The Lamp July 2005 by NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association

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volume 62 no.6 July 2005

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RAISING

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NURSING

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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

Raising the bar on nursing 12 Cover Lorna Scott, NP in community women's health

News in brief

Professional issues

8 8 9 9 10 10 10

33 Review of NSWNA mental health forum

Breakthrough on aged care EN traineeships New NSWNA website coming soon Pesticide test on babies cancelled Super choice explained online National men’s health conference Moruya trains student midwives All hospital records to go online

Professional development 11 NSWNA education program: What's on this month

NSWNA notices 34 2005 NSW Nurses’ Association election of branch delegates and alternative delegates 34 Have a voice, keep your branch active

Occupational Health and Safety

Agenda

36 Some relief for latex allergy sufferers

20 Workplaces under fire 22 Howard dumps collective bargaining 28 Hospital get a boost – Medicare gets chopped 30 Detainees gagged and sedated for deportation

Regular columns

Industrial issues 25 Switch to direct debit and protect the NSWNA 26 How much extra pay have you won? 27 Better deal with improved Award conditions

5 6 35 39 41 42

Editorial by Brett Holmes Your letters to The Lamp Ask Judith Book me Our nursing crossword Diary dates

Competition! 7

Win four-day alpine safari in Kosciuszko National Park

Special offer 6

Menopause The Musical offer

The Lamp COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Noel Hester T 8595 2153 EDITORIAL For all editorial enquiries, letters and diary dates: Glen Ginty T 8595 2191 E gginty@nswnurses.asn.au M PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 PRODUCED BY Lodestar Communications T 9698 4511 PRESS RELEASES Send your press releases to: T 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au 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 Robyn Wright, Moruya District 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, Overseas $100.

THE LAMP JULY 2005 3

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E D I T O R I A L BY BRETT HOLMES GENERAL SECRETARY

Raising the bar on nursing g While working to address the inadequacies and problems in our health system, we also celebrate the outstanding achievements and commitment of the nursing profession.

ne of the challenges we face as, an organisation committed to improving the nursing profession, is finding a balance between highlighting the inadequacies and problems in our health system and celebrating and promoting the many rewarding aspects of nursing. We need to be proud of the very good job we do as nurses and tell other people about it so they will come back to the profession. In this edition of The Lamp we continue the debate about what needs to be done to fix the nursing shortage. We tackle the problems that devalue the profession but also celebrate the highly skilled and valuable roles nurses play in our health system. Our Public health. There’s no fix without nurses campaign has started with a pleasing result that has delivered a good pay increase and improved conditions for public hospital nurses. We have also achieved good pay increases in aged care and private hospitals. These gains will help make nursing a more attractive job option. But it is just the start of longer campaigns to which we are committed. The NSWNA will be at the forefront in the fight for extra funding for our health system and for the education of more nurses to address the chronic nurse shortages. We want the right skills mix available in our wards and workloads that are manageable and reasonable. And we want nurses to be better represented in decisions about the health system. We will also continue our campaign for a Fair Share for Aged Care, which I have no doubt will need to focus on retaining conditions long and hard fought for in this sector.

‘We tackle the problems that devalue the profession but also celebrate the highly-skilled and valuable roles nurses play in our health system.’

I have just attended the Canadian Federation of Nursing Unions’ bi-ennial conference and have had the opportunity to see what problems and issues Canadian nurses are facing. There are similar themes in Canada to Australia: nurse shortages, tough workloads, pressures on the health system including long waiting lists and attacks on universal health care. It brought home to me that many of the problems nurses face are global but that we have to fight hard to solve them locally. We have much to learn from one another. For their part, Canadian nurses were very interested in our public hospitals reasonable workloads award clause as an employment instrument. And we have much to learn from them. Canadians are experiencing serious attacks on their public medicare system with private health providers eager to cross the border from the USA. Many doctors are willing to open up private hospitals and surgical clinics. All are promising that, by enhancing the private health system, they will resolve the public hospital waiting lists. What is clear to me from my overseas observations is that in Australia, Canada and Britain – countries with universal medicare systems - health expenditure as a percentage of GDP is far lower than countries like the USA with a system dominated by private health care. Universal public health is a better and more cost-effective system. I’d like to thank members who participated in the public hospital pay campaign to ensure a better outcome to what the government had offered. It is now important that we protect these conditions against any clawbacks the federal government may be planning with their proposed IR changes. We must be vigilant that any restructure of the NSW health system does not undermine our gains, that the promised reallocation of resources towards clinical care occurs and the loss of administrative support does not impinge on the work of nurses.n THE LAMP JULY 2005 5

L E T T E R S

LETTER of the month Mike Penberthy Paula Varnier

Why didn't everybody get the payrise? I am not complaining about our recent pay rise. However it is not fair! I work in a multidisciplinary community health facility that is part of a major Sydney hospital. Our facility receives funding from three main sources. This funding is split into three cost centres: 1. Home and Community Care (HACC) 2. HIV and Related Disorders Unit (HARD Unit) 3. General. The nursing staff were excited to learn of the new award increases. However, this excitement was short-lived when we learnt that the money to pay for these award increases would only be received by our general fund. The HIV and HACC funding sources do not receive state government monies to fund staff award increases. So, what does this mean? For staff who are paid by HIV and HACC funds, their award increases will have to be taken out of the general fund. To accommodate this, positions will have to be cut (or not replaced) across the service to ‘free up’ funds to pay the award increases, as the general fund is not large enough to cover everyone’s pay rise. This of course brings us back to the problem of unreasonable workloads and reduced workforce. The irony for me is that the union is hopeful the award increases will attract more nurses to the workforce and retain those already working in it. However, for our community health facility, this means cuts and reductions to the workforce to accommodate the new award increases (both nursing and allied health). Shouldn’t all funding bodies receive the increase?

Paula Varnier, St Vincent’s Community Health Editor Response: Community nurses facing cuts like this should contact the NSWNA. The state government has made record increases to the health budget this year, so there is no excuse for cuts to services. Paula Varnier won the prize for this month’s letter of the month, a $50 Myer voucher. 6 THE LAMP JULY 2005

Insight into delegate’s training As a delegate with almost a decade of experience under my belt, I would like to use your column to give the membership a personal insight into the Branch Officials and Activists Training Program. Recently, I was one of a dozen nurses who met at Tamworth for the BOAT program. Initially, I was reluctant to enrol in the course, given that I had completed a BOOP training course a couple of years ago and I believed that I ‘knew-it-all’. However, I was pleasantly surprised. BOAT does have something to offer the old ‘know it alls’ like myself. During the three-day course, you are challenged in your own motivation as an activist – the way the local branch runs and how to best represent the members. One activity that impressed me in the program was the forum to discuss local issues within the confidentiality of the room. Participants analysed and dissected these issues with a sense of empowerment to address them in the workplace. It was pleasing to watch the less experienced branch officials showing signs of confidence, even after a couple of days. We all know that confidence comes with education and experience. That is why I am writing this letter, to encourage all branch officials (and those with an interest in the NSWNA), whether oldies or new, to

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

take advantage of the BOAT experience. You and your branch can only benefit from it. Full credit must be given to Margaret Yates, who coordinates this course. Margaret is full of encouragement for the participants, and creates a friendly, relaxed atmosphere with a sense of fun. Thanks Margaret for your hard work and devotion. Mike Penberthy, Secretary of Inverell branch

John Goard NM

A stuffed NSWNA member? I contacted the association the other day after some information and, yes as usual got put on hold for the requisite four days and, while this is so annoying, what made it bearable was the hold message! It had me in fits because this chap said “to hold and you will be answered by a staff member”. Not funny I hear you say, except that it came out as, “You will be answered by a stuffed member” because of the speed that the message played at and the inflection in the voice. Anyway the young lass whom I eventually spoke to was very pleasant and also thought it rather hilarious too! So I’m wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience and would like to write in to the good ol’ Lamp. It would make a nice change to the doom and gloom we seem to be stuck in. John Goard NM, Cudal Health Service

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Got something to say? Geoff Tyson

Peter Lokiri

No to violence On behalf of this branch of the NSWNA, I wish to pass on our thanks for the story on OH&S fines incurred by DADHC as a result of WorkCover breaches. Violence in the workplace is a feature of nursing in this field and while it is well managed for the most part, management remain oblivious to risks in order to save a little money. I note that Trish also mentioned the ongoing saga of the duress system which, in all honesty, is fundamentally flawed. While it is probably not the nicest way to receive some press, it does highlight that the Department does answer to a higher authority when such breaches occur and may provide individuals with some confidence to notify when serious matters arise.

Members help Peter achieve his dream In the March issue of The Lamp we ran an article on Peter Lokiri who fled the civil war in Sudan and now dreams of becoming a nurse. In response to the article, members donated $900 through the NSWNA to help Peter with his nursing education fees. I am delighted to inform you that I have received $900 to help with my school fees. It is the equivalent of 1,083,035 Uganda Shillings. It is hard for me to express how happy I am at this moment. God bless you all, especially those who will help me make a success of myself. THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU! Peter Lokiri, Sudan

V AT AL $2 UED 00 0

Geoff Tyson, NSWNA Branch Secretary Rydalmere

Send your letters to: Glen Ginty email gginty@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.

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 furtniture. For more information on Medicraft products, visit www.medicraft.com.au or call 9569 0255.

Every letter published receives a copy of the Australian Nurse Diary 2005. The diary includes weekly shift planners, reference materials, foreign language translations, and is available from hospital newsagents.

COMPETITION

WIN! FOUR-DAY ALPINE

SAFARI IN KOSCIUSZKO

NATIONAL PARK The Lamp is offering members the chance to win a four-day Alpine safari, courtesy of Reynella Kosciuszko Rides. Prize includes: • All meals and two nights’ accommodation at the homestead. • Three days’ riding, with two nights’ camping in Kosciuszko National Park.

Explore the unsurpassed beauty of Kosciuszko National Park with Reynella Kosciuszko Rides. You will enjoy trekking over the exhilarating country that inspired Banjo Patterson’s, The Man From Snowy River and other thrills such as taking a dip in crystal clear mountain streams only accessible on horseback, cantering across the plains where wild bush horses roam and exploring limestone caves and historic high country huts. You will be tempted by bush picnics, meals of mouth-watering trout, steak and roasts cooked by camp oven, traditional damper and billy tea. At night you’ll sleep under the stars or in roomy tents. Contact Roslyn Rudd, toll-free on 1800 02 9909 or (02) 6454 2386 to make a booking.

To win, write you name, address and membership number on the back of an envelope and send to: The Lamp/Alpine safari competition PO Box 40 Camperdown 1450 * Prize is valid for 2005/2006 season, is non-transferable and not redeemable for cash. Reynella will make every endeavour to accommodate your holiday at your convenience. However, due to bookings by our regular clientele, certain dates are reserved. THE LAMP JULY 2005 7

N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

BREAKTHROUGH

ON AGED CARE

EN TRAINEESHIPS ged care workers in rural and regional areas will find it easier to become enrolled nurses (EN) following successful lobbying efforts by the NSWNA. In response to union requests, the federal government agreed to include the EN qualification in the ‘new apprenticeships rural and regional skill shortages’ list. This means rural and regional aged care providers who sponsor workers to undertake the EN traineeship (Certificate IV in Nursing) are now eligible to receive financial incentives from the government.

‘We are starting to chip away at the bureaucratic barriers to funding of aged care EN traineeships and will continue our campaign to have all the barriers removed.’ This removes one of the barriers that have prevented aged care workers from accessing federal funding for EN traineeships. These barriers were identified by the union in submissions to the government. NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes said that, since April, aged care facilities on the NSW South Coast had sponsored five workers to undertake EN training. ‘Given the extreme shortage of qualified nurses, the advantage to an aged care provider of having staff members undertake EN training far outweighs the cost of the training,’ Brett said. ‘We are starting to chip away at the bureaucratic barriers to funding of aged care EN traineeships and will continue our campaign to have all the barriers removed,’ he said. 8 THE LAMP JULY 2005

New NSWNA website coming soon g More news, more about nurses on NSWNA website

irst we revamped The Lamp, now we’ve reinvented our online presence. The Association is set to launch a new website at the annual conference in July as the next phase to improve and modernise our communications. The new site will have a comprehensive news area with our media releases, speeches, opinion, union news and member profiles. The Lamp will be available for reading online or you’ll be able to download the print edition as a PDF document. There will be dedicated campaign areas for all our major campaigns including Public health, There’s no fix without nurses, reasonable workloads, aged care and the campaign against the federal government’s IR changes. These areas will not only have campaign news and background information, but campaign materials for members to download and a function to send protest emails. Current resources such as the members-only area will be retained while

new features such as a rights at work area have been added. NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes says the Association is committed to producing state-of-the-art communications for members. ‘At the heart of the federal government’s IR changes is a strategy to break the links between workers and their union representatives. In this climate it is critical that we have impeccable communications between union members in their workplaces and the union office,’ he said. ‘A lively and informative Lamp and an accessible, useful and up-to-date website are two key pillars in our own strategy to keep members informed and involved in the activities of their union. ‘We anticipate it being a useful resource for all sorts of opinion-shapers including the media and policy-makers. It will be a useful vehicle to put nursing at the heart of the health debate.’ The new website will have the same address – www.nswnurses.asn.au – and will be live from the end of July. n

PESTICIDE TEST ON BABIES CANCELLED

Super choice explained online

he US Environmental Protection Agency has cancelled a study of the effects of pesticides on infants and babies, a day after two Democratic senators said they would block confirmation of the agency’s acting administrator if the research continued. EPA acting administrator Stephen L. Johnson, required the confirmation of the Senate to be appointed administrator. Rich Hood, a spokesman for the agency, acknowledged that Johnson had cancelled the test because of the objections to his confirmation.

‘Cheers offered $970, a camcorder, a bib and a T-shirt to parents whose infants had been exposed to pesticides if the parents completed the two-year study.’

g ACTU website explains all you need to know about super.

