Lamp November 2017

COVER STORY

ACTU

SUPERANNUATION

REGULARS

Patients robbed of ‘guaranteed’ care

Australia needs a pay rise

New legislation pushes the commercial interests of the big banks

page 8

page 16

page 21

Your rights and entitlements at work Nurse Uncut – your stories What nurses and midwives said Nursing research online

COVER STORY

THE MAGAZINE OF THE NSW NURSES AND MIDWIVES’ ASSOCIATION VOLUME 74 NO. 10 | NOVEMBER 2017

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Print Post Approved: PP100007890

1 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

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COVER STORY

no butts about it We’ve implemented a portfolio-wide tobacco exclusion.

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2 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

2016

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

Sydney Office 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 (all correspondence) T 8595 1234 (metro) 1300 367 962 (non-metro) F 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au W www.nswnma.asn.au Hunter Office 8-14 Telford Street, Newcastle East NSW 2300 NSWNMA Communications Manager Janaki Chellam-Rajendra T 1300 367 962 For all editorial enquiries letters and diary dates T 8595 1234 E lamp@nswnma.asn.au 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017 Produced by Hester Communications T 9568 3148 Press Releases Send your press releases to: F 9662 1414 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au

VOLUME 74 NO. 10 | NOVEMBER 2017

8

COVER STORY

Patients robbed of ‘guaranteed’ care CEO promises “fast track” recruitment after Union exposes massive nursing hours deficits.

Editorial Committee Brett Holmes, NSWNMA General Secretary Judith Kiejda, NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary Coral Levett, NSWNMA President Peg Hibbert, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital Michelle Cashman, Long Jetty Continuing Care Richard Noort, Justice Health

10

Advertising Danielle Nicholson T 8595 2139 or 0429 269 750 F 9662 1414 E dnicholson@nswnma.asn.au

12

Information & Records Management Centre To find archived articles from The Lamp, or to borrow from the NSWNMA nursing and health collection, contact: Jeannette Bromfield, Coordinator.

T 8595 2175 E gensec@nswnma.asn.au The Lamp ISSN: 0047-3936 General Disclaimer The Lamp is the official magazine of the NSWNMA. Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily those of the NSWNMA. Statements of fact are believed to be true, but no legal responsibility is accepted for them. All material appearing in The Lamp is covered by copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. The NSWNMA takes no responsibility for the advertising appearing herein and it does not necessarily endorse any products advertised.

Privacy Statement The NSWNMA collects personal information from members in order to perform our role of representing their industrial and professional interests. We place great emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the privacy and security of your personal information.

Personal information is protected under law and can only be released to someone else where the law requires or where you give permission. If you have concerns about your personal information, please contact the NSWNMA office. If you are still not satisfied that your privacy is being maintained, you can contact the Privacy Commission.

COVER STORY Comply with Award ratios, LHD told

Industrial Relations Commission says managers must not breach minimum staffing standards.

COVER STORY Rally demands staffing fix for John Hunter

14

Nurses’ anger is fuelled by news that management broke industrial law.

COVER STORY John Hunter votes for work bans

15 16 21

Ballot overwhelmingly approves action as management drags its feet on staffing

MENTAL HEALTH Nurses reject dangerous work practice

Editorial Competition Your letters News in brief Ask Judith Nurse Uncut Facebook Nursing Research Online Crossword Book Club At the Movies Diary Dates

ACTU Australia needs a pay rise. Even the

International Monetary Fund agrees.

The Federal Court decision to uphold cuts to penalty rates for 700,000 low-paid workers is more evidence that the rules aren’t working for working people but are working very well for business

SUPERANNUATION Banks seek to swallow Super

23

New Turnbull government legislation pushes the commercial interests of the big banks.

COVER STORY

ACTU

SUPERANNUATION

REGULARS

Patients robbed of ‘guaranteed’ care

Australia needs a pay rise

New legislation pushes the commercial interests of the big banks

page 8

page 16

page 21

Your rights and entitlements at work Nurse Uncut – your stories What nurses and midwives said Nursing research online

COVER STORY

p.33 p.35 p.37 p.39

THE MAGAZINE OF THE NSW NURSES AND MIDWIVES’ ASSOCIATION VOLUME 74 NO. 10 | NOVEMBER 2017

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE Bernie’s bill promises Medicare for All

25 66,436

5 6 6 27 33 35 37 39 41 43 44 46

Mental health nurses in Albury force authorities to shut down and remodel an unsafe facility.

Subscriptions for 2018 Free to all Association members. Professional members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $30.

Individuals $84, Institutions $140, Overseas $150.

Average Net Distribution per issue. The Lamp is independently under the AMAA's CAB Total Distribution Audit.

Publisher's Statement for the period: 01/04/2016 - 30/09/2016

REGULARS

The veteran United States senator has started a national conversation on the need for a universal health care system and he has already garnered promising support.

ChAFTA ACTU blasts secret Chinese deals

Chinese workers are being brought to Australia under secret deals, with pay rates far below our minimum wage.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Print Post Approved: PP100007890

1 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

OUR COVER: Michael Lawyer, David Pfanne and Suzanne McNeill Photographed by Sharon Hickey THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 3

4 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

EDITORIAL

Brett

Holmes GENERAL SECRETARY

Enough is enough Nurses and midwives have staged big rallies at Blacktown and John Hunter hospitals against chronic staffing shortages. These are powerful messages that the Berejiklian government must listen to.

Nurses and midwives have always been very cautious about taking action at their workplaces unless there are serious reasons for doing so.

Last month over 100 nurses and midwives at Blacktown and this month another 200 at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle rallied outside their facilities when long-simmering frustrations with local management boiled over.

After the Association insisted on access to rosters and other staffing information at John Hunter our analysis of the data revealed that the hospital had been understaffed by a staggering 7000 hours below minimum requirements over a seven-month period. Belmont Hospital was also well below the minimum staffing requirements.

It is little wonder that management’s failure to address this chronic understaffing has led to a rebellion.

Enough is enough.

It is not only nurses and midwives who are unhappy. A Newcastle Herald editorial articulated the community anger at the shortchanging of so many hours of nursing care. And the paper was perceptive in pointing out the risk of losing experienced nurses and the “scars” that could leave on the local health system.

The NSW Industrial Relations Commission weighed in too, with a scathing assessment of Belmont Hospital management’s failure to meet the legal award requirement of nursing hours.

Commissioner Stanton pointed out that “if it (had been) on the front page of The Newcastle Herald and The Sydney Morning Herald” the Saturday before then management would have already solved the problem.

‘ Our analysis of the data revealed that the hospital had been understaffed by a staggering 7000 hours below minimum requirements over a seven-month period.”

He handed out strong recommendations for the full replacement of absences and made it clear those replacements should be like-for-like.

Blacktown and John Hunter hospitals are not spot fires. They are more like the canary in the coal mine. The Association is getting reports of the same pressures throughout the state and throughout the public health system.

The Berijiklian government and NSW Health must heed these warnings and listen to those at the frontline who understand the problems and the solutions.

Ratios are central to resolving this issue in the long term. They must be updated, expanded and improved in parallel with the increasing demands on the public health system.

We await a government savvy enough to realise this: one that will overcome the neglect and act with the courage and will necessary to keep our public health system world class.

THE RULES MUST CHANGE The ACTU and unions have been campaigning to “change the rules” in Australia. This means better and stronger workplace protections that would allow workers to push for well deserved pay increases. It also means corporations and rich individuals paying their fair share of tax.

Last month we found an unlikely

ally. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) – for decades a key global driver of neoliberal economics – had a significant change of heart when it named inequality in developed nations as a key challenge of our time (see pp 16-17).

The IMF explicitly recognised low wage growth as the major problem facing all major advanced economies. This echoes calls that the Australian union movement has been making for some time.

Even the Treasurer Scott Morrison has admitted that low wage growth is inhibiting the Australian economy as has the head of the Treasury John Fraser.

Also, if we are serious about tackling inequality, the IMF says, then the rich must pay more tax. It demolished the argument that making them do so would have a negative impact on economic growth.

Interestingly, the IMF said more investment in health and education would “reduce income inequality over the medium term, address persistent poverty over generations, enhance social mobility and ultimately promote sustainable and inclusive growth”.

