Lamp September 2015

lamp THE MAGAZINE OF THE NSW NURSES AND MIDWIVES’ ASSOCIATION

VOLUME 72 No.8 SEPTEMBER 2015

70 years: still putting patient safety first THE GOLDEN AGE OF FUNK BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE Print Post Approved: PP100007890

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CONTENTS

CONTACTS NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association For all membership enquiries and assistance, including Lamp subscriptions and change of address, contact our Sydney office.

Sydney Office 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 (all correspondence) T 8595 1234 (metro) 1300 367 962 (non-metro) F 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au W www.nswnma.asn.au

VOLUME 72 No.8 SEPTEMBER 2015

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

COVER STORY

12 | Safe patient care is paramount

Nerida Grant RN and Michelle Nicholson RN PHOTOGRAPH: SHARON HICKEY

REGULARS

5 6 8 33 35 39 41 43 45 46

Editorial Your letters News in brief Ask Judith Social media Crossword Nursing research online Books Movie of the month Diary dates

PRODUCTIVITY COMMISION

20 | Dishing up a cut to penalty rates

This year’s annual conference was the occasion to release a strategic plan to grow and strengthen the Association during the next five years.

COVER STORY

18 | Building a better future The ACTU’s Build a Better Future campaign comprises six pillars to protect our living standards and the goal is to make those issues central themes of the next election.

HEALTHSCOPE

24 | Healthscope bargaining begins Nurses and midwives at Healthscope have begun enterprise bargaining with a log of claims seeking fair staffing, fair rosters and fair pay.

COMPETITION

8 | Win a Zenolite suitcase

SAFE STAFFING

28 | More nursing hours won at Tamworth

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 Editorial Committee • Brett Holmes, NSWNMA General Secretary • Judith Kiejda, NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary • Coral Levett, NSWNMA President • 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 Information and Records Management Centre To find archived articles from The Lamp, or to borrow from the NSWNMA nursing and health collection, contact: Jeannette Bromfield, Coordinator T 8595 2175 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au The Lamp ISSN: 0047-3936 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 2015 Free to all Association members. Professional members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $55.

Individuals $80, Institutions $135, Overseas $145.

Tamworth Hospital relocation goes ahead after management agrees to interim improvement to staffing arrangements.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 3

EDITORIAL

BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

We must evolve or be left behind This year’s annual conference — our 70th — was dynamic and creative and these are the qualities we will need as an organisation to meet the formidable challenges in front of us.

It is imperative that we do all that we can to articulate our issues and advocate for our professions, our families, our communities and our rights to build a better future.

Annual conference was an important opportunity to discuss the changing landscape of the health sector, including the public, private, aged care, disability and community services sectors.

The impacts of health funding cuts, attacks on penalty rates, the importance of nurse-to-patient ratios, violence in the workplace and family violence were all vigorously debated as delegates faced up to the challenges confronting nurses and midwives.

As always, delegates analysed these issues with an acute awareness of their implications for our communities, as a result of the decisions being taken in Canberra or by our state government.

And, as always, advocacy for safe patient care in all aspects of the health and ageing sectors and standing up for our patients or those who are less fortunate was the starting point for how we should respond to these challenges.

There were strong concerns raised by delegates about unreasonable workloads; increased health privatisations and the dismantling of Medicare; and the implications of changes to paid parental leave and the Border Force Act. THE STRATEGIC PLAN TO MEET THE CHALLENGES The annual conference was an opportunity for Judith and I to present a Strategic Plan that will provide an organisational framework over the next five years as the NSWNMA operates in this often hostile environment.

The strategic plan recognises much of what we as a union already undertake, but it is a more comprehensive way of considering what we do and why, and importantly, how we measure ourselves against the plan.

I encourage you to read through the Strategic Plan which is available on our website. Embrace the vision and values we have outlined and understand the important role you must play, as individuals and as a collective of skilled clinical professionals, in fighting for our future together.

WE MUST CONTINUE TO GROW IF WE ARE TO WIELD INFLUENCE Sometime in the coming 12 months there will be a crucial Federal election. We will call you to arms, ask you to be active and help defend the rights and conditions of nurses and midwives especially against the attacks on your penalty rates and the scaling back of paid parental leave for mothers. We will also ask you to help defend the public health system from savage funding cuts and the insidious encroachment of privatisations.

It is imperative that we do all that we can to articulate our issues and advocate for our professions, our families, our communities and our rights to build a better future.

To do this we must continue to grow our influence and encourage many more thousands of members to embark on the journey with us – taking our concerns directly to the politicians and making our voices heard.

This requires maintaining our growth in membership. I’m pleased to acknowledge that over the past 12 months we’ve grown by 1.96 per cent or 1,175 members to 30 June, and we surpassed our previous five-year target, reaching 61,047.

Importantly, under our new Strategic Plan, we have a plan to grow membership further and achieve 75,000 members by 2020. A new challenge, but one we must accept and set out to achieve together.

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE Delegates also agreed to maintain pressure on all political parties in the lead up to the next federal election. The delegates committed to campaigning on six key issues: workers’ rights including penalty rates; universal health care through Medicare; high quality education for all Australians; retention of public services; a secure and decent retirement; and a country where there is a fair go for all, where everyone contributes their fair share of tax.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 5

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship provided by the following companies for our Annual Conference held at Rosehill Gardens 29 – 31 July 2015

FIRST STATE SUPER HESTA SUPER FUND ME BANK MERCURE HOTEL SYDNEY RAULAND AUSTRALIA Accident & Health International Angel Mah-Chut Architects Chifley Financial Services Pty Ltd Commonwealth Bank Fuji Xerox Australia Pty Ltd Hester Communications Kingsford Smith Transport Offset Alpine Printing Phil Gilbert Motor Group Scott and Broad/Clark Pacific Telstra The Association also thanks the following companies for their contribution and assistance Cetaphil DB Health DU’IT

Ferndale Mints Lindt Chocolates TUH

Disappearing help for HECS debt When completing my tax return this year I came across some changes to the Budget that will impact on the wages of nurses who have a university loan.

I would like to bring to your attention this change to a little known benefit that could really help those nurses who have a HECS/HELP debt.

The HECS-HELP Benefit has significantly helped bring my total university debt down to a manageable level. This benefit is available for a total of five years and pays directly to the HECS/HELP loan. This is especially helpful when nurses have salary packaging and a HECS/HELP debt, as they are still required to pay off the debt against the packaged amount, even though this amount avoids tax.

On average around $2000 in repayments is due when compared to $9000 salary packaged. The HECS-HELP benefit is $1761 for 2014-15, almost eliminating this amount.

Originally the Howard government introduced this benefit due to the deregulation of university fees. In a way it was compensation and incentive for potential students to still continue to essential and valuable careers such as nursing. Personally my HELP total was more than $15,000; this benefit covers almost half that amount.

The last Budget handed down by the Abbott government ceased this benefit from July 1. This means nurses with student loans will be out of pocket from the new tax year on. One of the main reasons for the cut (apart from the financial) has been the low uptake of the benefit.

I have found through personal experience that people who are eligible simply do not know about it as it is not advertised – and they have been missing out on claiming this benefit.

This is simply another cut and attack to the bottom line of nurses’ wages from the Abbott government; more importantly it is cutting the wage and potential income of new RNs, the people who need it most.

My wish is to convey the availability of this benefit to NSWNMA members; we are still able to claim for previous years up until 2017.

This link will take you to the page where it states the benefit ceases (bottom paragraph): http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/studyassist/helpfulreso urces/pages/studentoverview_budget2014 Mathew Luckhurst RN Bondi

YOUR LETTERS

LE TTE R OF THE MONTH

Aged care won’t survive with fewer RNs I am an RN working in an aged care facility and would love all the pollies to know why RNs are so important 24/7. It’s ludicrous to think they are even considering cutting shifts for RNs! I assess between two to six residents a week, following falls, and save them hospital admissions.

My job as an RN in aged care, however, involves far more than saving hospital admissions. Approximately 40 per cent of my shift involves supervising care staff and team leaders to ensure optimum care for our residents, as well as ensuring no corners are cut.

Approximately 40 per cent involves ACFI (Aged Care Funding Instrument) documentation, assessments, case conferences etc. to ensure we get optimum funding from the government.

It still amazes me that we have to justify this every 12 months, when these people have been assessed as requiring high care before they come to us! A waste of nursing hours when we could be spending the time more beneficially with our residents!

The remaining approximate 20 per cent of my time would be spent educating staff, giving out S8 and PRN medications, liaising with doctors, doing rounds, liaising with pharmacy etc, neuro obs on residents’ falls, etc.

Aged care would never survive with fewer RNs. Margaret Gates RN Mayfield West New grads need ratios!

Talking to and witnessing our new young graduate midwives without a mentor today (and most other days!) struggling with unreasonable and untenable workloads.

Trying to give safe care and the stress visible on their keen young faces makes me very sad as a registered nurse and midwife nearing retirement, hoping the conditions improve for our new, young and committed workforce.

How long can they survive our health system? We must unite and enforce ratios!

Nada Carroll RN/RM Petersham Don’t meddle with my super!

Thank you for your great article on industry superannuation (The Lamp August 2015). Industry super offers all investors a serious alternative to the retail fund managers, who charge higher fees and underperform in comparison. Abbott’s unwarranted meddling in super actually goes against true Liberal Party principles, as it weakens differentiation and competition in the funds market. Such changes typify this appalling “gummint’s� willingness to vandalise successful initiatives, which benefit everyone, for the sake of pushing their own barrow.

I do not want my super meddled with, thank you!

Bernie Accola EEN Mount Colah

Thanks for your support throughout After more than 40 years I recently decided to end my psychiatric nursing career, having enjoyed every minute of this time caring for patients.

Throughout those years I witnessed the union greatly assisting nursing staff in relation to a broad variety of issues and I strongly believe all nurses should join the union.

I am very sad to be leaving psychiatric nursing after a fulfilling career. During my career I regularly worked long hours, especially during the 1970s and 1980s due to the shortage of psychiatric nurses.

I was one of very few psychiatric nurses who could speak and write fluently in both Greek and Arabic and was proud to have been able to use my language skills to assist Greek and Arabic speaking psychiatric patients, especially in the years before formal interpreter services were introduced into the system.

I am proud to have witnessed and been part of such great improvements in the mental health system.

I wanted to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the union for your great support and assistance throughout my career.

Peter Scoulis RN Croydon Park

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

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

Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Anonymous letters will not be published.

Letter of the month The letter judged the best each month will win a $50 Coles Group & Myer gift card!

unionshopper.com.au 1300 368 117

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 7

COMPETITION

NEWS IN BRIEF

Britain

Penalty cuts = protest resignations The British government’s advisory body on pay has warned that its plan to extend a full health service to seven days will fail if it is accompanied by cuts to penalty rates.

The NHS pay review body says a cut to penalty rates will lead to a cut in total earnings and predicts many health workers will quit in protest, leading to staff shortages.

“While we cannot estimate figures with any accuracy, it seems likely that at least some of these staff would not be prepared to work their current unsocial hours under such circumstances,” the pay body said.

“Given the number of years it takes to train suitably skilled and qualified staff, we believe a substantial barrier to the expansion of seven-day services could be insufficient numbers of appropriately trained staff.”

Christina McAnea, of trade union Unison said: “If NHS workers were not paid more for working at night, and over weekends and public holidays, many would vote with their feet, and either leave the health service altogether or seek more lucrative agency work.

“The real barriers to a safe seven-day NHS are underfunding, understaffing and lack of employee involvement.”

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“If NHS workers were not paid more for working at night, and over weekends and public holidays, many would vote with their feet.”

— Christina McAnea, Unison

NEWS IN BRIEF

Australia

Better birthing for private patients?

Paul Kenny

Britain

Attack on unions biggest since Thatcher Britain’s Conservative government has announced the most draconian anti-union legislation in 30 years.

