The Lamp August 2006

lamp the

magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association

Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

volume 63 no.7 August 2006

I REFUSE

TO BE SIDELINED

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– the super fund for all nurses!

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This communication contains general information only and does not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. It is therefore important, before deciding whether to become a member of First State Super (or, if you are already a member, to continue your membership) that you consider the First State Super Your Member Guide Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) having regard to your own situation. The PDS is available by visiting www.firststatesuper.com.au or by calling 1300 650 873. The information contained in this document is current as at June 2006. First State Super: SPIN FSS 0100AU.

2 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 NURSES 05/06

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ABOUT THE LAMP

C O N T E N T S

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

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

Cover story

LAMP THE

I refuse to be sidelined 16

Services to members

8 8

Moves to speed up emergency care Mentally ill get apology – and more funding Scholarships boost aged care nursing ATSI scholarships available Lawsuits claim wages conspiracy US nurses file for compensation Nurses aid earthquake victims Britain bans overseas nurses Cathy awarded for best practice 15% choose public system despite private insurance Gaza nurses win human rights nursing award Jobs boom to care for ageing Private funding for Orange Hospital Nurses walk the talk for cancer research Tax guide for nurses Free Stress Management booklet

30 Online membership at your fingertips

THE LAMP PRODUCED BY Lodestar Communications T 9698 4511

Occupational health and safety

PRESS RELEASES Send your press releases to: T 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au

NSWNA education program

Special people

15 What’s on this month

45 Holiday in the sun for nurses and residents

0RINT 0OST !PPROVED 00

News in brief

NSWNA COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Noel Hester T 8595 2153 NSWNA COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Olivia Nassaris T 8595 1263 For all Lamp editorial enquiries, letters and diary dates: Salim Barber T 8595 1234 E sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au M PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450

Cover

) 2%&53%

Jane Etchells, former Divisional Nurse Manager, Royal North Shore Hospital.

4/ "% 3)$%,).%$

9 9 10 10 11 11 13 13 14 14 14 15 15

Agenda 20 Less healthy and less safe under WorkChoices 22 NSW still strong on OHS

Industrial issues 24 Network strenghtens Moran nurses 25 First a branch, then a pay increase at Sydney Private 26 IR shorts

Nurses in action 27 Nurse power turns the tide at Gosford 28 NSWNA roadshow visits Mid-North Coast and New England

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30

33 Flu jabs are a must

Lifestyle 37 Movie reviews 38 Member’s tips 43 Book me

Obituary 40 A man who cared: Malcolm Charles Hayden

Passing times 41 Sydney Children’s Hospital veteran retires

Regular columns 5

Editorial

by Brett Holmes 6 Your letters to The Lamp 35 Ask Judith 47 Our nursing crossword 49 Diary dates

Giveaway 12 Fabulous fiction to win

Special offer 38 5 double passes to win to see The Book of Revelation

37

38

THE LAMP EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Brett Holmes, NSWNA General Secretary Judith Kiejda, NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Coral Levett, NSWNA President John Lyons, Coonabarabran District Hospital Jonathan Farry, RPA Hospital Mark Kearin, Wyong Hospital Roz Norman, Tamworth Base Hospital Stephen Metcalfe, Lismore Base Hospital Therese Riley, St George Hospital ADVERTISING Patricia Purcell T 8595 2139 or 0416 259 845 F 9550 3667 E ppurcell@nswnurses.asn.au RECORDS AND INFORMATION CENTRE - LIBRARY To find old articles in The Lamp, or to borrow from the NSWNA library’s nursing and health collection, contact: Jeannette Bromfield, RIC Coordinator T 8595 2175 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au General disclaimer The Lamp is the official magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association. Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily those of the NSW Nurses’ Association. Statements of fact are believed to be true, but no legal responsibility is accepted for them. All material appearing in The Lamp is covered by copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. The NSW Nurses’ Association takes no responsibility for the advertising appearing herein and it does not necessarily endorse any products advertised.

Privacy Privacy statement: The NSWNA collects personal information from members in order to perform our role of representing their industrial and professional interests. We place great emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the privacy and security of your personal information. Personal information is protected under law and can only be released to someone else where the law requires or where you give permission. If you have concerns about your personal information please contact the NSWNA office. If you are still not satisfied that your privacy is being maintained you can contact the Privacy Commission.

Subscriptions Free to all Association members. Ex-members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $44.

Individuals $60, Institutions $90, Overseas2006 $100.3 THE LAMP AUGUST

NSWNA announces it’s new

DIRECT DEBIT TRAVEL PRIZE! PRIZE 30 DE DRAWN CEM 2006 BER

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN GET ONE OR MORE CHANCES TO WIN Q cancel your payroll

WIN A TRIP FOR 2 ON A WORLD EXPEDITIONS 7 DAY EXPLORE KAKADU AND BEYOND ADVENTURE Kakadu is possibly the most exciting adventure destination in Australia.

Camping, swimming, and canoeing over crystal clear waters. Travelling in a small group, with your own guide you will explore the remote beauty of the Top End. 4 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

deductions and start paying your fees through direct debit/auto credit and you will go in the lucky draw.

Q convince your colleagues to convert from payroll deductions to direct debit/ auto credit and you, and each of your colleagues who switch to direct debit/auto credit, will go in the lucky draw.

Q sign up a new member using the direct debit/auto credit method of paying their fees and you, and the new member, will go in the lucky draw.

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

Alternatively call the NSWNA on 8595 1234 (metro area) or 1300 367 962 (non-metro area) for more information.

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E D I T O R I A L

BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

We reject plans to sideline nurses g Nurses must be represented at the executive level in the health system. he restructure of the Area teams and do so cooperatively every day. control of staffing and budgets will leave Health Services has been drawn nurses responsible but powerless.

In fact, they recognise the high level of out and throughout we have Our members in all the branches dependence of other team members. had some success within the NSCCAHS have in preserving the passed resolutions of no interests of nurses. confidence in the area The restructure of the first, second management, have conducted a and third tiers has been resolved. vigorous fax campaign and have The new structures are now being indicated they have plenty of put to the test to see if they work. motivation for further actions.

If the fourth and fifth As The Lamp goes to print, tiers are the tests of the upper we continue to advocate for structures and the people in common sense to prevail and these positions are determining for management to come the structures underneath, I forward with propositions that have some real concerns. treat nurses with the respect Our members have been they deserve. patient, with the NSWNA systemaThreats in OHS tically working its way through Just when you thought the level the issues with management. of malevolence towards workers At the fourth level we have from the federal government and hit difficulties in some Area employers had reached maxiHealth Services. mum, along comes another area There appears to be in which our rights are put under inconsistency across the Area threat. This time it is in health Health Services that divide into and safety (see story p18).

There is an implication that nurses are two camps. With one group it has Back in March, Nick been possible to constructively resting on their laurels and have moved into Minchin, number three in the work through the issues and Coalition government, let it slip managerial positions without having to maintain the integrity of nurses’ that even more radical industrial role in the managerial structure. ‘compete’.This position is not accepted by relations changes were likely However, the philosophy in nurses in the North Sydney Central Coast to follow in the footsteps of the second camp is that nurses WorkChoices if the Coalition won are insulated away in a silo, that Area Health Service (NSCCAHS). the next election. situation has to be broken and We might not have to wait the best way to do it is through that long with OHS shaping up as a new the restructure. There is an But they do see the benefits of having IR front. implication that nurses are resting on their a strong profession and are prepared to OHS experts tell us that the IR laurels and have moved into managerial defend the career structure within it. changes will lead to lower standards positions without having to ‘compete’.

The position of the NSCCAHS lacks in health and safety. On top of this the This position is not accepted by positive evidence-based practice and it federal government is applying pressure nurses in the North Sydney Central Coast is doomed to fail. If management took to the states to ‘harmonise’ their different Area Health Service (NSCCAHS). In fact, its blinkers off it will find abundant it has been overwhelmingly rejected and evidence that similar experiments in other OHS systems. On the available form, this is likely to mean a race to the bottom. the red hot fax machines at the NSCCAHS countries have yielded poor results for This is a serious threat for NSW main office bear testament to nurse anger. staff and patients. workers who enjoy the strongest OHS Nurses don’t work in silos. On the Sidelining Nurse Managers to professystem in the country.n contrary, they are used to working in sional advisory roles with no operational

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THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 5

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L E T T E R S

LETTER of the month Emily Barnabas

Alison Mayhew

Speak out against moves to erode healthcare It’s now or never!!

It’s time to move out of the tea room and into the political arena called healthcare. If we don’t move now the Patel erosion of the nursing profession will be irreparable.

A number of AHSs plan to remove nurse managers’ operational responsibilities and delete their positions from the executive decision-making table. In some AHSs the implementation places for new management structures have already commenced.

What does this mean for our profession? It means nurses may potentially report to non-nurses as a generic manager. There are numerous amounts of evidence suggesting a restructure that removes Nurse Managers’ operational authority reduces retention and recruitment, clinical incidences increase and productivity and cost containment is not necessarily improved. But most importantly, there is usually no change or improvement to patient care.

Let’s stand up and become politically savvy and say NO NO! to health restructures that leave nursing on the outer. Not just for our professional future, but for the public that accesses the health care system everyday. Ultimately, it will be our patients who will feel the side effects of a management structure that sidelines nurses!

Alison Mayhew, NUM Royal North Shore Hospital Alison Mayhew won the prize for this month’s letter of the month, a $50 Myer voucher.

6 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

Karen Childs

Efficient nurse leaders

Successful return to work

Nurses have always been efficient in leading nurses. This cannot be compromised as there cannot be a conflict of interest in patient care and dollars.

The present restructuring does not allow nursing leaders to have operational reporting responsibilities and budgetary control.

Nurses make up the greatest number in the health workforce.

Nurses are ‘doers’ and are proficient in all aspects of how a hospital operates.

Once a nurse always a nurse was at the back of my mind when for 15 years I paid my nurses registration but never worked.

Life changes and my full-time career as home manager came to an end when my husband became unemployed.

I trained under the hospital system and worked many years in a labour ward, which is now called a delivery suite.

So with great terror I made the call to the Reconnect Program to see if the system still wanted me.

After a few weeks of paperwork and phone calls, I scored an interview at Westmead Hospital where I worked before in maternity a few decades ago.

My first three months was full-time to fulfil the requirements of supervision and retraining.

My first impression was how young everyone was, including the doctors.You do not think you get old until it hits you in the face. More make up was required.

Young people bring vitality and a different perspective to the world. Maybe less serious and a bit more fun.

My success in finishing the training and staying on in the workforce lay in the little things: some one saying ‘good morning’ and showing you where to put your bag; taking you to lunch; asking how you are going and listening; showing you things when you have not done them quite right; helping you with the computer when you have pressed the wrong button; inviting you to ward social events to make you feel included; a warm thank you at the end of the shift.

Today, I think nurses are more tuned in with social issues such as domestic violence, drug addiction and DoCS’ referrals.

I feel valued as a person as I feel I am making a contribution in delivering a high standard of care within the framework of the conditions.

So, if you are thinking about returning to nursing, take a first step. You will not fail. You can do this and reap the rewards that nursing has to offer. My kids cannot believe I am actually something and my husband likes the money, too.

Emily Barnabas, CNC Manly District Hospital

Valerie Elsmore and Malcolm Watson

Ryde nurses defend Nurse Managers We would like to express our anger and frustration at the move to remove Nurse Managers from operational positions within the NSCCAHS. Nurse Managers have demonstrated their effectiveness in operational management in the NSCCAHS. We believe current evidence supports the retention of Nurse Managers in operational positions.

The Ryde Hospital Branch will continue to oppose any attempts to downgrade or delete Nurse Manager positions with NSCCAHS. We appreciate the ongoing support and guidance from our NSWNA organiser.

Valerie Elsmore, Branch Secretary, and Malcolm Watson, Branch President, Ryde Hospital

Karen Childs, Westmead Hospital

Got something to say?

Send your letters to: Salim Barber email sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au fax 9550 3667 mail PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Please include a photograph along with your name, address, phone and membership number. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Dr Terry Joyce

Support group for nurses with mental illness Following the completion of a study that looked at the workplace experiences of nurses who have a mental illness, I called for nurses who have a mental illness to register their interest in forming a support group.

It soon became clear that a face-toface support group was not logistically possible as the nurses who responded lived all over NSW. Therefore, we have formed an email support group and a monthly newsletter.

Group members are invited to contribute to the newsletter and provide their email address for others to contact them if need be. To date, this has been a successful mechanism to share what it is like to be a nurse and to have a mental illness.

If people would like further information or would like to join our group, I can be contacted on 02 4973 3616 or email: usw901@bigpond.net.au Dr Terry Joyce, University of Newcastle

Alice Baker

Grateful thanks to prison nurses Thank you to The Lamp for printing the article about prison nurses (June Lamp) and a huge thank you to Christine Gillman and Narelle Shinfield for their efforts in putting together this package.

It is so true that the families of prisoners are serving an ‘invisible sentence’.

When I think of my long trips, the pre-visit checks, the visits themselves and the long trips home; it still brings tears to my eyes.

There is a lack of information available to help families, on top of the stigma of having a family member in jail.

My mother and I drove from Coffs Harbour to Sydney to visit a family member in jail, only to be told we needed to turn around and return to Grafton.

How I wish we had had a pin number and had been able to make a phone call to find out that a transfer had occurred.

I certainly felt that I was serving a sentence.

Then there are the problems on release: the mental and physical health issues, the stigma and lack of employment. These issues are there for life.

I was so glad to see these wonderful nurses doing such a fantastic job. My very grateful thanks to them.

Alice Baker, RN, Coffs Harbour Health Campus

THE TROUBLE WITH TUESDAYS

You may be finding it hard to talk to our information officers on Tuesdays.

