters.

Alan Armsden, managing editor of Melbourne daily newspaper the Herald Sun – owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited – called on the government to “do a deal” with the ANF.

Armsden wrote: “Premier Baillieu and Health Minister David Davis know that public opinion and sympathy will always swing against the nurses when there is a perceived threat to patient care.

“Yes, patients do suffer a level of inconvenience when there are stoppages but no one’s life is ever placed in danger.

“The Government is playing a cool hand on this issue, spinning the message in a polished, cynical way.”

Declaring his marriage to a lifelong nurse, Armsden told readers nurses were simply aiming to protect their long fought-for patient/nurse ratios and get a modest pay rise in line with inflation.

“I can tell you it is not about money when it comes to this profession. It is a calling and it has been answered by thousands of caring Victorians over the years.

“Nurses’ engagement with their profession is not a nineto-five proposition. It is a commitment to patient care at the highest level.

“It is swotting at weekends to improve credentials; it is reading professional journals in their own time to keep up with developments; it is mentoring junior nurses to ensure they acquire the necessary skills.

“It is about dragging yourself to work when you’re crook to make sure you don’t let your colleagues down; about answering a sleep-shattering call because the hospital needs you in an emergency.

“It is about working until you are just about asleep on your feet in times of disasters; about drifting off to sleep on the sofa when you get home exhausted and your husband is trying to massage the pain out of those aching feet.”

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 21

RATIOS: A WIN IN VICTORIA

“Where can I get a few Respect our Work ANF flags?

I would like to fly them out the front of our house/car to show my support for the nurses’ campaign and the fantastic job you all do.”

From page 20

“Still getting lots of support from the public as I drive around visiting my patients.

2 people stopped to chat about our campaign while I was having lunch. Waves and smiles as well. Makes me smile.”

“Where can I get a few Respect our Work ANF flags? I would like to fly them out the front of our house/car to show my support for the nurses’ campaign and the fantastic job you all do.”

“Damn stoopid postie woke me up after a night duty ... Bet he got the shock of his life with me opening door in my very oversized red t-shirt and hair all over the place ... Poor fellow ... His comment was ‘sheesh you lot sure are passionate! keep up the hard fight we all appreciate what you are all doing for us’. Sleepily mumbled my appreciation and as he was going I heard his little bike give a toot toot ... God bless him.”

“It’s Sunday, and I hope our wonderful negotiating team get to enjoy a day of rest.

It’s also 993 days until the next state election (or 2 years, 8 months, 2 weeks and 4 days).

22 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

That’s only another 141 weekends, and I know that come the 2nd half of 2014 I’ll be spending them door knocking in marginal seats.”

Comments on the site showed nurses realised the value of Facebook as an organising and publicity tool: “Together we are strong and through social media we can bypass the mainstream professional media to inform ALL VICTORIANS and indeed ALL AUSTRALIANS of true facts and information they have a right to know,” wrote one.

Another nurse wrote: “Facebook, despite the attack by the lawyers and the government, became the means by which nurses were able to express to the public the bloody minded attitude of VHIA [Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association] and the government. The second they tried to shut us down was the moment that the site exploded.”

And: “What this site did for our cause, which we never had before, was [give us]

the ability to communicate with each other across the state in real time without the need for a large number of statewide meetings that only a proportion could get to or trying to have our organisers arrange local meetings that again, only a few could get to. Nurses have always prided themselves on their ability to effectively communicate with not only each other but with their patients in such a way that the issue at hand was easily understood. Such is the case with this page.”

Some nurses expressed regret that they might lose their Facebook page after the dispute: “When this whole thing is over are we going to have an ANF Party? I’m gonna miss this page.”

One nurse replied: “I am absolutely convinced that the dialogue and this site will never be allowed to wither away and will in turn, be used time and time again to promote those issues that crop up from time to time.”

HE AGE

— PHOTO JUSTIN MCMANUST

BAILLIEU SNR FLIPS NURSES THE BIRD

There was plenty of flag waving when the battle was won, thanks to the relentless pressure of all the nurses involved — via Facebook, street protests, and petitions.

Preferring to dictate rather than negotiate, Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu did not lift a finger to help settle his government’s dispute with nurses. The same could not be said of his 74-year-old cousin.

A photograph of former Liberal MP Marshall Baillieu raising his middle finger to a group of protesting nurses – “flipping the bird” as it’s known – appeared on the front page of The Age newspaper.

It was a gesture of contempt by a senior member of one of Melbourne’s wealthiest families – and a spectacular public relations setback for the Premier’s war on nurses.

Most callers to talkback radio and newspaper letter writers saw the Baillieu digit as typifying the government’s disdainful attitude to nurses and their working conditions.

The incident took place when Premier Baillieu, cousin Marshall and other family members were attending a book launch at Melbourne University.

As the Premier took the microphone inside, nurses began chanting outside, with one using a megaphone to condemn his handling of the dispute.

Shortly after, Marshall Baillieu was seen at the window directing a rude hand gesture at the nurses.

“He came and stuck two fingers up at us at the same time, he was giving us ‘the bird’ with two hands at a time,” Megan Hayes, the nurse with the megaphone told The Age. “Then he put his hand up to his ear as if he couldn’t hear us, and was mouthing something at us, but I’m not a lip reader so I don’t know what he was saying,” she said.

“At that stage I said, ‘wow, that’s really mature’, but after he did it again, some of the other nurses were getting quite angry so I said to them, ‘just smile and wave’.”

When asked by The Age to explain his action, Marshall Baillieu, who is also chairman of the Baillieu financial firm Mutual Trust, said: “Family members and others attending found the behaviour of the nurses highly offensive.”

Not nearly as offensive as the sight of a privileged patriarch of the Melbourne establishment, giving the finger to a bunch of nurses trying to express a view.

FREE SPEECH DOUBLE STANDARD The ANF Victorian State Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said it was outrageous that government ministers could take advantage of their positions and use the mainstream media to misrepresent nurses and midwives, while seeking to stop them and other members of the public talking about

nursing issues on their own Facebook site.

“Why are (Premier) Mr Baillieu and (Health) Minister Davis prepared to waste more taxpayer money on lawyers to censor the internet and control and punish nurses and midwives when they should be working on finding a solution

to end this dispute and get improvements happening in our hospitals?” she said.

“The Baillieu Government already tightly censors Victorians’ freedom of expression by blocking voters and deleting their comments from its own Facebook pages.

“Gagging nurses and midwives

will not resolve this dispute.”

