Lamp October 2012

lamp The magazine of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association

volume 69 no.9 October 2012

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CONTENTS

The

CONTACTS

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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@nswnma.asn.au W www.nswnma.asn.au

Volume 69 No.9 October 2012

Hunter Office 8-14 Telford Street, Newcastle East NSW 2300

COVER STORY

12 | Our new name reflects all members History was made at the annual conference with a change in the name of the Association to the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association.

Yvonne Peisley, CNS, Janice Dilworth, CNC and midwife, Jarrod Pronk, AiN and aged care nurse.

5 6 8 11 33 38 41 43 45 46 50

Editorial Your letters News in brief What’s on Ask Judith Social media Nursing research online Crossword Books Movies of the month Diary dates

COMMUNITY UNIONS

FOR ALL EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES, LETTERS AND DIARY DATES: T 8595 1234 E lamp@nswnma.asn.au M 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 Produced by Hester Communications T 9568 3148 Press Releases Send your press releases to: F 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au

PHOTOGRAPH: Gerrit Fokkema

REGULARS

NSWNMA Communications Manager Janaki Chellam-Rajendra T 8595 1258

ADHC

14 | O’Farrell takes aim at disability nurses

Ageing, Disability and Home Care nurses face loss of award conditions – who will be next?

QUEENSLAND HEALTH

Editorial Committee • Brett Holmes, NSWNMA General Secretary • Judith Kiejda, NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary • Coral Levett, NSWNMA 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 F 9662 1414 E ppurcell@nswnma.asn.au Records and Information Centre – Library To find old articles in The Lamp, or to borrow from the NSWNMA nursing and health collection, contact: Jeannette Bromfield, RIC Coordinator T 8595 2175 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au

The Lamp ISSN: 0047-3936

18 | Joining hands to save services

22 | Job carnage at Queensland Health Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has confirmed his Liberal National Party government will axe 14,000 public service positions.

ADVERTISING COMPETITION

7 | Win a Hopscotch DVD pack

AGED CARE

24 | New agreement for aged care

Greater reward for qualifications and experience.

General disclaimer The Lamp is the official magazine of the NSWNMA. Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily those of the NSWNMA. 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 NSWNMA takes no responsibility for the advertising appearing herein and it does not necessarily endorse any products advertised.

Privacy Privacy statement: The NSWNMA 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 NSWNMA 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 OCTOBER 2012 | 3

Your Y our chance to win an iPad in a contest to mark our historic name change!

We are now the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association

Histo was made at History Annual Conference this Annu when delegates year w voted overwhelmingly to change the name of the chang Association to include Assoc midwives – the first change midw since the Association was registered in 1931. regist GUIDELINES & CONDITIONS: GUIDELIN ss 99OU MUST BE A lNANCIAL MEMBER OR ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE OU MUS

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EDITORIAL

BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

Unity is vital as attacks intensify Local Health Boards have been given the nasty responsibility of implementing New South Wales and Queensland state government budget cuts.

“…nurses, midwives and other health workers are being asked to do more with less support and staff.”

It took numerous tragedies in our health systems, plus the cathartic government inquiries that followed, and years and years of campaigning by nursing unions, to force state governments in New South Wales and Queensland to start properly funding health.

The Garling inquiry in NSW, and the Bundaberg Hospital Commission of Inquiry in Queensland, had their origins in terrible misfortune.

Some good came out of those tragedies with an official recognition that there was a lack of resources in health and initial steps were made to remedy this situation.

Relatively new conservative governments in both these states seem to be ignoring these painful lessons, and have embarked on a backto-the-future strategy of significant cuts to their health budgets.

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner has told the NSW Ministry of Health and Local Health Districts to make more than $3 billion in savings.

A significant portion of this total ($775m) is to be found from a “labour expense cap”.

Having put an additional $900m in to pay for 30,000 extra hospital admissions and 50,000 extra ED presentations, a reasonable person would conclude nurses, midwives and other health workers are being asked to do more with less support and staff.

Minister Skinner claims any savings ($2.2 billion) will be redirected into “frontline” health services. Nurses are entitled to view this with grave concern as we are already seeing “voluntary redundancies” being offered to senior nurses.

In Queensland, Liberal National Party Premier Campbell Newman has announced 4000 health jobs will go and a total of 14,000 positions are to be axed from the Queensland public service in one year (see page 22).

These cuts were preceded by a Commission of Audit headed by former federal treasurer Peter Costello who, somewhat amusingly, described himself as “independent”.

Predictably, he blamed the previous government for fiscal profligacy before recommending the obligatory dose of harsh medicine. The consequent attack on Queensland health service jobs received strong endorsement from federal coalition shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey.

It is important that we join all these dots for it clarifies our challenges.

Conservative governments across the world profess the aim of small government service and big business interests, they are determined to shrink the public sector and, build budget surpluses at the expense of hard working public sector workers.

This has serious implications for safe patient care and the working conditions of nurses and midwives. We need to be wary of accepting our “medicine” on the basis that the budget demands it, while promises of roads and railways delivered by big business at a profit, are given priority over health and education.

Our response will need to be measured and organised.

Professional unity will be critical to achieve our goals.

Over the past few years we have allocated substantial resources to raising public awareness of the value and relevance of nurses and midwives’ work and we will continue to do that.

Our alternative vision of an efficient and effective health system, with a key role for nurses and midwives, needs to be underpinned by empirical evidence.

We appreciate the sterling work done by local researchers of high calibre such as Professor Christine Duffield from UTS and her colleague Professor Di Twigg of Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, particularly on the relationships between workloads, skill mix and quality and safety (see page 28).

The NSWNMA shares with the wider professions the essential goal of maintaining a robust nursing and midwifery workforce with the capacity to provide safe, high quality, responsive and professional nursing and midwifery care.

It is critical that all those who care about our public health system stick together and that we take the public with us in the face of these ill-judged government attacks.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 5

LETTERS LETTERS

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Workers’ compensation I sustained a work injury and in 1994 was awarded ongoing care for life. Now I find out that under the current workers’ compensation laws, introduced by the current New South Wales government, that decision is null and void.

My spine has deteriorated and I now have numerous herniation and spinal impingements but no cover to assist. I’m faced with a dilemma. Do I resign because I will not get paid for being hurt at work? I would rather leave as I battle pain everyday and have done since I got hurt.

The union needs to help nurses in the state of New South Wales or there will be no nurses left.

Kerry Collins, CNC NSWNMA responds The new workers’ compensation laws dramatically reduce benefits for injured workers in New South Wales and give insurance companies an unprecedented level of power within the compensation system.The fact that those changes affect existing as well as future workers’ compensation claims, is just another example of how profoundly unfair these laws are.

The Association has been actively involved in the campaign against these laws and will continue to be until the laws are changed.

“Prejudice against male nurses”.

Comment on letter published in August 2012 issue of The Lamp.

I empathise with what Darren wrote but I disagree with his perception of female patients as being prejudiced against male nurses.

I have been a patient too, in a recovery unit after my caesarean section with my third baby. The nurse who looked after me for my first hour in RR was a female nurse and as the anaesthesia effect was just wearing off at that time, I was assured that my dignity as a patient would still be looked after.

I was comfortable having a female nurse look after me, checking for any signs of PV bleeding. Then, the second hour of my stay in RR a male nurse was checking on me, feeling my abdomen and checking whether I had a well-contracted uterus. Even though the male nurse introduced himself, I was still slightly uneasy having a male nurse touch my abdomen.Your patient may have felt the same way too. I remember, when I was training, included in the patient’s bill of rights was the right to preserve their dignity.

That is why we, as nurses, do our best to make sure the needs of our female patients are looked after by a female nurse and male patient’s care needs are looked after by male nurses.

The same is true when a female patient requests to be examined by a female doctor rather than a male doctor. All of this falls under preserving the dignity of every patient and it is a basic right.

When you say that you were the only recovery RN on duty after hours, I think this is an issue you can raise with your manager.

Patient dignity is one of the key components of Essentials of Care.

Araceli Javier, RN

6 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

De-skilling the nursing workforce I wish to write and raise concerns for our profession.

Previously, working as a nurse had an ease of portability that has now disappeared. A registered nurse working within New South Wales hospitals could approach the management and request a transfer within the hospital from one department to another, and assistance would be given to broaden the experience of nurses.

Nurses could be multi-skilled, working within medical, surgical, emergency, theatre, community health, paediatrics units and any range of specialty areas by just arranging a transfer across areas.

Today we have nurses who specialise in single areas throughout their working lives. In part this may be choice, or limited by the onerous processes that exist today. During this process you have to provide numerous forms of identification, have a police check, provide referees and attend an interview, even though you may have worked for many years within the area.

Recently I have seen colleagues trying to juggle working within two areas (part time in each area) the end result that some are opting out of one area. Some nurses feel stuck, as the lack of transfer within the hospital is now not an option, although each unit remains a part of the whole. If you are employed in surgical you may never be able to work in medical, as the process is too daunting.

Nurses are living with stress and frustration as a result of limited opportunities to spend time working across a range of units.

This in turn produces nurses who are systematically de-skilled in the broad range of their training.

Recently I have had the opportunity to hear from many nurses who would like to explore other work options such as rural or remote area nursing, but after some years working in one area they feel they don’t have the experience to look beyond the local hospital setting, which has limited their options by locking them into single areas of practice.

Many nurses looked forward to national registration, believing this would open up new frontiers of practice. Sadly, most colleagues I have spoken with view the new Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA) as another obstacle to freeing up nurses to utilise their common sense and training to contribute to the broader world of nursing.

We should provide better options to allow those nurses who enjoy the challenge of working across various areas to be free to hone their skills.

Many nurses are afraid and lost within the system. Some of the midwives working with me have let their general registration lapse, thus adding to the de-skilling of the work force.

AHPRA has failed to provide the security required and is viewed by many as another government failure to address the long-standing concerns of the nursing profession.

Barry Watts, RN

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

COMPETITION

Progressing the profession In 2007, Brett Holmes and Judith Kiejda, General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary of the NSWNMA, invited the then Leaders in Nursing and Midwifery to a weekend workshop at Terrigal to discuss the issues facing the profession and how they could support and move the profession forward together.

On 7 to 9 September 2012 they met again at Terrigal, with the title, “Have your say, we are listening”. I was invited in my capacity as a representative of the Nursing and Midwifery Unit Managers Society of NSW (Inc), and was joined by Samantha Faithfull, our President, and John Krumins a senior member of the Society’s executive. We advocate for nursing and midwifery from the coalface with CN&MO, AMA, and NSWNMA and, as of this year, the Minister.

My perceptions of the weekend were that the networking was very successful; Julie McCrossin was an amazing facilitator. Brett opened with an overview of recent Association positions and the speakers’ panels did elicit some dialogue about the challenges and opportunities that the health sector and indeed the community will be facing.

Professor Christine Duffield discussed “Our N&M Workforce: Key Issues for Managers”, which resonated with me due to constant leadership and staffing changes. With everyone in acting positions, and acting up, the loss of coalface clinical and corporate knowledge is becoming apparent. However, Patient Ratios and Nursing Hours Per Patient Day, the latter being the preference of some of those present, did elicit some strong comments.

On Sunday, there was an update on working with different generations from Michael McQueen. He concentrated on the Generation Y, myths and truths. To the mostly baby boomers in the room, who probably will not be working in health in 10 years, you should embrace these nurses and midwives and when they tell you they want your job, ask them how they will get there and guide their path; their future is now.

The experience of this forum shows me that we need more events and opportunities like this for nursing and midwifery leaders to come together and continue to progress the profession.

Karen Draddy, NSWNMA Life Member Westmead barbie I would like to thank all the NSWNMA organisers as well as the branch delegates and volunteers who provided their time on the 1st of September to assist with the Westmead Hospital nurses’ barbecue. It was an enjoyable day where nurses and midwives had an opportunity to discuss their thoughts on hospital issues as well as start a conversation on what they believe is important to them and their patients in the up-coming re-negotiation of the 2013 State Nurses’ Award. Overall, the branch considered the day a great success, with 180 sausages and vegetarian sandwiches handed out to the nursing and midwifery staff, and 11 new memberships signed up as well. The Westmead branch would recommend a weekend barbecue to any other branch as a fun and enjoyable way of engaging all of your members.

Daniel O’Flynn, RN, branch president

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

Win a Hopscotch DVD pack

NEWS IN BRIEF

1,ooo,ooo,ooo World

Tobacco to kill a billion A recently released survey predicts one billion tobacco-related deaths during the 21st century.

“For every

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), having surveyed 14 low and middleincome countries – Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam – and compared this to data from the US and the UK. Overall, the data accounted for three billion people over the age of 15 and represented 852 million tobacco users. The burden of worldwide deaths – along with the economic and healthcare costs – will fall

$US9100

received in tobacco taxes,

increasingly on low and middle-income countries, according to The Atlantic magazine. Currently, highincome nations shoulder most of the cost of tobacco-related disease.