All of which makes the policies of the Turnbull government, with its support for cuts in penalty rates and its relentless slashing of health and education budgets, unfathomable and unconscionable. ■ THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 5

YOUR LETTERS

Have your

Say

Grandparents weave their magic for marriage equality

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Thank you for your ongoing campaigning. As a nurse it is very comforting to have the support from the Union and colleagues!

I wanted to share my story as my partner Sarah and I are getting ‘married’ in just 9 days. I am a registered nurse in Emergency at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle from Sydney. You may have seen a very heart-warming proposal video that has been doing the rounds on social media of late. Sarah proposed to me late October last year with a beautiful video from her grandparents, but sadly they have both since passed away and will not be at our wedding. They were our biggest supporters and always gave their blessing to our relationship, despite their age and generation.

We decided not to wait for marriage laws to change because to us it will be a celebration of love with all our family and friends. While we don’t need a piece of paper to recognise our love for one another, we worry about the future as Sarah was diagnosed with MS at a young age. As a same-sex relationship, we have faced discrimination while trying to do the right thing with the government and Sarah’s disability pension and worry for the future if there are any legal boundaries we have to face.

As I’m sure you are aware, the government does not recognise same sex marriage but they see us as a de facto relationship meaning Sarah’s disability pension is based on my earnings. The government is happy to take money off us as we are doing the right thing, but will not allow our right to get married. Unfortunately, the plebiscite is happening and wasting millions of dollars when it could be used to better our health system, but hopefully things will change soon!

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my story and my concerns. I have pasted the link of the proposal video (http://trib.al/PbcAqGh). It has reached the UK, China and was even translated into Polish at one stage! We think it’s a legacy to Nan and Pa and I believe they are working their magic from wherever they are to get the exposure on what was a very important topic to them.

Megan Pitt RN, Boat Harbour

Politicians need to be more positive about assisted dying

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With the NSW and Victorian parliament both currently debating Voluntary Assisted Dying Bills, it is timely to remind members that an overwhelming majority of NSW and Victorian residents (over 70 per cent according to the latest ReachTEL poll commissioned by Fairfax Media, October 2017) support such legislation. In fact, polls for the last

If there’s something on your mind, send us a letter and have your say. The letter of the month will WIN a gift card 20 years have been telling us the exact same thing. The time for polls is over – we now need action.

Nurses in NSW have always advocated for policies and legislation that promote social justice. It is our responsibility to use our collective power to advocate on behalf of our patients and the general community for legislation that promotes social justice. Legislation that gives terminally ill people the right to self-determination at end of life and also prevent their unnecessary suffering, is socially just.

At our Annual Conference on 20 July 2017, the membership of the NSWNMA re-endorsed our Position Statement on Assisted Dying, which advocates for legislative change to support Voluntary Assisted Dying in circumstances where a dying person does not wish to suffer an unnecessarily agonising death.

NSW nurses provide very high-quality palliative care, and this should be available for all people experiencing terminal illness. Nurses will continue to lobby for adequate resourcing of palliative care regardless of the outcome of this Bill.

Palliative care, for the majority, is able to alleviate physical pain and provide adequate comfort. Unfortunately, palliative care is not effective for all patients and this is why we need an additional option such as Voluntary Assisted Dying.

Many other nurses and I are seriously concerned about the findings of last year’s Victorian Inquiry into end of life choices, where it was reported that terminally ill people were choosing to end their own lives by starving or dehydrating themselves, or committing suicide by violent means such as hanging, self-inflicted gunshot wounds, jumping in front of trains or self-inflicted wounding with sharp objects. Suicide should not be the only option open to so many suffering people.

It is for these reasons, that I find it so very disappointing that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Opposition Leader Luke Foley and NSW Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord do not support the Bill currently before parliament. They are simply not in tune with their constituents’ views or are letting religious beliefs impede their ability to represent the people of NSW. I am disappointed that as politicians in this state, they do not believe that suitable protective laws could be written that safely allows dying people to choose the time and manner of their death. I see this as a core component of their role – to get the safeguards right. I clearly have more faith in their ability to do their job than they do!

It is inevitable that legislation permitting voluntary assisted dying will eventually pass in one or more Australian states.

I urge all of our politicians to take a more positive view on an assisted dying law in NSW and see it as an adjunct to palliative care options for end of life management, and not to keep putting it in the ‘too hard’ basket. People are suffering now. We need do something meaningful about it now!

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO: Editorial Enquiries EMAIL lamp@nswnma.asn.au fax 9662 1414 MAIL 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017.

Please include a high-resolution photo along with your name, address, phone and membership number. Letters may be edited for clarity and space. Anonymous letters will not be published.

Letter of the month

Shellharbour’s still fighting We’ve been fighting to keep Shellharbour Hospital public for over a year now. Wyong Hospital won their fight a few months ago and one of the actions they organised that we thought was really fantastic was chalking on cars to create a visual message to send to the community.

We use our cars to commute to shops, schools, parks and work, so why not use them to send a message to the community and politicians about the need to keep public hospitals public?

A lot of people want to do something for the campaign but don’t know how. This was a very simple thing community members could do to send a message on their daily commute.

I’d go to shops and see chalked cars at the shopping centre. The community has jumped on board and local businesses have also approached us. It’s a real conversation point and promotes action.

The campaign will continue to grow bigger, stronger and louder until we receive the announcement to keep Shellharbour Hospital public. Nothing else will be negotiable.

Nadia Rodriguez EEN Shellharbour Hospital branch

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

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THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 7

COVER STORY

Patients robbed of ‘guaranteed’ care CEO promises “fast track” recruitment after Union exposes massive nursing hours deficits.

A

n NSWNMA campaign to ensure safe staffing of hospitals in the Hunter New England Local Health District has resulted in senior management publicly pledging to abide by nurse-topatient ratios set out in the Award.

The promise from LHD chief executive Michael DiRienzo follows a decision of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission supporting the Union’s case at Belmont Hospital, and a spirited public protest by nurses at John Hunter Hospital.

NSWNMA members have been battling for months to get management to fill nursing vacancies and replace absent staff with ‘like for like’ at both hospitals.

Their actions have forced management to take steps to meet Award minimums of six nursing hours per patient per day (NHPPD) at John Hunter and five NHPPD at Belmont.

In addition, the NSWNMA is pushing for sufficient extra staff to be hired to fill short-term, unexpected vacancies, for example sick leave, to eliminate the need for nurses and midwives to stay back on forced overtime.

The NSWNMA also insists that registered nurses and registered midwives are replaced by other registered nurses and midwives when those vacancies occur.

NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes said the Union asked the LHD for access to rosters and other data so it could accurately determine the extent of understaffing at both hospitals.

“When management refused this routine request we used our rights under the Industrial Relations Act to get access,” he said.

“The hospital documents revealed serious breaches of Award staffing provisions.”

8 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

‘ The hospital documents revealed serious breaches of Award staffing provisions.’

— Brett Holmes UNDERSTAFFED BY NEARLY 7000 HOURS The data showed John Hunter was understaffed by 6696 hours below minimum legal requirements over a seven-month period.

John Hunter nurses responded with a massive protest at the hospital’s main campus (see story page 12).

Belmont Hospital data also showed widespread flouting of NHPPD minimums. Between January and August there were only two weeks during which staff levels complied with the Award.

The NSWNMA lodged a dispute over Belmont Hospital with the Industrial Relations Commission.

It recommended that Hunter New England LHD comply with the Award, inform NUMs of the minimum staffing requirements in the relevant units and wards, and carry out spot checks of the data until December (see story page 10-11).

“The Commission’s recommendations are a significant win for members on all wards and units,” Brett said.

CEO Michael DiRienzo told The Newcastle Herald there was no excuse for failing to meet NHPPD ratios at John Hunter and Belmont hospitals.

“I am taking this very seriously and personally managing this issue to ensure that we meet this important Award requirement,” he told The Herald.

He said all units had always been “appropriately

COVER STORY

More than 200 nurses and midwives from John Hunter Hospital – short-changed 7000 hours of care – hit the grass in protest. budgeted” to meet Award minimum nursing care hours.