A recruiting flier for the program, called the Children’s Environmental Exposure Research Study, or Cheers, offered $970, a free camcorder, a bib and a T-shirt to parents whose infants or babies had been exposed to pesticides if the parents completed the two-year study. The requirements for participation were living in Duval County, Florida, having a baby under three months old or 9 to 12 months old, and ‘spraying pesticides inside your home routinely’. The study was being paid for in part by the American Chemistry Council, a trade group that includes pesticide makers. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, one of two Democrats who said they would block the confirmation, said the study amounted to ‘using infants in my state as guinea pigs’. Senator Nelson said the study sought to recruit subjects in a poor neighborhood by offering parents compensation for practices potentially dangerous to their children.

July 2005 will be a big day for Australian workers. For the first time, John Howard will gain control of both houses of the federal parliament, providing him carte blanche to wipe out the improvements to wages and conditions gained since federation. Another big change is the commencement of new legislation that will enable workers to choose their own superannuation fund. The ACTU has developed a website to explain the new choice of fund legislation and to assist workers in making the best savings choice for their retirement. And the best choice, according to the Unions and Super website, are the industry funds that are low-cost with all profits going to members. ACTU Secretary Greg Combet explains, ‘On average industry funds have lower costs and stronger returns than for-profit retail funds and deliver a “net benefit” to members that equates to four times that of retail master trusts. ‘Independent research by SuperRatings shows that the lower fees charged by industry funds means their members could be more than 36% better

off than comparable employees whose super is invested in a commercial fund. After 40 years’ work that equates to an extra $216,000 more at retirement. ‘And this is before investment earnings are taken into account, where Industry funds have also consistently outperformed their rivals delivering an average $8.84 to members for every dollar of fees charged compared to an average master trust return of just $2.53 per dollar of fees.’

‘Research shows the lower fees charged by industry funds means their members could be more than 36% better off than super invested in a commercial fund.’ NSW nurses already have the entitlement to choose their own fund but the ACTU site is a useful resource for choosing the best fund. Greg Combet warns the choice of fund legislation is not to give employees more super options but to create a market environment that will allow the high-fee commercial funds to build their market share, and increase their profit. n Visit www.actu.asn.au/super to find out everything you need to know about superannuation, industry funds and the new choice of fund legislation. THE LAMP JULY 2005 9

N E W S I INN BBRRI IEEFF

NATIONAL

Postgraduate student midwife Mellinda Brogan with her latest charge born hours earlier at Moruya hospital.

MEN’S HEALTH CONFERENCE

f you’re involved in the health and wellbeing of men and boys, clinically, socially or politically, you can’t afford to miss the 6th National Men’s Health Conference this year. To be held in Melbourne from Monday 10 October to Wednesday 12 October, the conference will feature international and national keynote speakers. Presentation and seminar sessions will focus on current trends and hot topics in practice, knowledge and research. Speakers include: c Psychotherapist Jed Diamond, director of MenAlive in the USA. Jed is the author of seven books, the latest being The Irritable Male Syndrome. c Jim Leishman, district charge nurse in Falkirk, Central Scotland. Jim is a founder of the Camelon Centre for Men’s Health. c Professor John J. MacDonald, Foundation Chair in Primary Health Care at the University of Western Sydney, and Visiting Professor of Community and Public Health at Birzeit University in Palestine. c Philip Patston, a well-known New Zealand comedian and entrepreneur, with a counselling and social work background. c Noel Richardson of the Irish Men’s Health Forum, author of Getting Inside Men’s Health. The conference will be followed by the 4th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention on Thursday 13 October and Friday 14 October.

For details of both events go to www.regocentre.com 10 THE LAMP JULY 2005

MORUYA TRAINS STUDENT MIDWIVES

ew opportunities for midwives and trainees are opening up at Moruya Hospital on the NSW South Coast. The hospital is expanding midwifery services via outreach clinics, and taking on undergraduate and postgraduate students for the first time. The expanded service results from the amalgamation of the maternity departments of Moruya and Batemans Bay hospitals. ‘With over 300 births a year, Moruya now has the critical mass to take on student midwives,’ said the hospital’s senior nurse manager, Genevieve Russell. She said the hospital had just taken on a postgraduate student midwife and plans to recruit a Charles Sturt University undergraduate next year. Charles Sturt University offers a four-year undergraduate double degree in nursing and midwifery. Moruya Hospital provides a 38-week placement as part of its link to the university. The expanded midwifery service, and the opportunity to do a double degree in four years, will increase the attraction of nursing to young people in the area, Genevieve believes. ‘We will try to nurture the students and make them a big part of our team. If we give the students a good experience they will stay in nursing,’ she said. ‘We have a wonderful midwifery staff here and it will be good for them to pass on their skills to students. And they can learn from the students who will bring new ideas.’ n

ALL HOSPITAL RECORDS

TO GO ONLINE

edical records of public hospital patients across NSW will be held on a central database which can Health Minister be accessed from any Morris Iemma authorised PC location. The state government has called for tenders to expand the roll out of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, to give clinicians online access to all diagnostic tests carried out in hospital, regardless of whether as inpatient, outpatient or in emergency. Health Minister Morris Iemma said EMR would help reduce delays and allow electronic charting, making it easier for treating clinicians to detect trends in diagnostic results. Mr Iemma said online results reporting is already being used by Sydney West, Sydney South West, the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Central Coast and would be extended to Northern Sydney and Greater Western Area Health Services by early 2006. The plan has drawn criticism because it abolishes the voluntary element that requires patients to express consent to having their information collected and stored. The acting NSW Privacy Commissioner, John Dickie, said the current law relating to e-health records that protect patients’ privacy would have to be amended if the new policy goes ahead. The legislation states that organisations must not include health information about a person in a linked records system unless the patient has expressly consented. n

,AST 7EEKEND V PDF 0-

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S prON nsswwna education ogram THIS MONTH s Legal and professional issues for practice nurses 3 August, NSWNA, 1/2 day Legal and registration framework, scope of practice, medication administration, immunisation and indemnity laws. Members $39.50 Non-members $85.00 Branch officials $28.00

s Basic foot care for RNs and ENs (VETAB accredited course) 11-12 August, NSWNA, 2 days Aims to provide nurses with the competence to provide basic foot care. Members $203.00 Non-members $350.00 Branch officials $175.00

s Professional education day 17 August, Wagga Wagga, 1 day Root cause analysis, disciplinary proceedings, procedural fairness and performance management. Free

s Nurse managersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; seminar series

OR UCH M AND M

HAVE YOUR DETAILS CHANGED? We need to have the correct contact details for all NSWNA members so we can communicate important information on campaigns quickly and effectively. If your details have changed, please notify us by calling 1300 367 962 (country members) or 8595 1234 (city members).

24 August, Wollongong, 1/2 day Legal framework, substantive and procedural fairness, investigation of complaints and disciplinary interviews. Members $85.00 Non-members $226.00 Branch Officials $74.00

s Basic foot care for AINs 26 August, Tamworth, 1 day Developed in collaboration with the Podiatry Association. Aims to provide AINs with the competence to provide basic foot hygiene for the healthy foot under the supervision of an RN or EN. Members $101.00 Non-members $175.00 Branch Officials $87.50

For registration and more information: go to www.nswnurses. asn.au or ring Carolyn Kulling on 1300 367 962 THE LAMP JULY 2005 11

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

The image of the nursing profession is being devalued by inadequate resourcing and heavy workloads caused by a chronic nursing shortage. In the first of a series examining the status of the nursing profession, The Lamp tackles nursing education and what’s needed to help fix the nursing crisis. 12 THE LAMP JULY 2005

No fix without student nurses g It’s hard to fix nursing shortages when the federal government is underfunding nursing education.

he greatest pressure on nurses is heavy workloads caused by a severe nursing shortage.Yet the severe shortage of nurses in Australia is likely to worsen as nearly half of the profession, who are aged over 45, retire in the next 10-15 years. If we desperately need new nurses moving into the system, why did Australian universities turn away thousands of qualified applicants for nursing courses this year? This year 2,716 potential students were turned away from nursing courses. NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda said, ‘We currently have a

shortage of 1,750 nurses in public hospitals, not counting shortages in the private sector. It’s ridiculous to have such a nursing shortage and be turning potential students away.’ The federal government is largely to blame by historically underfunding nursing education. Despite some measures by the government to address the shortfall in undergraduate nursing places, there continues to be a shortfall of around 800 undergraduate nursing places each year – based on a report by the government’s own Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee projecting that around 12,000 graduate nurses need to be entering the workforce in 2006 to meet current shortages. Another problem stems from the federal government’s decision to cap the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) fees for nursing and teaching courses to attract students to these highdemand sectors. Nursing and teaching have been recognised as national priority areas so have been placed in the Band 1 of HECS,

capping students’ contributions to $3680 per year. Meanwhile HECS fees for other courses have increased by up to 30% since 2003. ‘The Association very much supports the move by the government to identify nursing as a national priority and capping HECS fees for nursing will go a long way to attracting new students to this area,’ said Judith, ‘However, nursing courses are expensive to run and the low HECS fees mean universities don’t make money on undergraduate nursing courses. Current government policy doesn’t provide scope for universities to offset these costs, so they want to cut back on undergraduate nursing,’ she said. The University of Sydney shut its doors on undergraduate nursing last year despite campaigning and rallies by the NSWNA and students to try and persuade the University Senate to change its mind. Existing undergraduate nursing students will be able to complete their nursing degrees at Sydney University. ‘Decisions about nursing education should not be determined by the bottom line. This devalues the profession and is not how you deal effectively with a national problem such as the nurse shortage,’ said Judith. She is also concerned that once one high-profile university decides to shut its doors on undergraduate nursing, others

may follow suit, further reducing the supply of nurses.

Government funding is the fix In recognising nursing and teaching courses as national priority areas, a two-fold response is required from the federal government. The NSWNA agrees that HECS fees should be significantly reduced, if not abolished, for nursing courses. But the government needs to offset this by increasing its proportion of the funding of nursing places to attract students and make nursing courses viable for universities.

acts as a great deterrent for nurses who wish to gain specialist knowledge and further their careers. For example, the Australian Labor Party in their pre-election policy Aim Higher: Learning, training and better jobs for more Australians, calculated that ‘under the Howard Government’s proposed university changes, a student who wants to study to become a midwife could face a student debt of $37,800 including $15,400 in HECS fees, $8,400 in full fees and $4,300 interest over and above the cost of living. n

More funding also needed for specialist and postgraduate nursing courses One of the greatest areas of nursing shortage is in specialist areas such as intensive care, aged care midwifery and mental health (to just name a few). In order to address the shortage of specialist nurses, the NSWNA is pushing the government to increase its funding of postgraduate nursing places and reduce HECS fees for postgraduate nursing courses. Most postgraduate nursing courses are full fee paying which THE LAMP JULY 2005 13

‘My clinic is the back of my car.’

Nurses are a determined and resilient breed and the pressure has only made the profession stronger. Nurses are becoming more highly skilled and qualified, and are demanding voice and sway in the health debate. We also explore nurse roles highlighting the advance of the profession.

Lorna’s NP role fills a void g A nurse practitioner in community women’s health, Lorna Scott provides a diverse and muchneeded service to the women in the Lower Hunter .

orna Scott says that her advanced clinical role as an NP in community women’s health may lead to reductions in pregnancies among the young, disadvantaged women in her care due to her capacity

14 THE LAMP JULY 2005

to prescribe the pill. ‘Before I was authorised to prescribe the pill, I could only refer these girls to a GP. The next time I saw them was for a pregnancy test because they could not afford the fees for a GP visit,’ she said.

Lorna is one of 53 nurse practitioners in NSW whose senior clinical role extends to duties traditionally the realm of medical practitioners, such as the prescription of some medications, diagnostic testing and referral to specialists. ‘It’s an advanced clinical role that is a mark of respect for the nursing profession. It provides a strong career path for nurses wanting to advance their clinical career,’ said Lorna. ‘Previously, if you wanted to advance your career there were limited options clinically. You couldn’t fully maintain a clinical focus but had to move in a management or educational direction.’ Nurse practitioners can work in a variety of settings in hospitals and community health. Lorna works for Lower Hunter Community Health, caring for women across a large rural region spanning Maitland, Dungog, Cessnock and Singleton shires. She said the role of a nurse practitioner is particularly important in rural and remote regions where services are limited and communities can be very close-knit. There are a number of issues in the Lower Hunter area affecting women’s access to medical services. Lorna said, ‘Women on low incomes often cannot afford to visit a GP who doesn’t bulk bill especially for regular screening like pap smears and bulk billing rates are low here. There is also a shortage of GPs. ‘My role fills a real need in a rural area like the Lower Hunter, which can be shown by the demand for the service,’ said Lorna. As a nurse practitioner, Lorna is able to spend more time with her patients than a GP. New clients are given a one-hour appointment. ‘I provide a comprehensive range of services to my patients. This may include advice on contraceptive options, discussion on safe sex, a pap smear, testing for Chlamydia, pelvic examination, breast check, blood pressure check and prescription for the pill,’ she said. ‘When my clinical role was more limited there was a lot of duplication for patients – I was able to discuss contraception but couldn’t prescribe it so the client would be referred to their GP. I still do this for women who have a regular GP. The problem lies with those women who don’t have a GP. It’s important for women to have a regular GP for ongoing health care but at times that can be difficult with the shortage of GPs, especially in the rural areas.’ Lorna describes her clinic as “the back of her car”. ‘I am adaptable in practice

and go to locations that are acceptable and accessible for clients. This includes regular clinics in community health centres, neighbourhood centres, home visits for women with disabilities and specific needs clinics for women who are developmentally delayed. There have been times where I’ve set up clinic in a shearing shed,’ she said. In a week, Lorna travels 350 kilometres as she covers the Lower Hunter region.

‘It’s an advanced clinical role that is a mark of respect for the nursing profession. It provides a strong career path for nurses wanting to advance their clinical career.’ In a typical day Lorna will see between 8 and 14 clients who require a diverse range of services including pregnancy tests, pap spears, breast checks, pelvic examinations, advice on contraception, menopause, menstrual problems, incontinence, counselling for domestic violence, sexual assault, and relationship counselling. ‘It’s often the case that women come in under the guise of wanting a pap smear or check-up but they have an underlying need to talk about broader issues,’ she said. ‘You need to apply a holistic approach to women’s health.’