This is because Tuesday is the one day of the week when all our staff are in the office for staff and team meetings. These meetings are essential for information distribution and planning activities.

If at all possible, please don’t ring on this day as there can be considerable delays. But if you need urgent assistance, you will get it.

Our information department receives approximately 900 calls per week, and the phones are ringing hot from 8am to 5.30pm.

We are working hard to meet your needs and thank you for your patience.

Call 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (non-metro).

Malcolm Green

Two questions Thanks to the NSWNA for helping win the pay rise we are currently enjoying in public hospitals.

Just two quick questions: We won 14.75% but are only receiving 14%, why?

Secondly, we won the right to negotiate a postgraduate qualification allowance for CNSs in the financial year 2005/2006, yet I haven’t heard of any such negotiations occurring, nor have we received any extra money for completing these qualifications. Why? Malcolm Green, CNS, POW Hospital Randwick Editor’s response: c Over the period of the wages agreement 2004-2008, the total wage increases will be 14.75%. This is achieved by mathematical compounding of each increase upon the next: 3%, 3%, 4%, 4%. c The claim for nurses in all classifications to receive allowances to recognise attainment of higher qualifications is being pursued

by NSWNA in the Industrial Relations Commission. Evidence has been prepared and filed and the court hearings have just been set down for November 2006. NSW Health is opposing the nurses’ claim.

LETTER of the month The letter judged the best each month will be awarded a $50 Myer voucher, courtesy Medicraft, Australia’s largest manufacturer of hospital beds and furniture. For more information on Medicraft products, visit www.medicraft.com.au or call 9569 0255.

EVERY LETTER PUBLISHED

RECEIVES A DELIGHTFUL

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For locations visit abcshop.com.au THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 7

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

MOVES TO

Mentally ill get apology – and more funding

EMERGENCY CARE

entally ill people deserve an apology from governments that have neglected them, Premier Morris Iemma said recently.

Mr Iemma made the comment when promising an extra $338 million over five years to improve mental health services.

‘I believe the governments of Australia owe the mentally ill an apology – a sincere and direct apology – for the years of underfunding, the haphazard policy, the poor co-ordination, the endless excuses and evasions,’ he said.

The extra State funding was announced in response to the federal government’s decision in February to greatly increase national spending on mental health.

SPEED UP

he NSW government has announced measures to deliver faster treatment for people attending emergency departments.

It will help GPs to establish after-hours clinics co-located with hospitals, and establish ‘fast track zones’ in EDs. The government aims to establish up to 10 after-hours GP clinics co-located with hospitals including at Liverpool and Nepean hospitals, and possibly Ryde Hospital.

Health Minister John Hatzistergos said new co-located GP services would help ease the pressure on emergency departments.

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The government aims to establish up to 10 after-hours GP clinics co-located with hospitals including at Liverpool and Nepean hospitals, and possibly Ryde Hospital.

‘The lack of access to affordable GP services after hours means that for many families, emergency departments and the Ambulance Service are the only around-theclock health care in their area,’ Mr Hatzistergos said.

Premier Morris Iemma said fast track zones to separate people with minor injuries and illnesses from sicker patients are planned for Bankstown-Lidcombe, Concord, Royal Prince Alfred, Westmead, Canterbury, Port Macquarie and Bathurst hospitals and are currently being established at Liverpool, St George, Mona Vale and Campbelltown hospitals.

‘They are already successfully up and running at Gosford, John Hunter, Nepean, Royal North Shore, Wollongong, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth hospitals,’ he said.

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This is the first time we’ve had a premier recognise the pain that people with these illnesses have faced.

With the latest funding increase, the State government will spend $939 million over the next five years on mental health services.

Mr Iemma’s promise to increase spending won praise from the executive director of the Brain and Mind Institute at the University of Sydney, Professor Ian Hickie.

‘This is the first time we’ve had a Premier recognise the pain that people with these illnesses have faced and put in real dollars to match the rhetoric,’ Professor Hickie said.

Mr Iemma said highlights of the fiveyear package include: c A $51 million program to recruit 109 mental health professionals to

Premier Morris Iemma

c

c

c

c

c

c

respond to after-hours emergencies in conjunction with police and ambulance officers 700 scholarships, including undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for mental health nurses and for enrolled nurses to upgrade their skills to become registered nurses $28 million to identify and treat young people aged 14-24 years suffering a mental illness episode for the first time Establishing a 24-hour mental health access line staffed by mental health clinicians developed as part of the COAG national health call centre $54 million for new mental health programs for older persons and the Aboriginal community $58 million for 234 additional supported accommodation packages under the Housing Accommodation Support Initiative $40 million for community rehabilitation services to help people resettle into their homes, education and jobs after receiving hospital-based mental health care. n

SCHOLARSHIPS

BOOST

AGED CARE

NURSING he Royal College of Nursing (RCNA) is seeking applications for the Aged Care Nursing Scholarships Scheme.

Undergraduate scholarships are available for people who wish to undertake undergraduate nursing education at an Australian university and can demonstrate a commitment to aged care.

‘The scholarships aim to encourage more people to enter aged care nursing and increase the skills of nurses working in the aged care sector, particularly in regional, rural and remote Australia’ said Rosemary Bryant, RCNA. The Scheme provides financial assistance of up to $5,000 per semester, to a maximum of $30,000 per applicant, during their nursing studies.

The Postgraduate – Continuing Education scholarships are available for RNs working in aged care facilities who have a current practicing certificate and wish to undertake further study in aged care. RNs who do not have a current practicing certificate may also apply if they intend to undertake a re-entry course or can demonstrate they are eligible to re-register.

These scholarships provide financial assistance worth up to $10,000 per application.

For further information or to download the Application and Guidelines, go to www.rcna.org. au or call toll free 1800 116 696.

Applications for the Undergraduate Scheme close 5pm on Friday, 25 August 2006, and applications for the Postgraduate Scheme close 5pm on Friday, 22 September 2006.

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ATSI scholarships available

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boriginal and Torres Strait Islander people studying in the health sector are eligible to apply for Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarships from the Royal College of Nursing (RCNA).

Around 50 ATSI students will be awarded scholarships worth up to $15,000 per annum.

The RCNA is seeking applications for the Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship scheme from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people who are currently enrolled, or are intending to enrol in Nursing, Medicine, Allied Health, Certificate III and IV or Diploma and Advanced Diploma Aboriginal Health

Worker Course, or Health Management at an educational institute, University or Registered Training Organisation.

Around 50 ATSI students will be awarded scholarships worth up to $15,000 per annum for full-time study and up to $7,500 per annum for part-time study.

RCNA Executive Director, Rosemary Bryant, RCNA, said, ‘The aim of the scheme is to help address the underrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the health professions and assist in increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with professional health qualifications.’

For further information or to download the Application and Guidelines, go to www.rcna.org.au or call toll-free 1800 116 696. Applications close 5pm on Friday, 25 August 2006. n THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 9

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

LAWSUITS CLAIM

WAGES

CONSPIRACY g US nurses file for compensation health care union has filed class action lawsuits against some of the biggest hospitals in the United States, alleging that they have colluded illegally to hold down nurses’ wages.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) filed the suits seeking compensation totalling hundreds of millions of dollars from about 20 hospital chains.

The Nurse Alliance of the SEIU said the private and Catholic hospitals regularly discussed nurses’ wages in an effort to suppress pay increases.

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‘Nurses pay through short staffing and inadequate wages, and patients pay through decreased time with RNs and a greater risk of complications.’

The SIEU’s lawyers interviewed dozens of current and former hospital employees, including executives, in each of four major cities to prepare the lawsuits.

SEIU International President Andy Stern said nurses and patients were paying for the illegal practices laid out in the lawsuits.

‘Nurses pay through short staffing and inadequate wages, and patients pay through decreased time with RNs and a greater risk of complications,’ he said. ’If we are going to solve the health care crisis in this country, illegal activity like this has to stop, and all of us have to work together to find solutions.’

US demand for full-time RNs exceeds supply by almost 170,000 nurses this year, according to the American Hospital Association. That shortfall is expected to widen to more than one million by 2020, the industry body estimates.

10 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

Nurses aid earthquake victims g NSWNA members assist in Indonesian earthquake disaster eta Broekman, RN and midwife at Scone Hospital, received a phone call at 9am after completing a night shift asking if she wanted to go to Indonesia as a part of a disaster team to help survivors after the 27 May earthquake on the island of Java.

With no time for second thoughts, Peta accepted and was on a flight the next day for her first journey overseas.

Joined by fellow NSWNA members Kim Riley, NUM at Scone Hospital, and Ross Moylan, RN and Disaster Coordinator for HNEAHS, Peta was part of a medical team of 25 organised by AusAid in conjunction with Emergency Management Australia. The team was made up of nurses, doctors, a security officer and two firemen to take care of logistics.

The medical staff worked from tents in villages as 15 out of 21 health centres in Java were completely destroyed in the disaster.

Peta said, ‘I did disaster training to support the local hospital in emergencies and when this opportunity came up I was nervous but wanted to help – and our help was needed in the villages in the South where the earthquake caused the most devastation.

‘People were scared about leaving their families and so they hadn’t gone to the hospital for treatment. We would walk through the villages to find injured people who were at home and encourage them to go to the clinic for help,’ she said.

The team often saw 100 patients every three hours, mainly tending to wounds, fractures and infection control.

The first week was primarily surgical work performed at a sports stadium that had been converted to a makeshift hospital.

‘After the first week the surgical work reduced and women’s and children’s health became our priority – this is when the depth of knowledge and experience from nurses was really put into practice,’ Peta said,

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Peta Broekman

‘I felt like an ordinary nurse in an extraordinary place – it was a life changing experience for me.’

Peta describes the Indonesian people as having a ‘get on with life’ attitude towards the disaster. She said, ‘We met so many people whose houses had been ruined but not one of them complained. They were so appreciative and glad to see us.’

Peta felt her experience as a nurse in a rural area was useful. ‘I recommend that rural nurses do disaster management training because we are so flexible and have a range of skills we can apply to any situation, either within hospital or out in the field.

‘It’s necessary in regional areas for nurses to be multi-skilled in a range of clinical areas because we don’t have the specialty staff that metro hospitals have.’

Peta said that Scone Hospital was supportive and proud that rural nurses had been selected to participate. ‘I felt like an ordinary nurse in an extraordinary place – it was a life changing experience for me.’ n

BRITAIN BANS

OVERSEAS Cathy awarded

NURSES for best practice he British Government has banned many overseas nurses from working in the United Kingdom from 7 August.

According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, the ban is expected to apply to up to 10,000 newly-qualified and less experienced nurses from non-European countries.

Overseas nurses already working in Britain will not be affected, nor will it affect nurses working in specialist areas, such as intensive care, where there are skills shortages.

The ban comes after 16,000 job cuts to Britain’s National Health Service, which has a growing deficit.

The Guardian reports that a survey has found that only one-infive 2006 graduate nurses have found jobs, although the health minister questioned this figure.

The UK nurses union, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), criticised the government’s move and vowed to support overseas nurses.

‘International nurses have always been there for the UK in times of need and it beggars belief that they are now being made scapegoats for the current deficits crisis,’ said RCN General Secretary Dr Beverly Malone.

The RCN called on the government to develop long-term workforce planning, including tracking the number of overseas nurses working in the UK. ‘This would ensure that any decisions to restrict entry would benefit the healthcare system both now and in the future – rather than just a short-term measure to ease current difficulties,’ said Dr Malone.

‘Over 150,000 nurses are due to retire in the next five to 10 years and we will not replace them with home grown nurses alone.’

The RCN expressed concern that the short lead-time for the ban would create anxiety for those overseas nurses already working in the UK. ‘The RCN will be actively monitoring, advising and supporting those nurses,’ said Dr Malone.

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SWNA member and Mudgee general practitioner nurse, Cathy Pattullo, has won the Australian Practice Nurses Association Best Practice Award 2006 for innovation and commitment to nursing in the general practice profession.

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Cathy established a Well Women’s Clinic in January 2005 and the number of patients tripled in the first three months.

According to a thrilled Cathy, the award highlights the work and skill level of general practice nurses and promotes the need for innovation in rural health.

Cathy’s award marks her achievement lobbying John Anderson and Tony Abbott in 2004 to have a Medicare item number allocated enabling general practitioner nurses to perform pap smears and breast checks on a doctor’s behalf.

‘I think politicians recognised

the need for change as a result of my lobbying, especially in the areas of family planning and cervical screening. As a general practice nurse, I was able to put a human face to the campaign,’ she said.

Cathy explained that with a shortage of female doctors in Mudgee there was little or no provision for women to have a pap smear or breast check performed by a woman. ‘I had the support from women in the community who said they were happy for a female nurse to provide these services in general practice.’

Cathy established a Well Women’s Clinic in January 2005 and the number of patients tripled in the first three months.

Cathy’s campaign for women’s health didn’t stop there. She soon recognised the need for education and information after many women visiting the clinic were asking very similar questions. ‘I started writing a weekly column in the local paper called ‘Women’s Matters’, which covers a range of health and medical subjects. There has been a great community response to it,’ she said.

Cathy said the monetary prize has allowed her to do a Certificate in Sexual and Reproductive Health run by Family Planning so that she can ‘provide a better service’. n

Cathy Pattullo

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 11

G I V E A W A Y

FABULOUS FICTION TO WIN For the romantics and sports lovers amongst us, we have six copies of each of these great reads to give away.

The Silver Road by Grace Dugan Blood, danger, sacrifice. Love, death, corruption.

Politics, war and personal ambition. The Silver Road an evocative and vibrant epic in which personal destiny and collective history collide.

The Greatest Game by Ken Piesse Timeless Tales from the Greats of Aussie Rules.