The paper added: “Mr DiRienzo said there was no excuse for not meeting the ratio, but issues such as noncompliant and incomplete rosters and increased demand on services had been contributing factors.”

“Our nursing staff work incredibly hard and I know this has affected them. For that I’m also very sorry,” he said.

“We are fast tracking recruitment to all vacancies, working closely with nurse unit managers to improve rostering practices and have implemented a robust monitoring program that includes weekly reports to me to ensure compliance.”

SHORTAGES WILL LEAVE A SCAR A Herald editorial comment welcomed Mr DiRienzo’s “acknowledgement of the pressures his staff are under and the vital work they do, and his vow to improve the situation”.

“But symptoms of the condition have been present for at least nine months, likely more, and it seems treatment, rather than finger pointing, is only occurring after tensions escalated and exhausted staff said enough was enough.

“How many experienced nurses has the delay in rendering first aid cost us? And how big a scar will that leave?” the paper asked.

A John Hunter midwife told The Herald she worked five shifts in three days the previous week.

‘ How many experienced nurses has the delay in rendering first aid cost us?’

— Newcastle Herald editorial She said the problem had become increasingly worse in the past three to four years – dismissing management’s previous claim that a busier than usual flu season was behind the problem.

“I hate coming to work, it’s awful,” she said. “Patients suffer, we’re losing senior midwives at a rate of knots, we have juniors that haven’t got as much experience or may not be registered nurses and they’re not well supported by the senior midwives because we don’t have any time.”

A nurse working at the hospital told The Herald that nursing staff had been forced to work double shifts with little notice, sometimes three-to-four times during a single week. It meant they were often missing out on sleep.

He said some areas of the hospital, such as “day stay” and the dialysis unit, had been temporarily converted into wards to accommodate extra patients.

“And then they expect us to staff the extra beds when we are already understaffed. Everyone is burned out and exhausted, and you have nurses administering drugs when they have gone the whole night without having a sleep. They are flogging us into the ground.” ■ THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 9

COVER STORY

Comply with Award ratios, LHD told Industrial Relations Commission says managers must not breach minimum staffing standards.

A

n NSWNMA campaign to ensure safe staffing of hospitals in the Hunter New England Local Health District has resulted in senior management publicly pledging to abide by nurse-to-patient ratios set out in the Award.

A NSW Industrial Relations Commissioner has told management of Hunter New England Local Health District to resolve “with some speed” the systematic understaffing of Belmont Hospital near Newcastle.

‘ Budgetary concerns should never override the legal requirement for Award compliance.’ — Commissioner John Stanton

In upholding a case brought by the NSWNMA, Commissioner John Stanton recommended that the LHD write to all NUMs, nurse managers and hospital management to tell them they must comply with Award staffing provisions.

During the Commission hearing a LHD representative denied that understaffing was “a deliberate attempt to save money “ and said she believed the LHD could come to “some sort of an agreement” with the Union.

“Hunter New England LHD shall communicate with and instruct (managers) that budgetary concerns should never override the legal requirement for Award compliance,” he said.

He said the NSWNMA should agree on the wording of the correspondence before it is sent.

“Impor tantly, Hunter New Eng la nd LH D sha ll in for m (managers) that the five nursing hours per patient day (NHPPD) is the minimum number of hours possible in NHPPD wards and that there may be occasions where patient need will require additional staffing.

“No manager shall make a 10 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

direction that breaches the NHPPD.” Commissioner Stanton said the LHD should undertake spot checks of staffing levels in NHPPD wards for a further three months.

BOTTOM LINE: LHD NEEDS TO EMPLOY MORE STAFF

Commissioner Stanton said: “If it was on the front page of The Newcastle Herald and The Sydney Morning Herald last Saturday, you’d probably have agreement by now.”

The LHD representative replied: “I don’t dispute that.”

The Union lodged a dispute with the Commission after it discovered that four wards and units of Belmont Hospital failed to meet their minimum Award requirement for nursing staff for all but two weeks between January and August.

NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes said NUMs had often been pressured not to allow their rostering budget to exceed the five

nursing hours, which was another breach of the Award.

“Our members had been raising their concerns about staffing and workloads issues for some time a nd ma na gement fa i led to implement any immediate, shortterm or even long-term solutions to address the situation.”

He said the NSWNMA and LHD r e p r e s e n t a t i ve s we r e work ing t h roug h t he I RC’s 17 recommendations and hoped for an “amicable outcome” at Belmont Hospital.

“The bottom line is Hunter New England LHD needs to employ more nursing staff at Belmont to meet the demands of the local community.

“It’s not good enough for management to say they cannot find staff. We’ve checked and there is not a shortage of nurses looking for work in the Lower Hunter region.

“Hospital management needs to be more innovative in their recruitment to employ more nursing staff.”

NSWNMA branch delegate at Belmont, Fran Robertson, was among members who attended the Commission hearings.

COVER STORY

‘ The actions of the Belmont branch and members will have a significant impact across all public hospitals.’

— Brett Holmes

STAFF FELT VINDICATED “The Commissioner seemed stunned by the Union’s discovery of what had been going on,” she said.

“We felt vindicated by his decision.

We felt we were finally being heard.”

Fran said management were trying to speed up the recruitment of more nurses and absent staff were now being replaced for the full shift.

“Our casuals are mostly nursing students employed as AiNs and they are very happy because they are now getting an 8-hour shift instead of six hours.

“Permanents are pleased because they no longer have to fill the gaps.”

She said there had been an upsurge in Union activity at the hospital with many more members attending branch meetings.

“People have clearly seen the benefits of Union representation and why they should take an interest in Union activities.”

Brett Holmes said the Belmont branch and members were to be congratulated for their tenacity and strong display of solidarity.

“Their actions and these outcomes will have a significant impact across all public hospitals,” he said. ■

Commission’s main recommendations for Belmont Hospital FULL REPLACEMENT OF ABSENCES Absent nurses and midwives (for example, those on sick leave) should not be replaced with a shorter shift. An absence that creates say, an 8.5-hour vacancy, must be filled with an 8.5-hour replacement.

“LIKE FOR LIKE” REPLACEMENT If a RN is absent on sick leave the replacement should also be a RN. All options including overtime and agency staff should be explored before a lower classification is offered the replacement shift.

NON-DIRECT CLINICAL STAFF NUMs, CNEs etc. should not be directed to replace clinical nursing absences except in extraordinary circumstances.

WARDS AND UNITS WITH MINIMUM NURSING HOURS PER PATIENT DAY (NHPPD) Five NHPPD is the minimum number of hours possible in NHPPD wards. Patients may sometimes need additional staffing. Hospital data shows managers often treated the five NHPPD as a maximum rather than a minimum. NUMs should not be pressured to staff below the five NHPPD. No manager shall make a direction that breaches the NHPPD. PART TIME AND CASUAL WORK Part-time employees may increase their contracted hours based on their previous 12 months’ work and casual employees may increase their job security based on whether they worked regularly and systematically over the previous six months.

Hunter New England LHD shall assess all requests from part-time employees seeking increased contracted hours and subsequently begin a process to convert staff to permanent positions in line with the Award.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 11

COVER STORY

Rally demands staffing fix for John Hunter Nurses’ anger is fuelled by news that management broke industrial law.

M

ore than 200 nurses and midwives voiced their anger over widespread and persistent short-staffing of John Hunter Hospital during a noisy demonstration outside the Newcastle facility.

The hospital’s NSWNMA branch organised the rally to alert the public to the impact of under-staffing on the health and safety of patients and staff.

‘ Patients have effectively been shortchanged on the safe nursing care they should have received to assist their recovery.’ — Brett Holmes HOSPITAL DATA REVEALED MAJOR UNDERSTAFFING

Members ca rried placa rds reading, “Put patient safety first – staff all beds”, “Staffed to budget not to safety” and “Is this what you call excellence?”

After trying unsuccessfully to resolve issues through the Reasonable Workloads Committee the Union took action under the Industrial Relations Act to obtain hospital data that would reveal the extent of understaffing.

As Nurse Leearna Bennett told the rally, “Nurses want to be able to provide the best care they can to all patients who come to hospital.