In an editorial, the managing editor of Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper Alan Armsden, criticised the government’s “heavy-handed attempts to shut down Facebook discussions between nurses – a tactic that would have done a totalitarian regime proud.”

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 23

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Q&A

ASK JUDITH

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

Tripped up by Facebook

Allowance while on leave?

I am a nurse and while at home I made some negative comments on my Facebook page about my employer. My employer has now called me to a meeting and threatened disciplinary action because a Facebook “friend”, who I work with, showed the comments to my manager. Have I done anything wrong?

Recent cases at Fair Work Australia have resulted in the dismissal of employees for making derogatory comments about their employer on Facebook. Nurses need to be very careful about making any comment about work on social media sites such as Facebook. As a general rule the NSWNA advises nurses not to put any comments/posts or photographs about work on Facebook.

For further information about NSWNA’s Terms of Use for Social Media please go to: www.nswnurses.asn.au/site/ pages/54.html

I am an RN in a public hospital with an advanced diploma, for which I am receiving the Continuing Education Allowance. I am about to go on holidays; am I entitled to this allowance while on leave?

Yes you are. The Continuing Education Allowance is payable on all paid leave, please see clause 13 (xi) of the Nurses’ and Midwifes’ (State) Award 2011 that states: “The above allowances are not to be included in the employee’s ordinary rate of pay.

The allowances are payable during periods of paid leave taken by an employee.”

Full time rate for part time employ I am an RN working in a public hospital on a permanent part-time basis (PPT). My contracted hours are currently 26 per week. I have been offered 14 hours of work per week on another ward in the hospital, bringing my total hours per week up to 40. Does this entitle me to an Accrued Day Off (ADO), or am I just considered PPT in each position?

You should receive an ADO each 28 days, as you are working 40 hours per week and should be paid 38 hours. Usually the ADO is worked out between the NUMs of the two wards you will be working on.You should also receive annual, long service and sick leave based on these actual hours that you are working – that is, at the full time rate.

Time off to volunteer I work in a public hospital and have been considering taking some time out in the future to do voluntary work overseas. I would like to take one year off from nursing to achieve this. Would you advise whether there are provisions under the award to enable me to do this?

Yes, under the Public Health System Nurses’ & Midwives’ (State) Award 2011 there is a provision for a Career Break Scheme. I would refer you to clause 56, sub-clauses (i) through to (xxi), and suggest you read through the provisions.Your employer is required under these award provisions to call for expressions of interest once in each calendar year, so you need to speak with your manager or Human Resources department to find out when the next lot are being called for. The employer has the right to determine how many employees can participate in the scheme, based on service provision requirements and staffing levels, and make their decision based on workforce needs on an annual basis.

If, after reading the award provisions, you have further questions, please contact the Association’s information department.

Leave without pay I have been granted leave without pay for six months from the public hospital where I am currently employed. Can I be forced to take the annual leave and long service leave that I have accrued with the employer? And what happens to my sick leave?

If you have annual leave and/or long service leave to credit, and you have been granted leave without pay, your employer cannot force you to take your accrued leave entitlements before your proceed on the leave without pay. In regards to your sick leave, as your leave will exceed 28 consecutive calendar days, this will not count towards your sick leave entitlements. This is in accordance with Ministry of Health policy directive PD 2006_091 Leave Without Pay.

Second on shortlist I am a nurse working in a public hospital. I recently applied for another position but, unfortunately, was not successful. My NUM told me that I was second to the preferred applicant in the interview and would be placed on a short list and would get the next position that became available. Is this correct?

No it is not. NSW Health Policy Directive PD2011_032 Recruitment and Selection of Staff of the NSW Health Service allows the use of “eligibility lists” in filling vacancies, in some circumstances.Your NUM is incorrect in two ways. Firstly, it is the responsibility of Human Resources, not your NUM, to determine which method of selection is used. Secondly, the policy indicates that the first stage in any recruitment process is to determine whether “redeployment” of any work injured employee and/or displaced employee is appropriate. In other words, an employee that has been displaced from their substantive position following a restructure, or an employee with a work-related injury (workers’ compensation) that needs to be placed in an alternative role. The above policy requires management to determine whether it is more appropriate to place these workers in the vacant position before it is opened up to appointment using the merit-based (interview) process.

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 25

AGED CARE

Regional Australia needs quality aged care Influential federal MP Tony Windsor has pledged his support for the Because We Care campaign to win better wages and conditions for nurses working in aged care.

MP TONY WINDSOR HEARD directly from Tamworth’s aged care nurses about the dire state of their sector recently, when he attended a public meeting hosted by the NSWNA, along with more than 100 other people.

In the days and weeks leading up to the meeting Tamworth aged care nurses gave their all to win Tony Windsor’s support for the campaign; they held street stalls, collected 4000 signatures on a petition, and put their case in the local newspaper.

As it turns out, Mr Windsor, whose 94year-old mother is in aged care, was already one of their strongest supporters. He told The Lamp: “The most important people in our society are the people who look after our old and our young.

“If we value the people who do the caring then we need to remunerate them.”

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes told the Tamworth meeting that nurses are at breaking point and that the sector urgently needs more Federal Government resources.

“Nurses and Assistants in Nursing who work in aged care – dedicated and hardworking – are growing increasingly frustrated and concerned about the lack of funding for aged care in Australia,” Brett said. “The Federal Government has failed to respond to the Productivity Commission report handed to them mid-last year, and their lack of action has meant that aged care has reached crisis point.

“Their inability to prioritise the quality of care received by older Australians in

26 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

“It is imperative that aged care facilities be properly staffed with licensed, skilled nurses…”

— roz norman

nursing homes means that nurses are stretched to the limit.”

Jan Howard, an RN working in a Tamworth aged care home, told the meeting that aged care residents deserved better than what they were currently getting from the system.

“They certainly don’t need people who are feeling the pressure of lack of time, who are constantly clock-watching because time is getting away from them and they still have umpteen other jobs to do before the end of their shift.

“I think we all agree it’s about time the government started doing the right thing.”

Roz Norman, a nurse in the public health system, described the strain that a lack of resources in aged care is putting on Tamworth Hospital, and the increased stress it is putting on elderly residents.

“Most aged care facilities operate on minimal staffing levels after hours and a registered or enrolled nurse may not be available to accept the care of the resident after initial emergency treatment at a hospital.

“The resident is then admitted to hospital, which increases their confusion and anxiety, ultimately impeding their ability to heal and get well quickly.

“It is imperative that aged care facilities be properly staffed with licensed, skilled nurses at a level that will allow residents to be cared for in their own environment.