A light-hearted collection of anecdotes – tall and true – from the rich annals of Australian football.

The Unexpected Elements of Love

by Kate Legge A striking novel that cuts to the heart of issues facing so many of us – how to balance the demands of family, career, ageing parents and relationships. Just how far will we go, how much will we sacrifice in the name of love?

HOW TO WIN For your chance to win one of these books, write your name, address and membership number, along with the book you want to win, on the back of an envelope and send it to: NSWNA fiction giveaway. PO Box 40. Camperdown 1450.

go fur ther

than you ever imagined www.nursing.usyd.edu.au

The Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery offers an amazing array of Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master’s programs in Cancer Nursing, Clinical Education, Clinical Nursing, Emergency Nursing, Gerontic Nursing, Health Services Management, Intensive Care Nursing and Mental Health Nursing.

The Faculty also offers a Master of Nursing Research and a Master of Midwifery Research. Honours programs are available for all Master’s degrees.

A Graduate Diploma in Midwifery and a number of research degrees that prepare nurses for leadership in research, teaching and administration are also available.

MORE INFORMATION For entry requirements and more information visit our website at www.nursing.usyd.edu.au, phone +61 2 9351 0693 or email fon@nursing.usyd.edu.au

The University of Sydney GO FURTHER go beyond 12 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

Gaza nurses win PUBLIC SYSTEM DESPITE PRIVATE human rights INSURANCE nursing award 15% CHOOSE

any people take out private health insurance to avoid tax or financial penalties and are unlikely to actually use the private hospital system, according to new UNSW research.

A study from the university’s school of economics found that around 15% of people only took out private insurance because they felt forced to.

These people chose to use the public hospital system despite their private insurance – partially contradicting federal government arguments that tax penalties and the private health insurance rebate would take pressure off the public system.

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‘The private health insurance industry is not sustainable.’

Professor Denzil Feiberg from UNSW told The Sydney Morning Herald that this 15% group may be ‘happy with the public … system, or it may be because of the out-ofpocket expenses they would face, even with private health insurance, in the private health system’.

Those who felt forced to take out private insurance were likely to be younger and healthier, the research found.

Others took out private insurance in a bid to get better or faster care or because they had serious health concerns.

The private health rebate has cost the federal government more than $2 billion since being introduced in 2000.

Health Minister Tony Abbott rejected the findings, saying that the private system would collapse without the 30% rebate.

But Labor’s Julia Gillard said: ‘The private health insurance industry is not sustainable.’

Presented by Professor Anne Davis, International President of the International Centre for Nursing Ethics, the award was received on the winners’ behalf by Jackie Jaidy (right) of the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.

F

ive nurses have won the 2006 Human Rights and Nursing Awards in recognition of their extraordinary work in difficult circumstances to ensure that the people of the Gaza Strip receive ophthalmic nursing and cataract surgery of the highest possible standard.

The awards were announced at the

they continued to work under great duress and great restrictions to both their daily and working lives,’ said Jackie.

‘The fact they cannot be here to receive the award is indicative of the duress and restrictions that they face.’

The recipients will each receive a certificate, an engraved glass bowl and a cheque for $3,000.

‘They were given the award because they continued to work under great duress and great restrictions to both their daily and working lives.

The fact they cannot be here to receive the award is indicative of the duress and restrictions that they face.’

2006 Globalisation of Nursing: ethical, legal and political conference, held in England during July.

The nurses – Hanan Zaalan, Fouad Najjar, Ghazi El Baba, Mohamed Barakat and Abdallah El Baba – were unable to travel to the conference as planned.

The award was received on their behalf by Jackie Jaidy of the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, of which the Gazabased clinic is an outpost.

‘They were given the award because

The five nurses were congratulated on their determination to continue to provide nursing care to the population of Gaza, despite difficulties in sourcing equipment, and in some cases even getting into work.

Dr Verena Tschudin, Director of the International Centre for Nursing Ethics, said: ‘Nursing is more than just a job; it is also a moral endeavour. Therefore, morality and ethics are a large part of any nursing role and should be recognised as such.’ n THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 13

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N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

Private funding for Orange hospital he State government will use a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for the $160 million redevelopment of Orange Base Hospital.

However, construction is unlikely to start for at least a year.

A spokesperson for the Minister for Health was reported as saying the process of selecting a private partner and finalising contracts would take about 12 months.

The project will deliver 175 general acute hospital beds, 156 mental health beds and a range of ambulatory, community health and other services.

Meanwhile, the State Opposition has called for a PPP to fast track the redevelopment of Lismore Base Hospital.

Under a typical PPP, a public service is financed, designed, built and maintained by a private consortium over an agreed period in return for State government rent.

General Secretary of the NSWNA, Brett Holmes, said the union is opposed to any type of PPP that transfers traditional public sector jobs to private employment.

The minister’s spokesperson confirmed that ‘management of clinical services’ at Orange Base would remain with NSW Health.

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JOBS BOOM

TO CARE

FOR AGEING he demands of an ageing population for health services have been highlighted by the latest job numbers.

Three in every four new jobs created in the six months to May were in health and community care, according to the Bureau of Statistics.

The bureau said 62,000 jobs were created in health and community care, or 72% of all new jobs. Of those, 81% were taken by women.

The director of workforce development at NSW Health, Deborah Hyland, told the Sydney Morning Herald that providers were struggling to keep pace with the growing demands of old people.

She said NSW health employed about 800 nurses in the past 10 months, many from overseas, ‘but we’ve still got significant shortages’.

Ms Hyland said people over 65 required four times as much health care as the under-65s.

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14 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

Major PPP projects already underway in the NSW health sector include the Newcastle Mater Hospital redevelopment and Long Bay Forensic Hospital.

Under a typical PPP, a public service is financed, designed, built and maintained by a private consortium over an agreed period in return for State government rent.

Brett Holmes said that in both cases, the State government has agreed that all nurses will be employed by NSW Health.

Smaller PPP projects include Newcastle Community Health Centre, a private residential aged care facility on the Sutherland Hospital campus, a specialist medical centre at Singleton Hospital and a car park at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. n

Nurses walk the talk for cancer research rivate and public hospital members teamed up for a 24-hour walk-a-thon to raise funds for the Cancer Council.

Nurses from the Hills Private Hospital and the Oncology Department of Westmead Hospital participated in the Cancer Council’s Relay for Life held at the Castle Hill showground on 20-21 May. n

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Walking the fight against cancer: (from left) Meg Hughes, Linda Jennings, Ione Griffiths, Louise Finocchiaro, Nicky Paterson, and Merrilyn Hedges.

Tax guide for nurses g Make sure you get the tax return you’re entitled to

I

t’s tax time and nurses need to ensure they claim all their deductions and entitlements for the 2005/2006 financial year.

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has released a tax guide for nurses. While the document contains few surprises, it’s worth a careful read.

The tax guide should be used in combination with Tax Pack 2006, available at no charge in newsagents and post offices.

Tax Pack 2006 deals with income; the nurses’ tax guide deals with allowances, reimbursements and reportable fringe benefits.

The nurses’ tax guide includes the following information:

Allowances Nurses may be able to claim a deduction on allowances, from motor vehicles to uniforms.

Uniforms Nurses may be able to claim deductions for items of clothing that are an essential part of a compulsory uniform. If these deductions are claimable, then laundry costs are also claimable.

Self-education Nurses may be able to claim deductions where there is a direct connection between self-education and work activities at the time expenses were incurred.

Other expenses Nurses may be able to claim deductions for: c renewing annual practising certificates c equipment costing $300 or less c decline in value on some equipment c home office costs c technical and professional publications.

NSWNA fees are tax deductible.

You can find the nurses’ tax guide at www.ato.gov.au n

Free Stress Management booklet

A

new stress management booklet has been provided to every NSWNA member free-of-charge with this edition of The Lamp.

Stress Management for Nurses is packed with useful, easy-to-read advice – and because it’s written by nurses, for nurses, the booklet is relevant to everyday situations faced by NSWNA members.

Three Mental Health CNCs – Scott Brunero, Darrin Cowan and Alan Grochulski – wrote the booklet, along with NSWNA Professional Officer Angela Garvey.

The booklet is a collaborative initiative of NSW Health and the NSWNA. Funding was allocated to the NSWNA

by NSW Health via the Mental Health Nursing Group, which is Chaired by Professor Beverley Raphael, formerly Director of the Centre for Mental Health.

The booklet is based on extensive research, consultation and focus groups undertaken by the NSWNA in collaboration with a Steering Group.

‘There is no shame in acknowledging that, at times, the demands placed on us at work can become overwhelming,’ says the introduction to Stress Management for Nurses.

‘At those times, the best thing we can do – for ourselves, our families and our patients – is to take care of ourselves and seek help if we need it.’

The booklet covers: c How to spot stress c OHS laws and regulations c Coping strategies c Relaxation techniques c 10 tips for nurses c Useful contacts, and c Recommended reading.

Congratulations to all the team who worked on the booklet for a job well done. n

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cation progr u d e a am swn

WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH s Legal & Professional Issues for Nurses 8 September, Coffs Harbour, 1/2 day Seminar is suitable for all nurses.

Topics covered include the Nurses and Midwives Act 1991, potential liability, documentation, role of disciplinary tribunals including the NMB, writing statements.

Members $39.50 Non members $85.00 Branch officials $28.00

s Basic Foot Care for RNs & ENs 21-22 September, Sutherland, 2 days A VETAB-accredited course that aims to provide nurses with the competence to provide basic foot care.

Members $203.00 Non members $350.00 Branch officials $175.00

s Aged Care Nurses’ Forums 1 September, Coffs Harbour, 1/2 day 15 September, Wagga Wagga, 1/2 day 6 October, Wollongong, 1/2 day The changing role and function of RNs in aged care, medication administration, WorkChoices.

Members $30.00 Non members $50.00 Branch officials $28.00

s Registered Nurses as Advanced Practitioners in Aged Care 22 September, 20 October, 10 November, 15 December, 4 days A 4-day workshop specifically designed to meet the needs of RNs working in aged care.

Members $320.00 Non members $480.00 Branch officials $240.00 For registration and more information: go to www.nswnurses.asn.au orTHE ring Carolyn Kulling on LAMP AUGUST 2006 15 1300 367 962.

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

Nurses will not be sidelined g Irate NSWNA members are determined to fight the decision by the NSCCAHS to reduce the role of nurses in hospital management

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embers in hospitals across the North Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service (NSCCAHS) are waging a determined campaign to force the AHS to revise its plan to eliminate nurses at the executive level in the structure.

Incensed members across the NSCCAHS are engaging in action to protest the deletion of divisional nurse managers in favour of generic managers who would have control over operational matters, including budgets, in public hospitals.

According to NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes, this is totally unacceptable to the NSWNA and members. ‘Nurses need to report to a senior nursing manager, which means they are dealing with a person who, as a nurse, has a better understanding of their issues and needs.’

Determined community campaign Members at Manly, Wyong, Gosford, Ryde, Hornsby, Long Jetty and Mona Vale Hospitals and the Northern Sydney Home Nursing Service have overwhelming voted to endorse ongoing action to fight the decision to delete the senior nurse manager positions.

The action rolled out at Royal North Shore Hospital with a stop-work meeting and public rally on 23 May. Despite the widespread community support and media coverage of the rally, the NSCCAH failed to respond to demands by the NSWNA and the RNSH branch for discussion about the position of senior nurses managers in the restructure plan.

To help NSCCAHS CEO, Dr Stephen Christley, understand the strength of feeling among nurses, members have bombarded the AHS office with a deluge

Members of the RNSH branch (from left) Emma Smith RN, Aimee Marsh RN , Murray Ware RN and Alison Mayhew NUM

16 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

of protest faxes demanding explanation about why operational control was to be removed from nurse managers and why the AHS continues to devalue the nursing profession.

First up, the AHS office was swamped in a mountain of faxes after two days of feverish activity by irate members of the RHSH branch.

This was followed by relentless bouts of faxing by members at Hornsby, Ryde, Manly, Long Jetty, Wyong and Mona Vale Hospitals, which saw the mountains of paper overflowing out to the edges of the AHS office for most of July.

We reject arrogant plan to sideline nurses The offending NSCCAHS proposal would see the deletion of 10 senior nurse manager positions, with the remaining nurse managers graded at a lesser grade and burdened with multiple roles and responsibilities.

‘The nurses would still be responsible for patient flow and bed occupancy in the hospital. However, they would now only have an advisory role on the funding required to pay for the services and nurses required to safely staff those beds.This has huge implications for workload management NSWNA General Secretary, Brett Holmes and safe patient care across the AHS.’ The proposal would reduce the role of nurse managers while generic managers and doctors would be given all the power to control operational matters, including budgets, in the operating theatres and wards. Nurse managers and nurse unit managers would report directly to the generic manager in each hospital division.

‘The nurses would still be responsible for patient flow and bed occupancy in the hospital. However, they would now only have an advisory role on the funding required to pay for the services and nurses required to safely staff those beds,’ said Brett.

‘This has huge implications for workload management and safe patient care across the AHS,’ he said.

We need nurses managing nurses ‘This is totally unacceptable to the NSWNA and members.

‘This has negative implications for nursing practice and the nursing career structure in the AHS. It will significantly undermine nursing as an attractive career option and, given that we are still suffering a serious nurse shortage in this State, that is the last thing we can afford to do,’ he said.

NSCCAHS rethink exposed as more blunder On 20 July it looked like the NSCCAHS finally grasped the importance of reinstating the divisional nurse manager positions when the AHS office emailed the Association an updated list of positions and responsibilities in the structure plan, with reinstatement of the Divisional Nurse Manager positions with operational responsibility.

But relief was shortlived ... by the next day the NSCCAHS was backtracking, admitting the revised list was ‘an error’.