The new laws include plans to criminalise picketing and allow employers to hire strike-breaking agency staff. Public sector workers, including health workers, will be held to particularly stringent limits on industrial action.

Prominent trade union leader Paul Kenny, head of the giant GMB union, said the reforms would poison industrial relations in the UK by removing incentives for employers to listen to their own workers and settle disputes.

“When workers jump through draconian hurdles for their vote for strike action to be lawful, the employers can then ignore the will of their own workers. Workers will have to give employers 14 days’ notice of strike action. That is more than enough time for employers to legally hire another workforce to break the strike,” he said.

The attack comes at a time when days lost to strike action are at an all time low in Britain. The number of working days lost due to strikes was 704,000 in the 12 months to April, compared to the 1970s when nearly 13 million days were lost annually, on average, through strike action.

Health groups have raised concerns that the new Northern Beaches hospital – to be run by private operator Healthscope – will not be able to provide the same level of maternity services as public hospitals elsewhere in Sydney.

Several groups told the ABC and the Sydney Morning Herald that a designated birth centre for the new hospital was not being considered.

Australian College of Midwives president Caroline Homer said it would limit birthing options available to expectant parents.

“It looks to me like the maternity services of the Northern Beaches are going back to the dark ages,” she told the ABC. The SMH reported that women would be given different services depending on whether they had private health insurance.

Naomi Homel from Maternity Choices Australia, also at the meeting that outlined the services to be available at the hospital, is concerned that women without private health insurance will be treated differently.

“They said the private rooms … will have different furnishings, they will have a nicer standard and the women will have food cooked fresh on site,” she said.

“It made me think, ‘what, are they going to have a poor-door as well for the (public) women to walk through?’”

Health Minister Jillian Skinner says the new hospital will be “a world-class facility offering outstanding maternity services”.

Australia

Fiascos flood privatised Fiona Stanley Hospital Surgery theatres and the emergency department had to be closed at Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital after a serious water leak caused flooding in the $2 billion hospital, which opened earlier this year.

The hospital was also closed in April after a similar incident with a burst water bellow. Hospital management has not ruled out further closures to replace other water bellows, which should have a shelf life of 100 years.

Patients were diverted to other hospitals during the closure. Patients who remained in the hospital were unable to have hot showers and the hospital’s heating system was switched off.

Western Australian premier Colin Barnett conceded that the hospital’s ongoing problems were “more than teething”.

The hospital has been dogged by a string of scandals since it opened.

In April a surgical contamination scare resulted in private company Serco losing part of its services contract.

Patient Jared Olsen died earlier this year after he was given the wrong drug.

A parliamentary inquiry into the hospital’s services is underway.

The ANMF has raised concerns about patient care at the hospital, arising from staffing shortages.

“Are they going to have a poor-door for the (public) women to walk through?”

— Naomi Homel, Maternity Choices Australia THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 9

EDUCATION@NSWNMA

What's On September 2015

Practical, Positive Ways in Managing Stress and Burnout – 1 Day 7 September, NSWNMA, Waterloo Members $85 Non-members $170

Foot Care for Nurses – 2 Days 9 & 10 September, Lismore Members $203 Non-members $350

Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol Nurses Forum – 1 Day 11 September, NSWNMA, Waterloo Topic: “ICE – Where to from here?�. Guest speakers from various areas will be presenting and discussing issues surrounding ICE and how it effects the MHD&A nursing profession.

NEWS IN BRIEF

West Africa

Trial success could end Ebola epidemic A vaccine against Ebola has been shown to be 100 per cent successful in trials conducted during the outbreak in Guinea, with experts predicting it will bring the West African epidemic to an end, reports The Guardian.

The trial, involving 4000 people, was remarkable because of the unprecedented speed with which the development of the vaccine and the testing were carried out.

Scientists, doctors, donors and drug companies collaborated to fast track the vaccine through a process that usually takes more than a decade, in just 12 months. “This new vaccine, if the results hold up, may be the silver bullet against Ebola, helping to bring the current outbreak to zero and to control future outbreaks of this kind. I would like to thank all partners who have contributed to achieve this sensational result, due to an extraordinary and rapid collaborative effort,â€? said Børge Brende, foreign minister of Norway, which helped fund the trial.

As of July there had been a total of 27,748 cases of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with 11,279 reported deaths, although the outcome of many cases was unknown and the final death toll likely to be significantly higher.

Funding for the vaccine trial came from the Wellcome Trust and other partners, including the governments of Norway and Canada. Others involved included MÊdecins Sans Frontières and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. About 90 per cent of the trial staff were from Guinea, a country where no clinical research had been carried out before. The vaccine is made

by Merck.

Members $30 Non-members $50

Aged Care Nurses Forum – 1 Day 16 October, NSWNMA, Waterloo Members $30 Non-members $50

Policy and Guideline Writing – 1 Day 5 November, NSWNMA, Waterloo Members $85 Non-members $170

Are you meeting your CPD requirements? – ½ Day 19 November, Coffs Harbour Seminar is suitable for all nurses and midwives to learn about CPD requirements and what’s involved in the process.

Members $40 Non-members $85

Legal and Professional Issues for Nurses and Midwives – ½ Day

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ARPANSA are currently consulting on proposed national licensing changes We provide

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20 November, Coffs Harbour 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

REGISTER ONLINE www.nswnma.asn.au/education/education-calendar For enquiries: Metro: 8595 1234 | Rural: 1300 367 962

RECOGNISED BY QUEENSLAND & TASMANIA RADIATION HEALTH DEPARTMENTS & ACCREDITED BY AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF NURSING

NEWS IN BRIEF

Britain

Australia

Clean teeth, healthy heart

Inequality a drag on economic growth

According to the British Dental Health Foundation a quarter of British adults don’t brush their teeth the recommended two times a day and one in 10 regularly forgets to brush altogether.

This is an improvement. In 1968 the UK’s first adult dental health survey found that nearly three-quarters of adults over 55 had none of their own teeth!

Now research has found that neglecting your teeth can have serious health consequences beyond tooth decay.

Research from Francesco D’Aiuto, senior lecturer at the Eastman Dental Institute in London, published in PLOS One earlier this year, found evidence of a direct link to diabetes after assessing the impact of treating gum disease in people with Type 2 diabetes.

The study concluded that gum treatment reduced general levels of inflammation, which could have implications for patient’s ability to control blood glucose.

In 2007, D’Aiuto published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that deep-cleaning teeth and gums under local anaesthetic resulted in healthier, more elastic arteries six months later.

In 2012, the American Heart Association confirmed that periodontal disease is associated with atheroscherosis.

“The mouth is not disconnected from the rest — Francesco D’Aiuto, of the body,” says D’Aiuto. “People should not Eastman Dental Institute underestimate what the body senses when the mouth is neglected.”

People should not underestimate what the body senses when the mouth is neglected.”

Australia

Million-dollar retirement myth busted The claim that a super balance of $1 million or more is necessary for a comfortable retirement is causing fear and concern among older Australians and does not reflect reality.

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) and Australia’s biggest super fund, AustralianSuper, have called for a “super reality check” to give Australians a better understanding of the level of income they can expect to have in retirement.

“We need to stop focusing on the needs of a privileged few and start talking about how relatively small balances of super can still make a big difference to the quality of life in retirement,” AIST CEO Tom Garcia said.

A paper entitled Busting the $1 million retirement myth says commentators are ignoring the role that the age pension will play in boosting retirement incomes.

“Super doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Most people approaching retirement will draw an income that is a combination of both super and the Age Pension,” Garcia said.

“The reality is that most Australians – including most of those starting out in the workforce today – will not retire with the equivalent of $1 million in super.

AIST’s paper shows that a super retirement balance of $150,000 delivers an additional $163 week on top of the age pension – a 38 per cent increase.

A worker on the median income of $55,000 can expect to retire with a tax-free retirement income of $34,000 – which is 79 per cent of his or her take home pay.

A SUPER RETIREMENT BALANCE OF $150,000 DELIVERS AN ADDITIONAL $163 WEEK ON TOP OF THE AGE PENSION.

New research by the Chifley Research Centre has found that inequality in Australia is on the rise and is putting a drag on economic growth.

The research says that while Australia has bucked an international trend of runaway inequality and wealth concentration that has shrunk the middle class in the US and Europe, there are signs of a shift in this country.

“Since 2000, there has been a significant ‘decoupling’ where wages have failed to keep pace with productivity improvements,” the report says.

“Decoupling does not necessarily imply declining living standards for workers – average real wages grew solidly in Australia up until 2012 – but it does imply rising inequality with middle Australia missing out on a growing share of income growth and it does pose risks to future productivity improvements.”

The report argues that this trend means workers are benefitting less from improvements in productivity and the labour share of income is declining.

“This appears as a direct consequence of weakening labour market institutions and a decline in union representation and employee voice in the workplace,” it says.

The report also references the widening gender pay gap, evidenced since the mid2000s, as a cause for concern for Australia.

The report says this trend is due to multiple causes including “female dominated industries and jobs tending to attract lower wages; relatively fewer women in senior positions; workforce absences due to caring responsibilities; and discrimination.”

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 11

COVER STORY

Safe patient care is paramount This year’s annual conference celebrated an exciting milestone: it was the 70th in the history of the NSWNMA. It was also the occasion to release a strategic plan to grow and strengthen the Association during the next five years.

NSWNMA GENERAL SECRETARY BRETT Holmes outlined the challenges facing the nursing and midwifery professions in his address to annual conference and sketched out the strategic plan the Association has developed to meet those challenges.

“Every single one of you in this room is acutely aware that the landscape in which we work, the principles under which we operate, and the outlook for the health and ageing sector is rapidly changing,” he said.

“As a result, we must change too, evolve or be left behind, and that is not something we are prepared to let happen.

“You won’t be surprised to hear that, from an industrial point of view, we’ve been hamstrung by a lack of meaningful negotiations: with the current New South Wales government, some private sector employers and even aged care sector employers.

“Your workers’ rights have been undermined, the NSW industrial umpire has been rendered almost powerless, the public health sector has been hit with a draconian wages policy and, more broadly, we are targets of poor decision-making and policy on the run.”

Brett went on to say that a strong union was essential to meeting these challenges, if nurses and midwives were to exercise their ability to influence.

“It is essential that we harness and grow that influence, in order to achieve better outcomes for you, as members, and also for the local communities where we live and work.”

12 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

DESPITE CHALLENGES MANY ACHIEVEMENTS Although the Association has been operating in a very difficult political environment, there have been notable achievements in the past year, Brett said: • Collectively, we stopped the introduction of the Abbott government’s first, second and third GP co-payments.

• We achieved excellent outcomes in a new agreement with Ramsay Health Care – the largest private hospital operator.

• Public support for our Insist on Registered Nurses 24/7 campaign has been outstanding, following months of community activities and conversations.

• We secured a 2.5% pay increase for public health service employees for

2015 and managed to lock in 2.5% for 2016 as well.

• Our road trip to the G20 in Brisbane was successful in raising community awareness about the merits of a Financial Transactions Tax, as part of the broader taxation debate.

• During the past 12 months we’ve grown by 1.96% or 1175 members to 30 June, and we surpassed our fiveyear target, reaching 61,047.

The challenges may be formidable but the goals for the Association remain clear, Brett added.

“After 70 years: putting patient safety first still rings true for this Association.We are committed for the long term in defending all aspects of health, standing up for safe patient care and for the people who may struggle to care for themselves.”

NSWNMA Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020 Our five-year plan has five key directions:

1. Grow our capacity to influence.

2. Be innovative in our advocacy and bargaining.

3. Promote a world class, well-funded integrated health system.

4. Promote the Association as a significant and professional advocate for the health system and our members.

5. Ensure our people and resources are aligned with our Vision.

A copy of the Strategic Plan can be downloaded from the NSWNMA website.

People power will take us forward It took people power to roll back attacks on Medicare and people power will take us forward as a union, Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda told our annual conference.