More people are starting to smoke in these low and middle-income countries, and quit rates are low. The GATS report pointed out that in many low-income countries “for every $US9100 received in tobacco taxes, only one dollar was spent on tobacco control.”

only $US1

One country however, Uruguay, bucked the trend. It has stringent anti-tobacco policies, including mandated graphic labels that take up 80% of cigarette packaging, sales tax increases, and bans on tobacco advertising and on indoor smoking in public places.

Earlier this month, the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC) released a report indicating that the prevalence of tobacco use in Uruguay had decreased 25% over three years.

was spent on tobacco control.”

Libya

Depressed population In the first-ever study of the effect of Libya’s conflict on the mental health of its population, researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) have estimated that about 40% of the most conflict-affected populations could be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with 30% of these cases considered severe. More than a third could have depression, with around half of these experiencing the most severe form of the illness.

Led by Fiona Charlson of UQ’s School of Population Health, researchers used existing data on post-conflict settings to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders in parts of Libya particularly affected by last year’s conflict, including Misrata, Benghazi, Tripoli and Zintan.

Fiona Charlson said that these current levels of substantial mental health burden are unlikely to be adequately addressed by Libya’s health system, already under strain since the conflict.

“Our estimates show that more than 120,000 Libyans are predicted to have the most severe form of PTSD, while more than 220,000 are predicted to have severe depression,” she said. “This is a huge burden on the Libyan health service and, not surprisingly, the country’s capacity to meet its mental health needs fall exceedingly short of what is likely to be required.”

Researchers estimate that the prevalence of severe PTSD and depression will drop to 5% and 9% respectively within three years, provided hostilities do not resume.

8 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

120,000 Libyans

MORE THAN

ARE PREDICTED TO HAVE THE MOST SEVERE FORM OF PTSD

MORE THAN

220,000 ARE PREDICTED TO HAVE SEVERE DEPRESSION

Britain

“There’s a real danger that we will see a widening of health inequalities because of the government’s refusal to set targets for improving health across England.”

Health class divide opens up People with no qualifications are five times more likely to smoke, drink, and neglect diet and exercise, according to the influential British think tank, the King’s Fund.

The King’s Fund research found that the better off increasingly shun damaging habits, such as smoking and eating badly, but poorer people do not.

The study covered 2003-08, a period in which the Labour government embarked on a massive campaign to persuade people to live healthier lives.

The research team analysed data from the NHS’s health survey for England covering four behaviours closely linked to disease and early death: smoking, excess alcohol use, poor diet and sedentary lifestyles. They found the number of people engaging in three or four of these risky behaviours fell from 33% in 2003 to 25% in 2008. But when they looked at the types of people who were drinking less or quitting smoking, for example, they found that “these reductions have been seen mainly among those in higher socioeconomic and educational groups”.

Gabriel Scally, a professor of public health and one of the NHS’s most senior public health doctors until April, told the Guardian newspaper: “There’s a real danger that we will see a widening of health inequalities because of the government’s refusal to set targets for improving health across England. It’s always been the case that middle class people have adopted healthier lifestyles faster, such as giving up smoking. But we are seeing a stark and growing class divide which can only be increased by the effects of the recession, unemployment, falling incomes and benefit cuts.”

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Britain

Fathers linked to autism, schizophrenia Older men are more likely to father a child who develops autism or schizophrenia, because of random mutations that become more numerous with advancing paternal age.

The age of mothers had no bearing on the risk for these disorders, a study published in the journal Nature found.

The study supports the argument that the increasing rate of autism in recent decades is in part attributable to the increasing average age of fathers. The findings also counter the longstanding assumption that the age of the mother is the most important factor in determining the odds of a child having developmental problems.

While the risk of chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down Syndrome, increases as mother’s age, when it comes to some complex developmental and psychiatric problems, the lion’s share of the genetic risk originates in the sperm, not the egg, the study found.

Australia

Howard tells Abbott: bring back WorkChoices John Howard has embarrassed his protégé Tony Abbott with a leaked speech advocating a return to some of the key pillars of WorkChoices, including the reinstatement of individual workplace agreements and its draconian unfair dismissal provisions.

Howard’s blast from the past was met with plenty of conservative support from the present, with Liberal MP Steve Ciobo immediately urging Tony Abbott to re-embrace WorkChoices AWAs, as did employer groups such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Abbott responded by saying “agreements needed to be more flexible” but “there’s no going back to the past”.

Howard also had a different view on the strength of the Australian economy to Abbott, saying there was no doubt the Australian economy was doing better than most. He also said Abbott was locked into opposing the carbon price for “political reasons”, a position that was “costing business certainty”.

United States

Antibiotics increase child weight Giving antibiotics to young babies may increase their weight later in life, according to US researchers.

A study of 11,532 infants, published in the International Journal of Obesity showed children under six months who were given antibiotics were heavier in later years. Researchers say the drugs could be affecting bacteria in the gut, leading to weight changes.

The study found that children who had antibiotics between birth and the age of five months were slightly heavier between the age of 10 and 20 months. After 38 months they were 22% more likely to be overweight.

One of the researchers, Dr Leonardo Trasande from New York University School of Medicine, said: “We typically consider obesity an epidemic grounded in unhealthy diet and exercise, yet increasingly studies suggest it’s more complicated.

“Microbes in our intestines may play critical roles in how we absorb calories, and exposure to antibiotics, especially early in life, may kill off healthy bacteria that influence how we absorb nutrients into our bodies, and would otherwise keep us lean.”

10 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

EDUCATION@NSWNMA

WHAT’S ON OCTOBER 2012

Practical, Positive Actions in Managing Conflict and Disagreement 3 October, Penrith Seminar is suitable for all nurses and midwives.

Members $85 Non-members $170 ——— • ———

Appropriate Workplace Behaviour – 1 day 4 October, Tamworth

Karyn Walsh

Australia

Queensland government gags community groups Queensland Health grant contracts now include clauses to prevent non-government organisations from advocating for state and federal legislative change, a measure that has been slammed by the Public Health Association of Australia.

Acting chief executive Melanie Walker said: “This inhibits not just government developing a better understanding of some of the concerns of service providers, but also those community service provision organisations being able to make the broader community aware of some of the problems they face in delivering those services.�

Queensland Council of Social Service president Karyn Walsh told the Brisbane Times that the non-government sector would be disappointed with the conditions. “The distinction between lobbying for legislation and policy advocacy is sometimes a fine line, but we believe it’s important in a democracy that NGOs are allowed to advocate,� she said.

The Queensland coalition government raised concerns about advocacy when it announced in May that it was stripping about $2.5 million from the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities, which Queensland Health had previously funded to target HIV/AIDS prevention among gay men.

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Topics covered include understanding why bullying occurs; how to behave appropriately in the workplace; identifying behaviour that constitutes bullying; what to do if subjected to bullying; how to use workplace grievance procedures; identifying, preventing and resolving bullying.

Members $85 Non-members $170 ——— • ———

Legal and Professional Issues for Nurses and Midwives – ½ day 5 October, Tamworth 18 October, Batemans Bay Topics covered include the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, potential liability, importance of documentation, role of disciplinary tribunals and writing statements.

Members $40 Non-members $85 ——— • ———

Basic Foot Care for RNs and ENs – 2 days 10 & 11 October, Tamworth Members $203 Non-members $350 ——— • ———

Computer Essentials for Nurses and Midwives – 1 day 11 October, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick Seminar is suitable for all nurses and midwives.

Members $85 Non-members $170 ——— • ———

Aged Care Nurses Forum – 1 day 26 October, Waterloo Seminar is suitable for all nurses working in aged care.

Members $30 Non-members $50 ——— • ———

Review and Implementation of Guidelines and Policies – 1 day 9 November, Waterloo Seminar is suitable for all nurses and midwives.

Members $85 Non-members $170 ——— • ——— To register or for more information go to www.nswnma.asn.au/education or phone Carolyn Kulling on 1300 367 962

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 11

COVER STORY

Proud to be a part of history CNC and midwife Jan Dilworth believes that the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) branch was a part of history at this year’s annual conference. RPA delegates put forward a motion to change the name of the NSW Nurses’ Association to the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association. They also supported the council resolution that was finally adopted.

“We were very keen to have midwives included in the title. The Association has been around now for 80 odd years and this is a significant, historical change.”

Jan urges other NSWNMA members to embrace midwives as a specialist, professional group that can help the Association to strengthen and grow.

“Midwives and nurses already work together and that’s important to remember,” Jan added.

“This can only serve to benefit the future of the Association.”

Our new name ref Histor y was made at the annual of the Association to the NSW

We need to be inclusive CNS Yvonne Peisley from Griffith Community Health says she was won over to the new name as the debate unfolded.

“I think it has brought out a lot of discussion.

In our branch the more we thought about the reasoning behind it, it seemed right, so we agreed to it. There was an evolution of understanding behind why we need it.

I’m now accustomed to another name.

“I’m a nurse from the 1980s but now we have direct midwifes and we have to be progressive and look to the future. We are in a rural area and we now have direct midwives coming through and we have to be inclusive.

“I’m quite OK with it.”

12 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

Midwives get recognition Westmead Hospital RN and midwife, Joanne Robertson, feels the name change is about recognition for midwives as a specialist group.

“I think this recognises midwives in general and that we are separate to nurses,” Joanne told The Lamp. “Being a midwife myself, I still felt part of the Association, even though the name wasn’t in there, but I think including the midwives in the title is great.”

lects all members conference with a change in the name Nurses and Midwives’ Association.

Strengthening the Association For AiN and aged care nurse, Jarrod Pronk, the Association’s name change means that midwives now have more industrial protection.

“There’s quite a few of the new direct entry midwives who didn’t feel associated with the NSW Nurses’ Association, so it makes it clear for them,” Jarrod told The Lamp.

“Those who didn’t know that they could become members of the Association now do, so they’ll be protected as all the members are.”

Jarrod believes the name change will bring more midwives into the fold and strengthen the Association by attracting more members with experience and knowledge from a specialist area.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 13

ADHC

O’Farrell takes aim at disability nurses Ageing, Disability and Home Care nurses face loss of award conditions – who will be next?

“The meanness of this government beggars belief.”

!

WHAT’S AT RISK? The O’Farrell Government’s proposed cuts to awards covering public sector workers such as ADHC nurses includes:

>

Abolishing the 17.5% annual leave loading.

>

Cutting penalty rates by restricting the definition of a shift worker to someone who works outside 7.30am to 6pm.

>

Cutting shift workers’ annual leave from six and seven weeks for some, to a maximum of five weeks for all.

>

Abolishing Family and Community Service (FACS) leave.

>

Stopping injured workers from using sick leave to make up the difference between the amount of workers’ compensation payable and their ordinary rate of pay.

>

Cutting travel allowances.

>

Cutting benefits for remote workers, including remote allowance, additional leave and travel assistance.

— judith kiejda, assistant general secretary

MORE THAN 1000 NEW SOUTH WALES nurses, who care for people with the greatest physical and intellectual disabilities, stand to lose some annual leave, some shift penalty rates, all annual leave loading and other award conditions.

Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) nurses working under the Department of Family and Community Services, are the first nurses to face sweeping cuts to their awards by the state Liberal/ National government.

The O’Farrell Government says it will ask the NSW Industrial Commission to change 98 awards for about 80,000 public sector workers, including ADHC nurses, clerical staff, librarians, parks and gardens staff, school administration assistants, regulatory inspectors and legal officers.

A spokeswoman for the Finance and Services Minister, Greg Pearce, told the

14 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

Sydney Morning Herald that most nurses employed under the Public Health System Nurses and Midwives’ State Award would be exempt from the cuts. But she confirmed that nurses employed by the Department of Family and Community Services would be targeted.

“To have these cuts imposed on staff on top of the government wages policy [which caps salary rises to 2.5%] is outrageous,” Judith Kiejda, Assistant General Secretary of the NSWNMA said. “The meanness of this government beggars belief.”

Judith said a meeting of NSWNMA delegates from across the state had voted unanimously to support ADHC nurses in a campaign against the cuts and for a decent pay rise.

“If this government can get away with doing this to ADHC nurses, it will use the precedent to attack the pay packets of all nurses.”

Push for equal pay Wage gap threatens safe staffing

“How can Disability Services hope to attract staff with lower pay, and now potential cuts to award conditions?”

— michael grant, president of the nswnma branch, stockton centre

DISABILITY NURSES WILL CAMPAIGN TO close the widening gap between general nursing salaries and their own.

Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) nurses say achieving wage parity with general nurses is essential to halt the exodus of staff from disability services.

Branches of the NSWNMA, representing ADHC nurses, voted to pursue the equal pay campaign. Disability nurses get, on average, about 7% less than Public Health System (PHS) nurses and midwives, so their push for wage parity is a rejection of the state government’s 2.5% limit on wage increases.

NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes said the government legislated for a 2.5% ceiling on pay increases with no right of appeal to the independent Industrial Commission.

“It is a maximum 2.5% unless you agree to sell some of your award conditions. Even then you don’t get the increase until Treasury has accrued the savings,” Brett said.

“Disability nurses have been hit with a double whammy – the ceiling on wage increases plus an attempt to strip away their award entitlements as part of the general attack on public sector conditions.