Lorna also provides education sessions to health staff, women’s groups and schools. And then there’s an abundance of paperwork and pathology follow-ups to keep up with. Lorna qualified as a nurse practitioner in July 2001. There are two paths to obtaining qualification as a nurse practitioner. A nurse can be authorised based on extensive clinical experience, qualifications and undergoing a clinical viva, or by achieving an approved Masters in nurse practitioner. Lorna achieved authorisation based on her extensive clinical experience, postgraduate qualifications in women’s health and clinical viva. ‘I wanted to further my career and enhance my clinical practice and knowledge,’ said Lorna. The role of nurse practitioner has sparked some criticism from doctors’ groups but Lorna explains her role is not replacing a GP’s, it’s very much a complementary role. ‘Most of the women I see were not seeing a GP, anyway. In fact, I’m seeing increasing cases of GPs referring women to me for women’s health issues because they feel more comfortable seeing a nurse. ‘I have a good relationship with local GPs and specialists. We share mutual respect and recognition of each other’s skills. I don’t work in isolation, I work closely with other health professionals such as allied health, medical specialists and GPs. ‘There are times when I’ll seek advice from a GP or specialist and vice versa. But at end of the day, I am responsible for my clinical decisions. ,’ said Lorna. n

THE LAMP JULY 2005 15

The

Whirlwind hirlwind wor

g An emergency ward NUM is a senior clinical resource and an important link between nurses and hospital management

he pace on the emergency ward at St George Hospital is hectic all the time. As NUM of the department, Shane Jackson is under relentless pressure to process the flow of patients from ambulances and to the wards, while managing the workloads of nursing staff. He explains: ‘Patients are coming in from ambulances constantly. At one end I have ambulance officers applying pressure to get patients admitted within 30 minutes, so I have to work to get patients either discharged or moved to the wards to free up a bed. The problem is there are often no beds in the wards, so then they are under pressure to move patients on. It’s an endless, exhausting cycle.’ Shane has worked as an NUM in the emergency ward for the past seven years and describes his role as ‘a sandwich role’ between staff and management. ‘At one end I am under great pressure to get patients processed, but I am also responsible for my staff and I need to ensure they are not overloaded and under unreasonable pressure. ‘As NUM I am responsible for the ED overall including patients, nurses, clerical, and orderly staff after hours. I often feel caught in the middle and the pressure falls on me. ‘Being NUM in emergency is different to being an NUM in other wards. I’m able to maintain more of a clinical role than NUMs on the wards because I’m on the floor the majority of time, coordinating patient flow from ambulances and walk-in presentations to the wards, and I relieve nurses during their meal breaks. ‘I am a senior clinical resource for nursing staff and nurses from other wards ring me for advice on patient treatment all the time,’ said Shane. For nurses wanting to advance their careers, Shane stresses the importance of maintaining a focus on education and professional development. ‘I encourage my nursing staff to undertake training and education in order to fast-track their nursing careers,’ he said. A level 2 NUM, Shane is in the final stages of a Master of Health Services Management degree from the University of Western Sydney. He has post-graduate qualifications in emergency ward nursing and has undertaken numerous courses run by the area health service and hospital to enhance his clinical practice and management skills. n 16 THE LAMP JULY 2005

b 1pm. Shane arrives for afternoon shift on the emergency department. The immediate task is to check the staff allocation for that shift. ‘I need to ensure we are adequately staffed with an appropriate skills mix.’

a 7pm. Consulting with staff specialist on patient care. d 7.30pm. Checking nurse workloads. Shane ensures nurses do not have an overload of acute care patients.

ld of an ED NUM b 1.30. Shane receives a full handover from the dayshift NUM. He is updated on the status of patients and acuity levels in all sections of the department. c 3pm. Shane checks all patient admissions are up-to-date. He also checks staff are lined up for the night shift.

c 4.45. An ambulance arrives and Shane is under pressure to admit the patient. b 5.20. Shane liaises with the wards to develop strategies for moving patients to the wards.

b 8pm. Shane provides high-level clinical care to patients. c 9pm. Shift end. A job well done!

THE LAMP JULY 2005 17

From intensive care, fertility and pediatrics to Indigenous and women’s health, the spectrum of specialist nursing areas is as varied and wonderful as the nurses behind the jobs. Specialist nursing provides nurses with an opportunity to enhance their practice and advance their careers. In the first of a series on specialist nursing areas, The Lamp takes an inside look at palliative care nursing.

18 THE LAMP JULY 2005

Bringing comfort to dying patients g Palliative care nurses help a lot of people to have ‘good deaths’, but there’s a lot more to this specialty than just death and dying.

t home with the television tuned to the races, Terry looks very comfortable as palliative community care CNC Anna Nicholas pays him a visit. While he has terminal cancer, Anna’s visits allow him to avoid frequent hospital visits and stay in his comfy lounge chair tuned into his favourite sport. Anna Nicholas and five other community nurses provide community palliative care in Bankstown, caring for terminally ill patients in their homes and in hospital – she’s at the bedside when patients face their biggest step into the unknown. While death is as much a part of life as birth (and as inevitable as taxes), palliative care gets very little coverage compared to other specialties. Anna is keen to point out that palliative care involves more than just death and dying. Palliative care nurses now start seeing patients six to 12 months before the time of their death. They have a big role in symptom management, education and liaison with GPs and primary health care nurses. While the majority of patients have cancer, Anna says, ‘We’re seeing people with motor neurone disease and end-stage

cardiac disease. It’s called chronic and complex care. It used to be that we’d see people dying, but now we see them much earlier, which is good because you have time to build rapport.’ One of the aims of palliative care is to allow people to be at their most comfortable when they die; and for many people, this means dying at home. ‘Probably 30-50 per cent of deaths we see each month are deaths at home,’ says Anna. ‘Medicine and nursing are often so hospitalised that it’s very nice that we can provide this service in the home setting. We can’t provide everything in the home, but I think people are unaware sometimes of what we can manage at home. We can actually manage a peaceful death at home, and we can manage someone on injectable medications. ‘At home they can be in their tracksuit, they can have their television, they can have their dog or cat or their grandkids around and it does normalise the process,’ says Anna. Anna has a certificate in oncology and is currently completing her Masters in palliative care through Flinders University. While the Masters takes up a bit of time, she hopes the extra qualification will give her insights into the specialty and further enhance her career. She decided to specialise in palliative care after working in oncology for a few years, and hasn’t looked back since. ‘As a young graduate nurse, it’s really good to be in graduate programs and get exposed to a lot of different areas. But once you’ve had that exposure, it’s very beneficial to go into a specialty. It helps you work

‘As a young graduate nurse, it’s really good to get exposed to a lot of different areas. But once you’ve had that exposure it’s very beneficial to go into a specialty.’ Anna Nicholas with her patient, Terry.

towards best practice, which is better for you and your team, and patients feel secure with specialist nurses.’ Besides seeing terminally ill patients, nurses like Anna also build relationships with husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters and friends of patients. Carers need to be educated and informed to be able to adequately look after their loved one and allow them to stay at home. Caring for a dying loved one is a distressing experience itself and carers need support of their own. Practical considerations like organising a will and funeral arrangements are sometimes forgotten by people who are so busy caring for their loved one – often it’s the nurses who are the first to mention it. ‘We can offer then support or refer them to a social worker for counselling if they need it,’ says Anna. Bankstown is a very culturally diverse area and a large portion of Anna’s patients are Vietnamese, Chinese and Lebanese. The Bankstown service has interpreters available, and some of the nurses speak Vietnamese and Chinese.

No matter where they’re from, everyone copes with death differently. But for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, their impending death sometimes means they won’t get to see their children grow up. ‘Often with younger clients, there are a lot of emotional challenges. They’re angry, they’re sad, they’re leaving behind young children and a partner. But then someone older, who’s been married for 60 years to someone, is also very saddened to lose a partner that they’ve spent 60 years with. So you can’t judge who is more in need,’ says Anna. ‘Some people feel they’ve lived their life and are very accepting of the fact that they’re dying. Others find it very challenging and are very distressed right up until their death. But one of the challenges in palliative care would be to recognise this early on and involve social workers and try to make it less stressful for them.’ Inevitably, constantly working with dying people can get upsetting. Anna says a few tears are inevitable and natural for nurses in her position. ‘Sometimes it’s appropriate to be saddened or taken

with a particular family,’ she says. ‘I think nursing has really realised the importance of debriefing, and clinical supervision, and just being open about it and talking about it helps.’ The flip side to the sadness of death is the satisfaction of helping someone have a peaceful death – a ‘good death’ – the ability to help someone feel like their life has come to a natural conclusion. ‘It’s very rewarding being able to see someone have a peaceful death, and help someone do things that are important to them, like go to a birthday or a wedding,’ Anna said. ‘It’s also an honour being invited into people’s houses and being part of their lives at the end of their life.’ It’s clear Anna has built up a good rapport with Terry as they joke together in the fading afternoon light. Terry is in good spirits and talks about a trip to the pub the other night – he’s able to lead a normal life instead of being constantly in hospital. ‘Not to criticise hospitals,’ he says, ‘but what I’ll say is, if I had the choice, rather than travel into hospital every day I would prefer to have home care.’ n

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20/5/05JULY 4:19:34 THE LAMP 2005PM 19

A G E N D A

Workplaces g

The federal government has finally revealed its long-touted changes to workplace laws, with the implications being pay cuts, longer hours, more weekend work and jobs with lower standards for many workers, say unions. From 1 July, Howard’s government took control of the Senate and, for the first time since he became Prime Minister, will be able to pass whatever laws it likes without them being blocked or changed by the Senate. The Lamp looks at John Howard’s vision for Australian workers. * John Howard’s quotes come from his address to Parliament on workplace relations – 26 May 2005. 20 THE LAMP JULY 2005

HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S RADICAL AGENDA WILL IMPACT ON NURSES

NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes analyses what John Howard* says about his proposed workplace changes and outlines the real impact of the federal government IR agenda on NSW nurses.

Effectively abolishing awards p What John Howard says

‘Awards continue to be complex and difficult for workers and their employers to understand. That is why further award simplification will be undertaken to ensure they provide a modern and simple safety net.’ p Brett Holmes replies

‘What John Howard really wants to do is effectively abolish awards and replace them with only five minimum conditions. This could see nurses robbed of critical conditions now in our awards, such as public holidays, redundancy pay, weekend and night-time penalty rates, overtime pay, annual leave loading, casual

loading, pay for work on public holidays and reasonable workloads.’

Wiping out the state IR systems p What John Howard says

‘A national system is the next logical step towards a workplace relations system that supports greater freedom, flexibility and individual choice. It is not about empowering Canberra, but liberating workplaces right across this country.’ p Brett Holmes replies

‘This has consequences for NSW nurses. NSW nurses have won well-deserved improvements to their pay and conditions that are codified in state awards. Wiping out the state IR systems will remove the

under fire Nurses won’t take this lying down rett Holmes says that despite the strong bias towards employers in the new laws, there is nothing to stop nurses from maintaining and achieving better pay and conditions, nor is there anything to stop the employers from doing the right thing by their employees and continuing to make agreements with NSWNA that maintain and protect your existing conditions. ‘If we are organised and stick together we can fight to keep and improve our good wages and conditions. This may require some creativity and involve other methods rather than the traditional Award and Agreement system. There are other avenues and other forms of agreement that can be negotiated to ensure we keep the wages and conditions we have,’ he said. ‘Everyone is conscious of the enormous shortage of nurses in NSW and health employers would be foolish to take the risk of exacerbating the problem by slashing wages and conditions.’

ability to win improvements like the recent public hospital and aged care nurses’ pay increases.’

Using individual contracts to undercut existing rights p What John Howard says

‘The introduction of workplace agreements has given businesses and workers greater flexibility in negotiating working conditions.’ p Brett Holmes replies

‘Individuals are in a weak bargaining position and will have to cop the terms dictated by the employer in individual contracts (AWAs), or face the sack if they refuse. Working people will lose their automatic right to negotiate or bargain collectively. For nurses, particularly in small workplaces, there will be a greater risk of

being forced into irregular or insecure jobs with no safety net to fall back on.’

Taking away the powers of the independent umpire p What John Howard says

‘The role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission will change to keep pace with the needs of the Australian economy. Australia’s current workplace relations system is based on an adversarial and outdated view of workplace relations.’ p Brett Holmes replies

‘The Industrial Commission has ensured that Australia has had fair minimum wages and decent workplace standards for 100 years. Stripping away powers from the Commission will result in a reduced ability for an independent body to scrutinise conditions.’

WHAT YOU

CAN DO

c Talk to your family, neighbours and workmates about the proposals and the impact on your community. c Contact your MP and let them know your concerns. c Write to the paper and ring radio talkback and speak out about your right to decent work and quality of life. c Support local action opposing this attack on Australian communities.

OTHER FEATURES OF HOWARD’S WORKPLACE REVOLUTION • 99% of Australian companies will be able to sack employees without regard to fair process. This means over 3.6 million Australian workers will have no remedy against unfair dismissal. • Minimum wages will be allowed to fall in value and all other award wages, currently relied upon by 1.6 million workers and their families, would likely be frozen. • It will be harder for employees to access information, support or assistance from a union. THE LAMP JULY 2005 21

A G E N D A

Howard dumps collective bargaining

he new IR changes announced by the Howard government signal a concerted attempt to move employer-employee relationships away from awards and collective agreements to one based on AWAs (individual contracts). When similar workplace laws were introduced in New Zealand in the 1990s it led to the virtual deunionisation of the aged care and private hospital sectors. Many nurses, against their will, were moved from union-negotiated collective contracts on to individual contracts losing

leave provisions, penalty rates and access to regular shifts. Many failed to get a subsequent pay rise for several years. NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes says the widespread use of AWAs in Australia would mean the award would no longer be the absolute minimum standard. ‘AWAs would have the role of creating a lower benchmark for pay and conditions. It will be harder for working people to negotiate with their employer collectively, forcing individual employees to accept lower wages and conditions,’ said Brett.