On 21 July, NSCCAHS HR Director Craig Landrigan wrote:

‘I can (sic) have looked at the conflict between the Operational Responsibilities … and can confirm my verbal advice that there is an error … Nurse Manager (sic) and NUMs should be listed under professional responsibilities not operational responsibilities.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this transcription error this (sic) may have caused.’

The fight continues At the time of printing, the NSCCAHS had failed to respond to the demands of the NSWNA and members for the reinstatement of the divisional nurse manager positions.

This is just the beginning, said Brett Holmes. ‘The Association and members will continue the fight to see nurses appropriately represented in the NSCCAHS structure.’ n

‘I REFUSE TO BE A FIGUREHEAD’ ane Etchells, former Divisional Nurse Manager at Royal North Shore Hospital, opted to take up a voluntary redundancy rather then accept a downgraded nursing role with no operational control.

Jane was one of 10 senior nurse managers whose position would be deleted in the proposed NSCCAHS restructure plan and replaced by a generic manager, who was not necessarily a nurse.

‘There was no way I was going to be a figurehead with no operational authority. All nurses down the line would have been affected by this decision.

‘I was managing 50 nursing positions and providing operational and clinical leadership and support to the nurses. A generic manager doesn’t understand nurses’ roles and the operational needs of the facility and would not be providing the necessary clinical leadership,’ said Jane.

‘It is very important to the nursing professional and to patient outcomes that we have nurse representation and influence at the executive level in the AHS structure.

‘You just have to look at the UK and NZ

J

experiences where health service management tried to replace nurse managers with generic managers. Studies of these experiences reveal that patient outcomes were reduced as a result.

‘Nurses at the bedside are also feeling that if a senior nurse manager can be sidelined in this way, what’s going to happen to them,’ she said.

‘The RNSH branch has put forward a very strong case to the AHS to put the Divisional Nurse Manager positions back in the NSCCAHS structure.’

Jane received a letter on 29 June 2006 advising that three Divisional Nurse Manager positions at RNSH – including her position – were going to be deleted.

‘Later that day I received a phone call saying we were being offered a voluntary redundancy.

The offer was valid until the end of the financial year – that was the next day!’ said Jane.

Jane Etchells

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 17

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

WHY NSWNA International studies reveal

Patients worse off THE NSCCAHS with downgraded RESTRUCTURE PLAN nurse leaders

REJECTS THE OFFENDING RESTRUCTURE PLAN: c abolishes senior nurse positions c offers redundancies to senior nurses deemed to be no longer required c splits the operational and professional elements in the job c hands the substantive role of managing budgets to a generic manager, who may not be a nurse c increases responsibility for NUMs and at the same time reduces their support c downgrades positions, which will cut the pay of nurse managers.

However, senior nurses were still expected to manage vital issues such as: c patient flow c bed occupancy c skill mix.

But with no direct say over the funds needed for extra staff and beds.

g Reducing the role of nurse managers increases nurse workloads and reduces patient outcomes, according to international studies.

R

estructuring the health system and reducing the role of nurse managers increases nurse workloads and reduces patient outcomes, according to international studies conducted after an overhaul of the heath care systems in New Zealand (McCloskey et al, 2005)1, Canada, United States, England, Scotland and Germany (Aiken et al, 2001).

In 1993, the New Zealand (NZ) government implemented a restructure of its health system, which aimed to make the system more efficient, cost effective and improve patient outcomes.

Like the situation currently being attempted by some AHSs in NSW, the NZ restructure saw nurse managers replaced with non-nurse business managers, who were handed control over nursing budgets.

Hospital nursing staff were reduced across the structure and nursing leadership structures were dismantled.

Another similarity was that little consultation occurred with the nurses and health professionals working in the NZ health system before the restructure was implemented.

The fall out was that within three years health care costs had increased by 40% and waiting lists for surgery had grown.

The business managers were placed under enormous pressure to meet unattainable financial targets and many quit their positions within three years of the restructure’s commencement.

McCloskey’s study reveals that the NZ restructure with the deletion of nurse leaders increased nurse workloads down the line.

The study also adds to a body of evidence concerning the relationship between nurse workloads and increases in adverse patient outcomes. It concludes: ‘Lower staffing levels caused by reengineering and the associated increased nursing workload can lead to hurried, delayed, omitted, fragmented or erroneous care.’

Another major international study2 looks at the effects of reengineering of the health care systems in five countries – Canada, United States, England, Scotland and Germany. Based

‘Lower staffing levels caused by reengineering and the associated increased nursing workload can lead to hurried, delayed, omitted, fragmented or erroneous care.’ on surveys of 43,329 nurses from 71 hospitals, the study shows a high level of dissatisaction among nurses and increased nurse workloads when budgetary and operational responsibility is placed in the hands of administrators.

The study provides further proof of the direct correlation between the ratio of nurses to patients’ health outcomes. n 1

McCloskey B and Diers D. ‘Effects of New Zealand’s health reengineering on nursing and patient outcomes’, Medical Care (Vol. 43, Number11, Nov 2005) 2

Aiken LH, Clarke S, Sloane D. ‘Nurses’ reports on hospital care in five countries’, Health Affairs 2001 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 19

s

AGENDA

Less healthy and less safe g Experts agree the federal government’s IR changes will lead to less safe and less healthy workplaces

STOP PRESS NSW REFUSES RACE TO BOTTOM ON OHS As The Lamp goes to press, the NSW government has suspended negotiations with the federal government about national OHS laws.

NSW Minister for Industrial Relations John Della Bosca said the Commonwealth had reneged on an agreement with the states, unilaterally dumping a set of principles that had been the basis of talks on harmonisation. One of these principles outlines a tripartite approach between government, unions and employers, while a second assured that existing conditions would not be reduced.

‘Lives are at stake and families need to be protected in the workplace,’ he said.

‘We must have a degree of consensus and a balanced approach before any changes are made to NSW laws.’

20 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

RED ALERT ON

J

ohn Howard’s new IR laws are not only likely to make us poorer and less secure, they could make us sicker, too.

Professor Michael Quinlan, a professor in the School of Organisation and Management at the University of NSW, believes there is clear evidence the shift to greater job insecurity resulting from the new laws will lead to a further deterioration in workplace health and safety.

‘Historically, award provisions on minimum wages, maximum hours, rest breaks, call back times and a host of other matters set a floor for working conditions that were critical to the protection of worker health, safety and wellbeing,’ he said.

‘OHS laws rested on this foundation and this foundation has now been severely undermined.’

A major fear held by OHS experts is the increase in employer power and the restrictions on union activity that underpin the new IR laws will undermine the spirit of cooperation which is central to healthy workplaces.

Professor Quinlan believes the greatly reduced role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission will impact on health and safety.

‘It will be harder for unions to run OHS cases regarding changed work systems – such as staffing levels or safe and reasonable workloads for nurses,’ he said.

If Howard has his way the onus will fall on workers A legal case in Victoria involving the country’s largest child care operator, ABC Learning, gives a pointer as to how some employers are aiming to transfer the full responsibility for workplace safety on to their employees.

ABC was fined $200 after a child scaled a fence at one of its centres in Melbourne. The company argued it wasn’t to blame and that total responsibility rested with the employees on duty at the time.

‘If this had gone through saying the provider is not responsible, well then you have to ask, who is? – and staff need to be protected against things going wrong over which they have no control,’ Lynne Wannan from the Children’s Services Association told the 7.30 Report.

WORKPLACE HEALTH & SAFETY How the federal IR laws could make our workplaces less healthy: c Understaffing and work intensification will adversely impact on health c Employees will be afraid to refuse work or take sick leave for fear of losing their job or put in a workers’ compensation claim c It will be impossible for unions to run test cases relating to OHS c Victimisation will inhibit reporting of safety problems c Injured workers will be at greater risk of unfair dismissal c Risks will extend to the community eg. to patients through errors in healthcare.

federal system still have it within their power to contribute to a safe workplace.

‘There are still other channels to organise for safety – through your union branch, your OHS representative and OHS committee and your workloads committee. And, most important, just

‘There are still other channels to organise for safety – through your union branch, your OHS representative and OHS committee and your workloads committee. And most important, just by being aware and vigilant.’

Professor Michael Quinlan

‘There is substantial evidence unions play positive roles in relation to OHS. Unions provide the critical logistical support for employee health and safety representatives, who are mostly confined to union workplaces,’ said Professor Quinlan.

Professor Quinlan also identifies the ‘fear factor’ in workplaces with unfettered employer control as an emerging problem.

‘Most OHS inspectors already see worker fear of victimisation as a serious inhibitor on problem reporting.’

The Howard government’s new IR laws, while providing space for action over OHS issues still, to some extent appear to codify this shift in responsibility.

‘The Workplace Relations Act retains exemption for stop work over imminent OHS risk but the onus is now on the union or employees to prove these concerns were reasonable,’ said Professor Quinlan.

Safety is everybody’s business NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said that no matter what vicious laws the federal government concocts, employees now covered by the

by being aware and vigilant,’ she said.

‘Employees have a responsibility to report risks to the employer and they have obligations to comply with health and safety regulations. And employers need to cooperate with employees to make the workplace safe. Consultation is part of the law.

‘We hold real fears the federal government’s IR changes will do a lot of damage to people’s health and safety at work. The trends, for some time, have been towards less workplace injuries because of the stringent laws, particularly in NSW. We don’t want those trends reversed because of reduced standards.’ n THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 21

s

AGENDA

NSW still strong on OHS g NSW OHS laws provide a strong framework to protect workers against the federal government’s attacks on workplace rights

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SW has much to be proud of in occupational health and safety. The state’s laws are the strongest in Australia and the statistics are impressive: the trend in injuries and fatalities has been relentlessly downward over a long period of time. The fatality rate in 2005 was the lowest in 18 years.

At the heart of this success is a simple concept: there are mutual benefits for employers and employees in a safe and healthy workplace.

NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said this isn’t rocket science.

‘It’s obvious that employers save on costs as injuries are prevented, often with the spin-off being greater efficiencies in the workplace. And employees are spared the human costs of injury or sickness,’ she said.

‘A workplace that is safer for staff is also safer for patients. Many facilities have found that when they embraced manual handling equipment, it also led to less injuries to patients such as skin tears and bruising.’

Consultation is a key right NSW laws are very stringent about the employer’s obligation to consult. The OHS Act 2000 makes it mandatory for employers to consult with employees on OHS matters, with fines of up to $82,500 for failing to do so.

The OHS Act allows for three key vehicles for consultation – OHS committees, OHS representatives and other agreed arrangements.

There is an extensive range of circumstances when employers must consult with employees including when

There are other OHS rights enshrined in NSW law such the legal right to a safe workplace, the power to conduct OHS inspections available to your union and access to WorkCover’s powers to enforce compliance.

there are proposed changes to premises and systems of work.

There are other OHS rights enshrined in NSW law such the legal right to a safe workplace, the power to conduct OHS inspections available to your union and access to WorkCover’s powers to enforce compliance.

State Liberals say they will undercut protections While the current OHS laws give good protection in the workplace they will be up for grabs with a change of goverment in NSW. The federal government has initiated a race to the bottom on OHS with a project to ‘harmonise’ OHS legislation nationally.

Liberal’s leader Peter Debnam was quoted in The Australian (15 May 2006) as saying that a ‘Coalition government in NSW would freeze all workplace safety cases before the state’s industrial court.’

He also said that with a Liberal government unions would lose their rights to prosecute under OHS legislation. n

Foot Care Nurses 5 reasons why you should be a member of the Foot and Hand Carers Association: • Greatly reduced Insurance Premiums • Huge savings on medical supplies and equipment • Ongoing Association support for Basic Foot Care • Provides credibility, networking and private employment opportunities • Free monthly newsletters, containing videos and industry updates.

See us online at www.footandhandcarers.com Phone (03) 5152 6585

Foot and Hand_thirdpg.indd 22 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 1

24/7/06 2:00:37 PM

‘SAFETY IS THE

PARAMOUNT

WORKPLACE ISSUE’

Kerry Rodgers

or the OHS committee at Nepean Hospital, safety is the paramount workplace issue.

‘Through good organisation and cooperation we’ve achieved some good results that are a win–win for employees and management,’ said Kerry Rodgers.

‘The OHS committee has 18 employee reps and two employer reps – the DON and the support services manager. We meet monthly and every ward and department has a representative. There is a good consultation process with management.

‘As nurses, we realise we need to be organised to achieve things. And if we are not organised it could easily slip away.’

Management learnt from the feedback of the OHS committee, and in one case it led to an investment of $6.2 million on a new emergency department.

‘The old one was too small, overcrowded, out-of-date and unsafe. When we got the win we felt empowered and strong,’ said Kerry.

‘We got another good win after the OHS committee did some research about nurses hurting their backs. This led to an agreement that no new beds would be purchased unless they were electric. No more pump beds. All 18 of us on the OHS committee danced in the corridors after that.’

F

STRENGTHS OF THREATS ON THE NSW OHS SYSTEM THE HORIZON c Strong legal obligation on employers to consult c Legal right to a safe workplace

c Federal government’s plan to ‘harmonise’ OHS nationally – effectively a race to the bottom

c Unions have powers to conduct inspections and to prosecute

c Peter Debnam’s commitment to water down protections

c Access to WorkCover’s powers

c Weak resolve of state government in the face of federal pressure.

c Worker participation in safety through OHS committees and representatives.

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 23

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INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR II SE SF U E S

Network strengthens Moran nurses g Confronted with an aggressive stance by their employer since the introduction of the federal government’s IR laws, Moran Health Care nurses have established a network to build strength and improve communications.

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urses working for Moran Health Care throughout NSW have formed a network linking up NSWNA branches to improve communications among union members working for the company.