They need more nurses to be able to provide that care.”

The data showed that the Hunter New England Local Health District repeatedly failed to staff wards and units according to the minimum six NHPPD as set out in the Public Health System Award.

The NSW NM A bra nch at John Hunter Hospital wrote to management in June outlining a range of concerns relating to patient and staff safety across the facility.

As a result, John Hunter patients missed out on 6696 hours of nursing care from late December 2016 to July 2017.

These included the opening of unfunded and understaffed beds, forced excessive overtime, sick leave not being replaced, an excessive use of under-qualified staff, missed meal breaks and unpaid overtime.

12 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

“This is a disgraceful situation,” NSW NM A genera l secret a r y Brett Holmes told news reporters at the rally.

“Patients have effectively been short-changed on the safe nursing care they should have received to assist their recovery.

“This LHD has knowingly breached the legal commitment they have to their nurses and to the community and frankly management has done everything to hide the numbers.

“We need to hold this LHD and the CEO responsible for what has gone on here and for making sure that it never happens again.

“This problem must be fixed.

Additional nurses and midwives must be recruited to meet the demands, the needs of this community.”

TOO RELIANT ON OVERTIME The Union’s John Hunter Branch Secretary, Suzanne McNeill, said staff were “blown away” by the news that almost 7000 nursing hours had been stripped from the 13 units on the hospital’s main campus.

“Members were working under duress and fatigued but I don’t think they realised the collective number of hours we had been short-changed. “ They were astounded at that figure and were asking what

COVER STORY

Passionate staff at John Hunter fight for their patients’ right to safe staffing. happened to that funding.

More concerning to me was the amount of additional physical and emotional stress this placed on our staff. I don’t think there can be any compensation for that.

“I would like to see an official apology to the staff and the people of Newcastle who were duped of the hours they were rightfully entitled to.”

‘ I would like to see an official apology to the staff and the people of Newcastle who were duped of the hours they were rightfully entitled to.’ — Suzanne McNeill

Suzanne said the rally outside the hospital showed nurses were passionate about the issue, adding: “I think the rally worked to get the message out to the public.”

She said management started complying with the Award after the Union took action to obtain staffing data.

However, there was now an overreliance on over time to ensure minimum staffing.

“Before the Union audited the rosters we were battling to get any paid overtime authorised. It was quite often refused – particularly after hours.

“Management preferred to leave beds understaffed and some units were under enormous pressure.

“Staff in some units are now having to work excessive amounts of overtime, which is unacceptable.”

Suzanne said management had proposed a recruitment plan, which members considered inadequate. ■

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 13

COVER STORY

John Hunter votes for work bans

M

ore than 200 nurses and midwives at John Hunter Hospital voted almost unanimously in favour of applying industrial bans across the facility unless Hunter New England Health immediately implements safe nursing staff numbers.

Members of the NSWNMA John Hunter branch held a secret ballot after discussing the amount of time they were required to spend away from patients on their ward or unit, to complete follow-up discharge phone calls.

The branch voted to implement a ban on follow-up discharge phone calls within three days unless Hunter New England Local Health District immediately introduced safe staffing measures.

‘ Our members are disappointed that the measures they’ve proposed all have a long-term focus.’ — Brett Holmes

“All nursing classifications will no longer continue to make followup discharge phone calls, as this is severely impacting on the time available to care for our current hospitalised patients,” the branch resolution said.

“The follow-up phone call policy cannot be reinstated unt il such t ime a s t here are confirmed, agreed, and implemented safe nurse staffing numbers, with the minimum nursing hours per patient day plus the additional staffing required to meet patient acuity and safe nursing skill mix needs.”

Branch secretary Suzanne McNeill said the decision to take industrial action was the result of a “wide and deeply felt” view that management had not done enough to resolve staffing issues.

STOP PRESS Members have suspended the bans at the request of the IRC (after the LHD notified a dispute) pending a more thorough examination of the issues. Members will have input into this process.

14 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

She said while follow-up phone ca lls for discha rged patients were an important and valuable measure, current staffing arrangements meant the calls were reducing the a lreadylimited time available to care for hospitalised patients.

NEED FOR IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENTS NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes said Hunter New England LHD had proposed several

longer-term recruitment measures but “no immediate improvements were evident for nursing staff on the floor”.

“We’ve already uncovered thousands of hours of nursing care missing at John Hunter as a result of Hunter New England LHD deliberately breaching the Award by not rostering and recruiting the necessary staff,” he said.

“We are talking to Hunter New England LHD, but our members are disappointed that the measures they’ve proposed all have a longterm focus.

“There have been no immediate changes implemented, so nurses and midwives across a number of wards and units are still working short-staffed or required to work overtime.

“O u r memb er s a re not suggesting that follow-up phone calls for discharged patients are not important in the Hunter.

They are simply asking hospital management to allocate the calls to other clinicians and allied health staff, given the current understaffing of nurses and midwives.

“Nurses and midwives should not be directed to complete followup discharge phone calls within the nursing hours that are required per patient per day under the Award.”

Elizabeth Grist, the LHD’s Executive Director of Clinical Services, Nursing and Midwifery, told The Newcastle Herald that John Hunter Hospital and the LHD would ensure that follow-up phone calls were made by allied health and medical staff and “any nurses and midwives who do not have a direct patient load”.

“I want to reassure our nurses and midwives that we are listening, and we definitely do not want them to have any more of a workload or stress in any way.

“In the wards, if they feel they are not fully staffed… if there is any occasion they are not able to make those phone calls, we’re going to make sure it is not the nurses or the midwives who make the calls.” ■

MENTAL HEALTH

Nurses reject dangerous work practice Mental health nurses in Albury force authorities to shut down and remodel an unsafe facility.

N

SWNMA members have refused on safety grounds to work as directed in the high dependency unit (HDU) of Nolan House, part of the Albury Wodonga Health campus on the border of NSW and Victoria.

Their stand – including closing beds and refusing to admit patients – led to an occupational health and safety review, a meeting with a NSW minister and an agreement to reconfigure the HDU to make it safer.

Nolan House is a 24-bed acute unit including a seclusion room and the three-bed HDU with bedrooms, lounge and a courtyard. The HDU accommodates acutely mentally ill patients, who may be highly aggressive/homicidal or suicidal and/or drug induced.

Both states fund the service and though the nurses are employed by NSW Health they are seconded to Victoria, which manages the campus.

A lack of clear jurisdiction between the states has caused confusion about which policies and practices nurses should follow.

Nolan House staff were not permanently stationed inside the HDU, which had a single entrance/ exit door that needed a key to be opened from the inside.

Instead, staff constantly monitored patients through large windows plus state-of-the-art CCTV to eliminate blind spots.

VICTORIAN DIRECTIVE INCONSISTENT WITH NSW Gillian Rhodes, secretary of the NSWNMA’s Nolan House branch,

‘ There were episodes when staff were trapped and unable to exit the HDU.’ — Gillian Rhodes said staff “constantly met patients’ needs by frequently entering the HDU in pairs in a safe environment.”

“However, the Victorian chief psychiatrist visited the facility and without consultation with nurses, directed that staff should stay inside the HDU at all times. If not, they were to record every episode as a seclusion.

“The directive may have been in line with Victorian policy, but it was inconsistent with NSW Health policy.

“With an exit by key only there were episodes when staff were trapped and unable to exit the HDU until they were safely extracted with the aid of police and/or hospital security and porters.

“Branch officials told the chief executive of Albury Wodonga Health (AWH), Leigh McJames, that members would not comply with the request of the chief psychiatrist.

“The Union organised an OHS inspection, which confirmed the unit was unsafe and we presented the findings to the CEO.” The branch decided to close the HDU beds and refuse to admit patients in the emergency department who were deemed to be high risk and requiring an HDU bed.

It also passed resolutions criticising the lack of consultation with nurses and attempts to

intimidate staff to comply with the directive.

“After a lot of discussion AWH agreed to suspend the operation of Nolan House and refer patients needing HDU level of care to other facilities,” Gillian said.

“Despite this understanding there were subsequent attempts to transfer ED patients into the closed HDU and the seclusion area, which were rejected.