THE NSWNMA REPRESENTS TWO OF THE most respected professions – nursing and midwifery – and yet our state government will not speak with us in any meaningful way, says NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda.

“When did it happen that governments just ignore the people they don’t like? Don’t they get up in every election acceptance speech and say they’ll govern for everyone? Well not the Baird government,” Judith said.

“We will not be ignored,” she said,“and we are going to build the capacity to influence decision makers so they will not be able to ignore us.

“Even though we’ve fought big fights over the years we’ve usually had a government that would negotiate with us. So what do we do? There is no other way but to do things differently. We have to get their attention; but before we can get their attention we need to build our strength.

“It’s time to change our tack. It’s time to build that capacity to influence. It’s time to make governments listen.”

Judith says the key is to broaden the number of people in our workplaces who will actively support the NSWNMA’s goals.

“Most of you know your workplaces pretty well. You probably already know people that are active in school or sporting

activities, those who are active in their communities – cubs, scouts, guides or their church groups.

“They might not be as committed to industrial issues but they might have a real passion for making sure that their professional status is protected by having the right number of staff to meet patient care safely. It takes all sorts of people to form people power.”

Judith says mobilising more nurses and midwives is essential to meet the challenges coming from hostile governments and employers.

“Our rights are under threat regardless of the sector in which we work. The government showing their contempt for this union has emboldened managements and we now see many of them chipping away at our ratios: we need to have workplace solidarity to fight back.

“In aged care we will not sit back and let providers chip away at resident care by stripping rosters of hours and depriving residents of their right to be safely cared for with dignity and respect.

“Private hospital providers also have to know that if they want a bigger chunk of the acute care sector then they have to ensure that they too enable safe care by providing appropriate numbers and quality of resources.”

Solid growth takes membership above 61,000 In the past 12 months NSWNMA membership has grown by per cent or members to 30 June. This surpassed our previous five-year target, reaching .

1175

1.96

61,047

Under the new Strategic Plan the challenge is to grow the membership further and achieve members by 2020.

75,000

“It’s time to change our tack. It’s time to build that capacity to influence. It’s time to make governments listen.”

— NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 13

VOICES FROM ANNUAL CONFERENCE

“WE NEED TO DO MORE ON FAMILY VIOLENCE” — Michelle Nicholson RN Staff frustration over a shortage of mental health beds at Liverpool Hospital led nurse Michelle Nicholson to ask minister Pru Goward when the state government would do something to relieve the shortage.

Ms Goward, who attended annual conference in her role as Assistant Health Minister and Minister for Mental Health, replied that the hospital would see an improvement once increased funding for community mental health and mental health in general, took effect.

Asked if she was satisfied with Ms Goward’s response, Michelle said: “I don’t know if one can ever be satisfied with an answer from a politician.”

Michelle, a Councillor of the NSWNMA, said Liverpool Hospital emergency department was bed blocked every day because of a shortage of beds for mental health patients.

“There are 10 or more mental health patients in ED every morning. If there were more community services many of them would not need to come to emergency. Others should be in a mental health ward.

“With the increased use of drugs like ice the problem is getting worse.”

Michelle said an address to conference by Australian of the Year Rosie Batty was inspirational.

“Rosie is doing a lot of work to get the message across that family violence cannot be tolerated and we do need to change the system to give more help to those affected by family violence.

“She pointed out that nurses see what victims of family violence go through every day. Every week, one Australian woman is killed as a result of family violence.

“My background is ICU nursing and I’ve seen plenty of family violence victims come through intensive care.”

14 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

“POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS ARE NECESSARY” — Nerida Grant RN The Association’s focus on community campaigning to influence governments on health and other issues was a highlight of annual conference for Nerida Grant, a primary health care nurse at the Kirketon Road Centre in Sydney’s Kings Cross.

“I liked hearing union speakers emphasise the need for political campaigns on issues including defence of Medicare, opposing cuts to health spending in the federal budget and protecting penalty rates,” Nerida told The Lamp.

“The union’s ability to use its collective power as the biggest health union to influence decisions is what appeals to me about being a member and a delegate.

“At annual conference I found there was strong support for campaigns not only for important issues like better pay and conditions but also broader questions like supporting refugees and our colleagues who work with them.”

Professional nursing and midwifery bodies have raised concerns about secrecy provisions in the new Australian Border Force Act 2015, which threaten health care professionals with jail for up to two years for disclosing information about asylum seekers and other matters that are deemed

“protected information” under the Act. “I find it heartening to see leaders of our union and the national nursing amd midwifery federation talking about these important social issues,” said Nerida, who collected signatures on a petition opposing the Border Force Act during the conference.

“It is very disturbing that people working in detention centres are being threatened with jail if they fulfill their professional obligations to report human rights abuses including child abuse. If such things were happening in our hospitals we would be obliged to report them.”

She said she benefited from a workshop run for conference delegates which gave practical advice on how to build workforce support and run campaigns.

“The workshop was very relevant for any union member wanting to make our workplaces safer and better and more just.

“I really liked hearing the success stories from different workplaces where people have agitated for better conditions and got results because of their persistence.

“I am lucky enough to have a good workplace but it’s encouraging to know that if conditions are difficult, improvements can be won by a united workforce.”

PENALTY RATE CUTS “THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE” — Amy Headley AiN

“IT IS IMPORTANT FOR STRONG GROUPS LIKE NURSES TO SUPPORT WEAKER SECTIONS OF THE WORKFORCE” — Bill Power RN

The federal government has singled out an unorganised and vulnerable section of the workforce as the first target of a general campaign against penalty rates, says Kurri Kurri Hospital delegate, Bill Power.

For Bill the threat to penalty rates was “the number one issue” debated at annual conference.

He says the government aims to raise business profits at the expense of employees by “hiding behind the banner of the Productivity Commission.” The commission has recommended lower penalty rates in hospitality and other retail industries.

Bill says hospitality and retail workers have been deliberately chosen as the first target.

“They are not very union-oriented and they employ a lot of casual and itinerant workers including backpackers and students.

“It is important for stronger groups such as nurses to support the weaker sections of the workforce. Anyone who works weekends and shift work deserves to be properly

compensated for what they have to put up with.

“I’d be happy to go on strike over the issue.We need a display of people’s power to prevent the erosion of our working conditions.”

Bill has attended several annual conferences and said this year’s professional day was the best he had seen.

“I was particularly moved by Rosie Batty’s presentation on family violence, which would have brought a tear to a glass eye.”

He said information on increasing antibiotic resistance, presented by Professor Thomas Gottlieb head of infectious diseases at Concord Hospital, was very worrying.

“The situation is worse than I imagined. I thought there may have been more progress in developing new antibiotics but there is nothing like that on the horizon. Meanwhile the government has stupidly cut funding to research organisations like the CSIRO. It makes you worry for your children and grandchildren.”

The increased threat to penalty rates was the top issue at annual conference for aged care assistant in nursing Amy Headley.

After an enquiry ordered by the Abbott government, the Productivity Commission has recommended that Sunday rates in hospitality, entertainment, retailing, restaurants and cafes be reduced in line with Saturday rates.

While the commission made no suggestion about penalty rates in the health sector, Amy suspects that the recommended rate cuts will be “the thin end of the wedge.”

She was not reassured by remarks from Productivity Commission chairman Peter Harris, that the Commission was not targeting penalty rates for “essential services staff such as nurses and paramedics.”

“If they succeed in cutting rates for one section of the workforce and the government manages to win the next election, they will move onto other employees,” said Amy, who works at St Josephs Nursing Home in Lismore.

Amy suspects nurses in aged care may have reason to feel even less secure than hospital nurses.

“This is a huge issue for me because I doubt whether nursing homes would come under their definition of essential services.

“I am pleased to see there has already been a follow-up email from the union asking whether people are prepared to door knock as a part of a campaign to defend penalty rates.”

Amy said a workshop for delegates that she took part in at annual conference, would help her deal with issues at work.

“The workshop made me think about issues at work and look at my EBA again. There were handy hints from other delegates and I came out of it with a bit of a plan on how to approach certain issues.”

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 15

COVER STORY

“Nurses and midwives underpin the core values of NSW Health” In her address to the NSWNMA’s annual conference Pru Goward, NSW Assistant Minister for Health, praised nurses and midwives for their central role in the health system and outlined the track record of her government.

MS GOWARD, WHO IS ALSO MINISTER for Mental Health, Minister for Medical Research, Minister for Women and Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, told conference she had a grandmother, mother and twin sister who were registered nurses and had a high opinion of nurses and midwives.

“I most certainly hold nurses in very high regard and have the greatest respect for the work that you do everyday. It is definitely a very noble and a very practical profession,” she said.

“The NSW government certainly values the priority that NSW nurses and midwives place on providing safe quality care.”

Ms Goward said the government was proud of its record in health. Since 2011, she said, it had: • Increased the nursing and midwifery workforce by 5000 headcount or by an FTE of 4000 as of March this year.

• Recruited almost 8000 new graduate nurses and midwives.

• Employed more new graduates than any other state or territory in Australia.

Looking forward, Ms Goward said the government would increase the number of nursing and midwifery education specialists by a total of 315 positions.

“For 2015-16 the government is investing a record amount in health with a recurrent budget of $19.6 billion.This represents an increase of $176 million, up 5.2 per cent from the previous year. An additional $1.4 billion will be spent on capital works taking the total health budget to $21 billion,” she said.

“Over the next four years the Baird government is committed to enhancing the nursing and midwifery workforce.This will be through the delivery of additional funding to support the employment of an additional 2100 frontline nurses and midwives across the system.”

In addition to this, she said, the government is committed to employing 360 new specialist nursing, midwifery and support staff over the next four years.

16 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

“The NSW government certainly values the priority that NSW nurses and midwives place on providing safe quality care.” — Pru Goward, NSW Assistant Minister for Health COMMITMENT TO PREVENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Ms Goward said the government had shown its commitment to the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault with the creation of a special portfolio with that objective and would put more effort into domestic violence prevention.

“Domestic and family violence, as you know, is a significant public health issue. It affects the physical, social and psychological health of women and children across New South Wales.”

On the topic of mental health, the minister said the government would be introducing some Nurse Practitioner positions and encouraging newly graduating nurses to consider a career in mental health.

The minister said that nurses and midwives were key to the success of all NSW Health strategies.

“Nurses and midwives underpin, as they always have, the core values of NSW Health,” she said.

“Australia has some of the world’s best health outcomes for a relatively modest investment.”

– Catherine King, federal Shadow Minister for Health

A health system for all A major reason we have a world-class health system is because of the quality of our health workforce, says Catherine King, federal Shadow Minister for Health.

A STRONG COMMITMENT TO A UNIVERSAL health care system and recognition of the critical role of nurses in Australia’s health care system, underpins the federal Labor Party’s health policies going into the next election, Catherine King told the Association’s annual conference.

“Supporting the best quality health system that is available to every Australian, regardless of their capacity to pay, is one of Labor’s core beliefs,” she said.

Ms King commended nurses for their stand in defence of Medicare and for their role in the delivery of world-class healthcare.

“Can I start by thanking you for the terrific campaigns you rolled out to defend Medicare against the Abbott government’s GP tax in its many forms.

“Whilst the fight is not over yet, it has been made that much stronger for your willingness to call the Abbott government

out and to stand with the people you care for,” she said.

“Australia has some of the world’s best health outcomes for a relatively modest investment. Despite all the doom and gloom from the Abbott government, designed to justify its attempt to destroy Medicare and end universal access to healthcare, the facts are, health spending in Australia is around the average of other developed nations.

“But in return we are one of only a handful of countries offering universal access to health care, and one of only four where men and women can now expect to live beyond 80.

“World’s best health outcomes, for developed world average spending. And one of the major reason that is possible, and I think this is all too often not acknowledged, is because of the quality of our health workforce.”

