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Ubookdirect offers all NSWNMA members discounted rates on 1000's of hotels Australia wide. Fill in a quote request today to save on your next getaway.

UBOOKDIRECT is giving members a $20 voucher to use on any already discounted member package when booking through the Concierge.

To book one of these fantastic destinations log on to https://travelbenefits.ubookdirect.com and click on the ENQUIRY tab or call 1300 959 550.

50% OFF!

UP TO 50% OFF!

Cahaya Villa Canggu by Premier Hospitality Asia

Canggu, Bali

Stay 5 nights in a luxurious 2, 3 or 4-bedroom villa with private pool from $1799 with heaps of amazing inclusions including:

• Daily breakfast • Welcome drink & cold face towel upon arrival • Welcome fruit basket & flowers • 1 x complimentary x afternoon tea in the villa • 1 x complimentary x dinner (for 5 night package)

• Complimentary daily bottle mineral water • Free wi-fi • Daily turn down service

Brand new luxury villas with private pools conveniently situated in Canggu featuring stateof-the-art architecture including modern living room, a kitchenette and an open-air garden pool.

Use your $20 voucher

Ubud Wana Resort

Ubud, Bali

Stay 2 nights in a 4 Star tranquil resort located amidst Ubud's countryside for just $149 with the inclusions below:

• Daily breakfast • 60-minute Balinese massage per person (per stay) • 40% discount on spa treatments • Welcome drink, scheduled shuttle service to Ubud center • Free wi-fi • Stay 3 nights and receive bonus afternoon tea on one day of stay

• Stay 4 nights and receive bonus Indonesian dinner per person on one night of stay.

Luxurious and tranquil resort hidden in the countryside featuring modern Balinese architecture with 3 separate pools a specialty spa, restaurant, and a pool bar.

40% OFF!

Sunsuri Phuket

Phuket, Thailand

Up to 2 kids stay FREE! Deal starts at $1568 for 5 nights with the following inclusions:

• Daily breakfast (2 adults & 2 children) • Welcome drink & homemade coconut icicle at check-in • 1 x cocktail at Surf Pool Bar (2 adults) • 1 x pad thai / pineapple fried rice + welcome coconut at Nai Harn Beach (2 adults) • 1 x mango sticky rice at Sail Restaurant (2 adults) • Free shuttle bus to Naiharn Beach, Ao Sane Beach, & Lam Krating • 15% food discount at hotel outlets • Free wi-fi

• Free 2 hours bicycle rental/day

• Fitness & gym • 1 x Coral Island Hideaway (2 adults)^ • 1 x afternoon tea • 1 x Thai cooking class (2 adults) • 4pm late check out#.

Stunning Phuket resort featuring 2 outdoor pools, a kid’s club and free shuttle bus to Naiharn Beach, Ao Sane Beach, and Lam Krating.

ALL OFFERS: For full t&c’s go to https://travelbenefits.ubookdirect.com. Subject to availability and block-out dates. Canggu, Bali: valid for travel until 30 June 2023. Rate based on 4 adults for a min 5-night stay. Ubud, Bali: valid for travel until 30 June 2023. Rate based on 2 guests for a min 2-night stay. Phuket, Thailand: valid for travel to 31 October 2023. Rate based on 2 adults, minimum 5-night stay. ^ Speed boat day pass excluding meal # Apr – Nov guarantee, Dec-Mar subject to room availability.

UNITED STATES Young nurses feel COVID pain the most

The pandemic has disproportionately pushed younger nurses away from the profession, at a time when they are desperately needed, US surveys have found.

A 2022 American Nurses Foundation survey found that younger nurses were particularly likely to be unhappy in their careers, with 31 per cent of those aged 25 to 34 reporting that they intended to leave their position within the next six months, compared to 18 per cent among those 55 or older.

This is not surprising, when young nurses were especially likely to report being in poor mental health, with 66 per cent of those under 35 reporting feeling anxious, compared to 35 per cent of those 55 or older.

Younger age is also generally a risk factor for nurse burnout, according to a 2021 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

“This may be because less experienced nurses are not used to handling extreme situations like a pandemic,” reported Time magazine.

During COVID, US health staff worked in gruelling conditions, with a heavy burden falling on young nurses.

The American Nurses Foundation survey found 86 per cent of nurses under 35 were required to work beyond their shift at least weekly –compared to 58 per cent for all nurses.

And nurses with two to 10 years’ experience felt considerably less able to take time off when requesting leave (34 per cent) compared to nurses with 41 to 50 years’ experience (53 per cent) and 50+ years’ experience (57 per cent).

New laws take up Respect@work recommendations

The federal parliament has passed new laws that implement several of the key recommendations of the Respect@work report, which were ignored by the previous government.

The report from sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins was released in early 2020.

There are significant changes in the new laws, which will make Australian workplaces safer for women:

• They prohibit hostile work environments.

• There is a “positive duty on employers” to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation at work.

• They give the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) powers to monitor and assess compliance with the “positive duty”.