General Secretary Brett Holmes says the Association has sponsored the network as part of the NSWNA’s commitment to the aged care sector and to nurses working in it.

‘Moran has decided to take an aggressive stance against the NSWNA as we’ve previously reported in The Lamp.

‘They’ve tried to make it difficult since the beginning of the legislation and they’ve engaged a law firm known for giving seminars on how to sack people,’ he said.

‘We have set up this network so you know you are not alone and so you can share experiences and ideas with nurses working for Moran in other facilities,’ he told a gathering of Moran nurses.

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes at a meeting with nurses from Moran Health Care

Inconsistency across the company At the meeting, a consistent theme in discussion was the unevenness of standards and conditions across the company’s facilities.

considerable challenges lie ahead for nurses working there.

‘We’ve heard stories of one RN looking after 160 residents. It is an enormous burden,’ he said.

‘But employers don’t have all the

‘We have set up this network so you know you are not alone and so you can share experiences and ideas with nurses working for Moran in other facilities.’

Fran Hamill, an RN from Glenmere Nursing Home, said she was surprised by the number of issues that existed in other Moran facilities.

‘We seem to be better off than other facilities. But aged care is a hard industry, no matter who you work for,’ she said.

Brett Holmes believes it is a time of flux in the aged care sector and that

power. They need a workforce. They need skills. There are inspectors for accreditation they must satisfy. There is sensitivity in the community about aged care,’ he said.

‘It will be tough. But we’ll continue to fight and we’ll do so by every avenue open to us. This network across Moran facilities is a first and can be extended to other aged care providers.’ n

JOIN WITH OTHER MORAN NURSES If you work for Moran Health Care and want to be kept in the loop about the company and your rights at work, contact Melissa Byrne (mbyrne@nswnurses.asn.au) or Nola Scilinato (nscilinato@nswnurses.asn.au) or call the NSWNA on 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (non-metro).

24 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

AGED CARE in the age of WORKCHOICES A meeting of the newly-formed Sydney Private Hospital branch

BELIEF IN THE UNION I see the need to fight collectively to protect our award. With the new IR laws I want to be ready.

I’m mindful there will be a lot of changes. I’m not sure how it will impact but it will.

Helen Wilkins, Glenmere Nursing Home.

First a branch, then a pay increase at Sydney Private g Nurses at Sydney Private Hospital have found that organising a union branch can lead to pay benefits for all.

BELIEF IN THE PROFESSION I want to give a fair go to those people who are elderly and have paid their dues to society. They deserve to be cared for extremely well. But these laws will see standards drop in aged care.

Carol Van’t Riet, Murwillumbah Nursing Home.

E

arly this year management at Sydney Private Hospital offered some of its nurses a 5% pay increase, and for those who were prepared to sacrifice their penalty rates, a 10% increase.

Jane Howard says for many nurses at the hospital there was an important catch.

‘Some of us stood back because it meant signing an individual agreement and we wanted a collective agreement.

We wanted a pay increase but we wanted it across the board,’ she said.

Jane and other union members in the hospital decided to form a branch of the NSWNA. ‘A group of us asked for the pay increase at the same time and we all got it. Then we asked for a collective agreement. At that point the owner, Dr Katz, stepped in and gave us a 4% pay increase on top of the 5%,’ she said.

For those nurses who had not received a 5% increase earlier in the year there was to be a 9% increase.

Management also did an about face and offered to return penalty rates to those who had earlier sacrificed them.

The offer brings Sydney Private Hospital nurses in line with each other, and 1% behind the Public Hospital rates of pay.

Jane Howard

‘I’m sure that the branch played a role in getting the pay increase,’ Jane said.

Jane says this win has created a lot more interest in the union.

‘A lot of young people are beginning to show interest – not just in the union but in the whole IR situation. There is a lot more talk in the tea room about this sort of stuff.’ n

HOLROYD AND LONGUEVILLE DESERVE A PAY RISE, TOO NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said the pay increase at Sydney Private is great but she believes it should also be extended to Holroyd and Longueville Hospitals which are in the same ownership.

‘They deserve this pay increase, too, as they do the same work,’ she said.

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 25

IR SHORTS

NSW DEFIES CANBERRA AND GIVES LOW PAID A $20 PAY RISE

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he NSW Industrial Relations Commission has delivered a $20 pay rise to 500,000 low-paid workers employed under NSW awards.

Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson welcomed the decision, but warned that if the NSW Liberals win power at the next state election, it would be the last case of its kind.

’Already we have seen the so-called Fair Pay Commission ruling an effective 18-month pay freeze for workers employed under the federal system – a fate that awaits NSW workers as well.’ ’NSW Opposition leader Peter Debnam has signalled he will hand over the NSW award system to Canberra, where the unfair WorkChoices laws will determine wages into the future. ’Already we have seen the so-called Fair Pay Commission ruling an effective 18-month pay freeze for workers

Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson 26 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

COBB GOES MISSING RATHER THAN FRONT NURSES

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ederal Member for Parkes, John Cobb, is under fire from local aged care nurses for failing to answer their questions on the new federal industrial relations laws.

Five straightforward scenarios were put to Mr Cobb by a group of Parkes nurses, previously employed at the Niola Nursing Home, during a meeting in his Parkes office on 28 June.

The nurses were made redundant on 14 June after the nursing home, using the new federal industrial relations laws, told them they must take a pay cut or lose their job.

Cobb has been asked to outline his position on the consequences for his constituents of the laws passed by his government.

As The Lamp went to print Cobb had failed to reply.

employed under the federal system – a fate that awaits NSW workers as well.’

The NSW Minister for Industrial Relations, John Della Bosca, also supported the NSW IRC decision.

‘Given the recent interest rate rise and spiralling fuel costs, this extra money will help take some of the pressure off these workers and their families,’ he said.

WORKCHOICES ENDANGERS ECONOMY AND INTEREST RATES, SAYS ECONOMIC FORECASTER

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ccording to BIS Shrapnel’s Economic Outlook bulletin, the federal government’s failure to invest in skills training and public infrastructure will impact on the future growth of the Australian economy and could lead to future interest rate raises.

The report is also critical of the Howard Government’s new industrial relations laws saying they will do nothing to assist Australia’s economic growth. It suggests that all the new laws will do is increase business profits at the expense of employees’ wages and living standards.

‘The policy problem for the Australian Government is that, to improve growth, the economy needs measures that improve labour productivity and increase the pool of skilled labour,’ said BIS Shrapnel senior economist Mathew Hassan.

‘The federal government’s latest WorkChoices legislation will do little to

John Cobb

improve either and is deflecting the debate away from how to grow the pie bigger, to how best to cut it up.

$1.67 AN HOUR IS ENOUGH FOR A SOLO MUM, SAYS KEVIN ANDREWS

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he federal government has introduced guidelines for pay considered ‘financially suitable’ for sole parents moving off welfare. Single parents are now forced to look for work when their youngest child reaches 6, for at least 15 hours per week, even if it only nets them an extra $25.

This slave wage is recommended in guidelines released by Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews. If the parent refuses work she will lose her payments for eight weeks.

NATS LEADER TELLS US SOMETHING WE ALREADY KNOW

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SW Nationals leader Andrew Stoner has called his colleague Kevin Andrews a d..khead over the federal government’s industrial relations changes.

The Nats leader said if Andrews was putting productivity ahead of fairness he was ‘a d..khead,’ the Daily Telegraph reported.

Stoner also revealed he did not know the federal government had abolished the no-disadvantage test for AWAs and that he had ‘a problem’ with the move. n

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NU E R WSSE SI N I N BARCITEI FO N

Nurse power turns the tide at Gosford g A Your Rights at Work committee at Gosford hospital is set to make a difference at the next federal election

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Your Rights at Work committee has been established at Gosford Hospital. With over 1,500 NSWNA members on the Central Coast, this gives nurses clout in two marginal federal electorates – Dobell and Robertson.

In the space of three months, Gayle Hartley, a CNC at Gosford Hospital,

has seen her local Your Rights at Work committee blossom from being a good idea to being an organised local force against the federal government’s IR changes.

‘We want to roll back these IR laws because of the impact they’ll have on nurses, our families and the community.’

Gayle Hartley (right)

‘Recently we held a BBQ at Gosford Hospital where we had over 350 people, with HSU and NSWNA members cooking and handing out information. We made it into a fundraiser for charity and made $330 for the gerontology ward at Gosford Hospital,’ she said.

Gayle says the Your Rights at Work committee was formed at Gosford after

some union members, alarmed by the federal government’s IR changes, did an activist training course run by the ACTU and Unions NSW. ‘We want to roll back these IR laws because of the impact they’ll have on nurses, our families and the community,’ she said.

‘Our purpose is to get information out so people can make an informed decision about the changes.

‘We have an IR Day every Wednesday when we encourage people to wear Your Rights at Work t-shirts, armbands or badges, and we set up in the cafeteria with all our written material and talk to people about the issue,’ she said.

Gayle says that having established a base, the committee has ambitious plans to get the message out even wider to other hospitals and satellite health services on the central coast.

‘It’s hard for them to come and see us so we’ll go and see them,’ she said. n

JOIN THE YOUR RIGHTS AT WORK CAMPAIGN If you live on the Central Coast and you want to get involved in Your Rights at Work campaign visit www.centralcoastrightsatwork.com.au If you live in other areas and you want to get involved in the campaign contact Rita Martin at the NSWNA on (02) 8595 1234.

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 27

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NU E R WSSE SI N I N BARCITEI FO N

NSWNA roadshow visits Mid-North Coast and New England

g NSWNA regional tour continues to meet members and hear local issues affecting nurses

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n July, the NSWNA travelled through the Mid-North Coast and New England regions of NSW, visiting members at 35 facilities, including nursing homes, and public and private hospitals.

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes said, ‘The NSWNA roadshow is like a mobile office, providing nurses with literature, advice and an opportunity to talk in person with Association officials.’

The tour of the Mid-North Coast and New England region was planned in conjunction with the Unions NSW ‘Your Rights at Work’ orange bus tour.

NSWNA officials and local nurses attended community meetings in the evening to discuss the impact of the federal government’s industrial relations legislation on the community and to encourage people to participate at a local level in a campaign to introduce fair workplace laws for Australia.

At each community meeting, Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson gave an outline of the legislation and gave people in the area an opportunity to share their stories about how the workplace laws had already affected their job security, pay and conditions.

Members said they are fearful about the potential impact of the IR changes on nurses and their families.

Members said they are fearful about the potential impact of the IR changes on nurses and their families.

Nurses in Inverell are feeling extremely vulnerable as many of them have husbands, partners and children working in the local meat industry who are waiting to find out whether they would be able to negotiate a union collective agreement or be forced

to sign AWAs (individual contracts) that would most likely reduce their take-home pay.

You can get involved Members, family and friends can get involved in the community campaign to protect your rights at work. The local groups are a combination of community members, church and union representatives. All are concerned people committed to campaigning against the federal government’s industrial relations laws.

Go to our website www.nswnurses. asn.au and go to the ‘Your Rights at Work’ section to download a copy of the NSWNA leaflet ‘What you can do to protect your rights at work’. This publication outlines a few ideas about what you and your colleagues can do to contribute to the campaign and lists dates, times and locations for your community group.

WE NEED TO OPEN OUR EYES ABOUT WORKCHOICES

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ennifer Harrington, EN at Glen Innes District Hospital, attended the Unions NSW community meeting about the federal government’s industrial relations legislation because

28 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

she was ‘concerned about the damaging effects of the laws, particularly, AWAs.’ She said, ‘At the meeting I learnt there was a lot going on in our community that I didn’t know about – like people losing jobs and people being forced to sign AWAs.’ Jennifer believes nurses currently protected under the State Awards might be complacent about the new laws. Hearing details about the legislation ‘opened her eyes’ about the importance of Premier Iemma’s decision to protect public hospital nurses.

She said, ‘If nurses, and other NSW public employees

currently protected by the NSW State Government, don’t re-elect the ALP in the next state election then we will be handed over to the federal system and there goes our awards, penalties and everything we’ve worked for.

‘I am committing to the campaign by attending the regular ‘Your Rights at Work’ community meetings. I’ve spoken to non members every day this week at work about the legislation and the importance them of joining the union. I have been talking to members about converting their NSWNA membership fee payment to direct debit and have made a point of converting to direct debit myself.’ n

Jennifer Harrington with Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson

The Mid-North Coast community gathered for a local Your Rights at Work meeting

TWEED NURSES VOICE THEIR PROTEST Nurses from Tweed Heads Hospital voiced their opposition to the new IR laws at a protest rally in March at Tweed Heads.

Tweed Branch members were joined by around 1,000 local workers and members of the community at the rally.

THETHE LAMP LAMP AUGUST JULY 2006 29

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N EE RWV SI C IENS TB O S R IM E FE M B E R S

Online membership at your fingertips g Joining the NSWNA and paying your union fees is easy, thanks to a new online service on the NSWNA website

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he NSWNA recently launched a new online service on the NSWNA website that enables members to pay their union fees and for non-members to join the union – all with the click of a mouse in the comfort of your own home or anywhere else you like to hang out with computer and internet access.

NSWNA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, launched the new online application and payment service on the Association’s website at the 2006 Annual Conference.

The Association website is continuously improving so that you can do business with your union 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,’ he said. ‘The ability to join the union online will improve the Association’s recruitment capacity, and paying membership fees online is a convenient and easy way to keep your membership active.’

The new tool is just one in a suite of materials, information and resources available to members on the web.

Brett said, ‘Through our website, the Association is keeping members informed about campaigns, nursing and professional issues, news and education.

Members can use our website to check dates for training, download resource materials such as OHS information and even participate in online action through our email protest.’

30 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

The NSWNA has improved features on its website to ensure that potential members, at home or at work, on any shift at any time of day, can join the Association.