“That means the income gap between them and PHS nurses will be even bigger if Premier O’Farrell gets his way.”

Some categories of ADHC nurses, such as Clinical Nurse Educator, are paid 15% less than their counterparts in PHS nursing, registered nurse Michael Grant, president of the NSWNMA branch at the Stockton Centre in Newcastle, said.

With about 380 clients and 400 nurses, the Stockton Centre is NSW’s biggest residential facility for people with severe intellectual and/or physical disabilities.

“Most classifications of disability nurses are about 7% behind general nursing,” Michael said.

“The pay gap is forcing experienced disability nurses to shift into general nursing to try to maintain their living standards.

Our clients can’t afford to lose that amount of experience and expertise so we are demanding equal pay with general nurses without loss of award conditions.

“At Stockton Centre our FTE (fulltime-equivalent) numbers are 25% down on the level of 2005-06 and we have to rely on casuals. We are really feeling the pressure and our clients are being put at increasing risk.

“The roster for my unit has quite a few shifts that don’t have a registered nurse, and the after-hours nurse manager has to look after multiple units overnight, which has a big impact on their own job.

“Many of our clients have multiple illnesses and disability issues, which makes

for an awfully hard day for staff. It puts the clients at greater risk if we don’t have the appropriate clinical people on duty.”

Michael said ADHC was trying to attract more overseas nurses, with a job expo in New Zealand and recruitment efforts in the UK and Ireland.

“But how can Disability Services hope to attract staff with lower pay, and now potential cuts to award conditions?

“ADHC have even surveyed staff to try to find out what might encourage nurses to work past retirement.

“We want to get paid the same as other nurses, have our shifts appropriately staffed, and be able to finish our shifts more or less on schedule so we can spend time with our families.”

Michael said the state government’s move to cut award conditions for ADHC nurses would speed up the departure of disability nurses from the sector.

“Barry O’Farrell has decided he is going to take a big slice of our award conditions on top of the pay restriction.

“We could lose penalty rates on some afternoon shifts, up to two weeks of our annual holidays, all our annual leave loading and the FACS leave for short term emergencies, among other things.

“Our clients will suffer the impact of this, along with the nurses who care for them.”

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 15

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ADHC

Disability services face staffing crisis DISABILITY NURSING SERVICES,WHICH NOW STRUGGLE to find and hold sufficient staff, face an “approaching tsunami” from the growing number of disabled people with complex health needs, warns registered nurse Gary Dunne.

Gary has worked for 20 years at ADHC’s Complex Health Unit, formerly the Grosvenor Centre, providing long-term accommodation and short-term respite care in the Sydney suburb of Summer Hill.

He says advances in medical knowledge and technology have prolonged the life expectancy of many disabled people, whose health problems multiply and worsen as they age.

“The need for nurses in disability services is growing, not declining as was once predicted,” said Gary, who is secretary of the ADHC Metro South branch of the NSWNMA. “Children with specific syndromes, who would have died in infancy 20 years ago, are now living way beyond what the standard text books say they should.

“The number of medically frail clients with support needs keeps increasing. From gastrostomy, tracheostomy or complex epilepsy management, through to palliative care, these people need qualified nurses to keep them alive, and to enable a decent quality of life.”

Gary said a majority of the RNs at Summer Hill were over-55.

“We do not have enough younger nurses to take over from us. How can we attract staff when they can get considerably higher pay at the public hospital down the road?

“The problem is even worse for AiNs because they can get paid 5% more simply by transferring to a non-medical group home next door to us, where they are reclassified as a disability support worker.

“As a disability support worker they are doing almost the same job within a non-medical framework for more money.”

Gary said there was a growing level of anger among members about the basic unfairness of the pay gap made worse by the government’s 2.5% wage ceiling.

“The feeling among staff is we have got nothing to lose by going out to the public and campaigning for pay parity.

“There is a greater level of public awareness and sympathy that people with disabilities have had a raw deal. The public should also know that the nurses who look after people with disabilities have had a raw deal too.”

“There was a growing level of anger among members about the basic unfairness of the pay gap…”

— gary dunne., rn

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 17

COMMUNITY UNIONS

Joining hands to save services Union members are finding new ways to connect with their local communities in response to state government cuts to the public sector.

THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE UPPER Hunter Community Unions Alliance has agreed to mount a campaign in support of Muswellbrook Hospital nurses as its top priority.

The Alliance decided to back the Muswellbrook branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association in its push to get one more nurse in the emergency department.

The Upper Hunter Alliance – slogan: building our community with improved services – is one of 35 similar local groups to spring up around New South Wales so far.

Their aim is to bring union members and the broader community into a loose alliance to campaign on issues of mutual concern.

The state government’s deep cuts to public services were the focus of the Upper Hunter Alliance’s first meeting in Muswellbrook. Workers from unions covering public employees made up the bulk of the meeting.

Natasha Hart

“The nurses’ plight should be our highest priority.”

— alliance chairman, graeme mcneill

18 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

Alliance chairman Graeme McNeill, an engineering officer at Liddell power station, said all groups represented were given an opportunity to explain the issues important to them.

“We’ve got a lot of issues running up here –the ambulance service has lost a shift, TAFE teaching is being cut back, there are problems at Muswellbrook jail – but the consensus was that the nurses’ plight should be our highest priority,” Graeme said.

The Upper Hunter Alliance called on local National Party member and state government minister, George Souris, to publicly declare his support for an additional nurse at Muswellbrook Hospital ED. “The Alliance is of the opinion that Mr Souris has not pursued this most serious community concern with any intensity or vigour and has effectively turned his back on the nurses and local community,” a resolution read.

Graeme McNeill said local people were upset because MPs such as Mr Souris were aligning themselves with the interests of their political party, to the detriment of their constituents such as patients at Muswellbrook Hospital.

“Hospital management are telling Mr Souris that Muswellbrook nurses have adequate numbers, but we are coming in from a community perspective to point out that services are inadequate and unsafe because the current level of staffing is inadequate.”

Muswellbrook Hospital nurse Natasha Hart said she got involved with the Community Unions Alliance because it provided a way for employee groups to connect with the community as a whole.

“It is a great way for the local Nurses’ Association branch to build on what is already a wide community awareness of the nurses’ campaign for safer staffing,” she said.

Nurses, ambulance officers, and some community members have their say about the inadequate current level of staffing.

“The Alliance meetings attract representatives from areas like the power stations, ambos, teachers from all levels of the education system, prison officers as well as us nurses.

We will be inviting representatives from the Country Women’s Association and Chamber of Commerce too.”

Natasha said nurses were encouraged by the community’s strong support for the Muswellbrook Hospital campaign.

“We have an emergency department and a separate special care unit staffed by one nurse for long periods of time. We need two nurses to cover these areas during all shifts, for our patients’ safety and our own.”

Adam Kerslake, deputy assistant secretary of Unions NSW says the Community Unions Alliance concept showed its potential at Grafton earlier this year, when the O’Farrell Government downsized the local jail without any community consultation.

Adam Kerslake

“This is about building alliances to find more effective solutions.”

— adam kerslake, deputy assistant secretary of unions nsw

“The government broke its promise not to downsize the jail and took 108 jobs out of the community, including nursing jobs – a real blow to the people of Grafton,” Adam said.

“Job losses impact local businesses so organising support from the local chamber of commerce was a logical step.

“Clarence Valley Community Unions (CVCU) was able to get broad support from business groups and the local council for a protest rally that attracted 3500 people.

If the unions had done that on their own they might have got 200 people to a protest.The CVCU also organised a picket line for six days.

“Jeremy Challacombe, the head of the Grafton Chamber of Commerce is also a former vice president of the National Party and we had a lot of National Party support for what we were doing.

“The Nationals were facing a bit of an identity crisis, saying they represented regional areas while supporting a government that’s taking jobs from regional areas.

“The Community Unions Alliance is about campaigning for good jobs and thriving communities and it adds a lot of value to campaigns that unions are running at a local level.

“Unions like the NSW Nurses are an incredibly effective union but a lot of people feel like it’s not enough, we’re still losing out, still losing our entitlements such as workers’ compensation. So this is about building alliances to find more effective solutions.”

Adam said the Clarence Valley Community Unions campaign had forced a NSW Upper House inquiry into the closure of Grafton jail.

“A government decision made without any consultation or consideration of the impact on a community, will finally get the scrutiny it deserves thanks to the work of the Clarence Valley Community Unions.”

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 19

COMMUNITY UNIONS

Muswellbrook District nurses awaiting an appointment from Mr Souris’ Office.

Seeking George Souris Local MP goes missing in hospital row MUSWELLBROOK DISTRICT

Hospital nurses, locked in a dispute over unsafe staffing, sought a meeting with their state MP George Souris, member for the Upper Hunter.

A phone call and email failed to achieve an appointment so the local branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ 20 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

Association held a rally outside Mr Souris’ electorate office, calling on him to meet them and support their case for one extra nurse in the emergency department.

On several shifts, including Saturday nights, one lone nurse must look after an emergency department and a special care

unit, in separate rooms divided by a corridor, a situation that is dangerous to patients and staff.

After 10 weeks the nurses finally got an audience with Mr Souris, but were astonished to discover he had invited the general manager of the Upper Hunter Cluster, Debbie Jaggers, to be present as well.

Mr Souris apparently expected the nurses to frankly discuss the state of the hospital in the presence of their boss, without fear of repercussion.

Some of the nurses said they felt like walking straight out of Mr Souris’ office when they found the GM waiting for them.

No coal dividend for health services Nurses and patients in the Upper Hunter Valley are still waiting to see the benefits of the mining boom.

The Singleton/Muswellbrook region contributes more to New South Wales state government revenue, and receives less government spending in return, than any other part of the state.

This is revealed in the government’s Economic Assessment of Mining Affected Communities, which calculates how much tax is raised by the state in each Local Government Area and how much each LGA gets back in local infrastructure and services.

The assessment resulted from a pre-election pledge by the NSW Liberal/National coalition of a “Resources for the Regions” policy to put more funding into those communities where the mining industry is a burden on infrastructure and services.

The assessment found that Singleton and neighbouring Muswellbrook LGAs delivered an average $20,468 per resident in taxes, royalties and other revenue to the state government in 201011; five times the state average of $4139.

The Singleton/Muswellbrook

“We had worked fairly hard to get that appointment, including collecting 1500 signatures from local residents in our support, and we didn’t want to leave without making sure we put our message across,” Muswellbrook Hospital branch secretary Adrian King RN told The Lamp.

“We asked Mr Souris to ask the health minister to consider our concerns about patient and staff safety. He said he had done it twice already, that both he and the health minister had spoken to the GM, and we had to work things out with management – something we have been trying to do for two years.”

“It felt like the meeting was a waste of time.”

— adrian king, rn

contr ibution included a whopping $709 million in mining royalties, or 57% of all state mining royalties.

However, the people of Singleton and Muswellbrook received the lowest total government spending, equivalent to $5396 per head compared to the state average of $6058.

Most mining-affected communities were found to have received more capital and recurrent funding per capita than non-mining LGAs, but Singleton and Muswellbrook were found to receive less funding than other LGAs. It is widely recognised that the mining industry can place serious strain on a region’s public services, especially health. Muswellbrook has six open cut coal mines close to town. In the period 2007 to 2009, Muswellbrook residents had higher rates of emergency department presentations for both asthma and overall respiratory illness than the remainder of Hunter New England Area Health Service and Sydney.

Singleton and Muswellbrook local government areas have higher rates of cardiovascular disease hospital separations than all of Hunter New England Area Health Service or NSW as a whole. And Muswellbrook’s demand for health services is growing fast, with a 1.7% population increase last year.

In September 2010, the NSW Department of Planning published an environmental assessment of a proposal to expand the Mt Arthur coal mine, five kilometres south of Muswellbrook.The department noted that “health services are already strained, and the project would strain these services further.”

It approved the project on the assumption that royalties would flow back to the shire to improve health and other services.

However, the nurses of Muswellbrook, who have battled for two years to get funding for one extra emergency department nurse, are still waiting for the benefits of the mining boom to materialise at their local hospital.

Mr Souris appeared irritated that the nurses had rallied outside his office, chanting “one more nurse, safety comes first”, and that 58 people sent him text messages demanding “one more nurse”.

“He said he would like to help us but there was nothing more he could do. It felt like the meeting was a waste of time,” Adrian said.

Not the result one might expect, given that the National Party hails Mr Souris as “a staunch, persistent and active member of The Nationals, determined to give the residents of his Upper Hunter electorate and the people of New South

Wales a better way of life under a Liberal/Nationals Coalition Government.”

The residents of Muswellbrook, population 17,000, have shown their clear support for the nurses: 1500 signatures on a petition, more than 100 at a protest meeting at the local RSL, and more activities planned.

“The nurses are concerned Mr Souris is listening to hospital management and not to them or the wider community,” NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said.

“They are still hoping he will support the community in this perfectly reasonable call for one more nurse.”

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 21

QUEENSLAND HEALTH

Job carnage at Queensland Health Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has confirmed his Liberal National Party government will axe 14,000 public service positions, including 4140 in Queensland Health.