• They allow representative bodies such as unions to initiate actions in the courts on behalf of people who have experienced unlawful discrimination.

• They require public sector agencies to report annually to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency on six key indicators.

ACTU President, Michele O’Neil, described the new laws as “a significant step forward for women in work in this country”.

“We congratulate the Albanese government and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on taking action that will make workplaces across the country safer for women,” she said.

“These reforms were ignored by the previous government, who repeatedly failed to act to address the mistreatment of women in workplaces, including their own.”

One in four skipping meals due to cost-of-living crisis

According to a poll conducted by the ACTU, 56 per cent of Australians have cut back on essential items and 24 per cent have skipped meals due to the current cost-of-living crisis.

The poll of 3000 people found that 21 per cent had sold assets to keep up with rising costs and 14 per cent had been forced to move to or look for more affordable housing.

The ACTU says the poll data shows how vulnerable the Australian workforce and economy is after ten years of record-low wage growth. Recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data also shows that retail sales are beginning to decline and consumer confidence has dropped 25 points over the last 12 months.

ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus, says the new Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws are a great step towards getting wages moving and giving working people the tools they need to bargain for wage growth that keeps up with the cost of living.

“A decade without wage growth followed by deep real-wage cuts means millions of Australians are cutting back, skipping meals and being forced out of their homes,” she said.

“Employers publicly arguing against wage growth are directly undermining the Australian economy.

“A quarter of Australians cannot afford enough food for three meals a day. This is a crisis that requires a systemic response. We need to rethink how our financial institutions, like the RBA, combat inflation and protect the interests of working people.”

Crossword Solution

New Zealand offers overseas nurses residency to meet shortfall

New Zealand has offered overseas nurses and midwives an immediate pathway to residency, as the country tries to address an acute shortfall of health staff.

The then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said changes to the immigration system meant those eligible could get fast-tracked residency. The new criteria started from last December.

Ardern quoted the World Health Organization’s estimate that the globe was likely to be short of 10 million health workers by 2030, and said New Zealand already had one of the easiest pathways for nurses to live and work.

“In a crowded market, let’s make the message even simpler. Our message to nurses everywhere: we are the best place to live, work and play; you will be able to seek immediate residence,” she told Radio New Zealand.

“With wages growing faster than inflation and with the ninth-lowest inflation out of 38 OECD countries, we have much to offer.”

Record numbers of nurses had been applying to work in New Zealand but the government had been asked to simplify things, she said. “We were attracting nurses; we want to get ahead of the issue, though.”

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation estimates the country needs around 4000 more nurses.

“Since the pandemic, 3474 nurses have arrived in country, but it’s clear we need to do more to encourage nurses to choose New Zealand,” said Immigration Minister, Michael Wood.

Thousands more Australians died in 2022 than expected

COVID or COVID-related causes behind the rise.

Late last year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released a report of mortality statistics that showed there were 17 per cent more deaths (16,375) in Australia than the average expected between January and July 2022.

Another report by the Australian Actuaries Institute (statisticians who specialise in assessing risk for insurance companies), using a different methodology, found a 13 per cent excess mortality for the first eight months of 2022 (approximately 15,400 deaths), reported The Conversation.

Just over half of the excess mortality – 8200 deaths – are deaths from COVID. Another 2100 deaths are deaths with COVID. The remaining excess of 5100 deaths makes no mention of COVID on the death certificate.

The actuaries’ report suggests that the excess deaths not identified on death certificates as being due to COVID came from long COVID and interactions with other serious health conditions.

Excess deaths also came from delays in emergency care as our health systems buckled under pressure, and delays in routine care as people avoided healthcare settings due to fear of catching COVID.

There is also evidence that a higher proportion of people made less healthy lifestyle choices during lockdowns, such as drinking more alcohol and exercising less.

It is almost certain some of the excess deaths are from undiagnosed COVID.

China faces ‘difficult winter’

A spike in cases is predicted as the country changes strategy. On 8 December, China’s central government lifted almost all of its severe COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, responding to popular discontent two weeks after protests sprang up around the country, reports the British Medical Journal (BMJ ).

The new changes will mean travel between regions and entry to most venues will no longer be restricted by the health code or require proof of a recent negative test.

The health code will still restrict access to schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and clinics.

The relaxing of the health code system was one of 10 new prevention and control measures put forward by the government. Other measures include a reduction in the number of neighbours locked down when a case is discovered and all lockdowns should end after five days if no new cases emerge.

Those with mild or no symptoms are now allowed to quarantine at home instead of at government centres.

The end of zero COVID was announced by China’s vice premier Sun Chunlan.

“With the decreasing toxicity of the omicron variant, the increasing vaccination rate, and the accumulating experience of outbreak control and prevention, China’s pandemic containment faces a new stage and mission,” she said.

However, experts are predicting a difficult winter, the BMJ reported, with the onset of the flu season and as the Chinese mix more freely.