“With access to licensed skilled nurses on every shift, hospital admissions may be avoided.”

Heartbreak putting husband in care In a moving moment Maryann Krug told the meeting of the pressure and stress of having a close family member in aged care.

“Making a decision to put a loved one into care, in my case my husband of 40 years, is not easy or one made lightly. It tears you into tiny, tiny pieces that time does not put back into place.

“Feelings of inadequacy, betrayal, disloyalty, dishonesty, guilt, anger at yourself and the circumstances, failure, sadness and hopelessness, envy when you see him or her holding hands, having a coffee together, going for a walk, in short having a life together.

“Each and every visit reopens these feelings. It is no surprise then to learn that depression is common in people placed in these positions.

“Having painted a sad picture, however, I have no reservations in praising the staff who look after my husband. They have been unfailingly good humoured, kind and caring to both of us.

“We often forget that staff members in these facilities gain the family as well as the resident when an admission occurs.

They are so patient and kind when faced with such sad times each and every day.

“It is most important that these facilities and staff are valued in the manner they deserve. Conditions of work, hours, pay, education and training are of paramount importance to us, those whose loved ones are in their hands. I would think that it was vital that all aged care facilities have a registered nurse on duty 24 hours a day not just eight hours a day.”

Maryann: “To put a loved one into care … tears you into tiny, tiny pieces that time does not put back into place.”

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 27

AGED CARE

Love-hate affair with aged care Jan Howard spoke to the Tamworth audience from her heart, about how 40 years of nursing – 27 of them in aged care – had affected her.

“I love spending time with the residents in our care home, but I hate the lack of time that I have to do this.

“I have never regretted becoming a nurse. I love nursing, but I hate the excessive paper work, the excessive documentation, the amount of time spent bashing away at a computer keyboard.

“I love the fact that I can care for someone who has dementia and is confused and upset, because they are scared and don’t know where they are, and they want to go ‘home’. I love the fact that we who work in aged care can use our clinical skills and knowledge to help them when there is a medical problem, and we can pull on those clinical skills to ‘fix the problem’, but I hate all the assessments that have to be completed to show that they have dementia, that they are confused, that they are scared and that they want to go home.

“Funnily enough, I still love nursing.”

28 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

Tony Windsor MP Jan:“I love spending time with answers our the residents in our care home, questions but I hate the lack of time that Independent Federal I have to do this.” MP Tony Windsor spoke to The Lamp about improving the lot of Australia’s elderly.

You named action on aged care as one of your top priorities when you supported the Gillard Government after the 2010 election. Why was that?

I don’t see aged care as being solely about aged care. I see it in the context of regional development as well. If you don’t have aged care and health facilities people will leave country areas before they get old and sick.

You can’t just look at aged care in isolation, just in terms of provision of service. If it were just about provision of service you’d just provide feedlots for older people. It has to be delivered with integrity.

Do you think Julia Gillard rates aged care as a high priority for the government’s reform agenda?

Yes I do. She knows it is a legitimate issue.

The baby boomers are coming through, which creates capital and operational issues for government. Demand is on the increase and the government knows that. I made the point to the PM (when I was with her recently) about this disparity with the salaries. If nurses can earn $200 per week more elsewhere why would they want to commit to aged care? If we leave this to the market it will be farcical. There has to be a plan with the bubble of people coming through. This will be one of the big issues of the next few years and it will have to be dealt with.

The Federal Government now has the Productivity Commission report on aged care. What aspects of that report do you think are particularly important to implement?

The wages gap is obviously important. If we value the people who do the caring then we need to remunerate them. You have to be a special person to work in aged care. The most important people in our society are the people who look after our old and our young. They do it for the rest of us.

You’ve been a strong advocate of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

How will it help deal with the health issues faced by rural Australia?

The NBN could be a contributor to aged care in the future. It will help maintain the integrity of rural communities. If you get fibre to the home you give a security blanket to old people with health issues. My mother is 94, in aged care, with reasonable health except for her eyesight. She could stay for longer in her own home with a smart house connected to the NBN. If you could keep 200,000 people in their homes for an extra year or two there are enormous

Jan Howard and Maryann Krug gave the signed petitions to Tony Windsor MP

capital and operational savings for government. With the baby boomers coming through it could change the dynamics. It is a way of holding costs back.We could slow the movement into aged care through the use of technology.

Does the fact that your mother is in aged care make aged care more personal to you?

It does influence you. I go to aged care facilities, and not just for opening days, as an MP. You get the appreciation the residents have for the staff. My mother is not demanding but she is still very appreciative of the care she gets from the staff.

Do you think the ANF’s Because We Care aged care campaign is achievable?

Anything is achievable, it is just a question of priorities. If society is not about looking after your young and your old then what is it?

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 29

AGED CARE

STILL TIME TO ACT FOR FOR-PROFIT AGED CARE

NSWNA delegates from the aged care sector commit to the Time To Act For Better Pay campaign.

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The log of claims has now been lodged with the for-profit aged care employers’ representative ACCA. NSWNA members at 50 facilities have endorsed the claim.

The key components of the claim are: • Better pay.

• Updated classification structure to reward skills and qualifications e.g.

Certificate IV and faster progression for RNs. • Paid training to assist with managing challenging behaviour.

• Strengthening the process for resolving workload problems.

• Clearer information on pay slips e.g. about accrued leave entitlements.

• New leave arrangements: e.g. access to paid leave for grandparents and new parents, option to purchase additional annual leave.

• Recognition of workplace representatives.

Negotiations began in the last week of March and are scheduled weekly.

Check the NSWNA website for updates.

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The conference will be useful for administrators, researchers and all health care team members involved with recognising and responding to clinical deterioration.

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Large residences and specialist supported living facilities exist across the state of New South Wales. These facilities provide supported accommodation and specialist services to people who have an intellectual disability.

Ageing Disability and Home Care have vacancies in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Central Coast, North Ryde, Western Sydney and Western New South Wales.

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Our large residential and specialist supported living facilities have full time, part time and casual positions available now for: • Registered Nurses (Salary package up to $78685) • Medically Endorsed Enrolled Nurses (Salary package up to $56525)

Successful applicants can expect to be provided a paid comprehensive work place induction. Learning and development staff provide ongoing education and support to large residence and specialist supported living staff.

Vacancies and other details can be confirmed by contacting the nurse managers below: NEWCASTLE/LAKE MACQUARIE Helen Winning 02 4928 0844 CENTRAL COAST Bill Learmouth 02 4394 3702 WESTERN SYDNEY Sing Ting 02 9842 2314 ORANGE Michael Herbertson 02 6362 7153

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Interested in finding out more about Careers in Nursing with Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) visit www.adhc.nsw. gov.au/careers/discover_career_paths/career_in_nursing

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 31

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Do You Know an Enrolled Nurse Who Excells?