“We also sought a meeting with the NSW Minister for Mental Health, Tanya Davies, to outline problems arising from the confusion over which state legislation and policies we were supposed to be under.”

The minister met with a Union delegat ion including Bra nch President Catherine Winchester, and delegates Jason Pascoe and Gillian.

Ms Davies agreed the situation was complex and said nurses’ concerns would be addressed by a redrafting of the memorandum of under st a nd ing gover n ing management of AWH, which was due to be finished by December. ■

NOTE: Ongoing issues affecting Nolan House nurses will be covered in a future edition of The Lamp.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 15

CHANGE THE RULES

Australia needs a pay rise.

Even the International Monetary Fund agrees The Federal Court decision to uphold cuts to penalty rates for 700,000 low-paid workers is more evidence that the rules aren’t working for working people, but are working very well for business.

T

he Federal Court has rejected an appeal by unions to overturn cuts to penalty rates in the hospitality and retail sectors brought in by the Fair Work Commission. The cuts – between 25 per cent and 50 per cent – have been in place since 1 July.

The ACTU, unions and the ALP condemned the decision. “(The Court’s decision) shows that the laws in this country do not protect workers and are out of step with community values. Those laws have to change,” said Joanne Schofield, National Secretary of United Voice, the union that represents hospitality workers.

“We fear that employer groups will now continue to attempt to attack the weekend pay of workers in other industries.”

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said the Turnbull government should intervene and “act in the interests of working people”.

“Malcolm Turnbull can stop these wage cuts. Australia needs a pay rise. Working people’s wages are flatlining and their work is becoming more insecure. The government has a responsibility to act,” she said.

“Unions are fighting for workers’ rights: it’s a shame that the Turnbull government won’t lift a finger to help working people.”

IMF URGES GREATER GOVERNMENT ROLE IN IR A report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – released days after the Federal Court decision – heralds a radical change in economic thinking by a prominent 16 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

‘ In an era where governments are struggling to work out how to increase wages growth, the biggest recent policy shift in our IR system has been to cut wages.’ — Greg Jericho global institution that is at odds with policies of the Turnbull government.

The IMF report recognises that the major problem facing all major advanced economies, including Australia, is low wage growth. Crucially, the IMF says to fix this problem governments need to take a much greater role in industrial relations.

It says governments need to protect and extend minimum wages and, in an era of highly flexible employment with increasing levels of part-time work, governments need to offer “prorated annual, family, and sick leave (for part-time workers) to secure parity with full-time workers”.

Economics commentator Greg Jericho says the IMF recommendations “sets the recent decision by the Fair Work Commission to cut penalty rates in Awards covering the hospitality and retail sectors as a rather backward step”.

CHANGE THE RULES

23.9% 15.2% 2010

Increase in the number of workers on minimum Award rates. Many of these workers are on or around the minimum wage – around $36,000 a year.

2016

“In an era where governments are struggling to work out how to increase wages growth, the biggest recent policy shift in our IR system has been to cut wages,” he said.

UNIONS ARE CRITICAL FOR BETTER WAGES ACTU Secretary Sally McManus says if inequality is to be addressed in Australia workers need better and stronger rights at work.

“Industrial laws have always existed with one primary purpose: to address the inherent power imbalance that exists between capital and labour. That imbalance has never been greater. Our laws need to change to do their job,” she said.

McManus says that unions are essential to keeping inequality in check.

“The laws that make the job of unions harder must be addressed. It is in the interests of all Australians that we have a strong union movement. We have the harshest laws in the OECD against unions. The union bashing must stop.

“Every other country in the OECD finds ways to support their unions. In Australia we need to build that recognition and develop the supports so unions are able to lift wages and improve our economy. This is the new deal we need.” ■

Why we need to change the rules The ACTU argues that employers have found ways to exploit the rules around enterprise bargaining in order to avoid paying fair wages and conditions.

Enterprise-based bargaining was meant to deliver increased wages for increased productivity. This has stopped happening since 2000.

Even more alarmingly, it says, there has been an increase in the number of workers on minimum Award rates, which has shot up from 15.2 per cent in 2010 to 23.9 per cent in 2016.

Many of these workers are on or around the minimum wage – around $36,000 a year.

BUILDING STRONGER RIGHTS FOR WORKERS The ACTU says we need important changes to our industrial laws to address the power imbalance between employers and workers. These changes would: • Create more secure jobs by taking away the incentives to casualise work • Restore a strong, fair and independent industrial umpire • Ensure a level playing field for bargaining • Rebuild a relevant, modern and strong safety net for all workers • Put an end to union-bashing.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 17

CHANGE THE RULES

IMF: tax the rich to reduce inequality In its half-yearly financial report, the International Monetary Fund said taxing the super-rich would help reduce inequality without having an adverse impact on growth.

W

hat is good for the super-rich is not so good for the rest of us, the IMF has concluded in a significant repor t that challenges decades of neo-liberal economic policies.

The IMF rejected the argument that economic growth would suffer if governments in advanced countries forced the top 1 per cent of earners to pay more tax.

Responding to the argument that putting “significantly higher” tax rates on high incomes would be bad for growth the IMF said: “Empirical evidence does not support this argument”.

The head of the IMF’s fiscal affairs unit, Vitor Gaspar, said the average top income tax rate for the rich country members of the OECD (including Australia) had fallen from 62 per cent in 1981 to 35 per cent in 2015.

He said there was scope for more progressive systems to tax the rich at higher rates in an effort to redistribute income to those who are less well off.

“Importantly we find that some advanced economies can increase progressivity without hampering growth,” he said.

18 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

“While some inequality is inevitable in a market-based econom ic s ystem, exce s sive inequality can erode social cohesion, lead to political polarisation, and ultimately lower economic growth.”

INVESTMENT IN HEALTH ALSO REDUCES INEQUALITY The IMF said inequality should also be tackled by giving a more propoor slant to public spending.

“Despite progress, gaps in access to quality education and healthcare services between different income groups in the population remain in many countries,” it said.

“Investments in education and health help reduce income inequality over the medium term, address persistent poverty across generations, enhance social mobility, and ultimately promote sustainable and inclusive growth.

“Better public spending can help, for instance, by reallocating education or health spending from the rich to the poor while keeping total public education or health spending unchanged.”

ACTU CALLS FOR END TO CORPORATE TAX CUTS The ACTU said the IMF report

highlighted the failure of trickledown economics.

“The Turnbull government’s policies of cutting taxes for the very wealthy and big business are making inequality worse. The IMF report shows that this approach has failed,” said ACTU Secretary Sally McManus.

“The rich have not put limits on their greed and given wage increases and good steady jobs back to everyone else. We now have record low-wage growth, inequality at a 70-year high and 40 per cent of Australians are in insecure work.

“We need corporations and the already rich to actually pay tax.” ■

READ MORE ABOUT THE IMF’S TAKE ON TACKLING INEQUALITY: http://www.imf.org/en/ News/Articles/2017/10/10/ sp101117-opening-remarksof-vitor-gaspar-at-the-fall2017-fiscal-monitor-pressconference

CHANGE THE RULES

Australia’s tax rules aren’t working In 2014–15 the top 10 companies in Australia that paid no tax at all had combined revenue of $33 billion.

In a single year between these 10 companies we have lost more than $660 million in taxes.

On top of this the Tax Office is currently suing American oil and gas giant Chevron for more than $1 billion in unpaid taxes dating back to 2012.

In 2014–15, 48 Australian millionaires paid no tax – not even the Medicare levy. Nineteen spent over $1 million each on lawyers and accountants to “manage their tax affairs”.

And now the government wants to give more special treatment to business with an extra $65 billion tax cut. This corporate handout would reduce the tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.

The Commonwealth Bank stands to benefit by $1 billion. Our biggest miners BHP, Rio Tinto and Woodside will share in $1.8 billion. Coles and Woolworths will share in $281 million.

‘ The ACTU estimates that with every billion dollars in avoided tax we could pay for 6,500 extra nurses, teachers and paramedics or a 400-bed hospital.’