MORE THAN 4000 JOBS IN QUEENSLAND HEALTH ARE TO BE chopped by the new Liberal National Party (LNP) government.

All up, 14,000 public sector jobs are to go in one year, despite pre-election promises by the LNP that there would be no forced redundancies in the permanent public service.

In his government’s first state budget, Premier Campbell Newman announced that 2754 jobs at Queensland Health would go, including more than 1500 in 17 frontline hospital districts. A subsequent analysis of the state’s budget papers by the Queensland Nurses’ Union (QNU) indicated that there would actually be 4140 full time-equivalent redundancies in Queensland Health. As yet, it is unknown how many nursing positions will go.

COSTELLO PREPARED GROUND FOR CUTS The massive public sector job cuts came hard on the heels of a Commission of Audit report by former Liberal Federal Treasurer Peter Costello, described as an “independent” hired to examine the state’s budgets.

Costello recommended major government asset sales and a cap on public sector wages. He attacked the way the Queensland health budget, had increased over the years, and implied that nurses and midwives’ wages and staffing levels were too high.

QNU secretary Beth Mohle said the increases in health expenditure came after the Bundaberg Hospital Royal Commission and an associated review of Queensland Health’s performance, and after years of QNU campaigning for better health funding.

“These funding and wage changes represented a massive improvement in the way Queensland delivered health care and valued its nurses and midwives.The post-2005 changes meant Queensland was no longer a wages and conditions backwater for nurses and midwives.”

NURSES WILL CUT THE CLOTH Beth Mohle says the cuts mean services will have to be suspended in some hospitals.

“If (the) government says ‘this is the bucket of money you are going to get and nothing more’, we won’t deliver unsafe nursing and midwifery services,” she said. “We will have to cut our cloth accordingly and scale back services. We don’t want to do that, but we have to provide safe services to the community.

“I want to make it very clear to the Premier, Mr Newman, and health minister Mr Springborg, that we will not allow Queensland to go backwards without a fight.”

22 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

Campbell’s carnage 14,000 public sector

+

jobs to be cut in one year.

4140 jobs axed at

+

Queensland Health.

1450 jobs axed at

+

Transport and Main Roads (20% of staff)

1425 jobs axed from Housing and Public Works (35% of staff)

NSW Health slashed by $3 billion

TB clinic gets the chop

Catherine White

AMONG THE CASUALTIES OF THE CAMPBELL Newman assault on health has been Queensland’s highly regarded Tuberculosis Control Centre, which has been operating for 60 years.

The government says it will close the centre – which employs 11 nurses – and “devolve” its services to local health districts.

Catherine White, acting CNC at the Control Centre, says she is skeptical about that approach.

“The TB rate will probably increase in Queensland if it is not controlled properly.

Devolving is not a credible option. It is unclear whether the burden will fall on infection control nurses or public health nurses.

If it does, it will drastically increase their workloads.”

Catherine says the control centre also has a vital training role including Mantoux and BCG accreditation, which will be lost to current users like Queensland Health facilities and the Defence Department.

Queensland has Australia’s lowest rate of TB and among the lowest in the world. Last year the service handled about 200 cases in Queensland and about 30 from PNG. Catherine said she was devastated by the announcement, which came without warning. The LNP never raised the possibility of cuts to health before Queensland’s March election.

“I was completely dumbstruck and disillusioned. It’s a silly decision that our political people have made. They don’t have an understanding of health at all.”

Health minister Jillian Skinner has told the New South Wales health department to make more than $3 billion in savings.

Local health districts will be required to find $775 million in staff savings under a “labour expense cap”. A further $2.2 billion will be cut from the public health system over the next four years.

Mrs Skinner claimed the savings would be redirected into “frontline” health services. “(We are) moving money from inefficient, less efficient ways of treating patients down to the front line so that, for example, this year we’ll be treating 50,000 extra emergency department patients, 30,000 extra in-patients and we’re doing 2000 extra elective surgeries,” she said.

“Not relying on locum doctors, that costs millions of dollars a year, not relying on agency nurses, putting on permanent staff.”

NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes said a $3 billion cut would inevitably impact on patient care.

“If you abolish the jobs, or cut the hours, of people such as ward clerks, who support nurses, you simply shift the administrative burden onto the frontline nurses,” he said.

“A lot of talk about re-directing money from backroom services to frontline services is all spin,” he said.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 23

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Employers told: funding must go to wages Extra government money to aged care facilities must go towards higher wages, Labor tells employers.

The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler 24 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

THE FEDERAL LABOR GOVERNMENT has warned aged care employers not to divert Commonwealth funding intended to be used for wage increases.

The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, said only half the additional government funding paid to providers over the past four years had been used to increase wages for aged care workers.

He said government subsidies provided under the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) had increased by an average 8.4% every year since 2008, yet the total average wage bill had increased by only 4.2% per year.

“I’ve said very clearly to providers, we are not just going to provide additional funding to the system if we don’t have the confidence that that additional funding is going to wages,” Mr Butler told the NSWNMA annual conference in August.

ACFI was introduced in 2008 as a new means of allocating Australian government subsidy to residential aged care providers.

In addition to ACFI, the government will provide $1.2 billion over the next five years to help boost aged care wages, as part of a strategy to tackle critical workforce shortages.

Mr Butler said the extra funding under a Workforce Compact – part of Labor’s Living Longer Living Better aged care reform package – would start to go into workers’ pockets from July 1 next year.

Increases will be paid under a template enterprise agreement being devised by a workforce advisory group including representatives of unions and employers.

“The template agreement will be rolled out at sites that don’t have (enterprise) agreements or as a variation to those that do have agreements, over the course of summer,” Mr Butler said.“This is a bridging proposal; there is much more expensive, longer-term work that needs to be done in the aged care sector to achieve what the Productivity Commission described as fair and competitive wages.”

He said the 300,000-strong aged care workforce would increase to almost one million employees by 2050, and eventually get to the point where one in 20 employees was in aged care.

“Extra money will start to go into workers’ pockets from July 1 next year.”

— mark butler

“However, we won’t get there if we don’t lift wages and don’t improve working conditions and some management practices in this critically important sector.

“I know there are some longer term ambitions that your union has, and older Australians have, around wages and staffing levels.The bridging arrangements will give us a stronger foundation to develop those things in partnership with you,” he told the conference.

During a question and answer session nurse Jocelyn Hoffman, from Anita Villa aged care facility at Katoomba, thanked the minister for the $1.2billion commitment but asked:“I have seen too many colleagues leave the aged care workforce because of impossible workloads and low wages.

Can you guarantee the $1.2billion will go to nurses and direct care staff only?”

Mr Butler replied that he had asked the workforce advisory group to work on issues such as which staff would be covered by the funding, and whether it would be spread equally across all aged care providers “irrespective of whether they have done the right thing and lifted wage rates.

I have my own view about that, but I thought it was important to give the sector themselves – unions and employer representatives – the opportunity to develop answers.”

Mr Butler said the NSWNMA and other unions had helped create a new climate for reform of the aged care industry.

“The clearest message I received from everyone – not just from aged care unions and employers – is the

importance of the workforce.

“For example, National Seniors Australia surveyed their members and asked them what they thought their priorities for aged care were, and the number one issue was the workforce.

“At every single forum I went to, older Australians stood up and said, your improvements will be for nought if you don’t fix up the challenge of getting the workers we need and keeping them there.”

Nurse Bevelyn Grant from Wesley Gardens aged care facility, told Mr Butler her employer recently warned that changes to the government’s Aged Care Funding Instrument would result in cuts to direct care.

“They have no hesitation in linking funding cuts to staffing cuts.

How do you advise us to address this in our facility?” she asked.

Mr Butler said the government was not cutting total funding to the sector but had made changes to ACFI so that funding would be shared among providers more equally.

“Some providers frankly were answering (ACFI) questions in quite unusual ways,” he said. “For example, we found a whole lot of providers where 100% of their residents required the absolute highest level of support in medication management.

We found some very unusual interactions between complex health care and personal hygiene needs – things that just didn’t line up with our understanding clinically of how ACFI was going to operate.

“Rather than that extra income going to some providers who are using ACFI consultants to maximise their income, and frankly fiddle with these questions that don’t require much clinical evidence to support them, we changed the questions so that the income could be shared more equally.”

He said providers were getting “some very ordinary advice from some of their peak organisations about the impact of these changes.

“It doesn’t work for the sector to say,‘our income is going down’, while the government’s outgoings are going up. I just encourage you to cross examine these providers about what Edward Makepeace they say the impact is going to be.”

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 25

AGED CARE

New agreement for aged care Greater reward for qualifications and experience WHAT YOU GET THOUSANDS

OF

NURSES

IN

the mostly for-profit aged care sector will receive significant wage increases and other benefits under a new model agreement negotiated by the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association.

The agreement won by the Association includes at least a 10% pay rise for all nurses over the next three years, and a revised classification structure that rewards nurses for their qualifications and experience.

The agreement introduces higher-paid classifications, such as Nursing Assistant Team Leader and Enrolled Nurse Specialist, (to be introcuded in 2014) and provides a medication allowance for nursing assistants. The agreement, which runs until 30 June 2015, will allow faster pay progression for Registered Nurses with an immediate 20.3% increase for a first year RN. The union negotiated the agreement with employer representative Leading Age Services Australia NSW-ACT (LASA) which represented more than 100 aged care facilities during the negotiations.

General Secretary of the NSWNMA, Brett Holmes, described the agreement as an important step towards paying aged care nurses what they deserve.

“We will now go out to other facilities not covered in the LASA negotiations and encourage them to bargain a new agreement,” Brett said.

Wage rises for all increase % minimum to wages and

4

3%

allowances from the first pay period on or after 1 July 2012. increase to wages and allowances from the first pay period on or after 1 July 2013.

to wages % increase and allowances

3

A

from the first pay period on or after 1 July 2014. commitment to further wage discussions once the outcomes of new federal government funding arrangements are known.

Rewarding classification and experience New Nursing Assistant Team Leader classification with a higher wage.

Starting rate for Nursing Assistant Certificate IV at the same rate as Certificate III. Medication Allowance of 75c per hour paid per shift, meaning a minimum 8% increase to the hourly rate for those appointed.

Expanded EN structure in 2013 and new Enrolled Nurse Specialist classification to be introduced in 2014.

Faster pay progression for Registered Nurses.

Part timers A three-hour minimum shift length.

26 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

He said the Association entered into negotiations having done extensive research including a survey of more than 4000 members.

“The results were used to draw up a log of claims that were endorsed at workplace meetings by active members.

“There was a lot of workplace activity and member involvement, to increase pressure on employers for a fair outcome.

“Members contributed to the union’s research process, attended meetings in the workplace and offsite, distributed petitions and got involved in International Nurses’ Day activities.”

Brett says the updated classification structure will give many experienced Nursing Assistants, Enrolled Nurses and Registered Nurses additional increases on top of the 10% across the board increases.

“There is a big problem attracting RNs to for-profit aged care. We think the improved wages and new classification structure will help encourage nurses into aged care.

“We wanted to make sure nurses in this sector got greater recognition for the work they were performing.”

New minimum wage rises in for-profit aged care

Your current rate – 2011 (Hourly)

First pay period on or after 1 July 2012 (Hourly)

% increase on your current rate (Minimum 4%)

First year

$17.41

$18.11

4%

Second year

$17.99

$18.71

4%

Third year

$18.40

$19.14

4%

Thereafter / Cert III / Cert IV

$18.94

$19.70

4%1

New classification

$20.53

8.4%2

New allowance

$0.753

8%2

Pay Point 4

$21.93

$22.80

4%

Pay Point 5

$22.36

$23.25

4%

$23.23

$24.16

4%

Current pay point 1

$23.23

$27.96

20.3%

Current pay point 2

$24.42

$27.96

14.5%

Current pay point 3

$25.61

$27.96

11.6%

Current pay point 4

$26.88

$27.96

4%

Current pay point 5

$28.15

$29.28

4%

Current pay point 6

$29.42

$30.59

4%

Current pay point 7

$30.86

$32.10

4%

Current pay point 8

$32.06

$34.00

6%4

Nursing Assistant

Team Leader (appointed position) Medication Allowance (appointed per shift)

Enrolled Nurse (With Notation)

Enrolled Nurse Year One

Registered Nurse - Level 1

1. Any nurse with Cert III or IV start rate. 2. Based on 2011 thereafter rate. 3. Per hour paid per shift. 4. Based on current RN 8th year thereafter.

Goodbye to the award The new aged care agreement won overwhelming support from nurses at the 108-bed Pembroke Lodge in Minto, southwest of Sydney. Of the 88 nurses to vote on the deal, 85 voted in favour.

“We were pretty happy to sign up to the agreement, it was long overdue,” Leonie Muir, secretary of the Pembroke Lodge branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, told The Lamp.

Leonie said Pembroke Lodge nurses were being paid basic award rates meaning the new agreement would be a big improvement.

“Aside from the wage rise there are so many more benefits.”