TSUNAMI OF CUTS ABOUT TO HIT Ms King warned that the real impact of the federal government’s cuts will come from Tony Abbott reneging on his promise to honour the previous Labor government’s increase in federal government funding of public hospitals to 50 per cent.

This is a move that has even been slammed by NSW’s Liberal Premier Mike Baird.

“I have to warn you that the cuts you have seen to this point are just small ripples in the ocean compared to the tsunami that is approaching,” she said.

“At the heart of it, this government does not believe in universal healthcare and has proven itself to be utterly unwilling to make the difficult decisions that are needed to properly invest in the system.”

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 17

COVER STORY

Building a better future A federal election is a year away, maybe sooner. The ACTU’s Build a Better Future campaign comprises six pillars to protect our living standards and the goal is to make those issues central themes of the next election, says ACTU campaign director Sally MacManus.

“THIS CAMPAIGN IS NOT JUST AN ELECTION campaign. It is something much more than that. It’s actually about turning around the direction of our country,” Sally told the NSWNMA’s annual conference.

“The living standards that all Australians enjoy are because of what we have fought for as trade unionists over the past four generations. They are: workers’ rights and jobs, Medicare, education, public services, secure retirement and a fair go for all.”

Sally says that the campaign is aimed at all political parties and all governments although the Abbott government must be made accountable for the current direction of the country.

“This man Tony Abbott has been attacking every single pillar of our living standards and those attacks have been built on broken promises,” she says.

Sally elaborated to conference why these six issues matter: RIGHTS AT WORK AND JOBS “The number one issue in many communities around our country is jobs. Youth unemployment is at serious crisis levels in many of our communities – up to 30 per cent in some of them, 16 per cent in most regional communities overall.

“What future is there for our kids if this government tells the manufacturing industry to leave the country? And, at the same time they are sacking public sector workers.

“The China Free Trade Agreement is like nothing we have signed before. It allows companies – even if that company only has a 15 per cent Chinese investor – to bring in all of their workers 18 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

[from overseas] without even advertising for local workers.”

MEDICARE AND HEALTH “Of course I don’t have to talk to you about Medicare because your union has been leading the way from the beginning in the fight to defend Medicare.

“Ever since there has been Medicare, governments have been trying to attack it and dismantle it. It has been the union movement that has fought back to defend it. It was the union movement that gave Australians Medicare as part of the Accord.

It is the greatest gift we have given all Australians.”

EDUCATION “Christopher Pyne has not given up. He still wants to bring in those $100,000 degrees.That is destroying Gough Whitlam’s legacy: that any child who has the merit can go to university.

“The vision of Gonski, that every child no matter who they are deserves a quality education, is worth fighting for and that is the key to our agenda: what we want to do to improve the lives of our kids.”

THE PUBLIC SECTOR “After promising they wouldn’t touch ABC and SBS funding, cuts to the ABC and SBS were one of the first things the Abbott government did when it was elected. At the CSIRO one in four scientists has been sacked. On top of that, 17,000 other public sector jobs have been lost.”

RETIREMENT “Tony Abbott wants to bring in the oldest

retirement age in the OECD at 70 years.

All of you in this room are doing jobs where you have to lift. I know back injuries are a serious OH&S hazard for nurses. Working until you are 70? Really! What a massive attack on our living standards.”

A FAIR GO FOR ALL “Corporations in this country don’t pay their fair share of tax. I know that is something that your union has been leading the way on.We know if Rupert Murdoch and the top 500 companies in Australia paid their fair share of tax that would be enough to pay the Medicare bill. Joe Hockey said he would do something about it, but of course he hasn’t.”

WORKCHOICES AGENDA BACK ON THE TABLE Sally says the ACTU believes that a threat to our rights at work will be a key component of the Abbott government’s second term agenda. She says the government’s modus operandi is to use commissions of inquiry and commissions of audit “to do the dirty work for them”.

The employer submissions to the recent Productivity Commission inquiry into workplace conditions should ring alarm bells, she says.

“The number one thing for employers is penalty rates.They want a 24/7 society – so we should abolish penalty rates.They are also saying the minimum wage is too high.

“They want to abolish unfair dismissal for small business. Guess what small business is – 100 employees. So that’s nearly everyone.

“They want to abolish or reduce awards.

They want to bring back individual contracts. Employers have not given up on this and they want to bring back even harsher rights of entry laws than we had under WorkChoices.

“It sounds familiar doesn’t it? It is WorkChoices. It is the same agenda. If Tony Abbott is reelected we face the same scenario we faced then.”

DEFEATING THIS AGENDA ON THE GROUND The ACTU has appointed organisers for each of the 21 marginal seats that will be pivotal in the next federal election. Three of those organisers are nurses, according to Sally.

“Our job is to make our issues the number one or two issue people think about in those electorates when they go and vote.

“We’ve got to focus people back on the truth, on what the government has done to make our lives worse and the fact that in order to do something about it you’ve got to change the government.

“We’ve got to demand that all parties and that goes for the Labor Party as well – sign up to everything on our agenda.”

Doing this, she says, involves mobilising our strengths.

“They own the press. They own the TV channels. What we can do that they

“Medicare is the greatest gift the union movement has given all Australians.”

— ACTU campaign director Sally MacManus

Battleground NSW Sally MacManus says the next federal election could be decided in a handful of key marginal seats throughout Australia, where only a small number of votes would mean a change of government. Of 21 marginal seats, 10 are in New South Wales: • Page • Dobell • Robertson • Barton • Banks • Reid • Lindsay • Blue Mountains • Gilmore • Eden Monaro

can’t is campaign in communities so that people in Geelong or Penrith or Lismore, when they walk out of their house, when they go shopping, they see us. They see the Build a Better Future campaign. They see that we are the ones talking about the things that matter in their communities.”

Six issues unions want at the heart of a federal election Workers rights and jobs Defended and extended with secure jobs Medicare Universal healthcare for all Australians Education The highest quality for all Australians Public services Owned by everyone for the benefit of everyone A secure retirement Decent pensions and superannuation A fair go for all Everyone supported and everyone contributes their fair share of tax

Take action: For more information on how to get involved in the Build a Better Future campaign go to www.nswnma.asn.au.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 19

PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Dishing up a cut to penalty rates – who’s next?

The employer lobby’s perpetual grizzling about penalty rates has resulted in a plan to cut the wages of some of the lowest-paid Australians.

THE PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION INQUIRY into workplace laws has recommended reducing Sunday penalty rates to the same level as Saturday rates for workers in cafes, hospitality, entertainment, restaurants and retailing.

The commission’s draft report, ordered by the Abbott government, described penalty rates for weekend work in these industries as “controversial”.

Contrary to some media reports, the Commission did not explicitly exempt health and emergency services workers from a penalty rate cut.

What it did say was that, unlike industries where penalty rates were “controversial,” the “community” had long accepted high weekend penalty rates in other parts of the economy such as agriculture, transport, utilities, those parts of manufacturing requiring continuous production, health and emergency services.

As John Freebairn, professor of economics at the University of Melbourne, commented, “the logic to reduce Sunday penalties applies equally to these sectors.”

NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes warned:“It might be the shop assistants’ or baristas’ penalty rates under attack today, but it won’t be long before

nurses and midwives’ penalty rates are under threat.

“We will continue to stand shoulderto-shoulder with workers in other industries in fighting for their penalty rates and recognition for working unsociable hours.”

The Abbott government ordered the Productivity Commission inquiry following intense lobbying by employer groups such as the Business Council of Australia.

BCA’s chief executive Jennifer Westacott said her organisation’s submission to the Productivity Commission was “trying to strike a middle ground” between employers, employees and their unions.

But as Ewin Hannan, industrial reporter for the Australian Financial Review, wrote: “Look beyond her reassuring words and it is evident the Business Council is proposing far-reaching changes to the rules governing how Australians work.”

Hannan noted that if the BCA got its way, by 2020 “the award system would virtually disappear, many workers would receive less pay, and companies would have greater scope to impose change in the workplace without having to negotiate with employees, let alone unions.”

ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver described the Productivity Commission’s

report as “a pay cut for thousands of Australians who work in restaurants, cafes and shops around the country.

“Cutting penalty rates or the minimum wage has nothing to do with job creation or productivity – it is about cutting people’s pay packets,” he said.“The award system is the safety net that protects millions of the most vulnerable workers but the Productivity Commission recommends moving people off the award and on to unfair individual contracts.”

The Productivity Commission was careful not to adopt the entire employer agenda.

It contradicted the claims of employer and Liberal Party hardliners by concluding that the current industrial relations system is not dysfunctional, saying it needed repairing not replacing.

“Contrary to perceptions, Australia’s labour market performance and flexibility is relatively good by global standards and many of the concerns that pervaded historical arrangements have now abated.

Strike activity is low, wages are responsive to economic downturns and there are multiple forms of employment arrangements that offer employees and employers flexible options for working,” the report said.

“The inconvenient truth is that, far from being destroyed by penalty rates …

Australia’s cafe and restaurant sector is booming.”

— Bernard Keane crikey.com.au 20 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

“Cutting penalty rates would only add to their profits, meaning a big company gets richer at the expense of some kid trying to earn a living flipping burgers.

Where is the justice in that?”

— Adrian King RN

Despite these findings, if all the commission’s 40-plus recommendations were adopted “the impact would be profound” commented industrial lawyer Chris Gardner, who represents employers.

They would certainly have a big impact on workers such as Canberra casino employee Bryan Kidman, whose living standards depend on regular penalty rates.

Mr Kidman told the Sydney Morning Herald that penalty rates accounted for 30 per cent of his weekly wage, meaning he could lose $60 to $80 on a Sunday if penalties were removed.

The campaign against penalty rates is based on the claim that they are destroying businesses and jobs. But statistics for Australia’s café and restaurant sector show this to be false.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2013-14 the broader accommodation and food services sector was second only to the health and social care sector for net growth in businesses. Nearly all of that growth was in cafes and restaurants, takeaway food shops and pubs.

Job numbers in “food and beverage services”, which employ more than 720,000 people, grew by 18 per cent.

So much for penalty rates killing businesses and costing jobs.

“The inconvenient truth of the penalty rates debate is that, far from being destroyed by penalty rates, as employers and right-wing lobbyists claim,Australia’s cafe and restaurant sector is booming and in recent years has been one of Australia’s fastest-growing sectors and employers,” wrote Bernard Keane, politics editor for the news website, crikey.com.au

Young will be early casualties Reducing Sunday penalty rates for service industries such as retail and hospitality “could be the gateway to cutting everyone’s penalty rates,” says Muswellbrook Hospital delegate Adrian King RN. “I suspect they will start in one sector and just work their way through everyone else.”

Young people in low-paid casual jobs will be among the first to be hit, Adrian says.

“It will impact on kids at school and uni who can only work during penalty rate periods. Penalty rates make up a fair chunk of their income, and it will be up to their parents to try to cover any lost income.

“I’ve got young nephews and nieces who are now looking for jobs out of school hours. They would be directly affected.

“Everyone working on Sundays should be compensated for that.

Why does some kid pouring a coffee deserve to have his or her penalty rates cut?

“Big restaurant chains like KFC and McDonalds can afford to pay existing rates to stay open on Sundays. Cutting penalty rates would only add to their profits, meaning a big company gets richer at the expense of some kid trying to earn a living flipping burgers. Where is the justice in that?”

Take action:

The NSWNMA will join with retail and hospitality unions on the Central Coast to raise awareness about weekend penalty rates. Go to www.nswnma.asn.au for more information or register your support at www.saveourweekend.org.au.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 21

PICTURE THE

70 s

The 70s was a decade with a backdrop of cold war paranoia, but it was also a time of loons and disco, Abba and Fawlty Towers, long hair and psychodelia.

This year’s annual conference dinner was like a time capsule of this golden age of funk.