+61 (0)2 9276 6660 6

Produced P roduced as part pa art of the Learning Learning to to S Save av ve Liv Lives ve es A Alliance lliance

The Enrolled Nurse Professional Association

Call for Nominations for ENPA are offering full conference attendance (travel, accommodation and conference fees) and 12 months membership to ENPA in remembrance of Ron and his dedication and passion to Enrolled Nursing.

This award is for Enrolled Nurses currently employed in NSW who has demonstrated their commitment to nursing by: U Excelling within their scope of practise.

U Pursuing professional, career and edu cational interests for all Enrolled Nurses. for nursing.

U Showing a passion and U Acting as an advocate for, and support ing, Enrolled Nurses in NSW Health.

32 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

Typed applications (min 250 words) addressing any of the above criteria and outlining the qualiďŹ cations and employment history of the nominated Enrolled Nurse.

The application should be signed by the applicant (either an RN or EN) and another (either RN or EN) who supports the application, and forwarded to: The Secretary ENPA PO Box 775, Kingswood NSW 2747

Before 1 August 2012. **Please ensure that full contact details are included.

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.

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 33

NURSE UNCUT

WHAT’S HOT ON NURSE UNCUT? Older workers, technology and stereotyping (Part 3), Northern Beaches maternity services, Nepean nurses put smiles on faces in Bangladesh, and 10,000 reasons to sign.

Plus, don’t forget to check out www.nurseuncut.com.au for our latest contests!

Hot topics 10,000 reasons to sign! www.nurseuncut.com.au/10000-reasons-to-sign/ NSW nurses and midwives are seeking community support for cheaper re-entry courses. The nursing shortage is made worse by the $10,000 re-entry course cost and 10,000 signatures will force a parliamentary debate on this issue. Nurses and midwives will be out and about around the state over the next few weeks collecting signatures on a petition for more funding to cut the cost of, and establish more, re-entry courses for nurses and midwives who are seeking to return to their professions. Find out how you can sign and collect signatures for the petition at Nurse Uncut.

New Series: Older workers, technology and stereotyping (Part 3) www.nurseuncut.com.au/new-series-older-workers-technology-andstereotyping-part-3/ Mandy works for NSW Health and has been a nurse for 30 years; at nearly 50 she loves technology (when it works). She chatted to us about her experience of stereotypes towards older nurses. Read the full story at Nurse Uncut.

Northern Beaches maternity services www.nurseuncut.com.au/northern-beaches-maternity-services/ Northern Beaches midwives and nurses want the State Government to drop its plan to split maternity services between Manly and Mona Vale hospitals. Both the Manly Hospital and Mona Vale Hospital branches of the NSWNA have met to discuss the issue and believe a single-site maternity service provides safer, higher quality services and also ensures funds are available to expand community-based services to parents and babies across the Northern Beaches.

Read the full story at Nurse Uncut.

Nepean nurses put smiles on faces in Bangladesh www.nurseuncut.com.au/nepean-nurses-put-smiles-on-faces-in-bangladesh/ Late last year, a team of six theatre nurses and four doctors from the Nepean Hospital in Sydney travelled to Bangladesh to perform free cleft palate (palatoplasty), cleft lip (chiloplasty) and post-burns surgery. Read about their trip and how you can support the Aussi Bangla Smile Project at Nurse Uncut.

34 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

What nurses are talking about?

Back to nursing www.nurseuncut.com.au/forum “I have just returned to nursing after a four-and-a-half year break. I am surprised at the changing role of EENs. I am working on a ward where I have no previous experience and am also out of practice. I am surprised that after only two weeks back in nursing I have my own patient load and feel that I am in over my head.

I am very uncertain of technical terms … relating to patient care and treatment. I am a very experienced EEN but it is all so new to me on this particular ward.

I left work on Friday feeling like a total idiot because I didn’t understand some of the orders I was given relating to my patients, after two had chest pain and became quite ill.

I am thinking, do I hang in there in an area where I feel I am in too deep? Or maybe try to move to another ward where I know I am competent and confident?

I am also finding the rostering quite difficult at this learning stage. … I am concerned about fatigue mixed with skills while concentrating on learning a new area.

Anyone have any ideas on how to approach this?”

On the ‘I Support Nurses’ Facebook page Australians want workplace laws that provide secure jobs, not greater power for employers! – do you agree? www.facebook.com/NurseUncutAustralia “Real job security only comes from real skills. If you are fantastic at your profession, what trouble could you possibly face?”

“A common theme among all the participants was that a love of aged care drives aged care nurses. None regretted their decision to move into nursing. In fact some wished they had come into it earlier.” Do you feel this way? www.facebook.com/NurseUncutAustralia “Yes, it’s not the money, that is for sure. It’s the love of the career that I have chosen. Lack of government funding is making aged care a business. Where has the heart gone?”

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THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 35

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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? Cardiology Model of Care – The model of an ideal cardiology patient journey has been revised to include the state cardiac reperfusion strategy, chest pain pathway, cardiac monitoring, chest pain evaluation and bed management.

The ARCHI Information Exchange – Healthcare professionals can share ideas and keep up with the latest developments in best practice by sharing websites, research and articles online.

36 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

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NURSING RESEARCH ONLINE

Australian Health Review is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes articles on all aspects of health policy and management, healthcare delivery systems, clinical programs, health financing and other matters of interest to those working in health care. It also publishes new research from practitioners – managers and clinicians – and reports breakthrough projects that demonstrate better ways of delivering care. It is distributed to members of the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (www.aushealthcare.com.au) and the Australian Institute of Health Policy Studies (www.healthpolicystudies.org.au), as well as subscribers throughout the world. The journal is currently offering open access to the following articles.

Controlled clinical trial of a self-management program for people with mental illness in an adult mental health service – the Optimal Health Program (OHP).

to ensure equity of access, may help to re-evaluate target expectations, reduce demand on nursing staff, improve targeting of vulnerable infants and help in further developing and implementing effective health policy.