Top ten tax-avoiding companies in Australia Company

Total income

Taxable income

Tax paid

Tax lost

$4,955,930,348

$495,380,720

$0

$148,614,216.00

$4,975,881,786

$353,907,424

$0

$106,172,227.20

CSL Limited

$2,269,966,638

$244,415,270

$0

$73,324,581.00

QANTAS Airways Ltd

$15,467,492,749

$211,727,187

$0

$63,518,156.10

RACV (Royal Automobile Club of Victoria Ltd)

$643,791,395

$190,400,285

$0

$57,120,085.50

Washington H Soul Pattinson & Co Ltd

$367,065,948

$177,893,568

$0

$53,368,070.40

$1,104,498,300

$147,951,932

$0

$44,385,579.60

Transurban Holdings Ltd

$1,882,421,714

$143,954,594

$0

$43,186,378.20

Hochtief Australia Holdings Ltd

$253,754,573

$130,916,350

$0

$39,274,905.00

ConocoPhillips Australia Gas Holdings Pty Ltd

$1,708,851,614

$112,940,592

$0

$33,882,177.60

BHP Billiton Aluminium Australia Pty Ltd BlueScope Steel Limited

Boeing Australia Holdings Pty Ltd

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 19

COVER STORY

START YOUR NEXT SHIFT WITH A SPRING IN YOUR STEP! UNSIGHTLY VEINS? TIRED, THROBBING, ACHING LEGS? Nursing is one of the most common professions to suffer from varicose veins – and when you work as hard as you do, the last thing you need to worry about is tired, aching legs.

SURGERY FREE VARICOSE VEIN TREATMENTS Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) is the very latest in surgery free varicose vein treatment. Benefits include: • • • • • •

No GP referral required No hospital admission No significant scarring No time off work Walk-in Walk-out treatment Effective laser treatment

THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

STEP INTO OUR CLINIC The Vein Institute is a leading Australian medical clinic specialising in the non-surgical treatment of varicose veins.

SPECIAL OFFER for NSWNMA members: All members will receive 25% off the fee for the first consultation with The Vein Institute. The first consultation includes a ultrasound scan of your legs.* For more information or advice on our treatments visit theveininstitute.com.au/nurses or call 1300 701 221.

CLINIC LOCATIONS 8/187 Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000 56 Burwood Rd Burwood NSW 2134

*Offer valid until 30th December 2017. Only valid for current NSWNMA members.

20 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

SUPERANNUATION

Banks seek to swallow Super New Turnbull government legislation pushes the commercial interests of the big banks.

S

upera nnuat ion bills int roduced by t he Coalition government into federal parliament will, if passed, help banks get their hands on working people’s superannuation.

The bills are designed to shift control of workers’ super from the not-for-profit industry funds, which have represented them for decades, to the banks.

Banks already rake in huge fees from the retail super funds they control.

In 2016, $8.7 billion in fees flowed from retail super customers to the big banks, according to a repor t by Rainmaker Consulting in May. It found that industry and company super funds accounted for 42 per cent of funds under management and received 42 per cent of all fees, while retail super funds had only 29 per cent of funds under management but received 50 per cent of all fees.

NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes says there would be no benefit for nurses in moving their super from industry funds to the banks.

He says that despite charging higher fees, retail funds continue to underperform the nonprofit sector.

“Past returns have always shown that industry funds out-perform for-profit, bankowned funds.”

‘ Banks should not be allowed any more control over super.’

— Brett Holmes

Monthly data from S up e rR a t i n g s s how s , on ave r a ge , i ndu s t r y s up e r funds outperformed bankowned super funds by more than 2 per cent a year during the 10 years to 30 June 2017.

T he gover n ment bi l l s are designed to reduce the representation of workers on superannuation boards, make it harder for workers to bargain for industry funds, politicise the independent regulator and give it powers over industry funds that the big banks aren’t subjected to.

The bills would force industry funds to adopt the same sort of board governance structure as banks and the super funds they control.

This is despite the fact the banks are plagued by scandal and industry funds generate better returns.

“Superannuation should be not-for-profit, and banks should not be allowed any more control over super,” Brett says. ■

Bank Super scandals • ANZ had to pay an extra $10.5 million to 160,000 customers after ASIC found it had incorrectly processed members’ super contributions and failed to deal with lost inactive member balances correctly.

• Commonwealth Bank must repay an estimated $105.6m for charging fees where no advice was provided. As of 19 May 2017, CBA had repaid or offered to repay $5.85m.

• ASIC alleges Westpac subsidiaries provided personal advice to customers, recommending they “roll out of their other superannuation funds into Westpac-related superannuation accounts” even though they were not legally allowed to provide personal financial advice.

• NAB’s super trustee, NULIS Nominees, had to repay $34.7 million to 220,000 super accounts in Feb 2017.

STRONG RETURNS FOR LOW FEES Australian unions won industry superannuation for all Australian workers through a series of campaigns from the 1980s.

Industry funds have a 50/50 split of employee and employer representatives on their boards, which gives working people a say in how their super is managed and invested.

Economics commentator Bernard Keane describes it as “a hugely successful model that contributes more than a third of Australia’s vast $2 trillion-plus savings pool and earns strong returns for low fees. It’s a credit to both corporations and unions that they’re able to oversee such a successful sector.”

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 21

2018 NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association Election of Branch Delegates and Alternate Delegates Pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act, 1996, Mr Neale Dawson 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 New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association.

Nominations Nominations in writing are hereby invited on and from 1 January 2018 for the following positions: Branch delegates and alternate delegates to the Annual Conference and the Committee of Delegates.

Each branch shall be entitled to elect such delegates according to the number of financial members in that branch as at 31 December 2017, as follows: (information as to the number of financial members in each branch is available from each branch secretary, or the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association, telephone 1300 367 962) 50 financial members or less

1 delegate

51-130 (inclusive) financial members

2 delegates

131-300 (inclusive) financial members

3 delegates

301-500 (inclusive) financial members

4 delegates

501-750 (inclusive) financial members

5 delegates

751-1000 (inclusive) financial members

6 delegates

1001-1250 (inclusive) financial members

7 delegates

1251-1500 (inclusive) financial members

8 delegates

1501-1750 (inclusive) financial members

9 delegates

1751-2000 (inclusive) financial members

10 delegates

And one additional delegate for every additional 250 financial members thereafter.

Each branch shall be entitled to elect alternate delegates equal to the delegate entitlement of that branch, provided that a branch shall be entitled alternatedelegates. delegates. entitled to to elect elect at atleast leasttwo 2 alternate Note: A person may nominate for one of these positions only.

Candidates for election to the position of branch delegate or alternate delegate are required to be financial members of the Association at the date of opening of nominations 1 January 2018.

A person is not eligible to nominate for, be elected to, or hold any office in the Association, Committee of Delegates or branch thereof if (i) such person holds any office in any other registered trade union or a like or kindred nature or having objects similar to the objects of the New South Wales Nurses and

22 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

Midwives’ Association other than the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation,

person has has been, been, within within the theperiod periodofoftwo 2 years (ii) such person immediately preceding the date of nomination or election, dismissed from any office or position in accordance with rule 14 of the Association’s Rules.

Nomination forms may be obtained from the returning officer, Mr Neale Dawson, c/- NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo 2017 or from NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (telephone 1300 367 962) or from the member only section of the Association’s website (www.nswnma.asn.au).

Close of nominations Nominations must be received by the returning officer, on Thursday Mr Neale Neale Dawson, Dawson, not not later laterthan than5pm 5pm, February, 2018.

2018. They They may may be be hand hand delivered delivered to to Returning 15 February Officer, Mr Neale Dawson, NEW Law, 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo 2017; scanned and emailed to returningofficer@newlaw.com.au, faxed to (02) 9662 1463, or posted to Returning Officer, Mr Neale Dawson, PO Box 6373, Alexandria 2015. Nominations received after the time and date specified will not be accepted. Nominations cannot be lodged with the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association.

Any defect in a nomination must be rectified by the candidate prior to the close of nominations. A candidate may only withdraw his/her nomination in writing so as to be received by the returning officer prior to the close of nominations.

Should more than the required number of nominations be received a draw will be conducted to determine the order of candidates’ names on the ballot paper at 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo at 10am, Tuesday 20 February 2018. Candidates or their representatives are invited to witness the draw.