Join online – growing our membership The federal government, through its industrial relations changes, is making it increasingly harder for unions to access, organise and recruit potential members, particularly in the private sector.

The NSWNA has improved features on its website to ensure that potential members, at home or at work, on any shift at any time of day, can join the

Association – assisting in the campaign for nurses’ rights at work to protect fair pay and conditions.

‘In these times, the NSWNA needs to maintain our membership and continue to grow. There will be attacks on our membership. To defeat this legislation we need to make sure we are building our union across the aged care, private and public sectors so that the Association remains strong,’ said Brett. n

nurses’ rights CAMPAIGNING ONLINE FOR NURSES’ RIGHTS Samantha Faithfull

THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION With the click of a button, members can read the latest in nursing news – local, national and worldwide.

The website is a useful tool for activists to use to keep members up-to-date about issues concerning nurses and the health sector.

Media releases, policy and guidelines help branch representatives stay informed on issues affecting nurses. Members can download information to distribute at a branch level, such as information about how to address excessive workloads.

Members can use the website to keep informed about up and coming events, meetings and professional issues, education and training opportunities.

The website features quick and convenient access to union services and benefits such as Seek job search and Members’ Equity bank.

Another new element of the website that will increase the Association’s campaigning capacity is the ability to sign an online email protest and download information and resources about the campaign against the federal government’s industrial relations changes and how nurses can get involved in the community campaign for fair workplace laws.

WEBSITE CONVENIENT AND EASY TO USE Tina Zarkos

The current email protest is in support of Anne Woodward, a nurse unit manager at the Australian Defence Force’s Kapooka Health Centre, who was sacked for voicing her concerns about life-threatening delays.

Nurses and members of the public can send a protest email to RED Alliance, Anne’s employer, and the Australian Defence Force and tell them to give Anne her job back.

Samantha Faithfull, NUM at St Vincent’s Hospital, signed the email protest and was ‘more than happy’ to lend her support to the campaign.

She said, ‘As nurses we should all stick together and support each other. The email protest is easy to use and very effective. This has the potential to make nurses more active. Even though Anne is in Wagga Wagga, you can still register your support from work or home.

Tina Zarkos, NUM at RPAH, encourages all members to use the website more as a way to keep informed about issues affecting nurses.

She said, ‘I think the website is a great additional service for members. We all lead busy lives. Rostering and other things sometimes prevent me from being able to stay in touch with union issues – having a website that is content rich and has practical functions, such as being able to pay my fees online or using the members only section to check my pay rates, means that I am more informed about my profession and the work of the Association.’

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 31

ADVERTORIAL

STATE SUPER SAS Trustee Corporation

What does leave without pay mean to my super?

SASS members Whether your period of leave counts towards your SASS membership depends on the type of leave you are taking.

There are 2 types of leave without pay:

PRESCRIBED LEAVE Includes sick leave without pay, maternity leave without pay, secondment, workers compensation and union duties, duties for the employer or State, military leave, and any other circumstances approved by the Trustee.

Periods of prescribed leave generally count as part of a period of SASS membership for the purpose of benefit point accrual and for the accrual of the employer financed benefit.

Are member contributions payable?

Member contributions continue to be payable for the whole period of leave and should be paid to your employer.

However, for members taking sick leave and maternity leave without pay for a continuous period in excess of 2 years, contributions aren’t payable and benefit points do not accrue.

Can member contributions be deferred?

If you are experiencing financial hardship and are unable to pay, you can apply in writing to have your contribution rate reduced to 0% for the period of your prescribed leave.

NON-PRESCRIBED LEAVE Includes leave for holidays (without pay) or any other leave without pay not listed above.

Periods of non-prescribed leave do not count towards your SASS membership.

Additionally, periods of non-prescribed leave without pay in excess of 5 days do not count as service for Basic Benefit purposes.

Are member contributions payable?

Member contributions cease – you are only required to pay for the month in which you go on leave and for the month in which you return to paid employment. For any other full month you are on leave, you do not pay contributions.

SSS members Member contributions are payable for the whole period for any form of leave without pay. An exception is where a member is on approved sick leave or maternity leave without pay that exceeds 2 years.

Generally for periods of ordinary leave without pay in excess of 3 months, the employer may require you to pay the employer contribution liability for the whole period.

If you are unable to pay the employer contribution liability, you may elect to take a permanent reduction in unit entitlement.

Different provisions apply for members in part-time employment.

Like more information?

?

FACT SHEETS See the Fact Sheets on the web www.statesuper.nsw.gov.au or call Customer Service for a copy.

It is important to call Customer Service prior to going on leave without pay to make arrangements for payment of contributions. You can choose to: ■ make an advance payment, or ■ make progressive payments during your leave without pay, or ■ defer payment until you return to paid employment.

It is important to note that where contributions are deferred, interest is charged at the fund earning rate on any arrears of contributions until the debt has been paid.

CUSTOMER SERVICE (8.30 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday) SASS members: call 1 300 130 095 SSS members: call 1 300 130 096 STC_LWOP_LAMP_0606

www.statesuper.nsw.gov.au

32 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

Reasonable care has been taken in producing the information in this advertorial and nothing in it is to be regarded as personal advice. If there is any inconsistency between the advertorial and the relevant scheme legislation, the scheme legislation will prevail.

Neither the SAS Trustee Corporation nor its respective Boards or officers will be liable for any decision taken on the basis of information shown or omitted from this advertorial. Members should seek professional advice before making decisions which may affect their future.

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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Flu jabs are a must g Influenza vaccine will help protect you and your patients

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ll nurses should receive an influenza vaccination to help protect themselves, their coworkers and patients, health authorities recommend.

Flu vaccination also reduces the burden on the health system and saves employers money, research shows.

Flu vaccine does help to keep nurses healthy. A study at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital showed a net saving of 2.1 hours sick leave per 1,000 hours worked.

NSW Health policy requires health care facilities to offer nurses influenza vaccinations.

This applies to all staff who have direct or indirect contact with patients or blood and body substances (Occupational Screening and Vaccination Against Infectious Diseases, Policy Directive PD2005–338).

Where employers provide a flu vaccination program to protect staff or patients from influenza in keeping with OH&S obligations, the vaccination must be provided to staff free of charge.

The OHS Act makes it illegal to charge employees for anything that the employer does in order to comply with OH&S legislation.

The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends that

health care providers, staff of nursing homes and staff of long-term care facilities (eg developmental disability residentials) be immunised against influenza in order to protect vulnerable groups such as patients and elderly residents (The Australian Immunisation Handbook, 8th edition, 2003).

Flu vaccine does help to keep nurses healthy.

A study at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital showed a net saving of 2.1 hours sick leave per 1,000 hours worked.

Research in the United States shows that health care workers infected with influenza can transmit the virus to seriously ill patients in their care.

Many of these patients may be at high risk for influenza-related complications, which may result in prolonged hospitalisation, admission to ICU and even death, according to Dr William Schaffner, Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in the US. Flu vaccines relieve the burden on the health system by reducing infection including prolonged hospital stays, and

employers benefit from reduced sick leave and reduced productivity losses.

A study carried out in a large Australian manufacturing firm in the year 2000 influenza season, identified a net cost saving of $20.93 to $58.36 for each vaccinated employee.

The study concluded that the vaccination program was cost effective, even though the year 2000 was considered a low activity influenza season. The authors reported, ‘Where there is a good match between vaccine and circulating virus strains, vaccination should offer a cost-effective means of reducing workers’ absenteeism.

Another study found that the vaccination program, in helping to keep its workers flu-free, saved four and a half times the cost of the program. n

TIPS TO AVOID THE FLU c Wash hands frequently including before eating or touching face, eyes, nose and mouth c Don’t share cups and glasses, cutlery, toothbrushes etc c Avoid close contact with someone who is sick c Get a vaccination.

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 33

The only thing it doesn’t do is give bed pans (but we’re working on it).

Now available on NSW State Government Contract

THE FET 5000 – THE ULTIMATE IN PATIENT COMFORT AND PATIENT CARER FUNCTIONALITY. The FET 5000 – the embodiment of all the things health professionals value in equipment that allows them to do their job efficiently, whilst catering for the comfort and needs of the patient. Replete with a multitude of features specifically designed to make life easier for everyone, it’s little wonder the FET 5000 is Australia’s most preferred hospital bed.

Setting the standard is what sets us apart

For details on the full range of our hospital beds, trolleys and ward furniture please visit: www.medicraft.com.au or call 02 9569 0255

AUSTRALIAN DESIGNED, AUSTRALIAN MADE, AUSTRALIAN OWNED.

CAREGIVERS a change is as good as a rest

use your nursing background to work as a temporary live-in care giver Are you between 25 and 60 and want to travel?

Are you capable of providing housekeeping support, have some care-giving experience or have trained as a nurse and are you eligible to work in the UK? Then we can help you work and travel in the UK. Placements involve live-in care for older people in their own homes.

Depending on experience the pay is between $1000 and $1200 a week.

All placements are short-term and include free board and lodgings, making them a great way to augment your cash in between travel excursions.

Visit our website for more information about this fantastic opportunity – not only the great pay and conditions but also the good time off, holiday pay, free training and professional friendly support.

To be eligible to work for us in the UK you must have one of the following: • A valid British or European Union Passport • A Working Holiday Visa for commonwealth citizens aged 30 or under • An Ancestry Visa by virtue of having a UK grandparent Email us on: enquiries@oxfordaunts.co.uk or visit our website at: www.oxfordaunts.co.uk

OXFORD AUNTS CARE 3 Cornmarket Street Oxford OX1 3EX UK Phone: ++ 44 1865 791017 Fax: ++ 44 1865 242606

34 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

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Q & A

ASK

JUDITH Reasonable notice for sick leave I work in a public hospital. Recently our NUM circulated a memo stating that staff had to give 48-hours’ notice when they are taking sick leave. I feel this is very unfair as it is not always evident 48 hours prior that you will require leave.

Can she insist I give 48-hours notice?

The NUM cannot make such a decision.

The Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award provides that you must notify your employer as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours. The provision can be found in Clause 37 (i) (d) Sick Leave: “(i) (d) Each employee shall, as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours of the commencement of such absence, inform the employer of his or her inability to attend for such duty and as far as possible state the nature of the injury or illness and the estimated duration of the absence.�

Super when on Workers’ Comp I am employed as an RN in a public hospital and I have been receiving weekly Workers’ Compensation payments since the second week of January this year. I was told recently by a colleague that my employer should be still paying my superannuation contribution to First State Super. Is this true?

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS AT WORK, NSWNA ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY JUDITH KIEJDA HAS THE ANSWERS. Yes this is true. You can find the information in the Premier’s Department Circular No. 2002-57 Employer Contributions for First State Super and Complying Accumulation Superannuation Fund. The First State Superannuation Regulation 2002 came into effect on 8 November 2002 and expanded the circumstances in which the employer contributions are payable.

This means that compulsory employer contributions must be paid on weekly Workers’ Compensation payments.

Fire training on day off I work in a nursing home and I have been told I must attend a fire training session that will occur when I am on a rostered day off. Do I get paid a minimum shift of two hours or for the time that I am actually there?

Clause 42 Attendance at Meetings and Fire Drills in the Nursing Homes & c., Nurses’ (State) Award states you are entitled to be paid the ’ordinary rate’ for actual time spent in attendance and that time spent is not to be viewed as overtime. Clause 42 also defines what is included in ‘ordinary rate’ of pay.

Overpaid My pay office has informed me that I have been overpaid for the past three years. The overpayment occurred because I was paid at a higher rate of

pay than what I actually am. Do I have to pay the money back? If so, can I pay it back in instalments?

Yes, you have to pay the money back to your employer, but before you do: c The employer must provide you a full explanation of the cause of any overpayment and the details of the calculation c If you agree with the information provided by the employer, you can either pay the money back in one lump sum or in instalments c Your personal circumstances must be considered and discussed with a view to reaching agreement on the quantum and timing of the repayment.

If you do not agree with the information provided by your employer or you can not reach agreement on the repayment plan, you can contact the Association for assistance.

For further information about overpayments and underpayments, visit the Department of Health’s website at www.health.nsw.gov.au and search for PD2005_160 Salaries and Wages Overpayment for Health Service and Public Hospital Employees, which refers to Circular No 99/85 and search for Circular No 98/8 Managing Salary Corrections for Health Service and Public Hospital Employees, or contact the Association. n

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THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 35

All you have to focus on is whose round it is.

At Hays, we make coming to work in the UK so easy, you’ll have more time to get on with enjoying your stay.

With your choice of the country’s top positions and a service of the highest quality, you’ll find plenty of benefits come from working within the UK’s largest specialist recruitment consultancy.

We currently have a high demand for experienced Critical Care, ICU, Orthopaedic, Scrub, Cath Lab, Paediatric and Cardiac Surgery nurses. These permanent positions are in and around London offering subsidised accommodation, flexible hours, FREE ONP, salary paid during ONP and career development.

• Excellent pay rates • Short-term/agency/permanent posts available • NMC ONP £50 (*conditions apply) • Excellent benefits and bonuses

• Visa/Work permit assistance • UK Bank Accounts • Limited Company solutions • CPD Fund • Holiday Pay

We also require agency nursing staff for locations such as Essex, Manchester, Worthing, Oxford plus more.

T Melbourne 1300 305 687 E aus.healthcare@hays.com

Specialist Recruitment hays.com/healthcare

Best Economy Class 2006.

And five other good reasons to fly Economy with us.

Reason 1: Our renowned Malaysian hospitality. We take care of everything, making your journey hassle-free.

Reason 2: Our new Select Inflight Entertainment System (over 300 hours of On-Demand movies, music and games).