Monica M. Gilbert, James A. Chamberlain, Carolynne R. White, Paul W. Mayers, Brendan Pawsey, Danny Liew, Matthew Musgrave, Kerry Crawford and David J. Castle

The study highlighted the challenges of ensuring equitable access to a universal postnatal home visiting program. Families of Aboriginal infants were found to be less likely than families of non-Aboriginal infants to receive a home visit within two weeks. Being a young mother, an unpartnered mother, a mother with psychosocial risks (identified antenatally), or a mother residing in a disadvantaged suburb were all factors associated with not receiving a visit within two weeks.

www.publish.csiro.au/nid/270/paper/AH11008.htm The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect and cost-effectiveness of a selfmanagement intervention, delivered as part of routine care in an adult mental health service. Adult consumers of mental health services in the Australian Capital Territory were eligible for participation. Current literature supports the efficacy of structured selfmanagement programs for chronic conditions such as diabetes (type 1 and 2) and asthma, but there remains limited evidence that self-management programs improve outcomes for people with mental illness. This study adds to the body of evidence supporting self-management as a costeffective adjunct to routine care in mental health services.

Universal for whom? Evaluating an urban Aboriginal population’s access to a mainstream universal health home visiting program.

John Widdup, Elizabeth J. Comino, Vana Webster and Jennifer Knight

www.publish.csiro.au/nid/270/aid/13680.htm The aim of this study was to investigate access to a universal health home visit program for families of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal infants and the effect of a one-off home visit on subsequent health service utilisation.Assessing ways in which universal services are delivered, 38 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

Do Indigenous Australians age prematurely? The implications of life expectancy and health conditions of older Indigenous people for health and aged care policy.

Philippa R. Cotter, John R. Condon, Tony Barnes, Ian P. S. Anderson, Leonard R. Smith and Teresa Cunningham

www.publish.csiro.au/nid/270/paper/AH11996.htm To assess whether Indigenous Australians age prematurely compared with other Australians, as implied by Australian Government aged care policy.

At age 63 for women and age 65 for men, Indigenous people had the same life expectancy as non-Indigenous people at age 70. There is no consistent pattern of a 20year lead in age-specific prevalence of ageassociated conditions for Indigenous compared with other Australians. There is high prevalence, from middle age onwards, of some conditions particularly diabetes (type unspecified) but there is little or no lead for others.

The idea that Indigenous people age prematurely is not well supported by this study of a series of discrete conditions. The current focus and type of services provided by the aged care sector may not be the best way to respond to the excessive burden of chronic disease and disability of middle-aged Indigenous people.

Judging a patient’s decision to seek emergency healthcare: clues for managing increasing patient demand.

Amee Morgans and Stephen Burgess

www.publish.csiro.au/nid/270/paper/AH10921.htm There is a public health issue where some patients seek emergency healthcare when they are not acutely unwell (inappropriate health service users) and some patients fail to seek emergency healthcare when they are acutely unwell (patients who “delay” or avoid using emergency health services). There is a difference in understanding between health professionals and patients about what a health emergency is and when it is appropriate to seek emergency healthcare. There is an increasing demand for emergency health services both nationally and internationally.

This paper provides a review of Australian and international rates of “inappropriate” healthcare utilisation.This paper identifies the limitations on the ability to determine whether patients were appropriate or inappropriate, and instead identifies what motivates patients to seek emergency healthcare for non-acute events and fail to seek healthcare for acute events.

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THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 39

CROSSWORD

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27 28 Across 1. Giving birth to live young 8. Eyepiece of a microscope 9. Originating in or from the kidney 10. To exercise the power of reason 11. The condition of gleaming with bright and changing colors 13. Immunoglobulin 14. Immunoglobulin A 15. A specialist in poisons 16. A compound of oxygen with an element or radical 18. Having a fluffy or wooly appearance 20. An articulation in which the bones are joined by a ligament 22. A desire to drink 23. Loss of power of articulate speech 26. Derived from the mother 27. Relating to the elbow 28. An ecological community together with its environment, functioning as a unit

40 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

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BOOKS

BOOK ME Containing Trauma: Nursing Work in the First World War Christine E. Hallett, Manchester University Press (available through Footprint Books) RRP $37.95 ISBN 9780719079580

footprint.com.au This book attempts to depict the care that was provided by nurses from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada, South Africa and United States, to those wounded or made ill by the First World War. There are a number of short extracts throughout the text that provide real life stories of how these nurses not only had to provide the physical, emotional and moral containment to their patients, but also what they had to do to maintain their own physical and emotional integrity.

Compact Clinical Guide to Infant and Child Pain Management: An Evidence-Based Approach for Nurses Linda L. Oakes, Springer Publishing Company RRP $30.44 ISBN 9780826106179

www.springerpub.com This book is an excellent resource for nurses who need to have immediate access to information about managing pain in infants, children and adolescents who suffer from acute and chronic pain conditions. The book reviews analgesics, effective dosing, and safe administration practices that are age-appropriate and in accordance with current recommendations and practices.

SPECIAL INTEREST Paramedico: Around the World by Ambulance Benjamin Gilmour, Murdoch Books Pty Ltd RRP $29.99 ISBN 9781742666778

murdochbooks.com.au Benjamin Gilmour’s behind-thescenes investigation of the working lives of ambulance crews takes you on the road with emergency services teams in Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, England, Thailand, Macedonia, Pakistan, Iceland, Italy and Mexico.

As an experienced paramedic based in Sydney, Gilmour has had placements with these international emergency services and narrates his own observations and experiences, of working side-by-side with international ambulance crews, with warmth and humour.

Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice (2nd ed.)

Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk and Ellen Fineout-Overholt, Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins RRP $72.20 ISBN 9781605477787

www.lww.com This second edition has been thoroughly revised and provides readers with real life examples to assist in actualising important concepts and overcoming barriers to implementation of evidence-based care. An included CD-ROM contains checklists and other guides to aid in formulating clinical questions and appraising various type of quantitative and qualitative evidence.

Population-Based Nursing: Concepts and Competencies for Advanced Practice Ann L. Cupp Curley and Patty A Vitale, Springer Publishing Company RRP $65.00 ISBN 9780826106711

www.springerpub.com This book addresses the essential areas of content for a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) as recommended by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The goal is to provide readers with information that will help them identify healthcare needs at the population level and improve population outcomes. The textbook also includes case studies and discussion questions to help reinforce newly acquired skills.

ACCN’s Critical Care Nursing (2nd ed.)

Doug Elliott, Leanne Aitken and Wendy Chadboyer Mosby Elsevier (available via Elsevier Australia) RRP $155.95 ISBN 9780729540681

www.elsevierhealth.com.au This second edition of ACCN’s Critical Care Nursing provides detailed coverage of the speciality areas within critical care nursing that comprise intensive care, emergency, cardiac, neuroscience nursing and acute care. The text reflects current clinical practice, policies, procedures and guidelines for Australian and New Zealand students. It has a patient-centred approach, providing the reader with a sound knowledge base and critical thinking skills.