HEALTHSCOPE

Healthscope bargaining begins Nurses and midwives at Healthscope – one of the big two private hospital operators in Australia – have begun enterprise bargaining with a log of claims seeking fair staffing, fair rosters and fair pay.

TALKS BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND the NSWNMA had just commenced as The Lamp went to press. Members had previously endorsed a log of claims, arrived at following months of consultation and research. Talks with management are scheduled for September and October.

Recent research carried out by the Association found concerns about safety among staff working in Healthscope hospitals, due to understaffing.

“I work in a very busy birthing suite and it can be very stressful at night trying to make sure everything is safe,” said one midwife.

“The team of staff is the best I have ever worked with but we are all so stressed.

We called a meeting with our DoN this week as two senior RNs have left due to stress and huge workloads and unsafe conditions,” another nurse told us.

Not enough staff, patient turnover demands, excessive pressure from managers and time consuming paperwork, were all common refrains in our consultations.

BREAKS AND ROSTERS AN ISSUE Our research found that poor staffing levels meant breaks were often sacrificed in order to maintain care levels.

There were many issues around rosters, with frequent references to late notices about roster changes, a lack of consultation about changes and incidences of favouritism.

“Not everyone is governed under the same rules,” noted one nurse.

“We are often given less than 24 hours notice of changes in roster and the roster very rarely comes out until a few day before it starts,” said another.

PROFITS PUT BEFORE CARE Many also raised their concerns about profit motives taking priority over patient care and a constant skimming on supplies and equipment.

“People are a dollar sign” “profits are first and patients second” and “KPIs rule everything” were comments we received about workplace culture.

“I work in an extremely busy day surgery where many patients comment 24 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

“All nurses and midwives in New South Wales will be looking at these negotiations to see if Healthscope is an employer that respects nurses and midwives.”

on how it’s like a factory,” one nurse said.

“I want to be valued, not treated like a KPI,” said another.

NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes says the renewal of the Healthscope agreement is a moment for management to recognise serious workplace issues and an opportunity to rectify them.

“Our members are telling us that workloads and their consequences for safe patient care, as well as issues with rosters, are problematic,” he said.

“Besides being one of the leading private hospital operators in the country, Healthscope was awarded the contract of the biggest privatisation in the history of NSW Health when they won the contract to operate the new Northern Beaches hospital. The new hospital is predicted to grow by 50 per cent after its 2018 opening.

“All nurses and midwives in New South Wales will be looking at these negotiations to see if Healthscope is an employer that respects nurses and midwives and rewards them for the high level of care that they deliver.”

Healthscope can afford fair staffing Healthscope nurses and midwives are seeking fair staffing and a 4% pay increase to their wages and conditions.

Healthscope is a highly profitable company that can afford such an increase. According to the Australian, the company had a highly lucrative year in 2014 with a net profit of $82.7 million. Its earnings before tax were $284.7 million.

Healthscope is valued at between $3.9 billion and $4.6 billion by market analysts.

Fair staffing.

Fair rosters.

Fair pay.

Some of the key claims by Healthscope nurses and midwives for their enterprise agreement are: FAIR STAFFING FOR QUALITY CARE agreed staffing principles • New to ensure quality patient care. numbers of • Sufficient RN/RMs on shift at all times. all absences with • Backfilling like-for-like replacements.

Working Hours Per • Review Patient Day system to enhance

•

direct clinical care.

Fix staffing issues through regular discussions about workloads at ward/unit/team meetings.

“SURGICAL WARDS ALSO DON’T GET ENOUGH STAFF, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.”

FAIR ROSTERS weeks notice of rosters, • Four no less than two weeks.

• • • •

FAIR PAY 4% increase to wages • Annual and allowances. allocated • Nurses/midwives team leader roles to be rostered appropriately and paid the in-charge allowance.

RESPECTING AND VALUING OUR PROFESSION adequate paid, work • Guarantee hours to complete mandatory education. time for e-learning done • Paid outside ordinary and rostered

• • •

— Lea Mitchell

Reasonable process of notification of roster changes.

Employee right to refuse a roster change.

Four hours minimum pay per shift, not two.

Adequate and fairly timed meal, tea and rest breaks.

hours.

Legal commitment to stop workplace bullying.

26 weeks paid parental leave and four weeks paid leave for partners.

Paid family violence leave and other support for employees affected by family violence.

Nurse-to-patient ratios defined and improved Nurse-to-patient ratios at Healthscope hospitals need to be improved and more clearly defined, says Lea Mitchell, president of the NSWNMA branch at Norwest Private Hospital.

Lea says she supports the Association’s claims for fairer staffing.

“Ratios are more clearly defined in the public health sector,” she said. “The Healthscope staffing situation varies from facility to facility.

“At Norwest, for example, staff are getting burnt out because they are forced to do more with fewer resources.

“Staffing of the medical wards is far from satisfactory. They are high acuity with a lot of elderly patients who need extra care. Medical wards can have patients who need to be ‘specialled’ but they are not actually staffed for that.

“Surgical wards also don’t get enough staff, especially at night.

“Staffing in critical care areas such as busy surgical wards should be around 1:4, but are actually 1:6 or 1:8.”

Lea says the emergency department and day surgery are under-staffed because calculations are based on patient numbers alone, without taking into account the acuity of patients.

She says she supports the NSWNMA’s members’ claim for an improved system of dealing with workforce concerns about staffing.

“Every hospital is different, and in general there is no adequate system of raising workloads problems with management.

“Private hospitals in general are profit driven and focused on the short-term interests of shareholders. They don’t tend to look at the longer term issues.”

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 25

HEALTHSCOPE

Research shows room for improvement During the past few months the NSWNMA has consulted with nurses and midwives working for Healthscope using surveys and focus groups to ask you about your working conditions.

Here is some of what you had to say: RESPECT “I want to be respected and trusted to do my job. With nearly seven years experience my skills and expertise should be respected and for us all not to be told what to do or accept change ‘just because’.”

UNREASONABLE WORKLOADS “I would like management support against unreasonable workloads, long days and overbooked operating lists.”

PATIENTS BEFORE PROFITS “That private hospitals use their business to look after nurses and patients and not be so profit-focused. Working in an extremely busy day surgery many patients comment on how it’s like a factory.”

BETTER SKILL MIX “Most of the time management doesn’t get the right skill mix and therefore most of the responsibility falls on regular staff members. A medical ward usually has two nurses for 12 patients, regardless of acuity.”

TIME WITH PATIENTS “Being able to give quality care without rushing from task to task and rushing from one patient to another without being able to listen to their concerns. This sends the message we don’t have time to care about their real needs. This is not what being a nurse is meant to be.”

The Healthscope enterprise agreement Healthscope’s current enterprise agreement contains your legal minimum wages and conditions YOUR WORKLOADS Your employer is committed to ensuring that staffing levels are appropriate in order to ensure the delivery of high patient care and a safe working environment for nurses (see clause 40).

YOUR PAY Your wage is currently higher than for most nurses and midwives in the Public Health System Award. The NSWNMA acknowledges that salary packaging can impact net take home pay.

26 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

YOUR ONE-OFF SHUTDOWN RIGHTS A shutdown can only occur once each year for a maximum of two weeks (see clause 46).

To see your enterprise agreement in full visit www.nswnma.asn.au.

Fairer staffing a priority says Julie

“STAFF FIND IT HARD TO ORGANISE THEIR LIVES IF THEY HAVEN’T GOT A ROSTER.”

Claims for fairer staffing arrangements are the most important feature of the Healthscope log of claims, says Julie Goss, NSWNMA branch delegate at Nepean Private Hospital.

Julie, a registered nurse and midwife, said staffing levels were sometimes insufficient to provide the best patient care and staff were often too busy to take tea and meal breaks.

She said there were problems in the method used to calculate required nursing hours per patient day (NHPPD).

“All patients in maternity – including special care nursery, delivery suite and the ward – are counted as the one ward,” she said.

“This can cause problems with staffing. One area can become busy at any time and staff will then be taken from another area of the unit, leaving that area short staffed. This is especially problematic during the night shift.

“Also, NHPPD are added up over the month, so if you have high hours at the beginning of the month, you may have to cut staffing back at the end of the month so as not to go over your monthly allocation. This becomes a problem if you are busy at the end of the month.

“If we suddenly get busy we don’t always have enough staff because management judged us to be overstaffed during a quieter period.”

Julie said another important claim was for absences to be backfilled with “like-for-like” staff.

“If we have a midwife off sick or on leave, we might get an enrolled nurse or registered nurse to replace them. That gives you the right number but doesn’t give you the appropriate qualifications to provide the best patient care.”

As a midwife she strongly supports the claim for babies to be counted for staffing levels.

“It doesn’t make sense that we look after babies – help them feed, and do observations and paperwork for them – but they are not counted in the total numbers. Even if we just counted the ones who need the most care, we could then have an extra staff member.

“That would give everyone more time for patient care and the time to take the breaks they are entitled to.”

Julie says if the union’s claim for fairer rosters succeeds, staff will get more notice of rosters and roster changes.

“Management often cancel people’s shifts at short notice,” she said. “Rosters which are supposed to be done fortnightly are sometimes available only a week in advance. Staff find it hard to organise their lives if they haven’t got a roster.”

— Julie Goss THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 27

SAFE STAFFING

More nursing hours won at Tamworth Tamworth Hospital relocation goes ahead after management agrees to interim improvement to staffing arrangements.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT NURSES AGREED to transfer to new premises at Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital after management agreed to separate the triage nurse and resuscitation nurse positions.

Management reorganised rosters to provide an additional four nursing hours on night shift, enabling the separation of the resuscitation and triage roles in ED. This interim measure to settle a staffing dispute was recommended by the deputy president of the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) Rodney Harrison, who inspected the new Tamworth Hospital premises.

The hospital’s NSWNMA branch had voted unanimously to refuse to relocate to the new facility because of serious workload and safety concerns in ED. Association concerns about inadequate staffing in the new maternity unit were also discussed at the IRC. Branch members said there were not enough staff members to cover the new birthing and postnatal units and individual staff members would be forced to work in isolation.

As a result, management of Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD) agreed, as a temporary measure, to release 4.82 full-time equivalent midwifery positions from the special care nursery into the maternity unit and subsequently backfill the nursery positions.

General Secretary of the NSWNMA Brett Holmes welcomed the IRC’s recommendations as a positive interim step.

He said it was unsustainable for a single nurse to cover both the resuscitation and triage roles overnight.

“Management expected the nurse receiving people at the front door and

28 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

trying to assess them, should also then be staffing the resuscitation area.”

Tamworth branch president Matthew Cartan said the branch sought the employment of an additional nurse for 10 hours at night in ED, seven days a week.

He said the children’s section of ED was normally funded to close around 9pm, yet beds were sometimes occupied for up to four hours after the end of shift, forcing staff to stay behind.

He said afternoon staff often missed out on their dinner break and only had time for an afternoon tea break.

“Evening shift nurses have gone home in tears because they know they are leaving such a big workload for the night duty staff.

“The evening shift can’t stay behind any longer because most of them will be working the next morning shift.Then they are told to come in late on the morning shift, to ensure they have an eight-hour minimum break, which leaves part of the morning shift understaffed.”

Matthew said the branch provided data they had gathered across a two-week period, which showed acute understaffing.

“Management’s initial response was to offer an on-call position for two weeks while demanding even more data,” he said, but staff rejected this proposal.

“As a branch we decided the safest option for patients and staff was not to move to the new facility until we got a separate nurse for resus.”

Matthew said LHD management took the dispute to the IRC after the branch went public on the staffing shortage through interviews with the local newspaper, ABC local radio and Prime TV.

Tamworth branch secretary Jill Telfer said latest Birthrate Plus data showed the maternity unit was operating well below its recommended staffing level.

“To add to this, there was going to be one midwife working alone at night in the new birthing unit,” she said.

“Maternity has been understaffed for a very long time and we need some resolution of that.”