Pembroke Lodge is one of three Sydney facilities owned by the Sisters of Our Lady of China. Pembroke Lodge nurses joined the campaign for a new agreement and set up a union branch following a visit from Association representatives during the campaign.

“We were very interested and keen to get involved when we found out bargaining for the new agreement was in progress and one of the Sisters’ other facilities already had an enterprise agreement,” Leonie said.

“Aside from the wage rise there are so many more benefits.”

— leonie muir

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 27

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Better staffing saves lives – and money Improvements in nurse staffing will save both lives and money, says one of Australia’s leading nursing researchers and administrators.

DI TWIGG, HEAD OF THE School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University, Perth, says there is mounting evidence that governments will improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs by increasing nurse hours of care and using more skilled nurses.

However, policy makers are ignoring evidence by seeking to maximise the use of less skilled nurses, she told the NSWNMA annual conference in August.

Prof. Twigg is a former President of the Royal College of Nursing Australia and was Executive Director of Nursing Services of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for 13 years – the first hospital in Western Australia to be recognised as a centre for nursing excellence under the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s prestigious, Magnet program.

“Improvements in nurse staffing are cost effective and policy needs to start reflecting the evidence,” Prof.

Twigg said. “The evidence in regard to nurse staffing is greater than for many health care practices and certainly more than any other health care workforce group.

“Yet it is a constant battle to secure adequate resources so nurses can practice professionally to deliver high quality care.

“The policy response has been woefully inadequate and we really do need to influence it now.

“Nurses, in partnership with consumers, must unite to lead the required changes.”

She said international evidence showed that higher registered nurse staffing levels led to fewer deaths in PROFESSOR

28 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

hospital, fewer incidents of failure to rescue (deaths due to treatable complications) and reduced length of stay.

She said nurses in Victoria and WA took industrial action that resulted in improved staffing formulas from 2000 onward. A subsequent study at three WA teaching hospitals revealed a 25 % decrease in the overall mortality rate due to the improved staffing method and skill mix.

Among surgical patients there was a 54% decrease in the rate of central nervous system complications, a 17% decrease in the pneumonia rate and a 37% decrease in the ulcer/ gastritis/UGI bleed rate.

The improved staffing levels at the three hospitals prevented 155 “failure to rescue” events. This yielded a gain of 1240 life years and a cost per life year of $8907 – a “highly cost effective” result.

Prof. Twigg said a 2005 study in the United States found that increasing the proportion of hours worked

by RNs, without changing the total hours of nursing care, would result in significant cost savings.

“The US studies also found that increasing the nurse-to-patient ratio from 1-to-8 to 1-to-4 would save additional lives at a cost of US$136,000 per life saved.

“This constituted a considerable saving compared to the cost of thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction at US$182,000 per life saved, or routine cervical cancer screening at a cost of US$432,000 per life saved.”

Prof.Twigg said hours of care and skill mix were important determinants of patient safety, along with

nurses’ educational preparation and the practice environment.

She said further research was needed on workforce requirements for particular patient groups.

“Nursing is a scarce resource – we cannot staff every ward as 1-to-3 or 1-to-4 just because we’d like to.

We do need to get the evidence that these particular patient groups need this workforce model to give the best patient outcomes in the most efficient way for the community.

“We need to develop an understanding of when it is appropriate and safe to use less skilled workers.

They should not be seen as substitutes for RNs.” FOCUS ON KEEPING NURSES AT WORK Prof.Twigg said Australia’s nurse shortage was projected to increase to 110,000 in 2025, or 130,000 nurses if governments relied less on migration.

Governments were responding to the shortage by calling for “greater workforce flexibility” and substitution of more highly skilled workers with assistant-type roles.

She said training more nurses was only part of the answer; policy makers should focus on keeping nurses in the workforce by improving the practice environment.

“In 2009 the exit rate of Australians leaving nursing was 2%.

Five years before it was 5% — the change is primarily attributable to economic factors associated with the global financial crisis.

“If we can keep the exit rate at 2% that 130,000 gap falls to 25,000 which is far more manageable.”

Lives at risk when nurses overworked Each additional patient added to a nurse’s workload results in a 7% increase in the risk of patients dying within 30 days of admission. This was one of the findings of pioneering research in the USA a decade ago.

Professor Linda Aiken, an authority on the impact of nursing on patient outcomes, also found a 10% increase in the number of degree educated nurses was associated with a 5% decrease in the chance of patients dying within 30 days of admission.

Later research in Canada and the UK found: • Hospitals with a higher proportion of registered nurses, compared to non-registered nurses, were associated with lower rates of 30-day mortality.

• Hospitals that had the highest nurse-to-patient ratios had consistently better outcomes than those with less favourable staffing.

• The patients in favourably staffed hospitals had lower surgical mortality and lower failure to rescue rates.

Patients in the hospitals with the poorest nurse-topatient ratios had 26% higher mortality.

In New Zealand, “health re-engineering”, which cut nursing hours by 36%, led to significant increases in complications for patients, including: • Central nervous system complications • Wound infection • Pulmonary failure • Physiological and metabolic derangement • Urinary tract infections • Sepsis • Decubitus ulcers New South Wales research by Professor Christine Duffield showed that using a higher proportion of RNs produced significant decreases in: • Decubitus ulcers • Gastrointestinal bleeding • Sepsis • Shock • Physiologic/metabolic derangement • Pulmonary failure • Failure to rescue

Professor Di Twigg, head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 29

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Dr Adam Fraser

KICKING OFF THIS YEAR’S NSWNMA ANNUAL

conference with some humour and common sense advice was researcher and educator, Dr Adam Fraser, who shared his insights into the physiological and psychological aspects of changing human behaviour for better health. Here are some highlights of his speech: A COMPELLING REASON FOR CHANGE Through his current research at Deakin University, Dr Fraser found that addressing counterproductive behaviours during what he calls the “third space” has shown to be an effective tool in changing human behaviour.

“The first space is what you’re doing now, the second space is what you’re about to do and the third space is that transitional gap.

30 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

“What we’ve discovered is that behaviour, or derail of behaviour, occurs in the gaps. This is where we open the fridge and then we eat the entire chocolate cake.”

Dr Fraser told the audience that the first tool needed to drive change in behaviour was a compelling emotional reason to make those changes, while the second “is to regulate the conversation, the noise inside our head.

“What we found is that what people say to themselves and what they do in this gap has a profound impact on their behaviour and whether they’ll stick to behaviours.”

we need to understand, when we’re trying to change behaviour, is that we have to look at using emotion in a positive way.”

Scare tactics, negative self-talk and positive self-talk that is unrealistic, are just some of the approaches that don’t work.

“What we have to be very careful of is how we explain the world to ourselves,” Dr Fraser told the audience. “How do we explain our challenges? How do we explain our victories? How do we explain our setbacks?

“When you slip up or have a treat, don’t go global and go, ‘oh God it’s hopeless’.

Regulate it, be kind.”

REGULATE YOUR SELF-TALK Emotions are what motivate our actions, Dr Fraser advised. “What we’ve got to understand is that emotion drives behaviour,” he said. “The most important thing that

BE CLEAR Dr Fraser believes that the biggest breakthrough on behaviour change in the past 20 years has been the articulation of clear behaviours.

Being healthy in an unhealthy world The path to good health is blocked by behavioural change, according to human performance specialist Dr Adam Fraser.

“When you slip up or have a treat, don’t go global and go,‘oh God it’s hopeless’.

Regulate it, be kind.”

— dr adam fraser

“When most people want to get healthy, they talk in intangible nouns,” Dr Fraser said. “Got to eat better, got to exercise more, got to get healthier.

What’s that?

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t do it.”

He advised that the next step to making behavioural change was to avoid being ambiguous, by knowing exactly what needed to be done and setting clear goals, with specific quantities and set time frames.

“Clear behaviours are absolutely crucial,” Dr Fraser said. “Once we’ve articulated the behaviour, we regulate the emotion and we control the thoughts.”

ENSURE YOUR ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTS YOUR GOALS Consider how the environment you’re in supports the overall completion of your goals, Dr Fraser said.

“It’s not usually that we have bad intentions or we lack conviction, the problem is that the

environment makes it hard to execute,” he explained.

In his humorous style, Dr Fraser told the audience an anecdote from Amsterdam, where they wanted to improve men’s use of urinals.

“The issue was – let’s call it, spillage. What they found is that there was a lot of mess on the floor, and they put up signs and talked to them about hygiene and all this sort of thing, and the only thing that worked was something called the ‘urinal fly’.

“They gave them something to aim at.”

The urinal fly was a small sticker placed inside toilet bowls and urinals at Amsterdam International Airport by behavioural researchers from the University of Chicago, who found it reduced “spillage” by 80%.

To find out more about Dr Fraser’s strategies, you can read his book The Third Space: Using life’s little transitions to find balance and happiness (see page 45).

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 31

It’s It t’s ’ time i to t

Scrub Sc cru ub up! up p!

Order your NSWNMA campaign scrub uniforms for conference and rally times, and make an impression!

SCRUB TOP

Over the past few months, NSWNMA and Total Image Group have been working together to create a new fit for purpose scrubs range. The new campaign uniform range endorses a modern appearance and offers both comfort and durable features, while still embracing NSWNMA image.

Sizes range from XS-5XL to ensure various body shapes and sizes are catered. Most importantly, the range has been designed to ensure a comfortable fit every time.

Size (cm)

XS

S

M

L

XL

2XL

3XL

4XL

5XL

Half Chest Circumference

53

56

59

62

66

69

73

77

81

Half Hem Circumference

54

57

60

63

67

70

74

78

82

General Guide for Female 8/10 SCRUB PANTS PA ANTS

The new range consists of a Unisex Scrub Top and Unisex Classic Pant. Both made from 65% polyester, 35% cotton. This fabric blend is durable and of superior quality. The scrub campaign uniform also has number of functional features, including jet pockets, pen partition, drawstring front on pants and brushed fabric coating for added comfort.

10/12

12/14

14/16

16/18

18/20

20/22 22/24 24/26

Half Waist (Relaxed)

29

33

37

40.5

43.5

46.5

50.5

54.5

58.5

Half Waist (Stretched)

47

51

55

58.5

61.5

64.5

68.5

72.5

76.5

Half Hip

55

59

63

66

69

72

76

80

84

Out Seam Length

103

105

107

109

111

112

113

114

115

Scrub top and pant are $20 each incl GST. You can place your order by the following methods: 2

Shop online, online, by registering as a user on www.totalimagegrouponline.com/nswnurses on our tailored NSWNMA online store.

2 Browse through the customised catalogue, catalogue complete the order form and send back to Total Image by: email sales@totalimagegroup.com.au Fax: 9569 6200 or Post PO Box 199, Westgate NSW 2048 Total Image accepts credit card payment

by Visa, MasterCard, and AMEX (3.5% surcharge on AMEX) or cheque/money order.

Delivery by Australia Post within 10-14 working days and charged at $5 incl GST.

For more information please contact TTotal otal Image on (02) 9569 6233 or email uniforms@totalimagegroup.com.au

Q&A

ASK JUDITH

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

“Do not make negative or derogatory comments about your employers, managers, clients, patients or work colleagues.”

I’m concerned by recent news items about social media and “Twitter trolls” attacking celebrities online. I’ve also heard of recent cases where employees have been sacked because of posting derogatory comments about their employer, or getting into trouble for posting negative comments about another co-worker? Does the NSWNMA have a policy about using social media?

The NSWNMA offers several social media channels as a communication tool for our members. We have several facebook pages, a Twitter site, a YouTube channel, a Flickr gallery and a blog (Nurse Uncut). The purpose of these social media channels is to offer a forum for our members to share their views and opinions about issues that may affect them on a day-to-day basis.

However, like any other commercial social media site, our social media channels are closely monitored and moderated to protect both the members using it and the Association from derogatory or defamatory comments.

Our terms of use can be found in the privacy section of our website here: www.nswnma.asn.au/site/pages/54.html The main things to remember when using social media are: • Do not make inappropriate or offensive comments.

• Do not make negative or derogatory comments about your employers, managers, clients, patients or work colleagues.

• To support campaigns that NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association is currently engaged in, comments should be spoken of in general terms about wages and workloads or other industrial issues.

• Don’t discuss individual clients or patients, or any legal issues you were or are personally involved in. Don’t identify a client or patient in any way, including by photograph or video without their express written permission.

• Don’t post photographs or videos of yourself engaging in illegal, offensive, compromising or inappropriate behaviour or activity.

• Be aware that anything you say or do on your site when absent on sick leave may be used to cast doubt on your right to be on sick leave.

• Don’t use a work computer to access your site if it puts you in conflict with your employer’s computer access for personal use policy.

• Ensure your social media account privacy settings do not allow open public access.

• Don’t update your status about something work related.

• Don’t join questionable groups on a social networking site.

Casual loading

The right to representation

New uniform?

I work as a casual in the public health system and work a lot of weekend shifts. I’ve just realised that I am not being paid my 10% casual loading when I work weekends. Would you advise whether I should be getting my casual loading for the weekend shifts?