Voting If the election is contested a postal ballot will be conducted. All members of the relevant branch of the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association financial as at 10am, Tuesday 20 February 2018 and entitled to vote will be sent a ballot paper on Monday 26 February 2018. The ballot will open on Monday 55 March March2018 2018close closeatat5.00pm, 5pm, Friday Friday 16 16 March 2018. The method of voting to be observed for this election will be first past the post. Any candidate in a contested election may nominate another person to act as their scrutineer at the counting of the ballot. Candidates should ring the Association to ascertain the date and time of counting.

Members should ensure that the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association has been advised of their current residential address as voting material will be posted to each member’s residential address. Any enquiries concerning this election should be in writing or by fax and be addressed to the Returning Officer Mr Neale Dawson.

Neale Dawson, Returning Officer for the 2018 Election Term New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association Election

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

Bernie’s bill promises Medicare for all The veteran United States senator has started a national conversation on the need for a universal health care system and he has already garnered promising support.

W

hen Bernie Sanders introduced a bill into the US senate in 2013 for a single payer, universal health care system, not a single senator stood in support.

When he introduced a similar bill last month advocating for a Canadian-style public health system that would cover all Americans the proposed legislation – called Medicare for All - was co-sponsored by 16 other Democrats. This is a third of the Democratic caucus and included four prominent leaders tipped to run for the 2020 presidency.

“This is where the country has got to go. Right now, if we want to move away from a dysfunctional, wasteful, bureaucratic system into a rational healthcare system that guarantees coverage to everyone in a cost-effective way, the only way to do it is Medicare for All,” Sanders told The Washington Post.

Polls show the Sanders’ plan has plenty of public support, but this support is fragile and vulnerable to the attacks expected from vested interests.

CORPORATIONS WILL FIGHT ALL THE WAY When Barack Obama ran for president in 2008 promising to reform the healthcare system, public support for a single-payer system stood at 46 per cent. A recent Kaiser poll found 53 per cent now support the idea.

But when told that Medicare for All would involve paying higher taxes almost two in five respondents changed their mind. The number opposing the proposal went from 43 per cent to 60 per cent.

Sanders warned supporters to expect a formidable fight with what he calls the “most powerful and greedy forces in American society”: the pharmaceutical industry, insurance companies, Wall Street and the Republican Party.

‘ Our job is to join every major country on earth and guarantee healthcare to all, as a right, not a privilege.’

— Bernie Sanders “The opposition to this will be extraordinary,” he said.

Sanders acknowledged that the cost of a new system will be the focus of attacks. But he argues that the US spent more per capita on healthcare than other developed countries with a single payer system. And despite the United States spending more, 28 million Americans remain uninsured, infant mortality rates are higher and life expectancy is shorter.

SUPPORTED BY AMERICAN NURSES In a speech to the National Nurses United (NNU) convention Sanders said: “We have to understand that maintaining the status quo is just not good enough.

“Our job is to join every major country on earth and guarantee healthcare to all, as a right, not a privilege.”

RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of NNU, called on nurses to contact their Senators and ask them to support Medicare for All “and tell them we’re going to hold them accountable”.

Convention delegates passed a resolution calling for an end to the role of insurance companies in healthcare “and the human suffering they cause” and pledged that NNU would only endorse candidates who support a single payer system. ■ THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 23

ANMF FINANCIALS

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation New South Wales Branch Summary of Financial Information for the Year Ended 30 June 2017

T

he financial statements of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation New South Wales Branch have been audited in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act 1991, and the following summary is provided for members in accordance with Section 517(2) of the Act, as applied by section 282(3) of the Industrial Relations Act, 1996.

A copy of the Financial Statements, including the independent Audit Report, will be supplied free of charge to members upon request. Certificates required to be given under the Act by the Accounting Officer and the Committee of Management have been completed in accordance with the provisions of the Act and contain no qualifications.

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS OR OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2017 Service Fee – NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) Interest Income Other income Total income Less total expenditure Result for the year Remeasurement of retirement benefit obligations Total comprehensive income for the year SUMMARY BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30 JUNE 2017 Total equity Represented by: Current assets Non-current assets Total assets Current liabilities Non-current liabilities Total liabilities Net assets INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED TO MEMBERS OR REGISTRAR In accordance with the requirements of the Industrial Relations Act, 1991 [NSW] the attention of members is drawn to the provisions of Sub-Sections (1) and (2) of Section 512 which read as follows: (1) A member of an organisation, or the Industrial Registrar, may apply to the organisation for specified information prescribed by the regulations in relation to the organisation.

(2) An organisation must, on the making of such an application, make the specified information available to the member or the Industrial Registrar in the manner, and within the time, prescribed by the regulations.

24 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

2017 ($)

2016 ($)

13,618,436

1,250,592

70,735 8,440 13,697,611 (13,614,586) 83,025 (146,265) (63,240)

853 56,308 1,307,753 (1,306,960) 793 793

(29,864)

33,376

7,395,968 7,395,968 6,542,478 883,354 7,425,832 (29,864)

38,326 38,326 4,950 4,950 33,376

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR ON THE SUMMARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN NURSING AND MIDWIFERY FEDERATION NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH OPINION

The summary financial statements, which comprise the summary balance sheet as at 30 June 2017 and the summary statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the year then ended are derived from the audited financial report of Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation New South Wales Branch for the year ended 30 June 2017. In our opinion, the accompanying summary financial statements are a fair summary of the audited financial report.

SUMMARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The summary financial statements do not contain all the disclosures required

by Section 510 of the Industrial Relations Act 1991 (NSW) or Australian Accounting Standards. Reading the summary financial statements and the auditor’s report thereon, therefore, is not a substitute for reading the audited financial report and the auditor’s report thereon.

THE AUDITED FINANCIAL REPORT AND OUR REPORT THEREON

We expressed an unmodified audit opinion on the audited financial report in our report dated 11 October 2017.

Our Independent Auditor’s Report to the members on the Financial Report did not contain any particulars of any deficiency, failure or shortcoming as referred to in the Industrial Relations Act 1991 [NSW], as applied by Section 282(3) of the Industrial Relations Act, 1996.

COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SUMMARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Committee of Management is responsible for the preparation of the summary financial statements.

AUDITOR’S RESPONSIBILITY

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on whether the summary financial statements are a fair summary of the audited financial report based on our procedures, which were conducted in accordance with Auditing Standard ASA 810 Engagements to Report on Summary Financial Statements.

Daley & Co

Chartered Accountants

Stephen Milgate

Partner

11 October 2017, Wollongong Liability limited by a Scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation

A copy of the Financial Report, including the Independent Audit Report, may be found on the Members page of the website www.nswnma.asn.au or can be obtained upon written application to: Brett Holmes, Branch Secretary, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation NSW Branch, 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo 2017.

CHAFTA

ACTU blasts secret Chinese deals Chinese workers are being brought to Australia under secret deals with pay rates far below our minimum wage.

T

he China Au s t r a l i a Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) allows for secret deals between Australia’s Depa r t ment of Im m ig rat ion and Chinese firms investing in Australia, according to the ACTU, which represents members of 38 affiliated unions.

Under ChAFTA, Chinese workers brought to Australia have no right to bargain for wages and can be paid as little as $10 an hour, the ACTU says.

C h A F TA measures that disadvantage Australian workers and weaken the labour rights of Chinese workers are outlined in an ACTU submission to a review of ChAFTA being conducted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Negotiated between the Coalition Federal Government and the Chinese government, ChAFTA has been operating for two years.

“A n e c d o t a l ev idence of Chinese workers being abused has already been identified,” the submission says.

“Fairfax Media reported on Chinese welders being paid $US70 a day, a fraction of the going rate for a lift industry worker of $42 an hour. It is also below the national minimum wage, which is currently $18.29 for a full-time adult worker.

“The workers received no pay slips, no pena lties, no superannuation, and had no WorkCover insurance.”

‘The workers received no pay slips, no penalties, no superannuation, and had no WorkCover insurance.’

AUSTRALIAN WORKERS AT A DISADVANTAGE The ACT U says Ch A F TA puts Australian workers at a disadvantage with Chinese workers by removing labour market testing for infrastructure projects.