DALCROSS SAYS NO TO AWAs

‘It is no exaggeration to say that, with these new laws, there will no longer be a guaranteed right to collectively bargain.’ Currently, there is a no-disadvantage test which applies to an AWA compared to an award. This test will be gutted and there will only be five minimum conditions that must be included in the individual contract: • A minimum salary rate frozen at 2005 levels; • Annual leave; • Personal leave; • Unpaid parental leave; • Maximum number of ordinary hours. An AWA will be able to totally ignore existing conditions in collective workplace agreements and undercut award conditions. And AWAs could now last up to five years compared to the current three years maximum.

Individual contracts – superficially attractive but really a trick

SWNA members at Dalcross Private Hospital have not only secured a 10% pay rise plus maternity leave for the first time but have also negotiated a no AWAs clause in their new agreement. Delegate Roseann Hughes says there was a mutual agreement between management and union members at Dalcross that AWAs are not the way to go. ‘The no AWAs clause in the agreement is a positive move. The nursing staff here don’t want AWAs and we are pleased to hear

22 THE LAMP JULY 2005

management say they won’t use them. AWAs have the potential to be damaging. People who aren’t aware of their rights are more vulnerable.’ Roseann says she only recently became a union member, as have many others at Dalcross. ‘Although I’ve been here for seven years, I’ve just joined the union and haven’t shut up since! I wanted to have more say and decided joining the union was a way to have it. There have been many others who have joined up here in the past few months for the same reason.’

A comparison made by the NSWNA between an AWA recently offered in an aged care facility, and the award, highlights how individual contracts can be superficially attractive at first, but in the medium and long term, erode the conditions of an employee. Initially the AWA offers a higher base rate of pay than the award – $26.28 per hour compared with $24.28. But over a threeyear period the award rate quickly delivers better results with uniform and laundry allowances and superior pay rises putting an extra $5,500 in the pocket of a RN. Our analysis found that, in AWAs, pay rises are usually non existent, less frequent or are smaller than the award, there is no double time for overtime and no allowances for things such as laundry. This is backed up by a recent academic study which found: • 56% of individual agreements analysed were below the minimum award rate with 77% for casual workers. • 67% of agreements did not include overtime rates and even fewer provided for weekend penalties. n

TIPS FROM LIZ

NSWNA Industrial Officer Liz McDonald says the first thing you should do if your employer offers you an individual contract, an Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA) is to stay calm! ‘This is a major decision that will impact on your wages and conditions for up to the next five years,’ Liz says. ‘Do not sign straight away. Go through the following steps.’

Get together with your workmates. By acting collectively you will be in a much stronger position to consider rejecting the AWAs or negotiate together for improved wages and conditions.

Call the Association on 1300 367 962 as soon as possible and ask for advice about what you can do. Don't believe any statements like 'the AWA is confidential and you can't seek advice about whether to sign it.'

Photo courtesy of TNEU

Check if the AWA provides for a wage rise. While the hourly rate on the AWA may look better at a first glance compared to your award, make sure you check your penalties, loadings, ADOs and leave entitlements. When you crunch the numbers, the AWA wage rate could be far less that what you earn now.

Check the dispute settlement procedures. Does this process give you access to the IR Commission in the event of a dispute? If not, the only way you will be able to resolve disputes may be by talking to your employer with no recourse to an independent umpire if you have problems.

Be aware of losing your award entitlements. AWAs replace all existing awards and enterprise agreements. Your entitlements under an AWA will differ from those you currently have in your award so compare the two.

Question your employer. Ask your employer if they can guarantee that you will be no worse off if you sign an AWA.

HOWARD USES FUNDING TO COERCE UNI STAFF ON TO AWAs n a move that sounds a warning bell to the health sector, the federal government plans to cut public funding to universities by $280 million and cut TAFE funding by $1.2 billion unless they adopt hard-line workplace relations policies that include offering all staff individual contracts with inferior conditions and introducing more casual employment. The new funding arrangements will give the federal education minister the ability to reach into universities and the TAFE system and dictate the details of individual job contracts, regardless of the fact that most staff and management in these institutions want to negotiate collectively.

THE LAMP JULY 2005 23

Direct debit works for Arnia and keeps our union strong. Arnia Haurua chose to pay her NSWNA fees by direct debit because it benefits both her and the union. Direct debit means your NSWNA membership fees are deducted direct from your bank account or credit card each month. ‘It’s convenient for me but it also protects our union from future attacks by the federal government. If the government stops payroll deductions for union fees after 1 July, this will seriously weaken the Association,’ said Arnia.

Switch to direct debit and go into the draw to win a 12-day European tour for 2 * Prize includes two return airfares ex Sydney to London * Prize drawn 24 THE LAMP JULY 2005 30 December 2005

For direct debit or direct credit forms, to enter the competition or for more information call the NSWNA on 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962 or go to www.nswnurses.asn.au

INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR I E S FS U E S

Switch to direct debit and protect the NSWNA

t a time when nurses are under attack from the federal government, it’s essential you have a strong union behind you. But we need your help to keep strong. Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda warns a primary aim of the Howard government will be to weaken unions and their ability to protect workers. ‘It may try to stop the payroll of union fees by payroll deductions, which will have serious consequences for the way the union could function.’ That’s why the Association has written to NSWNA members asking for

their help by changing the payment of ts to you: their union fees from payroll to direct debit deductions. ‘To keep strong we need all members to pay their union fees by direct debit,’ said Judith. ‘Branches can Start pa yin also help by asking members to fill in a your fee g s by direct debit form.’ automa tic paymen Paying your union fees by direct t throug h your ba debit is also a convenient option. All you nk for your cha nce have to do is fill out a direct debit form to win and return it to the NSWNA. A FAB By going direct debit, you will not ULOUS HOLID AY only help protect the Association but you FO R2 will also go into the draw to win a 12-day European tour for two (see Direct Debit PRIZE DRAW form for details). n EVERY if this da y s day. Addition al uthorise

aints

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STANMORE SIGNS UP FOR DIRECT DEBIT urses at Stanmore Nursing Home joined the fight to protect the NSW Nurses’ Association by paying their membership by direct debit. They collectively signed up to pay by direct debit so their membership is safe no matter what the federal government does now it has taken control of the Senate. The federal government could decide to cancel payroll deductions in a

move to cripple unions and the NSW Nurses’ Association. If this were to happen, thousands of members who pay through their payroll would be left without NSWNA protection. Mere Thompson from Stanmore Nursing Home said that direct debit is a safer way to pay your membership. ‘That way, it comes direct to the Association, instead of through payroll,’ she said. Her entire workplace felt strongly enough about the issue to make sure they all signed up to direct debit. Mere said that the NSWNA plays a very important role and needs to be protected.

‘The union stands up for us, and it helps to protect my rights.’ She also pointed out that union action has won pay rises for nurses, including 25% for aged care. Without the union the pay rises wouldn’t have happened, and if the federal government cancels payroll deductions, it could seriously hurt the NSWNA. But there is a way to prevent this – pay your fees by direct debit. Direct debit means that your membership is deducted directly from your bank account or credit card each month, instead of your workplace taking your fees out. There is no extra charge for direct debit from your bank. When you pay by direct debit, your fees come directly to the Association and bypass any third party – your union fees are your business. Your membership and the NSWNA will be safe from federal government interference. By switching to direct debit you can also win a twelve-day European tour for two. For direct debit or direct credit forms, call the NSWNA on 8595 1234 (city) or 1300 367 962 (country). THE LAMP JULY 2005 25

INNE DWUSS TI R N I AB LR I E S FS U E S

How much extra pay have you won? g In May, nurses in NSW public hospitals were awarded a 14% pay rise over 31/2 years by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. The following table shows the new pay rates for public hospital nurses.

• ENROLLED NURSE 'THEREAFTER'

• REGISTERED NURSE 1ST YEAR

Current weekly pay before increases

$734.20

Current weekly pay before increases

$764.90

3% backpay lump sum 1/1/05 – 30/6/05

$572.00

3% backpay lump sum 1/1/05 – 30/6/05

$595.40

New salary rate from 1/7/05 (+3%+3%)

$778.90

New salary rate from 1/7/05 (+3%+3%)

$811.40

New salary rate from 1/7/06 (+4%)

$810.10

New salary rate from 1/7/06 (+4%)

$843.90

New salary rate from 1/7/07 (+4%)

$842.50

New salary rate from 1/7/07 (+4%)

$877.70

• REGISTERED NURSE 5TH YEAR

• REGISTERED NURSE 8TH YEAR

• CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALIST

Current weekly pay before increases

$937.00

Current weekly pay before increases

$1,074.20

Current weekly pay before increases

$1,118.00

3% backpay lump sum 1/1/05 – 30/6/05

$730.60

3% backpay lump sum 1/1/05 – 30/6/05

$837.20

3% backpay lump sum 1/1/05 – 30/6/05

$871.00

New salary rate from 1/7/05 (+3%+3%)

$994.10

New salary rate from 1/7/05 (+3%+3%)

$1,139.60

New salary rate from 1/7/05 (+3%+3%)

$1,186.00

New salary rate from 1/7/06 (+4%)

$1,033.90

New salary rate from 1/7/06 (+4%)

$1,185.20

New salary rate from 1/7/06 (+4%)

$1,233.40

New salary rate from 1/7/07 (+4%)

$1,075.30

New salary rate from 1/7/07 (+4%)

$1,232.60

New salary rate from 1/7/07 (+4%)

$1,282.70

• CNC GRADE 2 2ND YEAR

• NURSING UNIT MANAGER LEVEL 1

• NURSE MANAGER LEVEL 4, YEAR 1

Current weekly pay before increases

$1426.10

Current weekly pay before increases

$1,347.50

Current weekly pay before increases

$1,563.20

3% backpay lump sum 1/1/05 – 30/6/05

$1468.90

3% backpay lump sum 1/1/05 – 30/6/05

$1,050.40

3% backpay lump sum 1/1/05 – 30/6/05

$1,219.40

New salary rate from 1/7/05 (+3%+3%)

$1513.00

New salary rate from 1/7/05 (+3%+3%)

$1,429.50

New salary rate from 1/7/05 (+3%+3%)

$1,658.40

New salary rate from 1/7/06 (+4%)

$1573.50

New salary rate from 1/7/06 (+4%)

$1,486.70

New salary rate from 1/7/06 (+4%)

$1,724.70

New salary rate from 1/7/07 (+4%)

$1636.40

New salary rate from 1/7/07 (+4%)

$1,546.20

New salary rate from 1/7/07 (+4%)

$1,793.70

26 THE LAMP JULY 2005

Better deal with improved Award conditions

ore paid maternity leave, introduction of paternity leave and higher pay for ENs who are endorsed to administer medication are some of the improved conditions soon to be enjoyed by NSW public hospital nurses. NSWNA branches voted 99.5% in favour of the improved conditions last month, meaning they will soon become part of the nurses’ award.

The vote was an overwhelming endorsement of the outcome of the union’s ‘There’s No Fix Without Nurses’ campaign. The campaign’s major win – a 14.75% pay rise over the next three years – was decided by the NSW Industrial Commission in a binding determination that did not need to be voted on. The improved conditions package includes: c Paid maternity/paternity leave Fourteen weeks paid maternity/adoption leave and one week paid paternity leave. c Enrolled nurses An average of $15 per week pay increase for ENs with medication endorsement. c Night shifts 10-hour night shifts for 60 more facilities over a six-year period. c Study leave Study leave entitlement is now in the Award. c Union delegates Legal protection and rights for union delegates is now in the award. It guarantees paid leave for delegates to attend union education courses. c Pay reviews Pay reviews for CNE, NE, CNS, and undergraduate students working as AiNs will take place during 2005-06. c Long service leave LSL can now be taken after seven years instead of 10 years, and some leave may be taken at double pay. c Midwives References to ‘midwives’ are included in the award. c FACS FACS leave entitlements now in the Award. c Accrued sick leave You can now take up to 28 days’ break in service between jobs while still retaining accrued sick leave. NSWNA General Secretary, Brett Holmes congratulated all members who took part in campaign activities to TOP: Improved conditions will give Julia Martin, RN at win these substantial St Vincent's Hospital, a better balance between family improvements. n and work. RIGHT: In a Sky Channel address, Brett Holmes informed members of the proposed new award conditions.

THE LAMP JULY 2005 27

A G E N D A

Hospitals get a boost – Medicare gets chopped g There was good news and bad news from two recent government budgets. While NSW hospitals get more money and more beds, the federal government takes a knife to Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

fter a decade of closing beds and allowing services to struggle, the NSW government is finally putting serious money into investment in health. The recent State budget allocated an extra $472 million to relieve pressure on emergency departments and elective surgery waiting lists and to reopen 800 hospital beds. The news from the recent federal budget was less encouraging. The Howard government took more money from poor and chronically ill patients by cutting Medicare and the PBS (see box). The state government’s extra health spending was sorely needed. According to NSW Health, 26% of emergency patients waited eight hours or more for a bed during March this year. NSW Health Minister Morris Iemma said there were 4,194 more patients admitted from emergency departments to hospital wards in the 12 months to March 2005 compared to the same period in the previous year. The overall health budget for 2005 totalled $10.9 billion in recurrent (noncapital works) spending, an increase of almost $1 billion or 9% over 2004. Key features of the 2005-06 NSW health budget include:

Hospital beds c Funding for 345 additional permanent acute and sub-acute beds over the next 12 months, ‘subject to the availability of nursing and medical staff’. c Permanent funding of 200 winter beds which opened last year. These will now stay open year round. c Funding for 221 additional permanent beds, effective from May 2005. 28 THE LAMP JULY 2005

c $25 million to fund a total of 57 new intensive care beds, including 20 new adult intensive care beds, 30 neo-natal intensive care and special care cots, and seven paediatric intensive care beds and ‘step down’ ventilated beds.