Jill said staff in both ED and maternity “were very engaged in the whole process and worked closely with the union’s hospital branch to address concerns on staffing and safety.”

Matthew Cartan added that registered nurses and enrolled nurses with little or no midwifery training were sometimes the only staff on the maternity floor, due to the midwife being on duty in the labour ward.

“They do a great job but the sole midwife in charge still has to check every patient themselves, which is a big workload issue.”

Meanwhile, the hospital branch is continuing to monitor staffing levels at those wards with mandated nursing hours per patient day.

This follows an order by the IRC earlier this year that LHD management must find ways to meet its staffing obligations according to the award.

Tamworth nurses resorted to public protest following routine understaffing of wards below the required nursing hours per patient day.

Jill Telfer said the branch was monitoring staffing levels of these wards through the hospital’s reasonable workloads committee.

“There has been an improvement in compliance with the award,” she said.

“Evening shift nurses have gone home in tears.”

– Tamworth branch president Matthew Cartan

“Maternity has been understaffed for a very long time and we need some resolution of that.”

— Tamworth branch secretary Jill Telfer

STOP PRESS The NSW IRC has recommended HNE LHD management provide an additional 10 nursing hours on night shift in the emergency department on a trial basis for two months starting 24 August.

Issues relating to safe staffing and isolation within the hospital’s new maternity services are still to be resolved.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 29

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ask judith

when it comes to your rights and entitlements at work, nswnma assistant general secretary JUDITH KIEJDA has the answers.

BREAKING NEWS:

Changes to workers comp On 5 August 2015 the Baird state government introduced a Bill to parliament to wind back some of the more draconian aspects of their own 2012 workers compensation laws.

In the face of continued protest and agitation, the clearly demonstrated plight of injured workers, pressure from the ALP opposition, and even the Hon Rev Fred Nile MLC lining up to seek changes to these laws, the Baird government yielded to this pressure. While the changes are welcome they do not retrieve the situation entirely for injured workers and have a sting in their tail, which includes disbandment of the Dust Diseases Tribunal and the breaking up of WorkCover.

The bill has now passed both houses of parliament. Opposition and cross bench members supported these limited but significant improvements.

subsequently on the anniversary of your employment.

Paid when not needed?

I am a casual nurse working in a public hospital. Recently I agreed to work a morning shift, but when I reported for duty I was told I was no longer required. Am I still entitled to be paid for the shift?

In such circumstances you are entitled to two hours pay. Under clause 29, Part II, sub clause (vi) of the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2015, when a casual employee has been notified of a day and time to commence a shift, and it is cancelled with less than two hours’ notice, they must be paid a minimum of two hours, calculated at the rate that would have applied if the shift had been worked.

Insufficient break against the rules The public hospital where I work requires me to do 12-hour shifts. I have noticed on the new roster I am required to work some of these 12-hour shifts with only an eighthour break in between. Can I be rostered this way?

No. The minimum break between rostered shifts specified for a 12-hour shift system is 11.5 hours, under clause 5 of the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2015.

Sick leave starts when?

I have just started employment as a new graduate RN in the public health system. As I have no prior public service, when can I access paid sick leave?

Under clause 37(i) of the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2015, an employee is not entitled to paid sick leave until they have worked three months continuous service. The relevant Ministry of Health policy directive (PD2014_029 Leave Matters for the NSW Health Service) sets out: “Any absence for reasons of sickness or incapacity in the first three months of employment will be regarded as sick leave without pay. There is no provision for the back-pay of sick leave taken in the first three months of service once the employee becomes eligible for paid sick leave.”

So your annual paid sick leave entitlement becomes available after the completion of your first three months of service and then

What’s the story with ADOs? A story in last month’s Lamp referred to problems with accruing ADOs in the public health system. Not sure I am across this issue. What’s the story?

In the latter part of 2014, the Association was contacted by a number of members who had been notified by their LHDs that they had negative ADO balances. After some preliminary investigation, which revealed clear anomalies, the Association lodged a dispute with the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW. Following continued dialogue and debate with the Ministry and HealthShare, it became clear that StaffLink had at least one fundamental flaw in its software – it was not including the extra annual leave provided to shift workers when calculating ADO entitlements.

An issue or two remain to be sorted, but work is progressing in an orderly way that

should result in the reconfiguration of StaffLink and a subsequent recalculation of ADO accruals. Members should watch out for future Association updates as this matter hopefully progresses to final resolution.

It is a credit to those members who refused to accept the unconvincing answers being provided to them by LHDs and HealthShare and then pressed their concerns with the Association. That persistence has resulted in this state and system-wide problem being discovered and addressed.

Jury duty pay entitlement I am an EN in the public health service and have been summonsed for jury duty. What payment am I entitled to?

Employees in the public health service are entitled to be paid special leave for jury duty. The relevant Ministry of Health policy directive (PD2014_029 Leave Matters for the NSW Health Service) sets out the following procedure when employees are summonsed for jury duty. On receipt of a jury summons the employee should immediately advise their manager and submit an application for special leave, attaching the Sheriff or Registrar’s notification of their required attendance. An employee who is on jury duty should be granted special leave.

The employee maintains their full normal wage during jury duty and cannot claim an attendance fee from the Court. They can however claim out of pocket expenses from the Court.

Acting up with extra pay?

I am an RN working in a private hospital covered by the Nurses Award 2010. From time-to-time I am required to act up in the position of my nursing manager. Would you advise how many days I need to work in that role to receive additional payment?

Clause 30 of the Nurses Award 2010 provides that an employee who is required to relieve another employee in a higher position will be paid at the higher classification rate provided the relieving is for three (3) days or more. However the higher duties allowance is not applicable to those employed as registered nurses Levels 4 and 5 under that award (usually Assistant Director of Nursing and Director of Nursing positions) who act up in higher duties.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 33

ARE YOU A VICTIM OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE? Have you or a colleague been assaulted at work?

Have you reported your incident?

Download the NSWNMA App and report your workplace violence incident The NSWNMA has a new tool as part of our NSWNMA Toolkit App that allows you to quickly report an incident to the Association as soon as it happens. It’s an easy fillable form that you can submit from your mobile device and an officer of the Association will be in touch with you.

Nursing is considered one of the most dangerous professions. HELP STOP VIOLENCE AT WORK! NSWNMA Toolkit App is FREE and available to download from iTunes and Google Play store

social media | nurse uncut

www.nurseuncut.com.au Do you have a story to tell? An opinion to share? nurse uncut is written by everyday nurses and midwives.

We welcome your ideas at nurseuncut@nswnma.asn.au

WHAT’S

A BLOG FOR AUSTRALIAN NURSES AND MIDWIVES

HOT THIS MONTH

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

Health workers against the Border Force Act All around the country health workers are gathering to make their point loud and clear – we will not be gagged on conditions in detention. www.nurseuncut.com.au/health-workers-against-the-border-force-act

Wandering hands Sexualised comments, innuendos, grabby hands – Laurie ponders how to deal with inappropriate behaviour from patients. www.nurseuncut.com.au/wandering-hands

Dying well Forty years ago, student nurse Dianne wrote for The Lamp about laying out a dead patient.

She is still contemplating what it means to die well. www.nurseuncut.com.au/dying-well/

Sister Ruth: 60 years a nurse Ruth Fennelly became a cadet nurse in Scone in 1955, aged 16, and still works part-time in a Sydney nursing home. www.nurseuncut.com.au/sister-ruth-60-years-a-nurse/

Connect4Care – childminding swaps for nurses and midwives When two friends discovered the benefits of swapping childcare, they created a website where other parents could do the same – a boon for shift workers. www.nurseuncut.com.au/connect4care-childminding-swaps-for-nurses-and-midwives/

Michelle’s story: volunteer nurse educator in Bali Volunteering in a Bali ED, CNE Michelle wanted to encourage the nurses to feel valued and proud. www.nurseuncut.com.au/michelles-story-volunteer-nurse-educator-in-bali/

New on SupportNurses YouTube channel NSWNMA’s year in review We’ve been busy: a visual summary of our 201415 campaigns, made for annual conference. >>youtu.be/nn3sLZ6k8go Annual conference highlights It was a cracker! So many scintillating speakers ... >>youtu.be/u61w429u-AI

NSWNMA on Instagram!

We’re on Instagram, so share your local photos with us @nswnma and #NSWNMAforce4change.

Follow us on Twitter NSWNurses & Midwives @nswnma Watch us on YouTube SupportNurses Connect with us on Facebook

New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association >> www.facebook.com/nswnma Look for your local Ratios put patient safety first >> www.facebook.com/safepatientcare Branch page on Aged Care Nurses >> www.facebook.com/agedcarenurses our website.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 35

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social media | facebook

WHAT NURSES & MIDWIVES

SAID & LIKED on facebook www.facebook.com/nswnma Working parents need support Cuts to the paid parental leave scheme are still before a Senate inquiry. Cutting the scheme would have a disproportionately negative effect on nurses and midwives.

We all deserve penalty rates The Productivity Commission handed in their report – which suggests a two-tier penalty rates arrangement. Our readers weren’t buying it.

The working unwell A study by the Irish union for nurses and midwives found that 80 per cent of nurses go to work when ill – mainly due to understaffing.

Emoti-conned Nurses who put on a “happy face” report lower job satisfaction, poorer task performance, more often declare an intention to leave a job and talk of being burnt out, Sydney University research into the “emotional labour” required in health care jobs has found.

Vulnerable need RNs 24/7 Aged care continues to be a hot button issue.

Readers strongly agreed when the Older Women’s Network said: “We are astounded that it is currently acceptable for aged care providers to make available only one registered nurse to up to 120 ... vulnerable residents.”

I would never have managed if my husband was not also an RN, we worked opposite shifts for years. To remove this and try to take away penalty rates at the same time is an attack on the nursing profession from the highest level. How are nurses supposed to afford childcare?

There are no childcare centres that support the shift work we have to do.

This sounds blatantly unfair and undervalues the work of some. Unsociable hours are unsociable whoever works them and people need to be properly recompensed. We can’t accept these recommendations.

Extra days off and less money do not pay my mortgage. // Or feed anyone’s kids.

Let’s not go back in time to a system of working poor. Not only is it wrong morally but it actually weakens the economy, not improves it. // If they attack penalty rates for any job, whether it’s hospitality or healthcare, once the precedent is established it will give the government grounds to extend the changes to “exempt professions”.

Yep ... been at work the last week with a raging chest infection. Calling in sick is so hard, then you spend the whole day feeling guilty.

You also spend the day passing it on to other staff and patients when you come to work sick – they then pass it on to their family. No one is indispensable. I would rather work harder and have sick staff stay home.

Well, after 46 years of nursing I still love my job. I do not apologise for being happy. I became a nurse because I wanted to care for people. Yes it can be frustrating sometimes but so is every other aspect of life. Some of us get a great deal of satisfaction from our jobs. The last thing people need is a miserable bad-tempered nurse!

And nurses must remember the importance of self-care, first foremost and always. You cannot give from an empty cup. // Being in a “Pollyanna” obsessed department is exhausting.

Interesting that those who experience more authentic feelings, try to understand and feel the other party’s experience, are less stressed than those who “fake it”.

Shocking, yes, these are the people who need around the clock care.

I worked as an aged care RN on permanent night shift for three years. The facility had 100 residents. I was the only RN on nights with four personal care assistants who were invaluable but not qualified to make any decisions concerning medical care of the residents.

Often I would have one problem at one end of the facility and more at the other end. Aged care has been in crisis with understaffing for many years and now they want to reduce the qualified staff.

Yep it’s all about $$. I’m an AiN and it’s difficult at times to explain to residents about being understaffed.

Nursing homes need more RNs to support the extra AiNs they need too. They are working their butts off for a pathetically small hourly rate and being abused because they aren’t fast enough or not there when residents want them (because they are busy doing the 1001 other things or the endless paperwork to satisfy government regulations!).