New Zealand passes world-first tobacco ban

New Zealand has passed into law a unique plan to phase out tobacco smoking by imposing a lifetime ban on young people buying cigarettes.

The law states that tobacco can’t ever be sold to anybody born on or after 1 January 2009. Included in the new legislation are other measures to make smoking less affordable and accessible, including dramatically reducing the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products and forcing them to be sold through specialty tobacco stores, rather than at corner stores and supermarkets. The number of stores legally allowed to sell cigarettes will be reduced to a tenth of their existing levels – from 6000 to just 600 nationwide.

When introducing the legislation, associate health minister Ayesha Verrall said: “For decades we have permitted tobacco companies to maintain their market share by making their deadly product more and more addictive. It is disgusting and it is bizarre. We have more regulations in this country on the safety of the sale of a sandwich than on a cigarette.

“Thousands of people will (now) live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be $5 billion better off from not needing to treat the illnesses caused by smoking, such as numerous types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, amputations.”

ACROSS

1. Mismanagement (17)

10. Red (7)

11. A surgical device that utilizes electrical current or light to stop bleeding (10)

12. An tool for measuring the acuteness of the sense of smell (9)

13. Nuptial (7)

15. Ocular pain caused by light (9)

17. Graft of bone into a bone cavity (5)

19. Various plasma components involved in the clotting process (11.5)

21. Repeated postponement (13)

23. Erythrocyte (1.1.1)

24. The branch of medicine dealing with study of the soft tissues of the body (9)

27. Bronchoalveolar lavage (1.1.1)

28. A synthetic estrogen used in oral contraceptives. (9)

30. Earache (7)

32. Belonging to them (5)

33. A cell and protein-rich fluid that extravasates from the capillaries (7)

34. The outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm (9)

35. Deoxycorticoid (1.1.1)

DOWN

1. Mismanagement (17)

10. Red (7)

11. A surgical device that utilizes electrical current or light to stop bleeding (10)

12. An tool for measuring the acuteness of the sense of smell (9)

13. Nuptial (7)

15. Ocular pain caused by light (9)

17. Graft of bone into a bone cavity (5)

19. Various plasma components involved in the clotting process (11.5)

21. Repeated postponement (13)

11. Symbol for cerium (2)

14. Chemical symbol for actinon (2)

16. Nodular inflammatory lesions (11)

18. Before childbirth (10)

20. Generalised anxiety disorder (1.1.1)

22. Up-to-date (7)

25. Symbol for germanium (2)

26. Inner, central (5)

27. To lose blood (5)

29. Orthotopic Heart Transplant (1.1.1)

31. A hiatus (3)

The Lost Song Of Paris

Sarah Steele

Hachette Australia

RRP $32.99

ISBN 9781472294296

Inspired by incredible true events and heroines of the Resistance, The Lost Song of Paris is a heart-wrenching and unforgettable story of lost love, danger and espionage, and one remarkable woman’s bravery in World War Two, from the bestselling author of The Missing Pieces of Nancy Moon and The Schoolteacher of Saint-Michel.

All books can be ordered through the publisher or your local bookshop. Call 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962, or email library@nswnma.asn.au for assistance with loans or research. Books are not independently reviewed or reviewed using information supplied by the publishers.

The Last Love Note

Emma Grey

Penguin Random House

RRP $32.99

ISBN 9781761047626

In the aftermath of crushing grief, sole parent Kate Whittaker must learn to live and love again. It’s been tough raising her young son and wrangling a university fundraising job, an overbearing mother, and a best friend intent on matchmaking her with someone new.

A sparkling Australian romantic comedy that will break your heart into a thousand shards and piece it back together again.

A World of Curiosities

Louise Penny Hachette Australia

RRP $32.99

ISBN 9781399702294

The brilliant new Chief Inspector Gamache novel, soon to be a major TV series.

It’s spring and Three Pines is re-emerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should return. But something has.

A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines. But to what end?

S Pecial Interes T Special Interest

Tom Clancy Red Winter

Marc Cameron Hachette

RRP $32.99

ISBN 9781408727812

For the 20-year anniversary of Tom Clancy’s classic novel Red Rabbit, this is a white-knuckle prequel set in 1985, introducing a never-beforeseen Jack Ryan at the beginning of his career.

1985: A top secret F117 aircraft crashes into the Nevada desert. The Nighthawk is the most advanced fighting machine in the world and the Soviets will do anything to get their hands on its secrets.

In East Berlin, a mysterious figure contacts the CIA with an incredible offer – invaluable details of his government’s espionage plans in return for asylum. It’s an offer they can’t pass up.

The NSWNMA is committed to protecting the interests of nurses and midwives by purchasing a range of insurances to cover members.

Journey Accident Insurance provides cover for members who are injured as a result of an accident while travelling between their home and their regular place of employment.

Professional Indemnity Insurance* provides legal representation and protection for members when required.

Make sure your membership remains financial at all times in order to access the insurance and other benefits provided by the NSWNMA.