Mental health Mental health services get $854 million, an increase of $71 million (9.1%) over 2004-05. Enhancements to be funded this year include: c $1.4 million for the commissioning of a new 20-bed non-acute unit at Campbelltown Hospital (construction commenced in March). c $2.5 million for a 15-bed psychiatric intensive care unit at Hornsby Hospital. c $2.5 million for 16 acute beds at Dubbo (increasing to $3.2 million in 2006-07). c $8 million to expand the Housing Accommodation Support Initiative to provide medium-to-highaccommodation support places operated by non-government organisations. c $4 million for an integrated statewide child and adolescent mental health service encompassing emergency assessment, supported beds in local hospitals, and step-up/step-down day centres linked to tertiary hospitals and community facilities. c $1.9 million for workforce development programs including support to universities for mental health nursing development. The budget expands the Psychiatric Emergency Care unit program. It will permanently fund the pilot PEC units at Liverpool and Nepean hospitals and create PEC units at St George, St Vincent’s and Hornsby hospitals.

Services re-design The budget allocates $19.7 million to initiate a clinical services redesign program. According to Minister Iemma, ‘This program will ensure that administrators work closely with clinicians and patients, resulting in improved patient treatment and creating better working environments.’

Ambulance An extra $10 million for the NSW Ambulance Service to recruit more than 100 new staff and lease 22 new vehicles in the metropolitan area.n

The recent State budget allocated an extra $472 million to relieve pressure on emergency departments and elective surgery waiting lists and to reopen 800 hospital beds. NSW Premier, Bob Carr.

* ÃÌ}À>`Õ>ÌiÊ -ÌÕ` iÃÊÓääÈ

ustralians will have to spend hundreds of dollars a year more on visits to the doctor and medicines before they qualify for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare safety nets. The recent federal budget slugged concession card holders by reducing the number of free prescriptions. It also broke the federal government’s ‘rock-solid, iron-clad’ election promise not to raise the Medicare safety net threshold. From January next year general patients will have to spend around $957 (up $82) a year on medicines before they qualify for lower rates under the PBS. Pensioners and concessional patients will have to spend over $255 annually (up $16) on medicines before qualifying for free scripts. Calcium supplements will be removed from the PBS which means the elderly will have to pay $13 every two months for their tablets instead of $4.60 now.

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DEARER DRUGS AND MORE HOLES IN THE SAFETY NET

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From January next year general patients will have to spend around $957 (up $82) a year on medicines before they qualify for lower rates under the PBS.

Ì>VÌÊÕÃÊ Üo * i\Ê³È£ÊÓÊ Îx£ÊäÈ ÎÊHÊ >Ý\Ê³È£ÊÓÊ Îx£ÊäxänÊ > \Êv J ÕÀÃ }°ÕÃÞ`°i`Õ°>ÕÊ 7iL\ÊÜÜÜ°ÕÃÞ`°i`Õ°>ÕÉ ÕÀÃ } IÊ-ÕL iVÌÊÌ Ê V>`i VÊ >À`Ê>««À Û> ° ` ÃÃ \Ê À>`Õ>ÌiÊ iÀÌ wÊV>ÌiÃÊ>ÀiÊ «i ÊÌ Ê> Ê>«« V> ÌÃÊÜ Ê>ÀiÊÀi} ÃÌiÀi`Ê ÕÀÃiÃÊÜ Ì Ê> Ê ÕÃÌÀ> > ÊµÕ> wÊV>Ì °Ê «« V> ÌÃÊÜ Ì Ê ÛiÀÃi>ÃÊµÕ> wÊV>Ì Ã]ÊÜ ÊÀi} ÃÌiÀi`Ê Ê -7Ê«À ÀÊÌ Ì iÊ ÕÀÃiÃÊ> `Ê `Ü ÛiÃÊ >À`Ê vÊ -7ÊÀiµÕ Ài i ÌÊv ÀÊ> Ê /-Ê vÊÇ°äÊÜ Ê ii`ÊÌ Ê`i ÃÌÀ>ÌiÊ Õ Ê } Ã Ê > }Õ>}iÊÀiµÕ Ài i ÌÃ°Ê «« V> ÌÃÊv ÀÊÌ iÊ >ÃÌiÀÃÊV ÕÀÃiÃÊÜ ÊLiÊÀiµÕ Ài`ÊÌ Ê >ÛiÊ>Ê >V i ÀÊ vÊ ÕÀÃ }ÊÜ Ì Ê>ÊVÀi` ÌÊ>ÛiÀ>}i]Ê ÀÊ >ÛiÊV « iÌi`ÊÌ iÊ À>`Õ>ÌiÊ iÀÌ w THE LAMP JULY ÊV>ÌiÊÜ Ì 2005 29 >ÊVÀi` ÌÊ>ÛiÀ>}i°

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With higher Medicare safety net thresholds, out-of-pocket medical expenses for low income earners will be lifted from $500, up from $300, before the government picks up 80% of the tab. The government backed away from its plan to slash Medicare funding for IVF but Health Minister Tony Abbott promised to ‘review’ the issue later.

A G E N D A

Detainees gagged and sedated for deportation g Immigration detainees are being forcibly sedated so they can be deported from Australia. The NSWNA warns that nurses may be pressured to partake in this highly illegal practice.

erhaps the last thing you would expect on a public flight overseas is the sight of an immigration detainee restrained with handcuffs, gagged and forcibly sedated so they can be deported from Australia. But according to accounts from passengers, refugee advocacy groups, detention centre staff, and the detainees themselves, the forcible sedation of detainees has been a regular practice of the Department Immigration and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) since 2000. Of the seven forced deportations by DIMIA this year, four have been conducted using sedative restraints, claims the Refugee Action Coalition. According the NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes, the forced sedation and other practices that violate the human rights of immigration detainees are a great concern to nurses and the Association. Following a request from the NSWNA Committee of Delegates, the NSWNA has developed a policy for the non-consensual administration of medication to immigration detainees, based on legal advice clarifying that it is an illegal act for nurses to forcibly sedate detainees so they can be deported.

30 THE LAMP JULY 2005

‘The advice we have received indicates that this practice constitutes an illegal act. The non-consensual administration of medication to detainees is only legal if the detainee’s life or health is at serious risk and, if this were the case, it would be unlikely that that a detainee would be in a reasonable state to be deported,’ said Brett.

‘The NSWNA is unaware of any members who have forcibly sedated detainees but we are concerned that members may be pressured by detention centre management to engage in this practice.’ ‘The NSWNA is unaware of any members who have forcibly sedated detainees but we are concerned that members may be pressured by detention centre management to engage in this practice.’ Matina Pentes worked as an RN at Villawood Detention Centre between 2001 and 2004. ‘I think that in the

Matina Pentes, former RN at Villawood Detention Centre

beginning nurses in detention centres were directed to do things they felt were in contravention to their professional and personal code of ethics. It was as though if the Australian government was asking them to do this, then it must be OK,’ she said ‘As time passed, nurses started saying “no”, they started to challenge some of the practices. Some left, some stayed and tried to change things. ‘By the time I went to work at Villawood, we had a Health Services Manager who was clear about human rights and we had Medical Officers who refused to prescribe sedation for detainees who were being deported,’ said Matina. ‘I never personally saw any nurses forcibly sedate a detainee so they could

The Edith Cavell Trust Scholarships for the academic year

2006 Applications for the Edith Cavell Trust Scholarships are now being accepted for 2006. Members or Associate Members of the NSW Nurses’ Association or the Australian Nursing Federation (NSW Branch) are invited to apply. Applicants should meet one of the following criteria: 1. Student nurses undertaking full-time courses leading to initial registration as a nurse 2. Registered or enrolled nurses who wish to attend: • an accredited clinical nursing education course of six months or less, either full-time or part-time; • an accredited nursing conference or seminar relevant to applicant’s clinical practice.

be repatriated but we understood that it had happened in the past and believed that it continued to happen in some other Centres. And it had to be a doctor or nurse giving the injection,’ she said. ‘On the whole, the nurses I worked with were opposed to any practice that violated the human rights of detainees.’ Brett Holmes said, ‘Protecting our members is a priority of the NSWNA and we strongly advise them that participating in the non-consensual administration of medication to immigration detainees would constitute an illegal act.’ n Members should contact the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) if they are approached by detention centre management to forcibly administer medication to detainees for the purpose of deportation.

‘TAKE THE TABLETS

OR BE JABBED’ Last December, Abdlmonein Khogali was told he had the option of taking five tranquilliser tablets or being forcibly injected before his deportation to Sudan, according to his testimony provided to the Refugee Action Coalition.

3. Properly constituted nursing organisations, faculties or schools of nursing or registered or enrolled nurses wishing to: • attend full-time, relevant post-basic studies at an approved institution for a period or periods of more than six months; • undertake an academically approved research programme in the theory and practice of nursing work; • conduct or fund a relevant professional or clinical nursing educational programme Applicants must be currently registered or enrolled with the NSW Nurses’ Registration Board (or the Registration Board of the State where practising). Applicants must use the official Edith Cavell Trust application form. Details of the Edith Cavell Trust Rules are available on request and will also be supplied with the application form. For further information or forms, contact: The Secretary – The Edith Cavell Trust PO Box 40, Camperdown NSW 1450 Tel: Mrs Glen Ginty 1300 367 962 Email: gginty@nswnurses.asn.au Web: www.nswnurses.asn.au – click on ‘Education’

‘They got me on the airplane with a wheelchair accompanied by a nurse, two companions and three other ACM officers. All that continued for about five to six hours with three types of handcuffs and ties of leather, plastic and steel around my hands and belly that gathered my arms to my trunk. ‘[Later] the nurse on trying to inject in my leg missed my body to hit the plane seat where the needle got bent. But he didn’t change the needle and injected me again with the contaminated, bent needle in a completely odd side on my leg, immediately above my left knee,’ said Abdlmonein. The interjection of passengers aborted this attempted deportation and saw Abdlmonein returned to the dentention centre. He was finally deported to Sudan in January 2005.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 5PM ON 31 JULY 2005 THE LAMP JULY 2005 31

NSW NURSES’ ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONAL ISSUES CONFERENCE 21 September 2005 Sydney Masonic Centre MEMBERS $85 NON MEMBERS $135

PROGRAM INCLUDES COLLECTIVE ACTION AS A PROFESSIONAL DUTY – HOW NZ NURSES ORGANISED FOR FAIR PAY Laila Harré

NURSING STUDENTS: Free Registration For a registration form visit www.nswnurses.asn.au or call Carolyn on 8595-2181 NSW Health Department has approved one day Special Leave to enable nurses in the public sector to attend this conference.

Organising Services Manager New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation

THE FUTURE OF ENROLLED NURSING IN A TRAINING PACKAGE WORLD Dr Chris Manwarring

Program Manager Health & Aged Services, TAFE NSW

FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS Debra McPherson

President British Columbian Nurses’ Union

SURVIVING SHIFT WORK

CONCURRENT SESSIONS Caring for Nurses’ Mental Health Enrolled Nursing Issues Workloads Committees Birthing in the Bush & Suicide Prevention in the Bush

Dr Delwyn Barlett

Psychiatric Emergency Care Centres

Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney

Industrial Relations Reforms

32 THE LAMP JULY 2005

N RE O P WFSE SI S N I OB N RA I EL F I S S U E S

Mental health patients stuck in emergency departments g Research revealed at the NSWNA mental health forum shows access block is getting worse

he widespread problem of mental health patients getting stuck in hospital emergency departments because of a shortage of mental health beds, has been highlighted by research at Manly Hospital. Statistics gathered by Manly Hospital’s CNC of mental health, Michael Bullock and NUM of the Emergency Service, Sue Hair, reveal a serious access block involving mental health patients. Michael and Sue presented their findings in a paper delivered to the NSW Nurses’ Association’s 2005 mental health forum. Their statistics, put together at the start of this year, showed the average length of stay of mental health clients in the ED increased dramatically over the previous four years. In 2000 less than 12% of presentations remained in the ED for more than eight hours. By 2004 the figure had jumped to over 51%. The acuity of presentations also changed, with an increase of over 480% in triage category 2 patients during the previous four years. The average length of stay of admitted mental health patients in the Emergency Department increased by over 280% in the previous four years, from 5.1 hours in 2000 to 14.5 hours in 2004. The percentage of Emergency Department mental health admissions being transferred to the psychiatric unit decreased from 69% in 2000 to 33% in 2004, with remaining mental health admissions being managed in the ED or transferred to other facilities. Michael Bullock told The Lamp the problem of access block was not confined to the ED. ‘It affects acute and sub-acute areas as well as rehab. There has been very little movement up and down the chain – if one link blocks up, they all do,’ Michael said.

Manly Hospital's Michael Bullock and Sue Hair... mental health patients face a serious access block.

‘The serious lack of mental health beds results from mental health being the poor relation of the NSW health service.’ ‘It basically comes down to the serious lack of mental health beds, which results from mental health being the poor relation of the NSW health service. ‘Last year some of the psychiatrists and I looked at practical solutions and we decided another five or six mental health beds with the necessary extra staff would allow us to eliminate the blockage in the ED.’ Michael said the problem was made worse by the fact that the number of general adult acute beds at Manly had not increased since 1992. He said that, despite shortages of money and staff, practical solutions could still be found – provided hospital managements were prepared to listen. ‘We lobbied management over the last six months to agree to quarantine two beds in our psychiatric unit so that when a patient is discharged we don’t give the bed away to out-of-area patients. ‘We now reserve these beds for our own patients coming through ED or from our crisis team. This has already decreased our access block in ED. ‘The ED still has mental health patients staying longer than 24 hours from time to time, but that’s rare compared to, say, six months ago.’ Michael and Sue’s research paper argues the need for a psychiatric emergency centre for 48-hour or 72-hour stays. It also

calls for a step-down ward to accommodate patients waiting to go into rehab. ‘We need a ward where patients can still be monitored and supervised without taking up an acute admission bed,’ Michael said. He said the increase in acuity of admissions at Manly Hospital was due to intense pressure on the limited facilities and services outside the hospital system. ‘Where else but in a public hospital can you be seen by a mental health clinician – usually a psychiatrist – within 12 hours? A lot of clients can’t afford private psychiatrist or private health cover and there very few private psychiatrists who bulk bill.’ n

MENTAL HEALTH

DISCUSSION GROUP The NSWNA’s annual mental health forum is an initiative of the union’s mental health reference group, an informal gathering of union officials and members who meet every two months to discuss professional issues. Members in the mental health field are welcome to join the group. For details contact Angela Garvey on 8595 1234 or email agarvey@nswnurses.asn.au. THE LAMP JULY 2005 33

N S E W S N AI NN O B TR II CE EF S

2005 NSW NURSES’ ASSOCIATION

ELECTION OF Have a voice, keep BRANCH DELEGATE AND ALTERNATE DELEGATES ursuant to the Industrial Relations Act, 1996, Robert Leslie Whyburn will be the Returning Officer for the election of branch delegates and alternate delegates to the Annual Conference and the Committee of Delegates of the NSW Nurses’ Association.