No, casual loading is not payable on weekend shifts in public hospitals. As weekend penalty rates are significantly higher than Monday-Friday penalties, employers are not required to pay casual loadings for weekend shifts.

I am an EN and my employer has asked me to attend a Fact Finding Investigation (FFI) in regard to allegations made against me. A union representative is supporting me and the employer is saying that they must be a “silent observer”. Is this correct?

No, this is not correct. There is case law on this matter (Vong vs. Sika Australia Pty Ltd [2010] FMCA), which found that an employee had the right to be represented by a union representative during disciplinary proceedings. This means that the union representative is not confined to being a “silent observer” and can actively protect the rights of union members to ensure the disciplinary interview is conducted fairly.

I have heard that a new uniform is being rolled out statewide to all public sector nurses. Is this correct?

Yes, this is correct. All NSW Health employees currently paid a uniform allowance or receiving an allocation of garments through their Local Health District (LHD) will receive an allocation from the new uniform range. The new uniforms will be rolled out between October 2012 and approximately May 2013 depending on the LHD. For more information go to: intranet.hss.health.nsw.gov.au/hss_uniforms

Social media policy

For those members in the public sector, read the NSW Health policy directive PD2012_018 Code of Conduct. For those members working in the private sector, find out if your employer has a policy that covers the use of social media and if they do, make yourself aware of the requirements under that policy. It is also important that members of your family understand that they should not be placing anything you discuss with them about work on facebook or other social media sites.

If you’re curious about using social media, have questions or want to know more about what you can or can’t do, don’t hesitate to contact an officer in the Association’s communication team for more information.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 33

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34 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

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MOBILE HEALTH

From left Mira Haramis, Director of Centre for Education and Workforce Development; Kerry Russell, former Director of Nursing for SLHD; Judith Kiejda, Assistant General Secretary NSWNMA and Linda Griffith, Organiser, NSWNMA with the mobile centre.

State of the art rural training Nurses working in remote areas of New South Wales are on the road to cutting edge clinical training thanks to a new $1.3m mobile health unit.

THE MOBILE TRAINING UNIT WILL ALLOW rural nurses and allied health workers to practice their skills in realistic emergency situations, using state of the art equipment, lifelike human parts and dummies worth more than $300,000.

Broken Hill nurse educator Tim O’Neill believes the “sim truck” will be of great benefit to rural nurses.

“They’ll have access to the same facilities as people in the city and that’s the big benefit of it,” the RN from the Centre for Rural and Remote Education said.

The mobile health unit can be split into different areas to simulate a ward, emergency department, debriefing area and control room.

“It’s scenario based learning, so people will be able to improve their skills when dealing with emergencies,” Tim told The Lamp.

“The features of it are absolutely wonderful. It’s close to life learning.”

NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda, attended the unveiling of the Sister Alison Bush AO Mobile Simulation Centre in Sydney last month, where it was officially launched

by Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner.

Alison Bush was an influential midwife from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital who became an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1999 and was awarded the Centenary of Federation medal in 2002. Sister Bush received many awards and accolades for her work and was inducted into the Aboriginal Hall of Fame at the 2009 NSW Health Awards, for her many efforts to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians.

“The Sister Bush AO Mobile Simulation Centre is a fitting tribute to Sister Bush, a passionate educator who dedicated her life to improving the lives of others,” MP Skinner said.

The mobile training unit is housed in a 19-metre semi-trailer, decorated with donated artworks from celebrated Australian artists including Jack Absolom, Pro Hart and photographer John Dynon.

Based in Dubbo, the mobile simulation centre will hit the road every 20 weeks, travelling throughout the Far West and Western NSW local health districts (LHDs) to towns including Mudgee, Bathurst, Cowra, Canowindra, Parkes, Forbes, Condobolin, Balranald, Wentworth, Broken Hill, Cobar, Nyngan, Bourke,Walgett, Coonabarabran,Warren and Narromine.

Nurse educators from across the LHDs will lead the training sessions, which incorporate medical, allied health and nursing staff in a variety of inter-professional training scenarios.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 35

Previous films can be viewed on our we website bsite

www2.nswnma .nswnma.asn.au nswnma.asn.au/gallery.html g html Authorised by B.Holmes, General Secretary Secretary,, NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association

BRANCH NEWS

Members of the recently revived Yagoona branch

Yagoona branch revived A Western Sydney NSWNMA branch has been revived after a surprise shut down.

SMOOTH SAILING FOR TWO YEARS SAW A quiet NSWNMA branch close down through inactivity, much to the surprise of local Yagoona nurses.

Vicki Partridge, director of nursing at Yagoona Nursing Home, said she decided to take action after reading in The Lamp that the Yagoona NSWNMA branch was becoming defunct.

“In the July issue it said that we were without a branch,” Vicki said. “I phoned up the Association and said, ‘Excuse me!

What do you mean we’re without a branch?’.

“I just didn’t know there wasn’t an active branch,”Vicki said.“I’ve worked in Yagoona on and off since 1998 and I’ve got cracking great staff.

“I have a great relationship with the Association and there have never been any issues,”Vicki explained. “It just didn’t occur to me that we didn’t have a branch.”

Vicki remembers that the last issue the Yagoona branch had was more than two years ago, when the NSWNMA worked with local nurses to achieve fairer Enterprise Bargaining Agreements.

“I have a great relationship with the Association and there have never been any issues.”

“We got a really good deal for the staff,” Vicki recalled.

Having seen the importance of a local NSWNMA branch firsthand, Vicki knew it was crucial to ensure that union representation at Yagoona was revived.

“We need to have representation,” she said. NSWNMA officials visited the branch and a barbeque was held to reinstate the Yagoona branch and its membership.

Having marched in 1975 to fight for fairer working conditions for nurses, Vicki values the support the Association has provided to all nurses and midwives over the years.

“My grandparents are coal miners,” the DoN told The Lamp. “We see the positive roles that unions have played over the years

and we’ve always had an active branch at Yagoona. We’ve never had any problems because we negotiate and we do things properly and I’m proud to be a part of the Yagoona team.

“I’m one of the really proactive directors of nursing who fully supports the Association,” Vicki said. “I’m a branch official and I love it.”

For the NSWNMA aged care branch chair, the NSWNMA branch in Yagoona is the place where “everybody has a voice”.

“It’s a place where everybody’s voice is listened to and we learn something every single day, whether we learn something new from the residents or we learn something new from the staff, and I’ve got staff to be proud of, I really have.”

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 37

SOCIAL MEDIA

NURSES & MIDWIVES ONLINE on the frontline of health care and at the cutting edge online.

WHAT’S

HOT THIS MONTH

Nurse Uncut – a blog for Australian nurses and midwives: www.nurseuncut.com.au Sign up for the weekly email newsletter that alerts you to the most recent posts.

Nurse Uncut is also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NurseUncutAustralia. And on Twitter @nurseuncut

“Moral distress” leads to nursing burnout www.nurseuncut.com.au/moral-distress-leads-to-nursing-burnout/

Almost half the nurses in a New Zealand survey had considered quitting due to ethical issues beyond their control.

Thank you www.nurseuncut.com.au/thank-you/

Linda Hamilton almost lost her first baby in childbirth. She sent a letter of thanks to all nurses and midwives for the job they do.

Asbestos: the third wave hits home www.nurseuncut.com.au/asbestos-the-third-wave-hits-home/

The third wave of asbestos disease is hitting home renovators and kids who played on building sites.

Young parents and breastfeeding www.nurseuncut.com.au/young-parents-and-breastfeeding/

A lovely video of parents in their teens and early twenties discussing breastfeeding.

A report from the Nursing Informatics conference www.nurseuncut.com.au/a-report-from-the-nursing-informatics-conference/

Phil Shields reports from the national e-health conference held in Sydney in early August.

New national ad campaign www.nurseuncut.com.au/new-national-ad-campaign-about-nurses-and-midwives/

You Couldn’t Be in Better Hands, an ANF campaign, hits cinemas and buses to promote positive images of nurses and midwives.

Westmead barbecue www.nurseuncut.com.au/westmead-walk-round-and-barbecue/

The Westmead branch held a weekend walk-round and barbecue to engage members.

Future of the RN – nursing education www.nurseuncut.com.au/the-future-of-the-rn-nursing-education-part-1/

Jennifer Tuckwell’s thoughts on the “tangled web” of nurse education.

ONLINE Join us

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association www.facebook.com/nswnma Aged Care Nurses: www.facebook.com/agedcarenurses

@nurseuncut

One2four the way to safe patient care www.facebook.com/safepatientcare

Tweet us NSW Nurses & Midwives @nswnma Watch us on YouTube Support Nurses 38 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

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NURSES & MIDWIVES SAID & LIKED on facebook

Name change News that the NSWNA was to become the NSWNMA was greeted enthusiastically

NSW government to slash benefits News that Barry O’Farrell is to slash benefits, such as penalty rates for public sector workers, got a strong reaction.

ANF TV Ad The ANF “You couldn’t be in better hands” ad campaign also got a huge response from nurses, midwives and members of the public who came to our facebook page to express their reaction.

But not everyone was positive …

Great news – it’s about time Love your new name At last!

Unbelievable. But then why should we be surprised, they do this sort of thing every time they get into government.

Workers deserve their penalties. Our forebears worked hard for us to have a decent lifestyle.

If Mr O’Farrell is serious about savings, why does he not pass into law that all past, current and future ministers and their families must use the NSW public health system, i.e. be admitted and treated in public hospitals.

The O’Farrell gvt are very dangerous to those of us who work hard for a living.

Who voted him in? Shame on those who did.

Love the new ad! I want to start my BA nursing next year and this has just confirmed why :-) I have just seen your advertisement aired on TV tonight. I know my sister just loved her job and saw it as a privilege. Could I commend you on a fabulous ad and a great way to highlight the importance of nurses in our communities.

Bit of a sexist campaign don’t you think ... I’m sure if there was an advertisement excluding females, there would be a massive uproar ... Where’s the equality?

I can tell you anecdotally, even the females I work with think the ad is so sexist.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 39

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NURSING RESEARCH ONLINE

The National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospital Services is an instrument of COAG (Council of Australian Governments) that implements the public patient access to elective surgery, emergency department and subacute care elements of the National Health Reform Agreement.

This month’s Nursing Online examines the National Emergency Access Target (NEAT). The Agreement can be accessed at www.coag.gov.au/docs/ nap_improving_public_hospital_services.pdf.

Expert Panel Review of Elective Surgery and Emergency Access Targets under the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospitals The Australian community places great value on the quality of public health care services. Access according to clinical need is a core aspect of high quality health care.

On 13 February 2011 Australia’s First Ministers signed the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospital Services to improve public patient access to elective surgery, emergency departments and subacute care services by improving efficiency and capacity in public hospitals. The National Partnership Agreement provides up to $1.55 billion to assist meeting elective surgery and emergency department targets; $1.6 billion for new subacute beds; and a $200 million flexible funding pool for capital and recurrent projects across elective surgery, emergency department and subacute care.

The National Partnership Agreement also instigated the establishment of an expert panel to examine safety and quality issues and practical impediments to the timing and phasing of the elective surgery and emergency department targets. www.coag.gov.au/docs/Expert_Panel_Report%20D0490.pdf

Four Hour Rule Program Progress (FHRP) and Issues review in Western Australia Prof Brian Stokes AM

Demand for health services, particularly for unplanned care, has continued to rise over the past five years. In 2009/2010 there was an increase in ED attendances of 7.1% across WA’s four tertiary hospitals, compared to the year before, with individual hospital increases of up to 12% against a backdrop of resource and workforce constraint.

Prior to introduction of the FHRP, some of the strategies that had been introduced to manage unplanned or emergency care included: • Clinical Service Redesign to some elements of health service delivery.

• Working in partnership with St John Ambulance Association (SJAA) to reduce ramping, including a trial to increase referrals of non-urgent SJAA ‘000’ calls to Health Direct Australia for triage by a nurse.

In 2006, Sprivulis and colleagues demonstrated that hospital and ED overcrowding was associated with increased mortality and that “reducing overcrowding may improve outcomes for patients requiring emergency hospital admission.”

In winter 2007, delays in ambulance turnaround time became a major issue for WA tertiary hospitals. This delay was reported as ambulance ramping time, which is defined as the sum of time from ambulance arrival to ambulance departure, less 20 minutes for all ambulances that were identified as ramped.

Access block, or the percentage of patients waiting more than eight hours for an inpatient bed, was also significant. It peaked in 2008 at up to 49.5% in Stage One hospitals, rating poorly compared with other jurisdictions. www.health.wa.gov.au/publications/documents/FourHourRule_Review _Stokes.pdf

Clinical process redesign for unplanned arrivals in hospitals Tony J O’Connell, Jane E Bassham, Rod O Bishop, Christopher W Clarke, Carolyn J Hullick, Diane L King, Carmel L Peek, Raj Verma, David I Ben-Tovim and Katherine M McGrath Medical Journal of Australia 2008; 188 (6): 18

Australian public hospital emergency departments (EDs) have recently been experiencing an overwhelming growth in demand for unplanned care: in New South Wales ED attendances are up 6.5% (Tony Dunn Director, Data Analysis and Performance Evaluation Branch, NSW Health, personal communication). The most obvious sign of this is a queue of patients on ambulance trolleys, waiting for a bed in the ED. The challenges facing Australian EDs … include lack of access to inpatient beds, workforce deficiencies, safety issues, increased mortality, and inefficiencies that compound each other.