Because every class is important to us. Every passenger, on every flight.

Reasons enough for the World Airline Awards - after conducting 13,611,244 satisfaction interviews between

Reason 3: A delicious new and improved cuisine selection.

September 2005 and May 2006 – to award us Best Economy

Reason 4: More leg room with a spacious 34 inch

Class in 2006.

seat pitch.

Reason 5: A cabin crew that is amongst the best in the world.

The reason we did all this?

For more information please call 132 627 or visit www.malaysiaairlines.com

36 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

The reasons we’re telling you?

Well, firstly, we’re very happy we won this.

And finally, we owe it largely to every one of you. *Features available on selected B747 & B777 flights.

s

L I F E S T Y L E

48 Shades

Reviewer Kooi Kuan Looi, RN at Maroubra Day Surgery

g A comic take on the life of Dan, a university student who does a crash course in ‘adult’ life

T

he lead role of 48 Shades is 16-year-old Dan who did not want to go to Geneva with his parents to live for a year. Instead he went to live with his aunt, Jacq, and her housemate, Naomi, who also attends university with Dan. Written by Nick Earles, the story centres on life in this household, with Dan inevitably falling for Naomi who already has a boyfriend, his aunt who plays in a girls’ band, and Phil, the landlord who is interested in Jacq.

To impress Naomi, Dan goes to the trouble of learning the 48 shades of colour linked to birds – thus the title of the film.

A big party is held to introduce their university friends to Jacq’s girlband, but things get out of hand with booze and sex flowing freely and a striptease by the landlord. He declares his love for Jacq but she turns him down.

In the end, Jacq proclaims she is interested in Naomi.

This is an ordinary film about the lives of university students. Young Dan discovers much about adult life and loves every bit of it. n

The Book of Revelation

Reviewer Katie Angnostou, RN at RPAH

g A psychological mystery about a man’s struggle to regain his lost self

T

his is a dramatic, disturbing, beautiful and confronting film by Ana Kokkinos that is likely to divide audiences.

Starring Tom Long, Greta Scacchi, Colin Friels, Anna Torv and Deborah Mailman, The Book of Revelation is based on the novel written by Rupert Thompson.

Tom Long plays the main character Daniel, a male dancer at the peak of his career. In a twist on the more usual depiction of ‘woman’ as victim and ‘man’ as predator, Daniel is abducted by three women, abused, and then discarded.

Tom Long demonstrates superbly Daniel’s emotional struggle and pain.

The film follows his struggle to come to terms with his pain while also discovering the healing power of love and friendship that are essential for Daniel’s well-being and dancing future.

This film, as the title suggests, is full of revelation, not only for Daniel but the audience also. The storyline, acting and the raw emotional content of this film all contribute to the end product. Even if you don’t love this film you will walk away thinking about role reversal, power, sex and pain, all major issues raised in this film. n THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 37

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L I F E S T Y L E

Coffee Queen g Debra Stibbard swapped her busy role as Nurse Manager at St George Private hospital for a more peaceful life growing coffee beans on the NSW North Coast

T

hree years ago, Debra Stibbard, a nurse of 30 years with a busy role as After Hours Nurse Manager at St George Private hospital, and her husband, a retired police officer, decided on a sea change and purchased a 25-acre property on the North Coast.

Debra now works two days a week at Ballina Hospital and spends the rest of her time tending to the 300 coffee trees in her orchard, planted between the 300 macadamia nut trees. With three harvests behind her, Debra is preparing for her biggest crop yet this year.

The couple spent a year cleaning up the orchard and now Debra can sit back and let nature do most of the work. ‘I don’t really have to do much to tend to the trees, our coffee is organically grown.’ The most time-consuming part of the process is harvest time because Debra chooses to hand pick the coffee.

Debra describes her sharp learning curve throughout the process as ‘fascinating’. ‘I joined the Coffee Growers Association and they have a great deal of educational material and resources for members,’ she said. n

Debra Stibbard.

Debra now works two days a week at Ballina Hospital and spends the rest of her time tending to the 300 coffee trees in her orchard.

Debra's tips FOR MAKING THE PERFECT CUP OF PLUNGER COFFEE

1. Use good quality coffee beans, try organic or a brand that is chemical free 2. Freshly grind beans for the plunger, use a fairly course grind for a plunger 3. Use 15ml (or one dessert spoon) per cup of coffee you are making 4. After you pour the water in the plunger, let it stand until the coffee rises to the top 5. Gently push down the plunger and add milk and sugar as desired 6. Enjoy!

38 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

S PEC IA L OFFE R FOR N SWN A MEMB ERS

The Book of Revelation 5 double passes to be won!

The Lamp has 5 double passes to give away to see a special preview screening on Monday, 4 September at Palace Norton Street Cinema.

To enter, email Salim Barber at sbarber@nswnurses. asn.au with your name, membership number, address and contact number.

First 5 correct entries win!

FROM THE TREE TO YOUR COFFEE CUP offee grows on a tree and resembles small cherries. Debra chooses to hand pick the harvest and genuinely loves this part of the process.

‘The view of the valley down to the coast from the orchard is magnificent. I enjoy hand picking the harvest because after 30 years in a busy nursing career it is like meditating – I find it very relaxing.’

Her city-based friends seem to agree, she said.

‘Friends with busy lives and jobs in the city come down and help hand-pick the harvest and they love it, too – it’s like time out for them.’

After picking, the cherry goes into a ‘pulper’ and releases the coffee bean from the soft fruit pulp and the beans are released. The beans are then repeatedly rinsed to clean off the thick mucus coating and they are laid out in the sun to dry.

The coffee beans still have a husk-like covering called a ‘parchment’ on them that has to be removed.

Debra takes her harvest to two retired nurses in Iluka who share her love for the little brown bean and they remove the parchment and roast the beans.

Debra is grateful for their support and the wealth of coffee know-how they have shared with her. ‘They know everything there is to know about coffee and have taught me so much. If I ever have any questions – I ask them first.’

When the beans have been roasted, Debra sells it to people at work, drinks it at home and gives it to family and friends.

‘We are learning as we go. I want to learn about the roasting process. I hope to sell my product, called ‘Not a dream’, through local markets and train as a barista (professional coffee maker) one day.

I intend to become the “coffee queen” of the North Coast.’

C

WANTED

STAR REVIEWERS & TIPSTERS FOR OUR REVIEW PAGES

We're seeking members with a non-nursing skill or talent they'd like to share with other nurses. You could be a whiz in the kitchen.

Or have some DIY plumbing and home-handy tips. Or a wild and wonderful interest or skill. Be it strange, extraordinary or useful, we'd love you to come on board as a NSWNA tipster. We are also seeking closet film buffs to share with other nurses their views on the movies they love and hate. It’s a chance to see previews of next month’s new releases.

Please contact us with expressions of interest to be part of our tipster and movie review team.

Be part of the action by calling Salim Barber now on 02 8595 1219 or email sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au

Debra Stibbard

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s

O B I T U A R Y

A man who cared MALCOLM CHARLES HAYDEN 23 March 1955–6 June 2006

M

al Hayden recently passed away after a long battle with illness. He is survived

by Helen, his children Matthew and Rebekah and his two grandchildren Lachlan and Luke.

Mal was a man of passion and extremes. His advocacy for the children he cared for in his professional role and for the nursing staff he represented through his union activities was enthusiastic and dogged.

Mal completed his training at Camperdown where he earned a reputation as an extremely intelligent and skilled practitioner of the nursing art.

There were also suggestions he may have been involved in certain mischief that was undertaken in and about the nurses’ home at the hospital, but most have become legend and the facts have blurred.

He worked in many areas of the hospital, including long stints in Surgery and Neuro. Mal also completed his postbasic Paediatric Certificate during this time.

Mal went to RPA briefly to consolidate his adult practice in Neurology/Neurosurgery and returned to work in the Lower Todman ICU at kids, where he stayed until taking up a position at Westmead.

Mal took on the position of CNC epilepsy in the Department of Paediatrics

Mal Hayden (top right), committed nurse and loyal colleague 40 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

at Westmead Hospital in March 1989.

He was responsible for the management of children with epilepsy and worked closely with his friend and colleague, Neil Buchanan. Mal was involved in a number of research projects during this time and was able to publish the results.

He also took a leading role in the nursing management of children with neurological problems, with a particular emphasis on the role of surgery in epilepsy.

out as a delegate at Westmead Hospital and for a time was the branch secretary.

He was very aware of the issues that plagued this particular branch and was an active and often outspoken advocate of the award and conditions for the nursing staff employed at Westmead.

When the paediatric services transferred to the new hospital, Mal found new campaigns to fight as a delegate and during this time was elected to the

Mal will always be remembered as the activist behind the microphone on the floor at Annual Conference. He was a vocal advocate of nursing issues in NSW and always fought the good, but not always popular, fight with gusto.

Mal took on a newly established position at the NCH when he transferred across to the new hospital, this being CNC Biochemical Genetics. It was a measure of his intelligence and versatility that he could learn a completely new specialty and in such a thorough and timely manner.

Mal was acutely interested in the activities of the NSWNA and this interest never wavered. He started

council of the NSWNA, a post that he held for several years. Mal was elected as staff representative to the board of the Children’s Hospital Westmead in 2001 after a lively campaign and held that post until December 2003 when he resigned due to ill health.

Mal will always be remembered as the activist behind the microphone on the floor at Annual Conference. His verbal exchanges with delegates with opposing views to his were often entertaining and lively. He was a vocal advocate of nursing issues in NSW and always fought the good, but not always popular, fight with gusto. Mal was granted life membership of the NSWNA in 2004.

Mal was immensely proud of his family. Helen, Rebekah and Mathew were always foremost in his mind and he always spoke glowingly of his grandchildren, Lachlan and Luke. There was always time for his friends and he was a friend without limitations. He will be missed by the many who knew him. n

By Frank Ross, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Centre for Trauma Care, Prevention, Education and Research, Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

s

P A S S I N G T I M E S

Sydney Children’s Hospital veteran retires

A

fter 36 years of dedicated nursing, Kay Driver has left the building!

Kay started at Sydney Children’s Hospital (SCH) (known then as ‘the old huts’) in 1970 as a first year registered nurse in paediatric ward H. After a two-year stint at St Vincent’s, Kay returned to SCH to continue nursing children in ward C2. This ward specialised in neurology and orthopaedic patients. In 1981, Kay became charge nurse of C2.

Kay is and has always been a handson nurse. She was instrumental in starting up the spina bifida clinics in regional areas. Kay also pioneered palliative care especially for patients in C2/C1 North.

Emergency Department Nurse Manager Kylie Stark fondly remembers Kay’s expert clinical skills and dedication to her job.

‘As a student nurse I felt so confident when Kay was working. What she taught me about clinical skills, competency in dealing with families and dedication, I couldn’t get out of a text book,’ Kylie said.

Kay’s professionalism and friendship have been just as valuable to staff and patients as her clinical skills. C1North NUM Margo Casacelli summed up how many staff feel about Kay. ‘I want to thank Kay for her professional camaraderie and friendship for the past 20 years, it has meant a great deal,’ she said.

Outpatients Department NUM Susan Harmon also regards Kay as an inspirational friend and professional.

‘Kay and I go back a long way. She has always been helpful – especially when I’ve needed help with a complex patient history or when I’ve needed to know something. She is a wealth of knowledge.

Kay at her farewell with Professor Les White, Executive Director, and Professor Debora Picone, SESAHS Chief Executive.

‘Staff in the Outpatients Department will miss her very much particularly her infectious laugh which could be heard everywhere,’ Sue said.

Kay’s enthusiasm, commitment and sense of humour will be sorely missed at SCH. We wish her well in her retirement. n

By Kay’s colleagues at Sydney Children’s Hospital.

America is Calling You Nursing in the USA offers you: Career development Green Cards for the whole family Travel the USA Generous salary and bonuses O'Grady Peyton is the most experienced and largest travel nurse company in the USA. We have been taking nurses and their families to the USA for over 20 years.

Visit our website or call about our next USA Nursing program presentation.

website freecall email

www.ogradypeyton.com.au 1800 100 139 info@ogradypeyton.com.au

C3588

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 41

42 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

s

L I F E S T Y L E

Book me

Nurse’s Pocket Drug Guide 2006 (2nd edition)

by Judith A. Barberio, McGraw Hill Australia Pty Ltd, RRP $17.95 : ISBN 0071457313 Nurse’s Pocket Drug Guide is a quick-access and portable drug guide that provides registered nurses and advanced practice nurses with the essential information related to the selection and administration of commonly used medications. The book includes over 1,000 generic medications and herbs and is designed to represent a cross section of those used in health care practices across the country.

Trends in Oral Health Care edited by Richard White with foreword by Professor Dame Jill Macleod Clark, Quay Books, RRP $74.86 : ISBN 1-85642-226-7 Trends in Oral Health Care focuses on aspects of oral health and its assessment and treatment in different clinical settings. A detailed glossary covers the common terms of oral disease conditions with photographs to illustrate typical presentations and a basic assessment procedure.

This book has been designed to provide a useful introduction and reference aide to student and practising nurses, medical and dental students, and carers in general.

Good Health in the 21st Century: A Family Doctor’s Unconventional Guide

by Dr Carole Hungerford, Scribe, RRP $49.95 : ISBN 1920769-811 Good Health in the 21st Century: A Family Doctor’s Unconventional Guide is an encyclopaedic health guide that provides easily understood information about maintaining well-being by rejecting the routine cocktails of medication with their complicated interactions and side effects. The author shows how to provide a chance for minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids to do their healthgiving work.n

Reviews by NSWNA librarian, Jeannette Bromfield.