Nominations Nominations in writing are hereby invited for the following positions: • Royal Prince Alfred Hospital branch: delegate (1) and alternate delegates (3). • Belmont District Hospital branch: delegate (1) and alternate delegate (1). • Nowra Community Private Hospital branch: alternate delegates (2). • Northern Central Coast branch: delegate (1) and alternate delegates (3). Note: A person may nominate for one position only. Candidates for election to the position of branch delegate or alternate delegate are required to be financial members of the Association at the opening of nominations i.e. 1 July 2005. Nomination forms may be obtained from Robert Leslie Whyburn, 43 Australia Street, Camperdown (Telephone (02) 8267 0926) or from the NSW Nurses’ Association, 43 Australia Street, Camperdown (Telephone (02) 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962).

Election Timetable Nominations close at noon on 15 July 2005. They may be handdelivered to R.L. Whyburn, 43 Australia Street, Camperdown; posted to PO Box 239 Camperdown 1450; or faxed to (02) 9565 2747. All members should ensure that they have advised the Association of their current residential address. No information in respect of candidates will be sent with electoral material. For full details please see “Branch Elections” @ www.nswnurses.asn.au Robert Leslie Whyburn – RETURNING OFFICER for the 2005 NSW Nurses’ Association Election of Delegates to the Committee of Delegates. 34 THE LAMP JULY 2005

your branch active

our NSWNA branch gives you a voice at work. It gives you authority to meet, discuss and negotiate with your management with the full backing of the Association. Your branch provides collective power so that large issues such as inadequate staffing, hospital closures and occupational health and safety issues can be addressed in your workplace. Branches also take up local individual issues for members and are a source of advice and support. Your branch means you are not alone at work. You have the protection of the NSWNA. Most importantly, branches give every individual member a chance to influence State action at the bimonthly Committee of Delegates, and set the policy of the Association at the NSWNA annual conference.

Under the NSWNA rules, all branches must hold and complete an election each year or they are automatically declared inactive. If you don’t organise a branch election this year, you won’t have the power of the union behind you. n

IF YOUR BRANCH IS INACTIVE, WHAT CAN YOU DO? 1. Talk to nurses in your workplace and get support for the branch to be reformed. Then contact the NSWNA for help with the process. 2. Write to the Council of the Association and request a transfer to another branch. Contact your NSWNA organiser to reform your branch – 8595 1234 (metro) and 1300 367 962 (non-metro).

BRANCHES DECLARED INACTIVE The following NSWNA branches are no longer active because they did not hold or complete their 2005 elections. • Balranald District Hospital • Bathurst Correctional Complex • Bodington Hospital • Caloola Nursing Home Wagga • Camelot Nursing Home • Darlinghurst Community Mental Health Nurses • FPA Health • Fairview Home for the Aged • Far West Nurse Managers • Grafton Correctional Centre • Hornsby & Ku-ringgai Aged Care Nurse Administrators

• Hunter Urban Division of General Practitioners • Jessie Hunt Nursing Home • Junee Correctional Centre • Mayfair Residential Aged Care Facility • Mercy Nursing Home, Singleton • Norah Head Nursing Home • Peninsula Village • Ritz Nursing Home, Leura • Riverlands Drug & Alcohol Centre • Ryde Community Mental Health • Sir William Hudson Nursing Home

• Springwood Nursing Home • South Eastern Sydney Nursing Homes (Pte Sector) DONs/DDONs • St John of God Hospital, Richmond • St Joseph’s Home • Toukley Lakeside Nursing Home • Trundle Tottenham & Tullamore Health Service & Kooringal Nursing Home • Woy Woy Hospital • Wyoming Residential Aged Care Facility • Woodport Nursing Home • Northern Rivers (Private Sector) Senior Nurses

Q & A

ASK

JUDITH Immediate pay rise What a great result in our pay campaign! When can I expect to get my pay rise? Most public hospital nurses will receive the 6% pay rise in their pay packet of the 20th or 27th July. The pay rise will be effective from the date of your first full pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2005.

What about backpay? I could do with a lump sum at the moment to pay my big stack of bills. When will we get the back pay? The first 3% pay rise for 2005 will be backpaid to you from the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 January 2005. The NSW Health Department has issued an Information Bulletin to Area Health Services instructing them to make the retrospective payments as soon as possible.

New Award conditions When do the improved conditions come into effect? The following conditions come into effect from 1 January 2005: enhanced long service leave conditions, the increased paid maternity and adopted leave payments and the one-week paid paternity leave and the new career break option. The NSW Health Department has instructed Area Health Services to make the backpayments

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS AT WORK, NSWNA ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY JUDITH KIEJDA HAS THE ANSWERS. THIS MONTH JUDITH LOOKS AT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ARISING FROM THE PUBLIC HOSPITAL NURSES’ PAY WIN. for increased paid parental leave immediately. You are eligible for this backpay if your parental leave period commenced on or after 1/1/05. The new EN medication endorsement pay scale takes effect from your first full pay period commencing on or after 14 June 2005. All enrolled nurses who are already endorsed by the Nurses’ and Midwives’ Board will be backpaid to this date.

Maternity leave entitlements I began my maternity leave in February. Am I eligible for the 14-week maternity leave payment? All women who have begun a period of paid maternity or adoption leave on or after 1 January 2005 are entitled to five weeks extra payment. If you are entitled to the extra maternity leave payment it will be backpaid – talk to your payroll department to find out when the backpayments will be made for nurses in your Area Health Service.

shifts in an NSWNA survey conducted in 2003. At these 60 facilities, union members voted via Branch meetings to be included in negotiations to achieve funding for 10 nights to be able to be implemented.

Pay reviews for CNE, NE, CNS and AIN I’m a CNS and was interested to see that there will be further opportunities to pursue pay increases for my classification. When will the pay reviews for CNE, NE, CNS and AIN undergraduate student classifications happen? There are separate timetables agreed with the health department for each of these classification reviews. Later in 2005 the NSWNA will start consultations with these members to collect opinions, views and arguments to build the case to win further pay rises for these members.

10-hour night shifts

Workplace training for delegates

When will my facility get the 10-hour night shift? 60 more hospitals will have 10-hour night shifts funded, starting from July 2006 and progressively rolled out over the following six years. These 60 hospitals are the Association branches who requested 10-hour night

I’m a new delegate. How do I get to learn more about representing members at my workplace? You now have a legal right to take 12 days paid leave every two years to participate in union education and training. Look for the next available course in your area.n

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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Relief for latex alle g But powder-free gloves will not help all latex victims

he number of new cases of latex allergy appears to have fallen sharply in hospitals that have made the switch to powder-free latex gloves, recent studies suggest. It looks like the new generation gloves â&#x20AC;&#x201C; low protein, powder free â&#x20AC;&#x201C; have greatly reduced the risk of developing latex allergy. However, it is unclear whether powder-free latex gloves also stop existing latex allergies from progressing further. To be on the safe side, health care workers with an existing latex allergy should try to avoid latex products. They should wear gloves made from alternative products such as neoprene, nylon or silicon. This was the consensus view of experts at a recent Sydney seminar on the use of latex in health care. The NSWNAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and safety coordinator, Trish Butrej, who attended the seminar, said powdered gloves had largely disappeared from public hospitals, in line with NSW Health policy (see box).

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There is an increasing trend towards the use of low-protein powderfree latex gloves and non-latex gloves in response to the large number of health care workers and patients affected by latex allergy,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Trish said. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It seems some people with an existing allergy can wear powder-free latex gloves without getting a reaction. Will their allergy continue to worsen over time if they wear these gloves? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that question hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been answered yet.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Latex is the sap of the commercial rubber tree. The proteins in latex can cause a range of mild to severe allergic reactions. Milder allergic reactions to latex include irritant dermatitis, and itchy and runny eyes and nose. More severe reactions include hives, angioedema (swelling) and asthma through to anaphylaxis and even death. When powdered gloves are worn, more latex protein reaches the skin. When gloves are donned or removed, latex protein becomes airborne via the powder particles. The powder can be inhaled and also settles on surfaces such as benches. NSW Health says work areas where only powder-free gloves are used show low or undetectable airborne levels of allergy-causing proteins. Up until the 1980s latex was thought

to be innocuous with adverse effects confined to dermatitis. In the late 1980s, however, there were a number of reported fatal instances of anaphylaxis in patients. There was also evidence of the emergence of asthma and associated food allergies.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It is unclear whether powder-free latex gloves also stop existing latex allergies from progressing further.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Trish Butrej said the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on latex in 1991, yet it took NSW Health almost 10 years to develop a policy. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A leading authority on latex allergies, Dr Connie Katelaris of Westmead Hospital, was critical of the Department of Health for its slow response to the issue and for lagging well behind Europe in policy-making. She also criticised NSW Health for its lack of interest in being a party to research on latex allergy,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Trish said. Trish said about 1% of the general population is allergic to latex In health care workers it is estimated in various studies as being between 3% and 17%, in rubber industry workers 5%-10%, and in spina bifida patients 10%-68%.

2OOM FOR A FOSTER CHILD )F YOU HAVE ROOM IN YOUR HOME AND YOUR HEART FOR A FOSTER CHILD WE RE WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU !S A FOSTER PARENT YOUR COMMITMENT CAN RANGE FROM CARING FOR A CHILD ONE WEEKEND A MONTH TEMPORARY CARE FOR UP TO TWELVE MONTHS OR PERMANENT CARE &OR MORE INFORMATION CALL #ENTACARE NOW ON OR GO TO OUR WEBSITE WWW FOSTERKIDS COM AU #%. E #*"

36 THE LAMP JULY 2005

NON-LATEX

rgy sufferers Susan’s long struggle with latex

‘I

hope my experience of having to deal with this problem will alert others to this allergy. Hopefully few other colleagues will experience this degree of incapacity.’ So wrote Albury nurse Susan Free in a letter to The Lamp in October 1995. Susan, an RN with a critical care certificate, had been driven from her hospital job after developing severe anaphylactic reaction to latex. ‘My whole life has been affected by this allergy,’ she wrote. ‘Not only do I have to avoid hospitals and carry a never-ending supply of resuscitation equipment and drugs including adrenalin with me, but I have to always be alert to where latex may be. It is an extremely common product in the community.’ Today Susan has resurrected her life and career. Twelve years after being diagnosed with latex allergy in 1993, she is breathing easy and back at work in the ICU of Albury Base Hospital. The removal of powdered latex gloves and introduction of non-latex gloves have allowed her to restart her career. She now wears blue nitrile gloves and dermaprene gloves. Susan’s long struggle with the allergy played a big part in forcing the NSW Health Department to take the problems of latex seriously. With legal support from the Nurses’ Association, Susan became the first person in Australia to sue for workers compensation for illness caused by latex. After a legal battle stretching over 2 1/2 years, the NSW Compensation Court awarded Susan substantial damages in July 1997. Three years later NSW Health ordered the removal of powdered latex gloves and recommended use of nonlatex gloves. Susan’s first anaphylactic reaction occurred at Melbourne’s Alfred hospital in 1987.

‘My whole life has been affected by this allergy. Not only do I have to avoid hospitals and carry a never-ending supply of resuscitation equipment and drugs including adrenalin with me, but I have to always be alert to where latex may be.’ ‘I was doing a burns dressing when I anaphylaxed. I was itchy, swollen, bright red and had difficulty breathing. I felt so weak,’ she remembers. ‘At first I thought I was allergic to the SSD cream we were putting on the patients, but I didn’t react to it when tested. No one knew what was wrong with me until 1993. ‘For the next few years I continued working in a powdered latex environment with latex gloves. I would have anaphylaxis two or three times a week. Sometimes I’d go to casualty and get antihistamine, but quite often I’d just keep working. We were usually super busy and I couldn’t just walk out. ‘I finally had to quit working in hospitals in 1994. By that time I was anaphylaxing just walking through the wards.’ Susan found work in the powderfree environment of communitybased palliative care. She was able to resume ICU work in London where hospitals were powder-free much earlier than Australia. US authorities issued a warning on latex allergies as early as 1991. But in Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration and other authorities continued to claim there was no problem. Susan said she spoke to the TGA in 1993. ‘They told me latex allergies were not a problem and said I didn’t know what I was talking about.’ n

PRODUCTS

RECOMMENDED SW Health policy on the prevention and management of latex allergy is that only powderfree, or non-latex gloves are to be used in NSW health care facilities. The policy adopted in 2000 states: ‘The gradual replacement of latex containing products with nonlatex-products where available and appropriate is recommended. ‘As a minimum, a latex powderfree work environment must be provided to protect latex allergic employees. Sources of patients to that area are to also be latex powder-free. ‘Latex allergic workers shall only use non-latex gloves and other products, and avoid contact with all latexcontaining products. ‘Housekeeping should be meticulously carried out to remove all traces of latex allergens.’ The policy can be downloaded from www.health.nsw.gov.au/ policies/pd/2005/PD2005_490.html Latex is commonly found in the following hospital equipment: c Blood pressure cuffs c Stethoscopes c Gloves c Oral and nasal airways c Endotracheal tubes c Tourniquets c Intravenous tubing c Syringes c Electrode pads c Anaesthesia masks c Catheters c Wound drains c Injection ports c Rubber tops of pharmaceutical vials c Dental dams Personal protective equipment containing latex include: c Gloves c Surgical masks c Goggles c Respirators c Rubber aprons c Hearing protectors

THE LAMP JULY 2005 37

38 THE LAMP JULY 2005

L I F E S T Y L E

Book me Suzie: A Mother’s Story by Pauline Maroney, Hay House Australia, RRP $18.95 Susie Maroney made history when at 15 she became the youngest and fastest Australian to swim the English Channel. She went on to astound the world by achieving the unthinkable – swimming 208 kilometres from Mexico to Cuba – the longest swim in history. Known for her determination and courage in the water, Susie was faced with her biggest challenge when her twin brother Sean died in a tragic accident. In this moving story, Pauline Maroney shares her daughter’s trials and triumphs with a depth of intimacy only a mother could know.