The volume of demand for beds for patients being admitted from the ED often also resulted in a destructive impact on elective surgery. We have carried out system-wide redesign in more than 60 NSW hospitals (through the Clinical Services Redesign Program) and at Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia (through the Redesigning Care Program) to tackle these issues. The diagnostic phase of our redesign work confirms these previously reported observations, and includes other findings, such as: • Ambulatory patients complaining that little information is given about reasons for their long waits or how much longer they will have to wait.

• Patient uncertainty and frustration is often expressed by anger and aggression toward staff, or by not waiting to be seen by a doctor; • Patients in an ED who needed to be admitted to hospital sometimes waited days before being transferred to a ward; • Patients are often not admitted to their specialist team’s home ward; • Staff in busy EDs often felt under siege, and there was a mind-set among hospital management and ED staff that if the ED is very busy, the best response is to reduce patient demand by not accepting ambulances, rather than to improve internal hospital processes; • When one hospital is busy, so are most hospitals in the vicinity; • The overall pattern of presentations to EDs is surprisingly predictable when analysed by season, day of week or hour of day (eg, hospitals are most often congested on Monday afternoons as occupancy peaks, because of the combination of elective arrivals, ongoing emergency arrivals and the delayed departure of inpatients because the rate of discharge at weekends is reduced); and • Congestion in ED is contributed to by inefficient flow of patients through the entire hospital, as well as inefficiencies within the ED. www.mja.com.au/journal/2008/188/6/clinical-process-redesignunplanned-arrivals-hospitals

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 41

Recruit a new member and go in the draw for A Wonderful Holiday of a Lifetime Travel from Sydney to Perth in the classic Gold Service on the mighty Indian Pacific.

The Indian Pacific is an epic journey that spans a continent. Over 3 days and 3 nights guests experience some of the most diverse scenery on earth – from the stunning Blue mountains with lush tree canopies and spectacular valley views, through the great Dividing Range, the salt lakes and sand dunes of South Australia and over the longest straight stretch of rail track in the world across the Nullarbor Plain.

Prize includes one way journey to Perth for two on the Indian Pacific, airfares for two from Perth to Sydney and five-night’s accommodation in a Novotel Perth Langley’s Superior King Room, including full buffet breakfast for two*.

Thomson Bay, Rottnest Island.

Credit: Tourism Western Australia

Remember for every new member you recruit/have recruited from 30 June 2012 to 30 June 2013 means you will have your name submitted to the draw.

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 NSWNMA Recruitment Incentive Scheme.

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Across 1. Reaction in pupil diameter to any stimulus (9.6) 9. Floating spleen (4.7) 10. A light blow (3) 11. Jugum (4) 12. Lacking awareness (11) 13. Pharynx (6) 14. Make less subtle or refined (7) 15. Battle fatigue (5.5) 17. Expired (6) 20. Rapid sequence intubation (1.1.1) 21. The growing together of separate parts (12)

32

23. Duration of life (3) 25. One thousandth of a litre (abrv) (2) 27. A muscle that raises a body part (7) 30. To cease living (3) 31. The inability to stand due to muscular incoordination (7) 32. A person who prepares and dispenses drugs (10)

Down 1. A pulse beat that is swift to rise and fall (6.5) 2. Formerly called toxemia of pregnancy (12) 3. Emission of light from a body as a result of a chemical reaction (12) 4. White (8) 5. Viral haemorrhagic fever (6.5) 6. A condition which cardiac systole is normal in force and time (9) 7. A toxin arising in the intestine (11)

8. Divided; cleft (5) 16. The compound joint between the femur, patella, and tibia (4.5) 18. Patella (7) 19. Congenital absence of the heart (7) 22. Ears, nose and throat (1.1.1) 24. An organ that produces gametes (5) 26. A leaflet of a cardiac valve (4) 28. A surface or space (4) 29. One-half (4)

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 43

Proud P roud to to be the the lawyers lawyers for for NSWNMA NSWNM NM MA members members * *

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LIONS NURSES’ SCHOLARSHIP Looking for funding to further your studies in 2013?

The tr The trustees ustees es of the Lions Nurses’ Scholarship F Foundation cations for scholarships for 2013. invite applications Nurses eligible for these ese scholars scholarships must be resident and employed within the State of NSW or ACT You o must be registereed or enrolled Health Practitioner Regulation egulation Age Agency or regulatory authority of the ACTT, and must have a minim experience in the nursing sing professio profession in NSW or the ACT Applicants must alsoo be able to pproduce evidence that your employer will grant ant leave for the required period of the scholarship.

Details of eligibility and the scho scholarships available (which include study projects eith either within Australia or overseas), and application cation forms are available from: The Honourary Secretary Lions Nurses’ Scholarship Foundation arship Found 50 O’Dea AAvenue, venue, Waterloo aterloo NSW 2017 or contact Ms Glen Ginty on 130 1300 367 962 or gginty@nswnma.asn.au www.nswnma.asn.au www .nswnma.asn.au Completed applications must be in the hands of the secretary no later than 28 November 2012.

44 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

BOOKS

BOOK ME A Nurse’s Guide to Women’s Mental Health

By Michelle R. Davidson, Springer Publishing Company

RRP $45.00 ISBN j 9780826171139 (also available as an e-book) j www.springerpub.com A Nurses’ Guide to Women’s Mental Health is a quick-access clinical guide to the range of mental health issues and diagnoses that commonly affect women across the life span. It focuses on the unique bio-psychosocial factors that make women especially vulnerable to psychological disorders and emphasises key stressors specific to women that are precursors to mental illness. The guide also covers unique populations such as disabled women, lesbian and transgender women, female veterans, women with forensic health concerns, and women who have been the object of violence. This is a valuable resource for all nurses caring for women and to those nurses who can and do make a difference!

Solution-Focused Therapy: Theory, Research and Practice (2nd ed.)

By Alasdair J. Macdonald, SAGE (available though Footprint Books)

RRP $47.95 j ISBN 9780857028907 j footprint.com.au Solution-Focused Therapy: Theory, Research and Practice contains an overview of current research in the area and an account of the use of solution-focused approaches in various relevant therapeutic situations. This book is intended as a basis for introductory courses and will also describe ways of applying solution-focused skills in a number of specialist areas including mental health, child protection and organisational consultancy.

SPECIAL INTEREST

The Third Space: Using life’s little transitions to find balance and happiness

By Adam Fraser, Random House Australia

RRP $32.95 j ISBN 9781742753867 j www.randomhouse.com.au This book is all about getting the small stuff right – not “sweating” it, but making it much more rewarding, much more often. The Third Space delivers a series of strategies to help us effectively make the transition between tasks, roles and environments for maximised performance at work and home.

Pediatric Tracheostomy Home Care Guide

By Cynthia M. Bissell, Jones and Bartlett Publishers

RRP $48.95 j ISBN 9780763753863 j www.jbpub.com Pediatric Tracheostomy Home Care Guide is a step-by-step, illustrated guide for those who care for children with tracheostomies. The author is a nurse and parent with personal experience with the impact of tracheostomy care on parent-child interaction and the quality of life among technology-dependent children. This pocket guide is an excellent reference for any health professional interested in learning about tracheostomies.

Essential Med Notes: A Comprehensive Medical Reference and Review for United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 2 and the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part 1 (1st ed.)

Editors-in-Chief, Jesse M. Klostranec and David L. Kolin, McGraw-Hill Education

Diabetes Made Easy: Eating and Exercising your way to Better Health (CD pack)

By Kate Marsh and Dr Adam Fraser, Northside Nutrition and Dietetics

RRP $24.95 j ISBN 978098093978 j www.mcgraw-hill.com.au

RRP $49.50

Essential Med Notes is a valuable resource and reference for residents and practicing physicians in all disciplines of medicine.

The handbook contains quick reference information for the wards, clinic, and OR, including differential diagnoses, investigations, and treatment options.

In this educational CD, accredited Practicing Dietitian and Diabetes Educator Kate Marsh, and accredited Exercise Physiologist Dr Adam Fraser, explain everything you need to know about managing your Type 2 Diabetes through lifestyle changes. Included in the set are two audio CDs and one data CD containing a range of fact sheets on nutrition and exercise for individuals with Type 2 Diabetes.

All books can be ordered through the publisher or your local bookshop. NSWNMA members can borrow the books featured here, and many more, from our Records and Information Centre (RIC).

Contact Jeannette Bromfield gensec@nswnma.asn.au or Cathy Matias 8595 2121 cmatias@nswnma.asn.au. All reviews by NSWNMA RIC Coordinator/Librarian Jeannette Bromfield. Some books are reviewed using information supplied and have not been independently reviewed.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 45

MOVIES

movies of the month

TO ROME WITH LOVE Woody Allen delivers a beautiful homage to the eternal city in this film boasting a stellar ensemble cast, writes Chris Benellie Ladera.

I was nursing post-holiday blues when I saw that Woody Allen’s film, To Rome with Love was up for review. Without second thoughts, I grabbed it. I thought that this was the perfect cure.

Alas, my plan failed as it only fueled my love for Roma. True to form, Woody Allen delivers a beautiful homage to the eternal city. The film boasts a stellar ensemble cast including Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, and Ellen Page.

Students, tourists, lovers, honeymooners, the

Romans and of course even the anxious New Yorker, which Allen plays, are all there, wandering the vibrant piazzas of Rome. The movie features multiple vignettes.

It’s chaotic at the start, akin to being lost in this enchanting city. We meet young Hayley (Alison Pill) who is lost, and found by a charming Italian Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti). Their romance is uncomplicated until their parents meet. Allen plays Hayley’s father, a retired opera director who schemes another shot at fame after a chance discovery of his future in-law’s talents.

Giancarlo, played by Italian tenor Fabio Armiliato, is Michelangelo’s mortician father who has a hidden talent, and is curious to explore it, much to his conservative family’s dismay. Armiliato steals the show with his flawless arias, one of the endearing features of the film.

Concurrently, we meet renowned architect, John (Alec Baldwin) who not only revisits the street where he lived in his youth but also relives regrets

MEMBERS GIVEAWAY The Lamp has 15in-season double passes to give away to To Rome with Love thanks to hopstcoch films. The first 15 members to email their name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma.asn.au will win.

46 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

of his past love through the experiences of Jack (Jesse Eisenberg).

Ellen Page is engaging as Monica, a fledgling actress and flirtatious femme who charms Jack, her best friend’s boyfriend, much to John’s frustration.

Then there are newlyweds Antonio and Milly (Alessandro Tiberi and Alessandra Mastronardi) from the provinces, who move to Rome hoping to impress Antonio’s rich relatives and get an important job in the city.

Milly suffers a series of mishaps leaving her lost in Rome, into the arms of a legendary movie star.

While Antonio on the other hand, becomes entangled with a prostitute, Penelope Cruz.

The characters themselves and their stories do not intertwine, what they do share is a social commentary on fame. Robert Benigni, director and actor of the film Life is Beautiful, is a natural comic and is brilliant as Leopoldo Pisanello, an ordinary man who is unwittingly thrown into fame and at the mercy of paparazzi.

The movie has Allen’s trademark neurotic humour.

It is light and surreal, even ridiculous at times. It feels muddled occasionally; but there is plenty of room for the adventures to shine.

Chris Benellie Ladera is an RN CCU at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst

IN CINEMAS 18 OCTOBER

MEMBERS GIVEAWAY

Being Venice The story of a procrastinating, modern day poet had Sue Miles begging less, less, less, not more, more, more.

This is the first full-length feature of Australian based filmmaker, and published poet, Miro Bilbrough, who gained admirers with her debut work, the short film, Urn. I don’t think this film will gain her any new fans.

To begin, Venice, played by Alice McConnell, refers to a procrastinating modern day poet who, dressed

the lamp has 15 in-season double passes to give away to Being Venice, thanks to curious distribution. the first 15 members to email their name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma.asn.au will win. in vintage and living above an inner city pub, exists in a world that is troubled and angst ridden.

The film opens with Venice breaking up with her boyfriend; he wasn’t that interested and it hardly seems to be of any great consequence A new story begins. Venice quickly recovers and borrows the car of a friend to pick up her dad Arthur (Gary MacDonald. Who chose the name, again?) ex-hippy and in Sydney to teach an English workshop.

The relationship between them seems distant and strained and let’s face it, having your father stay in your one bedroom flat was always going to be a hard call.

Then comes another sub plot: Venice sleeps with

her friend’s boyfriend, a PhD student who also teaches at Tafe.

Our heroine poet, writer of poetry that is limited to scribbles on post it notes, spends the rest of the film trying to put right her wrongs.