All books can be ordered through the publisher or your local bookshop. NSWNA members can borrow the books featured here, and many more, from our records and information centre (RIC). Contact Jeannette Broomfield gensec@nswnurses.asn.au or Cathy Matias 8595 2121 cmatias@nswnurses.asn.au. Reviews by NSWNA RIC Coordinator Jeannette Broomfield. Some books are reviewed using information supplied and have not been independently reviewed.

THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 41

MOVIES

MOVIES OF THE MONTH THE DEEP BLUE SEA This is a film to be seen on a soft-rainy afternoon with a few friends, writes STEPHANIE GRAY. “Between the devil and the deep blue sea” is a phrase meaning a dilemma – having to choose between two undesirable situations (equivalent to “between a rock and a hard place”).

This film adaptation of a 1952 play by Terence Rattigan, directed by Terence Davies, has Rachel Weisz shining in a melancholy story of a woman who risks everything for the man she loves. The Deep Blue Sea is a painful, uncompromising study of the fear of loneliness and the frustratingly unreliable nature of love.

Hester Collyer (Rachel Weisz) leads a privileged life in 1950s London as the beautiful wife of a kind but dull high court judge, Sir William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale). To the shock of those around her she walks out on her marriage to move in with a young ex-RAF pilot, the harddrinking Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), with whom she has fallen passionately in love.

Set in post-war Britain, The Deep Blue Sea is a study of forbidden love and suppressed desire, but at heart it is a deeply moving love story. Stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, what – or whom – should Hester choose? It is the first time she has felt erotic love and it overwhelms her.

MEMBERS GIVEAWAY The Lamp has 10 in-season double passes to give away to Café de Flore thanks to Icon Film Distribution.

The first 10 members to email their name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnurses.asn.au will win.

42 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

MEMBERS GIVEAWAY The Lamp has 20 in-season double passes to give away to The Deep Blue Sea thanks to Transmission Films.

The first 20 members to email their name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnurses.asn.au will win.

Sir William is icily disgusted with Hester’s infidelity, and at first scornful and cruel. But then his anger dissolves into something even more unbearable: a terrible pity and yearning, a desperate need to soothe Hector’s cares, to take her back.

At times Freddie comes across as a derringdo character and some of the dialogue between he and his ex-RAF mates make them seem like caricatures from a Biggles story. He is horrified by his lover’s capacity for self-destruction and despair.

Many people in a dull but comfortable marriage assume life would be wonderful if they had a passionate affair. And many people in a chaotic, insecure, passionate affair assume life would be wonderful is all this was wrapped up in marriage.

Hester has had both and realises that life is still unsatisfying, still wrong.

The unrepaired bomb damage still present in the streets of 1950s London, is shown as a metaphor for the damage in people’s hearts. The Deep Blue Sea is a melancholy film without a doubt, but with great sweetness and delicacy.

STEPHANIE GRAY is an RN with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service The Deep Blue Sea is a Transmission Films release. In cinemas April 12.

Check newspapers for details.

Healing a broken heart isn’t easy.

Sometimes it takes a lifetime – or two.

Café de Flore is a love story about people separated by time and place but connected in profound and mysterious ways. Atmospheric, fantastical, tragic and hopeful, the film chronicles the parallel fates of Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis), a young mother with a disabled son in 1960s Paris, and Antoine, a recently divorced, successful DJ in present day Montreal.

What binds the two stories together is love - euphoric, obsessive, tragic, youthful, timeless love.

Only at the movies April 25TH

MEMBERS GIVEAWAY The Lamp has 10 in-season double passes to give away to Romantics Anonymous thanks to Rialto Distribution. The first 10 members to email their name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnurses.asn.au will win.

Romantics Anonymous This light-hearted, sweetly charming confection of a film gently unfolds like a delicious chocolate mousse, writes ANNI CAMERON. The French do romantic comedy really well and this film is no exception. The film centres on Angelique (Isabelle Carré), a painfully shy young woman who is overcome to the point of fainting at the hint of a compliment, and who is an exceptional but secret chocolate-maker. The other major focus is on Jean-René (Belgian actor Benoît Poelvoorde), the owner of a struggling chocolate business, who hides his social anxiety and awkwardness behind a façade of aloofness and reserve.

Angelique has such anxiety about how others might perceive her ability as a chocolate-maker that she makes them at home and pretends that she’s just the

delivery girl for The Hermit, a highly regarded, mysterious chocolate maker, who is the only person to know her hidden secret.

Following his untimely death, Angelique, finds an ill-suited job as sales rep for JeanRené’s teettering chocolate business.

Angelique and Jean-René are instantly attracted, with neither of them suspecting the other suffers from a debilitating social anxiety disorder. Angelique, awkward and tongue-tied in her role of sales girl, battles on bravely defending the quality of her boss’s chocolates, while Jean-René travels with a suitcase of freshly pressed shirts, such is his tendency to drown in sweat when succumbing to the anxiety of social situations.

Insight into their disorder, that also provides some comic touches, comes in the form of a modified Greek chorus: Angelique’s selfhelp group, Emotions Anonymous and Jean-René’s therapist, who urges him to invite someone out to dinner. He abruptly

asks a somewhat surprised Angelique, which is a hilarious part of the film capturing the escalating anxiety of the pair.

There is a genuine sweetness in the ensuing courtship dance of advance and retreat, as the pair endeavour to overcome their emotional fragility and connect with one another. At the same time, Angelique contrives an elaborate plot to save JeanRené’s business, while maintaining her anonymity as a maker of delectable chocolate concoctions.

The outcome is predictable but the script is clever, entertaining and amusing. It has been well cast with solid performances from Carré and Poelvoorde as well as the support cast.

It is a light-hearted, feel-good film that offers a brief respite from all that ails the world.