Living through Breast Cancer by Dr Carolyn M Kaelin with Francesca Coltrera, McGraw Hill, RRP $22.95 Living through breast cancer is written by a breast cancer surgeon and breast cancer survivor and describes options during diagnosis, treatment, recovery and into the future. Chapters cover topics such as how to assemble a health care team, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, breast reconstruction, hair loss, exercise, nutrition, sexuality, cognitive changes, menopause, and fertility and pregnancy after breast cancer. This book is a compassionate and uniquely authoritative guide to surviving breast cancer.

Contemporary Issues in Gerontology: Promoting Positive Ageing by Victor Minichiello & Irene Coulson, Allen & Unwin, RRP $45.00 Contemporary issues in gerontology aims to help students and practitioners better understand and cater for the needs of the ageing population. It examines how services can be provided to meet the expectations and needs of the growing population of ageing citizens within a cost-effective, social justice and positive ageing framework.

Understanding Trauma and Emotion: Dealing with trauma using an emotionfocused approach by Colin Wastell, Allen and Unwin, RRP $45.00 Understanding trauma and emotion is about trauma and how, by taking an emotion-based approach, therapists and others can better assist and treat survivors. Using extensive casestudies and linking theory to practice, this book presents an innovative practice manual for the practitioner interested both in trauma treatment and human emotion.

Nickel and Dimed: Undercover in Low-wage USA by Barbara Ehrenreich, Granta Books, RRP $24.95 In this brilliant investigation – Nickel and Dimed, Undercover in Low-wage USA – Ehrenreich took jobs as a waitress, a house cleaner, an aged care worker and a WalMart sales assistant in places as diverse

as Florida, Maine and Minnesota to find out how people survive on the minimum wage in America. Ehrenreich writes warmly and sympathetically of those Americans working day in, day out for poverty wages. A well-known feminist writer and journalist, married to a union organiser, she cuts through the cant, denial and self-interest of American capitalism and spotlights the underbelly.

From Bagtown to Base: 1910– 1969 Griffith District Hospital by A. Parsons and R. Brown, Dobija Design & Publishing, RRP $30.00 The pioneering days before the first hospital was built in Griffith in 1969 saw a special breed of midwives, nurses and doctors, who were responsible for providing heath care without the benefits of bitumen roads, efficient communication, antibiotics, disposable supplies, advances in medical technology and so much more that we take for granted. From bagtown to base is a collection of fascinating stories of district health care of earlier years and the personal recollections and anecdotes of the people who provided it. n

WHERE TO GET JULY 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 JULY 2005 39

Make the

â&#x17E;&#x201D; right

move

NURSECOVER a legal plan for members of the NSWNA Members now get relevant legal advice and representation for all sorts of workplace issues such as having to appear before the Coronerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Court, the Health Care Complaints Commission or the Nursesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Registration Board and of course the all-too-common problem for nurses work injuries and the tangled web that is called the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; compensation systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. You are also entitled to have one free standard will drawn up and one free consultation in relation to other legal problems. But what happens when you need a solicitor for anything else? Legal costs can be crippling and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s virtually impossible to get legal aid these days. For $2.50 a week, you will get access to a whole range of discounted legal services.

For more information on NURSECOVER, ring the NSWNA on 1300 367 962 or go to www.nswnurses.asn.au

#OME AND TALK TO US ABOUT NURSING IN THE 53 AND THE 5+ )NTER3TAFF REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE IN 0ERTH 3YDNEY -ELBOURNE AND "RISBANE SOON AND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR AN INFORMAL CHAT OR AN INTERVIEW 0HONE OR EMAIL HARRIET BULLARD INTERSTAFF CO UK TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST /UR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN ,ONDON HAVE CURRENT VACANCIES FOR ALL SPECIALITIES AND ARE OFFERING COMPETITIVE SALARY AND RELOCATION PACKAGES FOR THE RIGHT NURSES #ALL US TO l ND OUT ABOUT REGISTERING WITH THE .-# BEFORE IT CHANGES ITS REQUIREMENTS ON 3EPTEMBER /UR PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN !MERICA WILL OFFER YOU EXCELLENT SALARIES GREEN CARD SPONSORSHIP AND AN EXTENSIVE l NANCIAL ASSISTANCE PACKAGE TO COVER YOUR REGISTRATION AND IMMIGRATION COSTS )F YOU ARE PREPARING TO SIT THE #'&.3 EXAM OR HAVE ALREADY PASSED IT CALL US TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR OUR SPECIAL PROGRAMME FOR #'&.3 NURSES *UST WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR OPTIONS #ALL US NOW ON OR EMAIL HARRIET BULLARD INTERSTAFF CO UK AM PM -ONDAY &RIDAY

40 THE LAMP JULY 2005

CRoSSWoRD

How well do you know your TV and movie, nurses? This month’s crossword has a mix of popular culture and nursing clues. 1

15 16 18

32 33

s ACROSS 6, 12.

The name of an Australian medical drama set in Wandon Valley, A ……. ........ (7,8) 8. Inability to swallow (7) 11. Lens and retina are found in these (4) 12. See 6 across. 13. Actress who plays nurse Terri Sullivan on All Saints (7,6) 16. Electroencephalogram, tracing the electrical activity of the brain, abbrev (1.1.1) 18. Masticate (4) 20. Base metabolic rate, abbrev (1.1.1) 25. The TV show title ER stands for this (9,4) 27. Flexible tube inserted into the body to withdraw fluid (8) 29. Small tumours (6) 33, 35 Oscar-winning film in which a young nurse tends a badly burned plane crash victim in WWII, The ... (7,7) 35. See 33 Across

s DOWN 1. 2. 3.

Painful (6) Muscle power (8) Colouring, stain (3)

4. People with blonde hair and blue eyes have this type of complexion (4) 5. Measure of acidity or alkalinity (2) 7. Unborn babies are said to be in ….. (5) 9. Swelling of the thyroid, often caused by lack of iodine (6) 10. Getting older (6) 12. Common name for trachea, wind…. (4) 14. Ear nose and throat (abbrev) 15. The band that sang Losing My Religion, or a dream state (1.1.1) 17. Abbrev of echocardiography (4) 19. The incus, malleus, and stapes are the bones in this (3) 21. Device used to look at broken bones, x-… (4) 22. Trapezius, rhomboids and biceps are all examples of these (7) 23. A famous Hitchcock film or a feeling of dizziness (7) 24. Tinnitus can affect your ability to …. (4) 26. Hypoxaemia is due to a lack of this gas (6) 28. To release, give off (4) 30. These can make a great low-GI breakfast dish (4) 31. To satisfy hunger (4) 32. Doctor in general practice (1.1) 34. Hemoglobin, abbrev. (1.1) Solution page 45 THE LAMP JULY 2005 41

DIARY DATES

Conferences, seminars, meetings SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA Holistic Nurses Assoc. of NSW Date: First Tuesday each month, 7 pm Macquarie Hospital, North Ryde Details: Kate Belfield 9634 3924 Infection Control Assoc. NSW Southern Metro Interest Group Date: First Wednesday each month, 2 pm Venue: Rozelle Hospital Details: Jan O’Hara, 9556 9179, jan.ohara@email.cs.nsw.gov.au Sydney Hospital Graduate Nurses’ Assoc. Date: 3rd Wednesday each month, 10.30 am, commencing Feb 05 Nightingale Wing of Sydney Hospital Details: Karys (Hall) Fearon 4323 1849; Jeanette Fox, 4751 4829 Australian Assoc. of Stomal Therapy (AASTN) NSW Date: 17.45 (1st Tues. every 2nd month) Venue: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Level 9 Main Building Details: Anne Marie Lyons, 9767 6761 HIV, Sexual Health and Viral Hepatitis course Dates: 11-15 July Venue: RNSH Details: Carol Martin, 9926 6508, cmartin@doh.health.nsw.gov.au 'The Changing Face of Critical Care, Seminar 2005, Celebrating 31 years' Date: 21 July Stamford Grand Hotel, North Ryde Details: Vivienne East 0405 130 002, vivienne.east@email.cs.nsw.gov.au

42 THE LAMP JULY 2005

Infection Control Assoc. of NSW 28th Annual Conference Dates: 21 & 22 July Venue: Hilton Hotel, Sydney Details: Jan O’Hara, 9556 9179, jan.ohara@email.cs.nsw.gov.au 8th Westmead Hospital Critical Care Evening Seminar Date: 29 July 2005 Venue: Carlton Hotel Church St Parramatta Details: Angela Berry or Richard Conway 9845 6065 angela_berry@wsahs.nsw.gov.au richard_conway@wsahs.nsw.gov.au ANCAN Catheter Workshop Study Day Date: 29 July 2005 8.30 – 4pm Contact: Cheryl Meade meadec@sesahs.nsw.gov.au or PO Box 299 Mortdale 2223 Foundations in Diabetes Management Date: 1-5 August 2005 Venue: RHSH, Sydney Details: Helen Henry 9926 7229 hhenry@doh.health.nsw.gov.au The Disability Nurses Reference Group Second Monday of every 2 months 12.30 – 2pm Westmead Hospital 8 August,10 October,12 December Details: Cheryl Jones (02) 4731 6222 Partners in Pain: Patients Clinicians & Pain Management Date: 18-19 August Venue: Sydney Convention Centre Details: Fiona Wilkie 9954 4400 Pinp@dcconferences.com.au CCSM: Chronic Condition Self Management Workshop Date: 19 August Venue: Sydney Convention Centre

Details: Fiona Wilkie 9954 4400 ccsm@dcconferences.com.au Assoc. Neonatal Nurses NSW 3rd Annual Level II Clinical Practice Day Date: 27 August Venue: Blacktown Hospital Details: Jennifer Dawson 4734 2863 dawsonj@wahs.nsw.gov.au 8th Australian Palliative Care Conference 2005 Date: 30 August – 2 September Venue: Sydney Convention Centre web: www.pallcare2005.com pallcare2005@tourhosts.com.au Navigating Neuro Neuroscience Conference Date: 13 August Venue: Wollongong Hospital Details: Terri Penkis, 4222 5390, Narelle Walton 4253 4400 Cardiac Nurses Network of Australia & New Zealand (CNNANZ) – Education Evening Theme: Cardiac Interventions/Surgery Date: Wednesday 3 August 2005 Venue: Nepean Hospital Details: Julie Chalmers Email: education@cnnanz.com or tjchalmers@optusnet.com.au Renal Society of Australasia (RSA) NSW branch Event: Education evening Hosted by: St George Hospital Date: 9 August 2005 6pm NSW College of Nursing, Burwood Details: Susana.sanmiguel@fmcasia.com Westmead Midwifery Dinner “A Professional Evening for Midwives – Celebrating Midwifery” Date: 2 September Crowne Plaza Hotel, Parramatta Details: Sadie Dugdale,

9845 5555, page 01793, or lesleypotter@bigpond.com Australian and New Zealand Burn Assoc. Annual Scientific Meeting 2005 Burns in the 21st Century – Have we made a difference Date: 13-16 September 2005 Swiss Grand Resort, Bondi Beach Details: anzba2005@tourhosts.com.au www.tourhosts.com.au/anzba2005 5th Australian Update on HIV & Hepatitis C in Children & Families Dates: 22-24 September Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick Details: Kidest Nadew, 9382 1654, or NadewK@sesahs.nsw.gov.au Nursing Research Fest. SWAHS Date: 12 October 2005 Venue: Blacktown RSL Contact: Julie Ann Strukovski 9881 8888, Maureen Buckley 9881 8000 Community Nurse Audiometrists Assoc. 23rd Annual Conference Date: 12, 13 & 14 October 2005 Venue: Hunts Function Centre, Cross Roads Liverpool Details: Rhonda Boyde 9824 8490 Email: rboyde@bigpond.net.au Renal Society of Australasia (RSA) NSW branch Event: RSA Workshop 2005 Hosting: Canberra Hospital Date: 14 October 2005 Hotel Heritage, Narrabundah, ACT Details: susana.sanmiguel@fmc-asia. com or anne.maguire@sct.gov.au Advance Notification of Residential Workshop Event: ‘Getting back to basicscaring for the carer’ Date: 20-22 October 2005 Details: dawne@dawnefahey.com

Diary Dates

INTERSTATE 3rd Australasian Conference on Safety & Quality in Health Care â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Evolution or Revolution!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dates: 11-13 July Adelaide Convention Centre Details: aaqhc05@sapmea.asn.au www.aaqhc.org.au/resources .asp Mental Health Services 15th Annual Conference â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dancing to the Beat of a Different Drumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Date: 30 August-2 September 2005 Adelaide Convention Centre Details: (02) 98108733 Email: info@themhs.org Website: www.themhs.org 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of Australian Pain Society Pain Across the Life Span Date: 9-12 April 2006 Grand Hyatt Hotel- Melbourne Contact: 02 9954 4400 Email: apsoc@dcconferences. com.au/aps2006