PHOTO GALLERY

This proud contingent of Ramsay nurses enjoyed taking part in our annual conference professional day.

Nurses and supporters packed a recent Cowra Council meeting to discuss the need for RNs in nursing homes 24/7.

The Queensland Nurses Union welcomed news that nurse-patient ratios in that state will be legislated in 2016.

Parramatta aged care staff show their support for having an RN 24/7.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 37

test your knowledge

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Across 1. Exercise in which the muscle contracts against a fixed resistance, without movement (8.8) 9. Bacteriums that are the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia (11) 10. A permanent coloration of the skin by the introduction of foreign pigment (6) 11. The skin (5) 13. A hospital unit staffed and equipped to provide intensive care (1.1.1) 14. A slough produced by a thermal burn (6) 15. Pertaining to waste matter (11) 16. Pertaining to the iris (6)

17. The presence of fructose in the urine (11) 21. Pound (2) 24. Mifepristone (8.4) 28. Ribonucleic acid (1.1.1) 29. Amino acid (1.1) 30. A digit of the foot (3) 31. A daughter of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister or brother (5) 32. Mesenteron (6) 33. Noninvasive neoplasia (1.1.1) 34. The part of the back between the thorax and pelvis (4) 35. Bone formed by the ossification of cartilage (12.4)

Down 1. A bone fracture in which one of the fragments is driven into another fragment (8.8) 2. Pertaining to orexia (7) 3. A unit of measurement of electric resistance (3) 4. Pruritus (9) 5. A health care contact between the patient and the provider who is responsible for diagnosing and treating the patient (9) 6. The layer of ependymal cells covering the choroid plexus (10.6) 7. A hormone of the adrenal cortex, or other natural or synthetic compound with similar activity (9)

8. A tube inserted into the trachea to provide a passageway for air (12.4) 12. A distinctive, agreeable odor (5) 18. Sealed (8) 19. Oral Hygiene Index (1.1.1) 20. The container where cremated ashes are stored (3) 22. A skin swelling or sore; a blister (5) 23. A culinary and medicinal herb with potent antioxidants and anti-bacterial properties (7) 25. Relating to tannin (6) 26. To stress to excess (6) 27. Removed an outer covering (6)

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 39

NURSES & MIDWIVES: There are many benefits of being a financial member of the NSWNMA — did you know that

Authorised by B.Holmes, General Secretary, NSWNMA

YOUR MEMBERSHIP FEES COVER YOU FOR TRAVEL TO AND FROM WORK? If you are involved in an accident while travelling to or from work, NSWNMA’s Journey Accident Insurance provides you with peace of mind.

In recent years this insurance has been a financial safety net for many members who have met unfortunate circumstances travelling to or from work.

As a financial member of the NSWNMA you are automatically covered by this policy. It’s important to remember however, that it can only be accessed if you are a financial member at the time of the accident.

So make sure your membership remains financial at all times by paying your fees by Direct Debit or Credit.

Watch Alexis talk about Journey Accident Insurance

JOURNEY ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Your journey injury safety net

UNSURE IF YOU ARE FINANCIAL? IT’S EASY! Ring and check today on 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (rural).

Change your payment information online at

www.nswnma.asn.au

nursing research online

Our national broadcaster does an outstanding job of health reporting through programs such as the Health Report (available for download from Radio National) and the fortnightly online health column, The Pulse.

Why experts are rethinking blood transfusions Bianca Nogrady Countless lives have been saved in the hundreds of years that people have been receiving blood transfusions.

Transfusions replenish blood lost through trauma, illness or surgery.

They are a medical safety net; there for when surgery doesn’t quite go according to plan and patients need a top-up. They are also a lifeline for people with inherited blood disorders, certain rare diseases or who are undergoing chemotherapy.

But the field of transfusion medicine is changing. Instead of being viewed as an inert recharging of fluid, we are now coming to appreciate that a blood transfusion is essentially a liquid organ transplant, says National Blood Authority chair Leigh McJames; and like any other organ transplant, there are risks. www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2015/08/04/4286400.htm

A sick world: more than 95% of us are ill Jennifer King We’re a sick lot, a large-scale inventory of global illness levels has found. More than 95 per cent of the world’s population is ill, new analysis based on the 2013 Global Burden of Disease Study has found.

What’s more, a third of those had more than five chronic or acute illnesses – and Australians were among these. Low back pain and depression were the top two major health problems in Australia, in terms of their impact on people.

The study, published in The Lancet, examined and evaluated chronic and acute disease and injury across 188 countries from 1990 to 2013, using a tool known as Years Lived with Disability (YLD), which measures the impact of health problems impairing mobility, hearing or vision, or those causing some kind of pain.

Significantly, the study found rates of disability are rising, as people live longer and experience more illness. For example, the incidence of diabetes worldwide has increased 43 per cent over the past 23 years, while death rates from the disease have only increased nine per cent.

So what did the study discover about us? www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/stories/2015/06/11/4253253.htm

Bowel cancer not just “an old person’s disease” Cathy Johnson Think you’re young and invincible? Bowel Cancer Australia has a message for you.

If you’ve got abdominal pain, blood in your bowel motions, or a change in bowel pattern (constipation or diarrhoea) that’s lasted more than two weeks, see your GP – regardless of your age.

That’s the key message the organisation wants to spread, following the release of a new survey of people diagnosed with bowel cancer before they turned 50. The survey of 200 people represents around 20 per cent of the 1100 diagnosed in this age group each year.

While bowel cancer is Australia’s second biggest killer, it’s a disease younger people – and even their GPs – tend not to consider when investigating symptoms, says Bowel Cancer Australia’s chief executive Julien Wiggins. That’s if symptoms are noticed and acted upon at all.

“Almost a third surveyed waited three months or more to seek medical advice, despite experiencing tell-tale symptoms,” Wiggins said.

Some noticed blood in bowel motions but dismissed it as likely to have come from haemorrhoids. Others had pain but thought it simply signalled a stomach bug. Still others were too busy or too embarrassed to see a doctor for advice on symptoms they’d noticed.

“The consideration [that] it could be something sinister isn’t on their radar.”

This is thought to explain why half the people surveyed were first diagnosed with stage three or four of the disease. This means the cancer has already spread beyond the bowel to lymph nodes or other organs, making it more difficult to treat. www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/stories/2015/05/28/4244413.htm

Why some doctors are in favour of medical cannabis Bianca Nogrady With recent political debate around medical cannabis trials, you could be forgiven for thinking that the notion was something altogether new.

In fact, cannabis has been used medicinally for thousands of years in India and Asia. It was introduced to western medicine in the midnineteenth century by an Irish doctor William O’Shaughnessy, upon his return from service in India, and become a popular therapy around the world.

Even US president Richard Nixon’s 1972 National Commission on “marihuana” supported studies of its use in the treatment of conditions such as glaucoma, migraine and cancer – although Nixon ignored the findings and instead declared war on drugs.

The criminalisation of marijuana saw it swiftly fall from medical favour.

However, it seems that medical cannabis’s star is once again rising, with some evidence suggesting it may offer considerable relief in conditions where few other treatments are able to help. www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/stories/2014/10/27/4115279.htm THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 41

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Merchandise order forms also available on

www.nswnma.asn.au NAVY HOODIES & RED HOODIES $35 available in Ladies 10, 12, 14, 16 & Unisex S, M, L, XL, XXL & XXXL

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book me All the latest Book Me reviews from The Lamp can now be read online at www.nswnma.asn.au/library-services/book-reviews.

Each review includes a link directly to that item in the library catalogue plus instructions on how to request a loan.

25% off for members Communication Skills for Midwives: Challenges in Everyday Practice Carole England and Ransolina Morgan McGraw Hill Education www.mhprofessional.com RRP $60 – NSWNMA member discount available ISBN 9780335243990 Taking a practical and problem solving approach, this book aims to help midwives enhance their learning and improve their interactions. It gives advice on how thoughts and feelings may be expressed through body language and in words. Other topics include negotiating with diverse inter-agency teams, working with minority groups, breaking significant news when labour threatens the life of a baby or a baby has an abnormality, coping with loss and bereavement and addressing issues of domestic abuse. The book specifically explores the difficult contexts and circumstances that many midwives experience and uses case vignettes, reflective questions, illustrations, tools and techniques to help develop effective strategies for a range of situations.

Leadership & Nursing: Contemporary Perspectives (2nd ed.)

John Daly, Sandra Speedy and Debra Jackson Churchill Livingstone Elsevier www.elsevierhealth.com.au RRP $99.95 ISBN 9780729541534 This second edition of Leadership in Nursing presents the experiences of more than 30 world leaders in nursing and examines the current condition of nursing leadership as practised in a diverse range of settings. It explores the challenges that nurse leaders face in ethically fulfilling their various leadership roles and argues that truly effective leadership is a shared responsibility that must come from within nursing at all levels, rather than just from those authorised to hold senior positions.

Handbook of PTSD: Science and Practice (2nd ed.)

Matthew Friedman, Terence Keane and Patrick Resick The Guildford Press www.footprint.com.au RRP $115 ISBN 9781462516179 This handbook examines the causes and mechanisms of PTSD on multiple levels, from psychological processes to genes and neurobiology. It has been updated to reflect major research advances and the new diagnostic criteria in DSM-5. Risk and resilience processes are addressed across development and in specific populations. Other new chapters look at child assessment, couple, family and group therapies, webbased interventions and telemental health technology.

Methodological considerations, the latest advances in research design and analysis, promising public health approaches and the implementation of best practices are also covered.

McGraw Hill Publishers is offering NSWNMA members 25 per cent off the recommended retail price of all medical titles, plus a range of other professional books! Visit Book Me online at www.nswnma.an.au/library-services/book-reviews for a link to the promotion code and further instructions or contact the library.

special interest The Birth Wars Mary-Rose MacColl University of Queensland Press www.uqp.com.au RRP $34.95 ISBN 9780702237225 This book introduces prospective parents to the spirited debate between those who see birth as normal and natural and those who see it as high-risk and medical. Winner of the 2009 Walkley Award for Best Non Fiction, the book acknowledges that both sides care deeply about women and babies. Equally, it contends that the existing deep divisions between the “mechanics” and “organics” have exposed many new families to situations that are more confusing and traumatising than empowering. Arguing that both sides must work together to put the needs of families at the centre of birth, the book explores and advocates for alternative models of care that establish balanced working partnerships.

Clinical Gerontological Social Work Practice Robert Youdin Springer Publishing www.footprint.com.au RRP $88 ISBN 9780826129895 This book aims to integrate advanced clinical social work practice with in-depth knowledge of evidence-based practice as well as geriatric medicine, psychiatry and gerontology. The author advocates truly engaging with the older client in a variety of settings including nursing homes, assisted care facilities and hospitals, and discusses mental health issues associated with such settings. Major psychopathological problems common to older adults are addressed, along with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, medical and co-occurring psychological problems, sexuality and the unique vulnerabilities of LGBTI clients. Its fresh, interdisciplinary approach will provide a useful supplement to the nursing literature on aged care.

All books can be ordered through the publisher or your local bookshop. NSWNMA members can borrow books via the Library’s Online Catalogue www.nswnma.asn.au/education/library-services Call 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962 or email gensec@nswnma.asn.au for assistance. Some books are reviewed using information supplied and have not been independently reviewed.

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 43

LIONS NURSES’ SCHOLARSHIP Looking for funding to further your studies in 2016?

The trustees of the Lions Nurses’ Scholarship Foundation invite applications for scholarships for 2016.

The Lions Nurses’ Scholarships open on 1 Augu Nurses eligible for these scholarships must be re and employed within the State of NSW or ACT. You must currently be registered with the Nursing Midwifery Board of Australia and working within th nursing profession in NSW or the ACT, and must a minimum of three years’ experience in the nurs profession – the last twelve months of which must have been spent in NSW or the ACT. Details of eligibility and the scholarships available (which include study projects either within Australia or overseas), and application forms are available from: www.nswnma.asn.au/education The Secretary Lions Nurses’ Scholarship Foundation 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 or contact Matt West on 1300 367 962 or mawest@nswnma.asn.au COMPLETED APPLICATIONS MUST BE IN THE HANDS OF THE SECRETARY NO LATER THAN 31 OCTOBER 2015.