Anni Cameron, RN, BHA, MEd, is a Teacher of Nursing at St George TAFE, Sydney Institute, NSW THE LAMP APRIL 2012 | 43

DIARY DATES

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, MEETINGS SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA Bones on the Beach orthopaedic conference 13 October 2012 WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Karin Tarne 02 4222 5811 karin.tarne@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au Critical Care Nursing Course, Sydney 10 weeks, one night a week 26 Aprilâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;28 June 2012, 6.30pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9.30pm Call 03 9390 8011 info@criticalcare.edu.au www.criticalcare.edu.au Basic Life Support & Advanced Cardiac Life Support 27-28 April/2-3 November 2012, Sydney 03 9390 8011 info@criticalcare.edu.au www.criticalcare.edu.au Anaesthetics & Recovery Room Nursing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Essentials 18-19 May 2012, Sydney 03 9390 8011 info@criticalcare.edu.au www.criticalcare.edu.au Care of the Deteriorating Patient seminar 15-16 June 2012, Sydney/ 23-24 November 2012, Newcastle 03 9390 8011 info@criticalcare.edu.au www.criticalcare.edu.au The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alertâ&#x20AC;? Course (TM) Acute Life-threatening Emergencies, Recognition & Treatment 27-28 July 2012, Sydney 03 9390 8011 info@criticalcare.edu.au www.criticalcare.edu.au Advanced Critical Care Nursing Course 31 August -1 September 2012, Sydney 03 9390 8011 info@criticalcare.edu.au www.criticalcare.edu.au Anaesthesia & Post Anaesthesia Care Nursing Seminar 19-20 October 2012, Sydney 03 9390 8011 info@criticalcare.edu.au www.criticalcare.edu.au

BeBright Study Series 2012 General Continence Assessment and Management workshop Presented by Kylie Wicks CNC Continence/Spinal 29 May 2012 Mary MacKillop Place, North Sydney Attract three RCNA CNE points.

Cost: $65pp www.brightsky.com.au/Clinical_Educati on/BeBright_Study_Series_2012.aspx Nurse Practitioner Professional Development Day Hand in Hand Enhancing Health Care 17-18 May 2012 Coffs Harbour Showgrounds Sue Trotter 6562 2688 suetrotter@eastwest.net.au The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital at Westmead Spring with the Kids â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Paediatric Perioperative Seminar 15 September 2012 The Sebel Parramatta Claudia Watson 9845-2112 claudiw2@chw.edu.au Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control Conference 2012 (ACPIC)* 8-11 October 2012 Sydney Exhibition and Conference Centre 8204 0770 or conferenceinfo@ashm.org.au *Formally Australian Infection Control Association (AICA) ACI Musculoskeletal Network Forum 2012 4 May 2012 Kerry Packer Education Centre Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown robyn.speerin@aci.health.nsw.gov.au www.health.nsw.gov.au/gmct/musculos keletal/index.asp Illawarra International Nurses Day Black and White Ball 12 May 2012, 6pm-midnight Grand Ballroom Fraternity Club, Wollongong Tickets $95pp on sale til 30 April Profits donated to the local area SES Glen Barrington 0402 000 841

Small group workshops of 6 people, conducted over 2 days. )( '&%$#"!# (% & #&%#( #&(! #" & )( $ %#!!#!( (# #% # ( $# "$#("& ( $ #( $#!#& " &! )( !( (#& " #( $(" #&%# )( !( (! #" (% & #& ( &( #(!

)( & #&%#( &( $( &(&" $" (! #" & (! #

My next workshop is Sydney 28th April & 5th May 2012 Enrol now

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44 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

This education activity attracts 14.5 hours of Continuing Professional Development, as per the College of Nursing CPD Program.

REGIONAL INTERSTATE & OVERSEAS Australian Pain Society 32nd ASM Integrated Perspective of Pain 1-4 April 2012 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre www.dcconferences.com.au/aps2012 Discharge Planning Masterclass 27 April 2012, London bookings@mkupdate.co.uk or 017687 73030 Book online to receive a 10% discount www.mkupdate.co.uk Assisting with Medical Procedures for HCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 17 May 2012, London 13 June 2012, Manchester 26 November 2012, London bookings@mkupdate.co.uk or 017687 73030 Book online to receive a 10% discount www.mkupdate.co.uk 14th National Nurse Education Conference 2012 11-13 April 2012 Pan Pacific Hotel, Perth WA nnec@iceaustralia.com www.iceaustralia.com/nnec2012 Australia and New Zealand Urological Nurses Society & USANZ Annual Scientific Meeting 21-24 April 2012 Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin urological_nurses@hotmail.com or 9990 4148 www.anzuns.org Union of Risk Management for Preventative Medicine Seminar for Risk and Emergency Management for HealthCare 2-4 May 2012 University of London, London, UK www.eventsforce.net/urmpm International Conference on Integrative Medicine 13-15 May 2012, Jerusalem +41 22 5330 948 or Skype +41 22 5330 948 rlevy@paragon-conventions.com www.mediconvention.com

ICN 25th Quadrennial Congress Equity and Access to Health Care 18-23 May 2013, Melbourne Call for abstracts open 16 April Email submissions to: opensicn2013abs@mci-group.com www.icn2013.ch icn@mci-group.com Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Consultation Liaison and Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Special Interest Groups 2012 Conference 7-8 June, Melbourne Carson Conference Centre, ANF House, 540 Elizabeth St Timothy.Wand@sswahs.nsw.gov.au www.acmhn.org/clsig-news-aevents.html STTI European Conference 2012 Diversity Across Europe: Implications for Nursing 12-14 July 2012 Cardiff, Wales, UK www.sttiec2012.net STTI 23rd International Nursing Research Congress Creating a Legacy through Nursing Research Innovation and Global Collaboration 30 July-3 August 2012 Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane www.nursingsociety.org 13th International Mental Health Conference Positive Change: Investing in Mental Health 6-8 August 2012 Call for Abstracts Outrigger Inn (formerly Holiday Inn) Gold Coast, Qld www.anzmh.asn.au/conference 9th Tri-National (German Language) Psychiatric Nursing Conference Health promotion and health competency 4-5 October 2012, Vienna Call for abstracts (German only) until 30 March 2012 info@oudconsultancy.nl

NSWNA BRANCH OFFICIALSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; AND ACTIVISTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; TRAINING PROGRAM

2012

NEW DELEGATES PROGRAM

NEGOTIATION & ADVOCACY PT 1

NEGOTIATION & ADVOCACY PT 2

15 May and 18 September 1-4pm NSWNA Waterloo

for Branch OfďŹ cialsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Activistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 16 May, 19 September and 21 November 9am-4pm, NSWNA Waterloo

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The IRC, FWA, AHPRA and Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 16 May, 19 September and 21 November 9am-4pm, NSWNA Waterloo

Details will be sent to Branches in GenSec Circulars.

For more information, contact Lyn Stevens at the NSWNA 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (regional)

ING AGED CARE NURSIN

APPLY APPLY F FOR OR A SCHOLARSHIP TODAY SCHOL ARSHIP T ODAY

P S IIP H R S SCHOL A

A AGED GED C CARE ARE NURSING NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS SCHOLARSHIPS ARE ARE N NOW OW OPEN OPEN FOR: F O R: Continuing Continuing professional prrofessional development developmen nt

Nurse re-entry re-entr ty

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Are you you intending intending tto o under take nurse re-entry re-entry studies?