Step-by-Step Wound Healing (with CD)

by Sylvie Meaume and Luc T’eot, McGraw Hill Australia Pty Ltd, RRP $52.95 : ISBN 0-07-145775-5 Richly illustrated with full-colour illustrations that facilitate diagnosis and speed up the right treatment, Step-by-Step Wound Healing is a quick reference that delivers all the essential information surgeons need to know for on-the-spot wound care management. The CD-ROM included in this pocket-sized reference contains more than 100 photographs, wide in scope from burns, pressure sores, trauma, ulcers, diabetic wounds, surgical wounds, amputations and complex wounds.

The Midwife and the Bereaved Family

by Jane Warland, Ausmed Publications, RRP $37.35 : ISBN 0-0577988-0-6 As both a midwife and bereaved parent, Jane Warland knows what it is like to lose a baby. The Midwife and the Bereaved Family is a very practical book, with lots of lists of things a midwife can do to help a family through their time of grief.

The book has special sections dealing with men, children and grandparents, full of hints on how a midwife can help.

There are plenty of reading and resource lists as well as lists of references to support the very practical ideas author puts forward.

WHERE TO GET

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

For borrowing information, contact Jeannette Bromfield, 8595 2175, jbromfield@nswnurses.asn.au or Cathy Matias, 8595 2121, cmatias@nswnurses.asn.au THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 43

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S P E C I A L P E O P L E

Holiday in the sun for nurses and residents our nurses and five residents from Bethel Nursing Home in inner-western Sydney boarded a plane to sunny Noosa recently for four days of shopping, sight seeing and dining out.

Asenaca Ralulu and Radha Ram are two AINs who accompanied and cared for the residents on their recent trip.

Asenanca said 24-hour care is hard challenging work, but also great fun.

Radha said all residents really looked forward to holidays. ‘At the nursing home some of the residents can be slow to get ready in the mornings, but when we are on holiday they’re so excited and so quick to shower and get ready because they want to go out. It’s a lot of fun to watch that kind of excitement.’

Bethel has been taking residents on holidays for 14 years, as part of the social activities program. Nurses who accompany the residents are paid normal wages plus all expenses.

Radha said: ‘We started doing short trips within NSW, to places like Kangaroo Valley and Nelson Bay, which we could drive to and stay for a couple of nights.

The residents had bigger and better ideas and encouraged the nursing home to consider interstate trips.’

F

Asenaca Ralulu and Radha Ram and (below) the nurses and Bethel Nursing Home residents on their holiday

is a rewarding experience. Asenaca said: ‘We appreciate that management and families trust us to take good care of the residents.’

‘It’s a lot of fun to watch that kind of excitement.’

A trial trip to the Gold Coast went so well it was followed by holidays in Tasmania, Melbourne, Coffs Harbour and now Noosa.

‘While visiting the ginger factory in Noosa, we bumped into another group of nurses and residents from a home in Brisbane and they couldn’t believe we had come all the way from Sydney,’ Radha said.

Asenaca said residents enjoyed shopping trips to local markets and shopping centres as well as sight seeing and dining out. ‘Most of all they enjoyed the beautiful fresh air and the sunshine.’

Both women agree that accompanying residents on holidays

Radha added: ‘Sometimes we take it for granted that we are able to go on holiday with our families at any time – but these people can’t because they need nurses to go with them.

Families thank us for taking their relatives on holiday because they are unable to.

‘One resident started crying on the last day when we had to come home. She just wanted to stay one more day.’ n THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 45

Workshop for Trainers in Patient Handling

Patient Handling DVD Patient handling … a safer approach This DVD presents 13 different patient handling techniques, including: • repositioning in bed, • transfers to / from the bed, • sitting and standing, • assisted walking, and • assisting patients from the floor.

The DVD also demonstrates methods for coaching patients to move themselves and includes the latest patient handling equipment.

The DVD is designed so you can present the whole DVD at one time or select a particular segment that you want to watch (or practice) and repeat as often as you like.

The DVD comes with skill sheets covering each technique, which can enhance or even become the basis of your competency based training program. It is also a great induction tool.

WorkCover NSW has recently released a competencybased program called Manual Handling for Nurses.

This is a series of four training programs suitable for nurses or carers, through to those who manage their work.

Safety Services Australia is conducting practical workshops to introduce these programs and provide up-to-date information on ‘best practice’ manual and patient handling.

Who should attend?

Nurse educators, physiotherapists and OTs involved in nurse / carer training. We recommend that participants have, or be in the process of attaining, training qualifications.

Presenters Louise Whitby and Marcia Lusted, ergonomists, who cowrote the package.

Fee Schedule

$720.00 per participant (GST included).

This DVD was developed by the workedWELL team; Louise Whitby, Marcia Lusted and Christine Aickin, ergonomists with health backgrounds and many years experience in designing manual handling programs to address safer patient handling in health, community and aged care.

Fee includes: • WorkCover NSW Trainers Manual (valued at $260.00), • PowerPoint presentation on CD, • additional material, • Certificate of Attendance and • full catering for both days.

Preview:

www.workedwell.com.au

Workshops

To Order:

Please download order form from website

Workshops are being conducted in Sydney and regional centres during August, September, October and November.

Price:

$363 includes GST / P & H

Contact:

Louise Whitby

Phone:

02 9659 6590

46 THE LAMP AUGUST 2006

For more information or to register To register a participant, please ring or e-mail Safety Services Australia on Phone:

02 9836 3100

Email:

info@safetyservices.net.au

Web:

www.safetyservices.net.au

CRoSSWoRD Test your knowledge with The Lampâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exclusive nursing crossword.

1

2

3

4

8

5

6

7

9 10

11

12 13

14

15

16

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18 19

20

21

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s ACROSS 8.

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12.

13.

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32.

33.

34.

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36.

Type of alarm (6) To apply iodine (6) Part of the eye (6) Level of consciousness, abbrev (1.1.1) A health professional, abbrev (1.1.)

s DOWN 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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17.

Cancerous growth (6) Infected (6) Breast bone (7) Minds (7) Relating to the nose (5) Tinea is this type of organism (6) Shock (4) Not chronic, short duration (5) The three basic blood groups (1.1.1) Relating to sound (5)

20. Specialist nurse, abbrev (1.1.1) 23. Surgical knife (7) 24. Jaw bone (7) 26. Feeling of sickness (6) 27. Vomiting (6) 29. Bring on labour (6) 30. Injury, wound (6) 31. Typical, normal (5) Solution page 49

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 47

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Stories from the field The conference is aimed at current and aspiring Nurse Practitioners, Academics, Senior Nurses and other health care workers who support expertise in nursing practice.

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Email fiona@dcconferences.com.au

DIARY DATES Conferences, seminars, meetings

Time: 1pm – 3pm Contact: Wendy Oliver 9722 7300 Email: Wendy.Oliver@swsahs.nsw.gov.au

Address: 5 Byfield Street, Macquarie Park Date: 15 September 2006 Contact: Jane (02) 9476 4440

SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA

Rural Critical Care Conference 2006 Venue: Broken Hill Entertainment Centre Address: Cloride Street, Broken Hill Date: 25 – 26 August 2006 Contact: Jane Howorth (02) 6650 9800

NSW Midwives Association Annual State Conference “Sowing the seed: nuturing growth” Venue: Wagga Wagga RSL Club Date: 22 September 2006 Contact: Alex Weston 9281 9522 Email” admin@nswmidwives.com.au

Holistic Nurses Association (HNA) NSW AGM Venue: Macquarie Hospital – Conference Centre Date: 8 August 2006 Time: 6:30pm Bookings: All members are encouraged to attend and vote Contact: David Terelinck (Secretary) 0409 031 191 Email: dterelin@bigpond.net.au Medecins Sans Frontieres – Doctors Without Borders Venue: Women’s College, Campus of University of Sydney – Main Common Room Address: 15 Carillon Avenue, Newtown Date: 9 August 2006 Contact: Katrina Penney 1300 136 061 Email: Katrina.penney@sydney.msf.org Susan Ryan “Neonatal Emergencies” Venue: Carlton Hotel Address: Church Street Parramatta Date: 11 August 2006 Time: 8am – 4pm Cost: Early bird - $100, Full registration - $120 (after 11th July) Bookings: 28 July 2006 Contact: Kylie Tomich (Clinical Nurse Educator) (02) 9845 2748 Email: kylie2@chw.edu.au Nurses Christian Fellowship – Professional Breakfast Venue: Mount Annan Botanical Gardens Date: 12 August 2006 Time: 9am Contact: Jane 9449 4868 A.C.A.T Nurses Special Interest Group Venue: Bankstown/Lidcombe Hosp. – Lvl 4 Date: 15 August 2006

Diary Dates Diary Dates is a free service for members.

Please send the diary dates details, in the same format used here – event, date, venue, contact details, via email, fax, mail and the web before the 5th of the month prior, for example: 5th of August for September CaptionLamp.

Send information to:

NSW GENCA Venue: North Shore Private Hospital Date: 26 August 2006 Cost: $45 for members and $60 for non members Contact: Lyn Rapley (02) 4323 8141 Mind, Body and Soul: Mental Health For Older People Venue: Wesley Convention Centre Sydney Address: Pitt Street Sydney Date: 1 September 2006 Contact: Christian Neville Email: Neville@usq.edu.au Nurses Christian Fellowship – AGM Venue: All About Life Building Address: 5 Byfield Street, Macquarie Park Date: 2 September 2006 Time: 12:30pm Contact: Jane (02) 9476 4440 Association Of Discharge Planning Nurses Venue: Concord Hospital Date: 11 September 2006 Time: 2pm Contact: Kerrie Kneen (02) 9487 9750 Email: kerriek@sah.org.au Sydney Hospital Graduate Nurses’ Association – Bi monthly meeting Venue: Sydney Hospital – Nightingale Wing Date: 13 September 2006 Time: 10:30am Contact: Karys Fearon 02 4323 1849 Email: jkfearon@iinet.au Nurses Christian Fellowship – Professional Evening Venue: All About Life Building

Salim Barber Email: sbarber@nswnurses.asn.au Fax: 9550 3667, mail: PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Please double-check all information sent is correct. The Lamp cannot guarantee that the issue will always be mailed in time for the listed event. Due to high demands on the page, some dates too

‘Spring With Kids’ Paediatric Perioperative Seminar Venue: Carlton Crest Hotel Date: 23 September 2006 Contact: Claudia Watson (02) 9845 2112 Email: claudiw2@chw.edu.au

INTERSTATE 4th Australasion Conference for Safety & Quality Care ‘Raising the Bar for Quality’ Venue: Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre Date: 21 – 23 August 2006 Contact: Michelle (02) 9424 5703 Email: mwens@doh.health.nsw.gov.au Australian Nurse Teacher’s Society 2006 Conference Venue: Manning Clarke Centre – The Australian National University Date: 14 September 2006 Contact: Erin Parkinson (02) 6281 6624 Email: e.conference@conlog.com.au Australian Dermatology Nurses’ Association Annual Education Day Venue: Hotel Heritage, Canberra Date: 23 September 2006 Contact: Jan Riley, President ADMA (02) 6682 5145 Email: janslrd@ozemail.com.au

Reunions A Reunion of All Primary Health/ Community Nurses From Bankstown’s Community Health Centre Venue: The Golden Pavillion Restaurant Address: 14-16 Blamey Street, Revesby

close to publication or too far in the future may be cut. The dates that are to be printed are for three months in total. For example, in the March Lamp = March, April, May dates will be printed.

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

Diary Dates are also on the web – www.nswnurses.asn.au

Date: 19 August 2006 Time: 6:30pm for 7:00pm start Cost: $25 per person includes a Chinese Banquet.

Bookings: Please R.S.V.P by 1 August 2006 Contact: Beryl Smyth (02) 9825 2901 Nepean Hospital Annual Luncheon And Reunion For All Staff Venue: Nepean Hospital – Level 3, west Block, The Auditorium Date: 19 August 2006 Time: 10am – 3pm Contact: Marie Hurley (02) 4739 2389 Email: pat.ian@bigpond.com The Royal Newcastle Hospital Reunion – 1973 February Graduates Venue: Noahs at Newcastle Dinner Date: 9 September 2006 Contact: Vicki Powell (Cook) Email: wickipowell52@hotmail.com 50th Anniversary of the Hornsby Hospital Maternity Unit Venue: Asquith Rugby Leagues Club – Black and White Room Address: 11-37 Alexandria Parade, Waitara, NSW Date: 15 September 2006 Time: Open Day from 10am - 6pm. Celebration dinner from 6:30pm Cost: Dinner - $60/person Contact: Martin Griffiths, 0409 914 607 Email: MGriffi@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au Tamworth Base Hospital Reunion Dinner – February 1976 PTS Venue: Hogs Breath Café Date: 30 September 2006 Time: 6:30pm Bookings: RSVP August 20th 2006 Contact: Janelle Benson (Wall) 6765 7363 Royal Prince Alfred Reunion – October PTS 1966 Venue: Sydney Harbour Cruise Date: 7 October 2006 Contact: Marian Mitchell (02) 6556 9628 Email: Rowarna@hotmail.com

Special Interest Groups Special Interest Groups is now part of Diary Dates. If you are a special interest group, you now must send information about your event as above.

Send us your snaps If you’re having a reunion, send us some photos and any information from the night, and we’ll publish them.

THE LAMP AUGUST 2006 49

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Nursing Study Areas Offered: Clinical Teaching; Health Services Management; Critical Care; Day Surgery Care; Gerontology; Oncology; Orthopaedics; Perioperative, Anaesthetics & Recovery Enquiries: Coordinator of Graduate Studies Faculty of Nursing and Health Phone: (02) 9487 9627 Email: gwen.wilkinson@avondale.edu.au Distance Education with On-Campus Support Degrees with a Christian focus from www.avondale.edu.au FEBRUARY and AUGUST INTAKES

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