Reunions Auburn District Hospital 25-year reunion July 1980 group Date: July, venue: TBA Details: Nicole Faulkner 0401 536 901 25th Anniversary of North Gosford Private Hospital Date: 23 July 2005 Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, Terrigal Details: Katherine Bridekirk 02 4323 8116, katherine. bridekirk@affinityhealth.com.au Lewisham Hospital 30-year reunion PTS April 1975 Date and venue: TBA

Details: Wendy Janick, 6925 0578, or Julie MacQueen (Conlan) 6686 7727 St George Hospital Enrolled Nurses January 1984 Date and venue: TBA Details: Sharon Colwell 0439866201 or 0243321361 Email: shazcolwell@hotmail.com RPAH 30-year reunion PTS September 1972 Date: TBA September Venue: Vanuatu for 5 nights Details: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Stibbard, Stephen or Martha, 6629 5742, debraelfes@hotmail.com St Vincentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Darlinghurst P.T.S June 1965 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 40 Year Reunion Date: 16 September 2005 Venue: TBA Details: Margot McNiven, 9959 3125, mcniven@bigpond.net.au St Vincentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Darlinghurst 30 Year Reunion PTS June 1975 Date: 23-25 September 2005 Venue: TBA, Sydney East Suburbs Details: Janelle Schwager 02 6795 1277, 0407 107 357 Reunion Renwick Infants Hospital (now Grosvenor Hospital) Date: 8 October 9.30am-3 pm Details: Rae Watson (nee Botefur) 4446 5577, Heather Fallows (nee Stewart) 9747 3598 St Vincentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Darlinghurst P.T.S January & March 1965 40 Year Reunion Date: 15 October 2005 ,venue: TBA Details: Carol Briscoe nee Patmore, carolbriscoe@bigpond.com

Rosemary Morrow nee Candsell romorrow@hotmauil.com Donna Lukas nee Morrow donna.likas@lucas.com.au Junee District Hospital Reunion All past and present staff Date: 29-30 October 2005 Venue: Junee Bowling Club, Junee RSVP 1 September 2005 Details: June Jackson 02 6924 1093, Bronwyn. lemmich@swsahs.nsw.gov.au Dubbo Base Hospital Nurse Reunion Date: 11 March 2006, venue: TBA RSVP 31 October 2005 Contact: Betty Salter (Brooks) phone 02 6882 2718 email bettysalter99@hotmail.com St George Hospital Graduate Nursesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association 2006 will mark 60th annual general meeting and we are seeking all graduates who are no longer, or never were, members. Contact: BM Carruthers 4/1 Carlton Parade Carlton NSW 2218 Orange Base Hospital PTS Feb and March 1981 Date and venue: TBA Details: Joyce Kennedy (Biggs), 6361 0408, jkenne14@postoffice.csu.edu.au Sutherland Hospital 30 Year Reunion PTS August 1972 Date & Venue: TBA Contact Details: Lois Berry (nee Cassidy) 02 44416884 ; berryl@iahs.nsw.gov.au Particularly seeking contact with Gwenda Burchill (nee Hudson), Debbie Baker and Penny Lewis.

Diary Dates is a free service for members. Please send information at least two months before the event, in the same format used here â&#x20AC;&#x201C; event, date, venue, contact details. Send information to: Ms Glen Ginty Email: gginty@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 close to publication or too far in the future may be cut. Special Interest Groups Special Interest Groups is now part of Diary Dates. If you are a special interest group, you must now send information about your event as above.

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Reunion P.T.S. February 1955 Photograph of 50 year reunion on 19 February 05 at John Greenaway Lecture hall R.P.A.H. A memorable day was enjoyed by all. Renewing acquaintances, learning of continued nursing, community work and achievements of our fellow nurses. This reunion was the result of Mary Nugentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (nee Richard Lee) many hours of research.

Send us your snaps If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having a reunion, send us some photos and any information from the night, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll publish the results in The Lamp.

From page 45 Crossword solution

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$ATES /CTOBER TH ND 4O FIND OUT MORE WWW B BWORKSHOP COM THE LAMP JULY 2005 43

BreakFree extends to all NSW Nurses Association members access to an exclusive voucher promotion offer saving you up to 70% on your next holiday with BreakFree

As NSW Nurses Association members, BreakFree Resort Apartments extend to you an exclusive offer to purchase 7 night Accommodation Vouchers which are valid at all resorts in the BreakFree group. Vouchers are valid for travel for 18 months and are available for you to purchase at up to 70% off the normal retail price for travel. These vouchers are for non-peak periods and are subject to availability. BreakFree Resorts are located in Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite holiday destinations and provide fully self contained apartment accommodation with full resort facilities. Current locations of BreakFree Resorts: Tropical North Qld: Cairns, Palm Cove, Port Douglas, Mackay Sunshine Coast (Qld): Noosa, Mooloolaba, Caloundra Gold Coast (Qld): Main Beach, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Burleigh Northern NSW: Kingscliff, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour Victoria: Lorne You have the option to purchase either a one bedroom or two bedroom apartment voucher which are valid at all BreakFree Resorts. The purchase price and value of the vouchers are detailed below. Room Style 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom

Voucher Purchase Price

Value of Holiday

$550 incl GST $660 incl GST

From $924 to $1,855 From $1,211 to $2,345

For example, purchase a 2 bedroom apartment voucher for $660 and this entitles you to book a 7 night holiday at BreakFree Amphora Resort, Palm Cove (normal price $2,345), BreakFree Wings Resort, Surfers Paradise (normal price $1,260), BreakFree Erskine on the Beach, Lorne (normal price $1,498) or any other of the 40 BreakFree Resorts. This offer is only available for a limited time and purchases must be made online at http://corporatedeals.breakfree.com.au between 1 - 31 July 2005 by 5pm EST. The BreakFree Resort Apartments 7 night Accommodation Voucher offer for NSW Nurses Association members is also extended to your family and friends. Full details on how to book are available on the purchase website. Upon receipt of voucher, bookings are made online - full details on voucher.

Your password is: NSWNURSES

http://corporatedeals.breakfree.com.au

44 THE LAMP JULY 2005

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TenderWet Active: advanced moist wound debridement. ®

April 5th 2004. Infected with heavy exudate.

April 14th 2004. 60% granulation tissue with minimal exudate.

With its innovative rinsing action, TenderWet Active debrides and cleanses wounds to help start the healing process. TenderWet Active is exceptional for many reasons, it: • Is pre-moistened, so it’s ready to use. • Softens and detaches necrotic and sloughy tissue. • Absorbs exudate and removes debris. TenderWet Active 24 also has a moisture-resistant top layer to help retain the solution in the dressing and enhance the 24 hour activity. Both TenderWet Active and TenderWet Active 24 are suitable for chronic and acute wounds.

® Registered trademark. Paul Hartmann AG ABN 35 000 099 589, Unit 27-28 Homebush Business Village 11-21 Underwood Road, Homebush NSW 2140. H&T HAR0198/LAMP

THE LAMP JULY 2005 45

46 THE LAMP JULY 2005

O’Grady Peyton’s USA nursing program is the opportunity of a lifetime to develop your professional skills and broaden your personal horizons.

We handle everything for you ✪ Full education program and study support ✪ Free travel to sit NCLEX exam ✪ Free travel to take up contract ✪ Full meet and greet, assistance on arrival ✪ Full support through hospital orientation ✪ Ongoing support during contract

The adventure starts with your next career move. We offer you ✪ 12, 18 and 24 month assignments ✪ Excellent salaries and bonuses ✪ Permanent residency for you and your family (includes Green Card) ✪ Paid annual leave ✪ Great cash bonuses for referring a friend

To attend our next seminar in Australia or for further information call:

1800 100 139 C3355

email: info@ogradypeyton.com.au or visit www.ogradypeyton.com

Best fee deal across all funds* Choose your future with First State Super Competitive investment returns# Comprehensive lump sum insurance cover Apply for salary protection cover Speedy electronic systems so your super reaches your account fast! First State Super strength and security ■

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445,000 members

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Top rating by Selecting Super*

*www.selectingsuper.com.au (Selecting Super, an independent research company) # All 5 investment strategies outperformed the median manager over 1 and 3 years to 31 March 2005. Source: SuperRatings Pty Ltd survey of leading superannuation funds. Past returns are no guarantee of future returns.

Need more information? ■

Visit our web site at www.ﬁrststatesuper.nsw.gov.au Call 1300 650 873

Disclaimer: This document is prepared by FSS Trustee Corporation (FTC) ABN 53 226 460 365. It contains information of a general nature only and is not a substitute for professional, financial product advice and/or legal advice on your specific circumstances. FTC recommends that you consult a licensed financial or other appropriately qualified adviser before acting on any of the information contained in this document. Opinions expressed are subject to change. Although FTC gathered the information contained in this document from sources deemed reliable, and care has been taken in preparing the document, it does not guarantee the document’s THE LAMPaccuracy JULY 2005and 47 completeness. FTC disclaims responsibility for any errors or omissions. The information contained in this document is current at June 2005.

CYF 06/05

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For quality super contact HIP: 1300 654 099 hipsuper.com.au This information from Health Industry Plan is general only. It is not specific to your personal financial situation, objectives or needs. Get the facts from www.hipsuper.com.au or talk to a financial advisor before making any super decisions. The Trustee of HIP is Private Hospitals Superannuation Pty Ltd ABN 59 006 792 749, AFSL 247063.

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48 THE LAMP JULY 2005

Want to work in the UK? Registered Theatre & Specialist Nurses

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Recruitment Solutions Group (RSG), one of the leading providers of theatre and specialist nursing staff in the United Kingdom, has a wealth of expertise in the Healthcare industry. With offices in Melbourne, Sydney, London, Birmingham and Leeds we can offer you a wide choice of permanent and temporary work throughout the UK.

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We currently have both permanent and temporary opportunities for Nurses with experience in Operating Theatres, Emergency, ICU, HDU, Paediatrics, NICU, Surgical and Medical. We also have excellent opportunities for Cardiac Technicians and MLSOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in both the public (NHS) and private sectors.

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JIH 8G>8DH EGDK>9:G 8D9: %%%..; JIH%**CB=

Approved supplier to NHS National and Regional Contracts

THE LAMP JULY 2005 49

HEEL SPURS WHEN EXPERIENCE COUNTS ... COUNT ON US MH Matrix has been the leading Health Care Recruiter to the Middle East for over 24 years. We recruited the first Australian healthcare professional to a Saudi Hospital in 1980. Take advantage of our experience - We have access to the broadest and best range of jobs - We have access to the greatest number of hospitals - We make it easy by processing your visa and arranging travel at your convenience

Our candidates recommend us to colleagues and often come back for further employment opportunities in the Middle East. Join other professionals from around the world and experience Middle Eastern culture and traditions. MH Matrix gives you the opportunity to travel, save money and develop your career. We recruit to major hospitals including the prestigious National Guard Hospitals and Military Hospitals in Saudi Arabia, and the Shaikh Khalifa and American Hospital in the UAE.

Level 2, 40 Chandos Street ST LEONARDS NSW 2065 TEL (02) 9432 3330 mhmatrix@bigpond.com Australia Freecall: 1800 353 745 In New Zealand call TOLL FREE 0800 546 357

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(Plantar Fasciitis) Standard Treatments: stretches, rest, ice, cushion pads, heat, acupuncture, arch supports, anti-inflammatories, cortisone, orthotics etc.

But, still not pain free? By treating the basic root cause correctly and not just the symptoms, we offer sufferers an opportunity to be completely pain free. Successfully treating heel spurs for over 10 years.

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.523).' 5.)4 -!.!'%23 3/#)%49 /& .37 ).# 0 / "OX 2ANDWICK .37 !". s WWW NUMSOCIETY ORG AU

NSW NURSES ASSOCIATION MEMBERS CLUB

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&OCUS POINTS s .5-S DOING INNOVATIVE MODELS OF CARE PRACTICES s HOW ARE YOU LEADING THE WAY s HOW ARE YOU SURVIVING MANAGING IN THIS CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

%ARLY BIRD APPLICATIONS CLOSE 3EPTEMBER )NQUIRIES AND APPLICATIONS TO *AN -ONTGOMERY EMAIL JANMONT ACAY COM AU PH 50 THE LAMP JULY 2005

CONTACT: SEALY COMMERCIAL DIVISION (02) 9604 0044

TAX RETURNS

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Specialised Service for Nurses and Hospital Staff Maximum Tax Refund Within 14 Days sub. to ATO â&#x20AC;˘ Fees from Refund & Fully Tax Deductible â&#x20AC;˘ Professional, efficient, Personal Service, 7 Days â&#x20AC;˘ Negative Gearing, Shares/ Property, Capital Gains Tax â&#x20AC;˘ Overdue & Late Returns â&#x20AC;˘ Tax Planning

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Call Mike (02) 9808 3166 Austwise Tax Accountants and Reg Tax Agents 34/ 99 Anzac Avenue, Cnr Victoria Road, West Ryde NSW 2114

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Everyone knows interest rates are rising. This makes it more important than ever to find the best deal you can.

Don’t be down-in-themouth about .74% 6 p.a. interest rates. Refinance your home loan ™ with me . 13 15 6 3

As a NSW Nurses’ Association member, you already have a bank of your own that has a home loan rate that’s the envy of the competition. It’s Members Equity.

Comparison Rate for Super Members Home Loan Standard Variable Rate

Why refinancing to ME can be a smart move. • No application fees

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As well as all this, you have access to other great Members Equity products like credit cards, personal loans and savings accounts. So before the next rate rise hits, contact Members Equity to find out more about our low cost home loans and other great products.

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Interest rate as at 17/03/05 and is subject to change. Fees and charges apply. Applications for credit subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. *CANNEX, mortgage star rating, September 2004. #Comparison rate for a Standard Variable Home Loan of $150,000 for a term of 25 years. WARNING: This comparison rate applies only to the example given. Different amounts and terms will result in different comparison rates. Costs such as redraw fees or early repayment fees, and savings such as fee waivers, are not included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan. A comparison rate schedule is available from Members Equity. Members Equity Pty Ltd ABN 56 070 887 679 6890 AD16 C135/1/0305