Are undertake Would you you like to to re-enter re-enter the nursing profession proffe ession Would focu us on aged care? care? with a focus

F For or more more inf information fo ormation t on elig eligibility ibility or ho how w tto o ap apply ply ffor or a scholarship:

RCNA R CNA M A STR SCHE U A NTN W E IA ME NE RNM AL RAM R T VE S OG GO AU PR

T W NE MEN N R VE GO

freecall: freeccall: 1800 11 66 96 scholarships@rcna.org.au scho olarships@rcna.org.au www.rcna.org.au w ww.rcna.org.au

Aged A ged C Care a arre Nursing SScholarships cholarrships ((ACNS) ACNS) ar are re byy the A Australian Government. funded b ustrra alian nG overnment.

RCNA, peak organisation, RCNA, Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Austrralia a â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s p eak professional prrofession o al nursing nursing or rg ganisation, is proud partner Department Ageing prro oud to to par tner the D epartmeent of Health and A geing as the fund administrator program. administrrat a or for this pr rogrram. a

Need support to get away?

We can help.

Apply online at www.nahrls.com.au

Freecall 1300 NAHRLS (1300 624 757)

NAHRLS provides locum backâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;ďŹ ll support for Nurses in rural and remote Australia to get away for short term leave.

FUNDED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT

Upc oming Upcoming Nursing Seminars

DIARY DATES

May Ma y 2012 2012 - S Sydney ydney

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, MEETINGS 10th International Conference for Emergency Nurses New Frontiers in Emergency Nursing 10-13 October 2012 Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart TAS info@cdesign.com.au www.cdesign.com.au/cena2012 Third International Conference on Violence in the Health Sector Linking local initiatives with global learning 24-26 October 2012, Vancouver, Canada www.oudconsultancy.nl/vancouver /violence/registrationandp.html

REUNIONS RPAH April 1979 graduatesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reunion 28 April 2012, 5.30 pm Helm Bar, Darling Harbour Jane Howland 6580 1119 page 0050 or jane.howland@ncahs.health.nsw.g ov.au Western Suburbs Hospital Graduate Nurses reunion 26 May 2012, Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club Robyn Daniel 9644 9692 or Robyn Conliffe 9858 1102

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

2012 NSWNA Education Calendar Check venues with Lyn Stevens 02 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962

Aged Care Seminar Series â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 day Target group Target group: RNs, ENs, AINs 20 April 2012, Penrith 24 May 2012, Bathurst Appropriate Workplace Behaviour â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 day Target group: all nurses and midwives 3 May 2012, Shellharbour Are you meeting your CPD requirements? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1/2 day Target group: all nurses and midwives 18 May 2012, Wagga Wagga 25 May 2012, Armidale Basic Foot Care for AiNs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 day Target group: AiNs 25 May 2012, Port Macquarie Basic Foot Care for RNs & ENs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2 days Target group: RNs and ENs 9-10 May 2012, Lismore Computer Essentials for Nurses and Midwives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 day Target group: all nurses and midwives 4 April 2012 18 April 2012 9 May 2012 Leadership Skills for the Aged Care Team â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 days Target group: all aged care nurses 23 April 2012 30 May 2012 Legal and Professional Issues for Nurses and Midwives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1/2 day Target group: RNs, RMs and ENs

20 April 2012, Shellharbour 26 April 2012, Gymea 11 May 2012, Tweed Heads 31 May 2012, Penrith Practical, Positive Actions in Managing Conflict and Disagreement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 day Target group: all nurses and midwives 18 April 2012, NSWNA offices, Waterloo Practical, Positive Leadership â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3 days Target group: All N/MUMs, CNS, CNC, Educators 4 April 2012, NSWNA offices, Waterloo 16 May 2012, NSWNA offices, Waterloo

NOTICES 2012 Carol Martin Scholarship Australasian Sexual Health & HIV Nurses Association Members may apply for funding to support conference attendance, education or research opportunities.

Applications close 30 April 2012 www.ashhna.org.au/scholarshipapply.html Karen Biggs 02 9843 3124

EDUCATION DATES For more information on NSWNA Education Courses contact Carolyn Kulling (02) 8595 1234 Free call 1300 367 962 www.nswnurses.asn.au/topics/2761 .html

A R C H

I V E E N T R I L G A T X I D O Y N N N A A L U B E A

I P I O G M D E N T R D E D D E C N R T L A I T R E

46 | THE LAMP APRIL 2012

A R E E N I S C O O X O T F E S M A O H R Y A A L T U

O U N I C O E N S I C I L O U O S S I A E M I E C

S H O S T C E A O L T C C Y I S T I A T I O S

L C U C H I F U O G A U L S C H I R R E R U Y S

3 - 4 Ma May y

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Refr esh your k nowledge of the Refresh knowledge law and rregulation egulattion of nursing.

Gain an impr ov ved awar eness of improved awareness potential ar eas s of risk. areas

Improving Improving g Your Your Knowledge Kno wledg ge of of Mediciness 7 - 8 Ma May y

11 CPD Hrs

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss thiss invaluable Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t improve opportunity to impr ove your knowledge abo about out medications & professional rreduce educe risk in your y pr ofessional area ar ea of car care. e H e.

Highly ighly evaluated!

Carre o Care off tthe h Chi he Child ld w with ith A Acute cute Illnes c Illnesss 10 - 11 Ma May y

11 CPD Hrs

program This two day p pr ogram is increase designed to inc crease your

assessment the assessmen nt & management o eyu unwell e children. de of acu acutely unw ell c childr en.

Trauma T ra auma Nursing N 14 - 15 Ma May y

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This pr program ogram pr p provides ovides up-to-date, evi idence-based, evidence-based, clinical educati ion for nurses, education (who do not ne ecessarily work in necessarily trauma and em emergency mergency settings), about the princ ciples and practice principles of trauma nurs ing. Highly nursing. evaluated!

Advanced A dvanced d dA Aged ged g Care Car re Nur Nursing rsing 17 - 18 Ma May y

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about Enhance your knowledge k care older er people with the car e of olde h needs. complex health evaluated program! ed pr ogram!

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To vie view w more more programs progrra ams and a nd to to register: regis e ter: ausmed.com.au/book usme ed.c com.au/book ph: ph h: (03) (03) 9326 9326 8101 8101

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 JU UNE 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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