44 | THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015

movie of the month

The popular Bill Bryson travel book, A Walk in the Woods is recreated in this film starring Robert Redford as Bryson and Nick Nolte as his old school buddy, Katz.

When Bryson decides to hike the Appalachian Trail – more than 3000 kilometres through some of America’s most rugged wilderness – he finds a dearth of willing travel companions.

Until Katz volunteers. The pair haven’t seen each other for decades, since a falling out while backpacking around Europe in their twenties.

Since then Katz has battled addictions, gained some weight and lost some fitness.

With neither man really knowing what they are getting themselves into they don their backpacks and hit the trail.

On the way they meet eccentric people, wild animals and perilous weather. None of which turn out to be as challenging as having to deal with each other.

Bill Bryson must be chuffed to have Redford portraying him, although Redford, at 78, is already significantly older than Bryson is now, and some decades older than Bryson was at the time he wrote the book.

Interviewed recently on the 7.30 Report, Bryson said it had been Robert Redford’s plan to star in the film alongside, Paul Newman, in what would have been the third “buddy film” for the pair following cinema classics, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973).

It’s unlikely A Walk in the Woods will go down in cinema history as a classic, but the many fans of Bryson’s amusing travel tales will be happy to see the story unfold on film.

Emma Thompson stars as Bryson’s English wife – a nurse incidentally – who thinks her husband is too old to be undertaking such an adventure. Nick Nolte is suitably dishevelled as the shambolic Katz.

Perhaps A Walk in the Woods will create a new genre: the grumpy old buddy film.

IN CINEMAS SEPTEMBER 3

METROMEMBERGIVEAWAY Email The Lamp by the 5th of the month to be in the draw to win a double pass to A Walk In the Woods thanks to Entertainment One. email your name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma.asn.au for a chance to win!

DVD SPECIAL OFFER Anyone who fancies curling up on the sofa with the dashing Martin Shaw will be pleased to see that the seventh in the television series George Gently based on the novels by Alan Hunter, is now available on DVD. For Gently (Martin Shaw) the times are changing in 1960s Northumberland and so are the crimes. In this series old-schooler George and young gun John Bacchus investigate the rape of a prostitute, the suicide of a young doctor, the death of an entrepreneur and a violent armed robbery by a gang of skinheads.

Within each crime is also an investigation of Britain’s changing times and this series sees a more prominent role for female officer, Rachel Coles, who challenges the sexist assumptions of DS Bacchus, making him look more out of touch than his boss.

With his deep sense of what is right and his enduring faith in humanity, George Gently, shows himself a man for all seasons.

RURALMEMBERGIVEAWAY Email The Lamp by the 15th of this month to be in the draw to win a dvd of George Gently Series Seven thanks to RLJ Media. email your name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma.asn.au for a chance to win!

THE LAMP SEPTEMBER 2015 | 45

diary dates — conferences, seminars, meetings. diary dates is a free service for members Please send event details in the format used here: event name, date and location, contact details – by the 5th of each month.

Send your event details to: lamp@nswnma.asn.au Fax 02 9662 1414 Post 50 O’Dea Ave, Waterloo NSW 2017. All listings are edited for the purposes of style and space.

NSW Empower Nurse Education – Anaesthetics and PARU Conference 4-5 September 2015 Newcastle www.empowernurseeducation.com.au ASPAAN Seminar 12 September Ryde Hospital www.aspaan.org.au NSW Health Triples Lawn Bowls Tournament 13 September Belfield Bowling Club Paul.Sillato@swsahs.nsw.gov.au 26th PANDDA 2015 Conference 15-16 September Parramatta www.pandda.net Enrolled Nurse Professional Association NSW 17-18 September Medlow Bath www.enpansw.org Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD Pain Seminar 18 September Wollongong Sonia.Markocic@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au Community and Primary Health Care Nursing Week 21-27 September www.acn.edu.au/primaryhealthcarenursing week2015 Nursing and Midwifery Unit Managers Society Annual Conference 9 October Terrigal www.numsociety.org.au Diabetes Update Day – Diabetes NSW Annual Conference 10 October Sydney www.diabetesnsw.com.au Blacktown and Mt Druitt Women’s, Children’s and Youth Health Conference 15 October Rooty Hill Lisa.white@health.nsw.gov.au 2015 Australian Nursing and Midwifery Conference 15-16 October Newcastle www.nursingmidwiferyconference.com.au Nurses Christian Fellowship 20 October Sydney ncfansw.org 0412 862 776 Pain Interest Group Nursing Issues – Inside Joint Pain 23 October Sydney www.dcconferences.com.au/pigni2015 Nurses Christian Fellowship 29 October Strathfield ncfansw.org 0412 862 776 Obesity and Recovery: A Nursing Perspective Conference 29-30 October Sydney www.ausmed.com.au/course/obesity-andrecovery-a-nursing-perspective Nurses Christian Fellowship Conference Nursing Teams – What makes them work best?

3 November Sydney www. ncfansw.org/conference 2015 Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Nurses’ Association Conference Climbing to the Summit 11-13 November Sydney www.anzonaconference.net Beyond the Basics – High Dependency Nursing Conference 20 November Westmead Ryan.Thomas@health.nsw.gov.au 9845 9065 0422 256 046 Nurses Christian Fellowship Professional Breakfast – Experience with AHPRA Audits 21 November West Ryde www.ncfansw.org

Inaugural Australasian AYA Oncology Congress 3-5 December Sydney www.youthcancerevent.com.au ASPAAN Seminar 5 December Wollongong www.aspaan.org.au Nurses Christian Fellowship Christmas BBQ 7 December Waverton www.ncfanw.org

ACT Second National Complex Needs Conference 17-18 November Canberra complexneeds.org.au/events 2015 Australian STOP Domestic Violence Conference – Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association 7-9 December Canberra www.stopdomesticviolence.com.au

INTERSTATE Fit for the Future – 13th Australian Palliative Care Conference 1-4 September Melbourne events@palliativecare.org.au; www.palliativecare.org.au/australian-palliativecare-conference Gold Coast Nursing and Midwifery Symposium 4-5 September Gold Coast

GCNursing&MidwiferySymposium@healt h.qld.gov.au 10th Australian College of Nurse Practitioners Conference 6-8 September Melbourne www.dcconferences.com.au/acnp2015 6th Australian Emergency Nurse Practitioner Symposium 9-10 September Melbourne www.dcconferences.com.au/acnp2015/home Asia Pacific Autism Conference (APAC15) 9-11 September Brisbane www.apac15.org.au 2015 Indigenous Women’s Conference 28-30 September 2015 Hilton Hotel, Darwin www.indigenousconferences.com 2015 Indigenous Men’s Conference 28-30 September Darwin www.indigenousconferences.com Australian College of Midwives 19th Biennial Conference 5-8 October Gold Coast www.acm2015.com 13th International Conference for Emergency Nurses 7-9 October Brisbane www.cena.org.au ACMHN’s 41st International Mental Health Nursing Conference 7-9 October Brisbane www.acmhn2015.com Dermatology Nurse Education Australia 10-11 October Coolangatta www.dnea.com.au The National Nursing Forum (Australian College of Nursing) 14-16 October Brisbane www.acn.edu.au/Forum_2015 2015 CRANAplus Conference 15-17 October Alice Springs www. crana.org.au 12th Biennial National Enrolled Nurse Association (ANMF-SIG) Conference 21 October Adelaide www.nena.org.au/2015NENAConference Jess at NENA 1300 972 315 info@nena.org.au

7th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium 26-28 October Creswick, Victoria www.anzmh.asn.au/rrmh ACHS/ACHSM Joint Asia-Pacific Congress 2015 – Health Leadership 28-30 October Melbourne achsm.org.au/events/2015Congress.html Place, Spirit, Heart – Exploring Experiences of Ageing 4-6 November Alice Springs www.aagconference.asn.au 2015 Annual Scientific Alcohol and Drug Conference 8-11 November Perth www.apsadconference.com.au ASPAAN National Conference 13-14 November Melbourne www.aspaan.org.au 2015 National Indigenous Health Conference 1-3 December Darwin www.indigenousconferences.com

INTERNATIONAL 9th European Congress on Violence in Clinical Psychiatry 22-24 October Copenhagen, Denmark www.oudconsultancy.nl/Copenhagen2015 2nd Annual World Congress of Orthopaedics 2015 24-26 September Xi’an, China www.bitcongress.com/wcort2015/default.asp 4th World Congress of Clinical Safety 28-30 September Vienna, Austria www.iarmm.org/4WCCS EMS Conference (for paramedics and acute care nurses) 18-22 January 2016 Hokkaido, Japan www.emsconferences.com.au 2nd Asian Congress in Nursing Education Innovative Nursing Education for Universal Health Care 26-29 January 2016 Tainan, Taiwan www.2016acine.org

NCFI Quadrennial International Conference Healthy Lives in a Broken World – a Christian response to nursing 6-10 June 2016 Tagaytay City, Philippines www.ncfi.org

REUNIONS Sydney Hospital Graduate Nurses Association Annual Reunion Lunch 7 October 2015 Parliament House, Sydney Jeanette Fox bekysa@tpg.com.au 02 4751 4829 Community Health in the Lower Hunter (Maitland, Cessnock, Singleton, Dungog and Port Stephens) 40-year reunion ‘75-2015 24 October East Maitland Bowling Club chreunion@yahoo.com.au Ruth King 4934 3364 Kathryn Bennett 0432 136 060 NEC Prince Henry/Prince of Wales 40-year reunion October 1972–1975 PTS 24-25 October Margret Brignall (nee Samuel) 0418 646 959 Margaret.Samuel@sswahs.nsw.gov.au Sonia Keeling (nee Graf) 0407 221 407 mskeeling@bigpond.com Gill Gillon (nee Horton) 0401 048 205 gillgill@optusnet.com.au St Vincent’s Darlinghurst PTS Class January 1976 40-year reunion 19 March 2016 fnethery@gmail.com.au jacquie.scott@btopenworld.com Auburn Hospital October 1976-1979 40-year reunion Sharon Byers 0419 144 965 sbyers01@bigpond.net.au Margaret Borg (nee Mueller) 0431 159 964 margaret_borg@bigpond.com Tamworth Base Hospital February 1976 intake 40-year reunion Sandra Cox sandra.cox@hnehealth.nsw Sean O’Connor 0408 349 126 Gerard Jeffery 0417 664 993

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Recruit a new member & go in the draw to visit

B g n i a z n a g m k a o k! e

NSWNMA is pleased to announce the NSWNMA’s 2015 – 2016 Recruitment Incentive Scheme Travel Prize

The winner will be flying off to the amazing Bangkok!

You and a friend will be flying Scoot’s brand new 787 Dreamliner from Sydney to Bangkok via Singapore, staying 5 nights in a superior room at Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel Bangkok with breakfast each day, airport transfer and a city tour.

Centara Watergate is a trendy modern hotel located in the heart of the shopping district of Pratunam and close to Siam Square. Attached to Watergate Shopping Mall, the Centara Watergate has perfect accommodation for couples and families, including rooms with double beds and family suites with bunk beds. Stunning outdoor bar and dining areas with roof top ‘Walk’ lounge bar with stunning views across Bangkok, resident DJ and huge outdoor screen. A short walk to the Airport train link station for easy access from Bangkok International Airport.

Every member you sign up over the year gives you a ticket in the draw!

RECRUITERS NOTE: Nurses and midwives can now join online at

www.nswnma.asn.au!

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 draws in the NSWNMA Recruitment Incentive Scheme.

PRIZE DRAWN 30 JUNE 2016