When does the film end? Who really cares. The best parts of the film were the local spaces it was shot in. The story lacks continuity and when it ends no one will be left grasping at the unanswered questions, because their frustration will be limited by the film’s end. Not my favourite by any means.

Sue Miles is a Mental Health Nurse at the RPA IN CINEMAS 20 OCTOBER.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY Bursts of violence are compensated by great acting in this mob film starring Brad Pitt and Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn, writes Stephanie Gray.

ciné files Actor Ben Mendelsohn’s mother was a registered nurse.

Killing Them Softly is an adaptation of the George V. Higgins 1974 crime novel, Cogan’s Trade.

The down and dirty story of poker games, petty criminals and the mob is dragged forward to 2008, but the film keeps a seventies crumbling, end-ofthe-world look in it’s near apocalyptic, New Orleans setting.

Two dumb guys, who think they’re smart, rob a Mob-protected card game, forcing the collapse of the local criminal economy. Jackie (Brad Pitt) is the enforcer hired to track them down and restore order.

The story finds little fish swimming with sharks.

Two dreamy, penniless young crims, Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) shoot up a backroom poker game run by Markie (Ray Liotta).

Soon they have cool and calm Mob fixer Jackie on their tail. He in turn hires assassin, Mickey (James Gandolfini) who is trying to cope with a marriage crisis and a drinking problem – making him criminally impotent.

The film has bursts of extreme violence, leaving the viewer cringing due to the realistic sound effects and a feeling of empathy for the victims of these

violent acts – regardless of whether they are innocent or guilty.

The film is a grimy metaphor for sickness and stupidity; a great piece of storytelling with a restrained balance of laidback chat and canny visual outbursts, and a delicious thread of gallows humour running through it.

It is a great actors’ movie. If you don’t have an aversion to gratuitous violence and enjoyed other Mob movies, you will enjoy this one.

STEPHANIE GRAY is an RN with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service

IN CINEMAS 11 OCTOBER

MEMBERS GIVEAWAY the lamp has 15 in-season double passes to give away to Killing Them Softly, thanks to hoyts distribution. the first 15 members to email their name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma.asn.au will win.

THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012 | 47

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POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MENTAL HEALTH NURSING IN CANBERRA (Full Scholarship). First Semester February Intake 2013.

The RN Post Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing program offered by Mental Health, Justice Health, Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS) is an excellent opportunity for RNs to build their knowledge and skills base in caring for people experiencing a range of mental health conditions. The program is clinically based and provides RNs with the option of either part-time or full-time paid employment for 12 to 18 months in Canberra, while they study through University of Canberra.

ARCHI

During the program, RNs rotate through the diverse services (both inpatient and community) provided by MHJHADS. Registered Nurses who undertake the programme are: • Paid while they study and work; • Guaranteed a scholarship to cover course fees; • Well supported during the program; • Able to fast track their career.

Eligibility /other requirements: Registered or eligible for registration with the Nursing and

Midwifery Board of Australia, Drivers licence and have Australian citizenship or permanent residency.

For more information contact Monique Fielder, Mental Health ACT, (ph) 02 6205 3661, monique.fielder@act.gov.au or visit www.health.act.gov.au Closing Date: 7 November 2012

Australian Resource Centre for Healthcare Innovations

A free knowledge sharing and networking service for health professionals, supporting clinical practice improvement and innovation across the country.

What’s new on ARCHI? First Case on Time Theatre Starts –

On-line Chronic Disease Self Management Training –

48 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

Visit the ARCHI website today at

www.archi.net.au

Go Direct Debit & Win

a fabulous South Coast holiday Start paying your NSWNMA fees by Direct Debit for the chance to win a two-night stay at the Bannisters in Mollymook, worth over $1,000!

The prize includes a two-night midweek stay in an Ocean Deluxe room, with deck and stunning ocean views; hot breakfasts for two; a picnic hamper for two; a day spa voucher to the value of $120; a $200 Rick Stein at Bannisters Restaurant dinner voucher; and a signed copy of Rick’s latest cookbook.

Spring is fabulous on the NSW south coast – uncluttered, very laid-back and the locals are friendly and welcoming. Think of long sandy beaches, fresh clean air, fantastic seafood dining and award winning luxury accommodation and you have all the ingredients that makes Bannisters as a ‘must do’ on your getaway list.

This boutique hotel is home to international chef Rick Stein’s only restaurant outside of the UK. Understandably it features the seafood that has become his hallmark, and celebrates the wonderful fresh fish from local south coast waters. This is a dining experience not to be missed, and one that many avid foodies make the pilgrimage to enjoy.

Deluxe guest rooms enjoy panoramic sea views, and in season this means you can whale-watch from your private balcony!

Spoil yourself with an coastal getaway at Bannisters.

To find out more visit www.bannisters.com.au or phone (02) 4455 3044 Conditions: valid midweek shoulder season, from 1 September 2012 – 30 April 2013, excluding school and public holidays.

HERE’S HOW HO W YOU YOU CAN WIN

s s #ANCEL YOUR PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS AND START PAYING YOUR FEES THROUGH DIRECT DEBIT AND YOU WILL #ANCEL YOUR PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS AND START PAYING YOUR FEES THROUGH DIRECT DEBIT AND YOU WILL go into the lucky draw and/or s s #ONVINCE YOUR COLLEAGUES TO CONVERT FROM PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS TO DIRECT DEBIT AND YOU AND #ONVINCE YOUR COLLEAGUES TO CONVERT FROM PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS TO DIRECT DEBIT AND YOU AND each of your colleagues who switch to direct debit will go into the lucky draw and/or s s 3IGN UP A NEW MEMBER USING THE DIRECT DEBIT METHOD OF PAYING THEIR FEES AND YOU AND THE 3IGN UP A NEW MEMBER USING THE DIRECT DEBIT METHOD OF PAYING THEIR FEES AND YOU AND THE new member will go into the lucky draw. draw.

Direct debit is not only the easiest and most convenient way to pay your membership, but switching over could win you a luxury holiday! Don’t risk your membership lapsing from changing workplaces. W With ith direct debit you are always protected on the job.

Membership Application forms or Dir Direct rect e Debit forms can be downloaded fr from om our website www.nswnma.asn.au. www.nswnma.asn.au.

Alternatively call the NSWNMA on 8595 1234 (metr Alternatively (metro o ar area) ea) or 1300 367 962 (non-metr (non-metroo area) area) for more more information.

DIARY DATES

conferences, seminars, meetings SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control Conference 2012 8-11 October 2012, Sydney conferenceinfo@ashm.org.au Inside Pain Professional Development Day 19 October 2012, Sydney Pigni2012@dcconferences.com.au www.dcconferences.com.au/pigni2012 Mental Health First Aid ... with a Difference 9-10 October 2012, Strathfield South ANTS: 8012 8452 neurotraining.eventarc.com/event/view/1 0664/ Suicide Prevention Conference 2012 11-12 October 2012, Coogee tony@suicidepreventionaust.org suicidepreventionaust.org Bones on the Beach orthopaedic conference 13 October 2012, Wollongong Karin Tarne (02) 4222 5811 karin.tarne@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au Australasian Midwifery Expo 16-18 October 2012, Sydney www.nace.org.au National Spina Bifida Conference – Australian Masterclass 19-20 October 2012, Sydney Julie Dicker, Kids Rehab: 9845 2802 Julie.dicker@health.nsw.gov.au www.nswspinabifidacollab.org.au Breast Cancer Network Australia’s National Conference 2012 25-26 October, 2012, Sydney www.bcna.org.au/events/bcnaconferences/national-conference-2012 It’s a Knock Out! Anaesthetic Cocktails and PACU Pick-me-ups 27 October 2012, Terrigal Teresa Farrell 4389 9419 farrellt@ramsayhealth.com.au

Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 42nd Annual Scientific Meeting 26-28 October 2012, Sydney (03) 9645 6311 congress@asum.com.au www.asumcongress.com.au/ Midwives on the Tweed 10th Annual Education Day 29 October 2012, Tweed Heads midwivesonthetweed@iprimus.com.au Jenni Sullivan 0430 599 062 Enhancing Practice 2012 31 October – 2 November 2012, Sydney www.enhancingpractice12.com.au 2012 AWMA (NSW) Bi-Annual Branch Conference: Growing, Nurturing and Harvesting - Wound Care in the Vines 11-12 November, 2012, Cessnock mimiwilson45@hotmail.com Developing Maternity Care that works for Women November 30, 2012, Canterbury Hospital Kate Griew (02) 9787 0000 Page 82220 Fax (02) 97870431 kate.griew@sswahs.nsw.gov.au Council for Children’s Nurses NSW Biennial Conference: Winds of Change – Thinking into Action March 14-15, 2013, Sydney www.ccnnsw.org.au/2013-ccnconference 7th Australian Women’s Health Conference 7-10 May 2013, Sydney (02) 9254 5000 www.womenshealth2013.org.au info@womenshealth2013.org.au

INTERSTATE & OVERSEAS

REGIONAL

NSWNMA Events

Farewell Gundagai District Hospital Welcome Gundagai Multi Purpose Service 29 September, Dinner Dance 30 September, Brunch and Hospital tours Gundagai Health Service 02 6944 1022 gundagai.hospitalgsahs.health.nsw.gov.au

U P R I E E N C L O A M A P S S I A C C U A S T P

I L U N M I O N E R S C S E N C G E O N A S D

L A L O B I S C A E N S D K O N E L E C I A P

F L E N T O K E R R H R O T S H O X A I E S C E N A N S V A T O R D I E R I M E H A R M A C I R Y E I L L I O W F H E V E C R

50 | THE LAMP OCTOBER 2012

R E U I S Y U S T O L L E

Are you up to date?

T he llaw aw c hanges – The changes K eep iinformed, nformed, Keep Ke ep ssafe! afe!

Keep

REUNIONS Sydney Hospital Graduate Nurses’ Assoc.

50th Anniversary Reunion Lunch 3 October Sydney Jeanette Fox 02 4751 4829 bekysa@tpg.com.au Lewisham Hospital Graduate Nurses Association 3 November, 11am, Sydney johnbohun@bigpond.com RAHC March 1973 PTS reunion 17 March 2013 Bronwyn Exley bronwyn.exley@bigpond.com Jenny Elliott jenelliot@bigpond.com Sherran Alexander (Peck) sherran.j.alexander@gmail.com Check venue location with Lyn Stevens 02 8595 1234 Free call 1300 367 962.

Nursing a and nd tthe he La Law w Two T wo D Day ay CPD Seminar h at highl y e valuated pr ogram tthat A highly evaluated program will k eep y ou inf ormed no y will keep you informed nott onl only w about clinica ects o about clinicall asp aspects off la law also important important pr ofessional but also professional topics rrelevant el evant tto o ttoday’s oda y’s nurse topics nurse..

Not tto o be mis sed!

Not missed!

Sydney S ydney

1392 1392

6 – 7 Dec 110.5 0. 5 CPD

Other Other Upcoming Upcoming

Nursing Seminars Nursing Document Documentation ation a and nd A Accountability ccountability

2012 EDUCATION CALENDAR

Sydney S ydney

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

Sydney S ydney

11383 383

5 – 6 Nov Nov 110.5 0. 5 CPD

Clinical Clinical Nursing Assessment Assessment 12 – 13 No Nov v 110.5 0. 5 CPD

11260 260

NOTICES

Crossword solution P U L S U S C E L E R

Third International Conference on Violence in the Health Sector 24-27 October 2012, Vancouver, Canada www.oudconsultancy.nl/vancouver/index .html 4th Australian Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium 19-21 November 2012, Adelaide anzmh.asn.au/rrmh (07) 5502 2068 Hospital in the Home Society of Australasia 5th Annual Scientific Conference 2012 22 – 23 November 2012, Melbourne www.hithsociety.org.au/conference Megan.Chinzani@ashm.org.au 0458 291 166

L Law aw – Ignorance Ignorance iiss N NO OD Defence efence

X S A P L I A T C K N E C E J O I N S T

Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan exhibition Australian War Memorial, Canberra Until 17 October, free www.awm.gov.au

diary dates is a free service.

Please send details of your event by the 5th of each month, in the format used here – event, date, contact details, website if applicable.

Email: lamp@nswnma.asn.au Fax: 9550 3667 Post: 50 O’Dea Ave, Waterloo NSW 2017

W Working orking in a T Team e eam a and nd Dealing Dealing with with Ch Change ange Sydney S ydney

15 – 16 Nov Nov

1 1 CPD

11305 305

A Advanced dvanced Pa Palliative lliative Car Care e Nursing Sydney S ydney

19 – 20 Nov Nov 10.5 1 0. 5 CPD

1065 1065

Clinical Clinical Skills Skills Updates: Updates: Chronic Chronic Kidney Kidney Disease Sydney S ydney

29 – 30 Nov Nov 10.5 1 0. 5 CPD

1298

Nurse Pr Practitioners actitioners – Medicines a and nd Pr Prescribing escribing Nationa onference Nationall C Conference

M Melbourne elbourne 3 – 4 Dec

1 2 CPD

14 19 1419

Register Register online at:

www.Aus.md/nsw www. Aus.md/ nsw

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