These are defined as projects worth over $150 million and which have a minimum 15 per cent Chinese funding.

That means Chinese companies

in Australia can import workers for t ho se projec t s w it hout first advertising job vacancies in Australia.

Rather than bringing in foreign workers on short-term contracts, Australia’s migration program should focus on perma nent migration where workers enter Austra lia independent ly, t he submission says.

“This gives migrants a greater stake in Australia’s long-term future and it removes many of the ‘bonded labour’-type problems that can arise with temporary migration where a worker is dependent on their employer for their sponsorship and ongoing prospects of staying in Australia.”

ACTU President Ged Kearney says no group of workers should be exempt from Australian labour law based on their country of birth.

“We have seen stories of migrant workers being paid well below the minimum wage and being pushed through vital safety briefings that they had no way of understanding.

“The Turnbull Government is endorsing the exploitation of migrant labour that ultimately means Australians needing work cannot get jobs.” ■

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 25

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NEWS IN BRIEF

AUSTRALIA

Lawman turns law breaker The Turnbull government’s favourite industrial relations cop, Nigel Hadgkiss, has been forced to resign after he admitted breaking the Fair Work Act – the very legislation he was sworn to enforce.

Hadgkiss quit his $426,000 a year job as head of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) after admitting, in the Federal Court, to a “reckless contravention” of the Act. The ABCC was set up by Coalition governments to weaken the main building union, the CFMEU, with a special set of laws applying only to construction workers.

Hadgkiss, a former senior police officer, would “uphold the rule of law” on building sites, the Coalition promised.

Yet for more than two years, Hadgkiss knowingly allowed the ABCC to publish misleading information about the legal rights of workers and their unions.

He also admitted telling his staff not to correct that false information.

When this became public, Prime Minister Turnbull and his Employment Minister, Michaelia Cash, decided that Hadgkiss had to go, The Australian newspaper reported.

Keeping him in the job would have “seriously undermined the Coalition’s continued political assaults on the ‘lawbreaking’ CFMEU,” the paper said.

Hadgkiss is not the only one under a cloud.

Michaelia Cash admitted to knowing for just under a year that Hadgkiss acted unlawfully, yet did nothing about it. She also said the government will pay Hadgkiss’s legal fees.

ACTU president Ged Kearney said Cash should resign because she reappointed Hadgkiss despite knowing there were serious allegations against him.

She said Cash should “come clean” on what she knew, what the Prime Minister was told, and when that information was available.

‘ Participating at even low physical activity confers benefit.’

CANADA

Move more during the day: it’s healthier than the gym Taking the stairs or walking is more likely to protect against heart disease than working out at the gym according to a new study.

Incorporating physical activity into our everyday lives is more likely to protect us from heart disease and an early death than buying a gym membership, according to a new major global study published in The Lancet medical journal.

Most guidelines recommend 30 minutes of exercise per day for five days a week to reduce heart disease and deaths. But one to two hours a day is the optimal amount of physical activity, said the study’s author, Professor Scott Lear, of Simon Fraser University’s faculty of health sciences in Vancouver, Canada.

The good news is that you don’t have to pump iron or flog yourself on the treadmill to attain that level of physical activity.

Michaelia Cash admitted to knowing for just under a year that Hadgkiss acted unlawfully, yet did nothing about it.

“Sitting for hours is not good for hearts or the physical body. Getting up every 20 to 30 minutes for a walk around is beneficial,” he said.

“We spend a lot of time in meetings. If it is just two or three people, why not have a walkaround meeting?”

Lear also suggests playing with children in the park rather than sitting watching them, increasing the walk to work by getting off the train or bus early and taking the stairs rather than the lift.

“Participating at even low physical activity confers benefit and the benefit continues to increase up to high total physical activity,” says the study.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 27

NEWS IN BRIEF

UNITED STATES

US nurses pitch in to help Puerto Rico The United States government didn’t do much to help Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria but a large delegation of American nurses did.

Fifty nurses from the Registered Nurse Response Network were among a delegation of 300 union members assembled by the AFL–CIO (the United States’ peak union body) for the relief mission to Puerto Rico.

The delegation represented 20 unions from 17 states.

They also took 35,000 pounds of relief supplies.

Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) is a national network of volunteer nurses, sponsored by National Nurses United, with specialty skills critical in disaster situations.

“As nurses, whenever there’s a call and there’s an ask, we go. The elderly that have been without oxygen, without food or water, are at risk, everyone’s at risk but particularly the children and the elderly,” said Cathy Kennedy, an RN volunteer with the Puerto Rico deployment.

In Puerto Rico, the nurses concentrated their efforts on local hospitals, nursing homes, and other sites based on immediate need for island residents who had endured unprecedented devastation as a result of the super storm.

While the US government was widely condemned for its failure to respond adequately to the Puerto Rican crisis the US union movement won widespread respect.

AFL–CIO President Richard Trumka said the union delegation aimed “to bring skilled workers to the front lines to deliver supplies, care for victims and rebuild Puerto Rico”.

“The working families of Puerto Rico are our brothers and sisters,” he said.

AUSTRALIA

Heart health linked to postcode Heart disease deaths in NSW are 50 per cent higher in disadvantaged, rural and remote areas.

Where you live in NSW has a strong bearing on your level of heart health according to an analysis published by the Heart Foundation.

Deaths from heart disease are 50 per cent higher in Australia’s poorest areas and 60 per cent higher in rural and remote areas, compared to that in affluent, metropolitan areas.

“Better heart health is associated with good education, reliable and secure employment, safe and affordable housing, accessible transport, affordable and healthy and food, and culturally appropriate health services and social support,” Professor John Kelly, chief executive of the Heart Foundation, told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“You get that in north Sydney, Hornsby and eastern suburbs, but you don’t get that in the mid-north coast, far west and Orana, New England, north-west or Riverina.”

The report said NSW was “increasingly divided”, with nine of the 20 worst regions in Australia for obesity and nine of the 20 worst regions for smoking in regional and rural areas of the state. These areas tend to have higher rates of smoking and obesity.

Tracy Howe, chief executive of NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) said the figures confirmed that a person’s suburb and financial situation plays too large a role in their health outcomes.

“A lack of accessible, affordable healthy food, nutrition education and public ‘green spaces’ are key barriers to families being able to lead healthy, active lives.”

‘ As nurses, whenever there’s a call and there’s an ask, we go.’

28 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

‘ A lack of accessible, affordable healthy food, nutrition education and public “green spaces” are key barriers to families being able to lead healthy, active lives.’

NEWS IN BRIEF

WORLD

Obesity to cost Australia $21 billion by 2025 The rising costs of treating obesity-linked diseases could financially cripple health systems worldwide, according to a new report.

The analysis by the World Obesity Foundation (WOF) found that the annual global medical cost of treating the health consequences of obesity will reach $US11.2 trillion per year within the next eight years.

WOF estimates that the annual cost of treating obesity-related diseases in Australia will rise from $12 billion in 2014 to $21 billion by 2025.

Three years ago, 27 per cent of Australian adults were obese. On current trends, that figure will rise to 34 per cent in eight years’ time.

The United States faces the biggest challenge, with a rise from $325 billion per year in 2014 to $555 billion in just eight years’ time, partly because of the high cost of medical care in the US. Over the next eight years the US will spend $4.2 trillion on treating obesityrelated diseases.

“The annual medical costs of treating the consequences of obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease, is truly alarming,” said Prof Ian Caterson, the president of WOF. “With an estimated 177 million adults suffering severe obesity by 2025, it is clear that governments need to act now to reduce this burden on their national economies.”

‘ The annual medical costs of treating the consequences of obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease, is truly alarming.’

WORLD

Resurgence in diseases once thought beaten New and powerful strains of malaria and other superbugs are emerging on Australia’s doorstep.

A multi-drug resistant strain of malaria is spreading across the Greater Mekong region according to the World Health Organisation. The emergence of the new strain threatens to unravel two decades of substantial progress fighting malaria.

The Asia–Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) warns that if this ‘super malaria’ continues to spread there is a risk of a global resurgence of the disease.

The APMLA also warns of a similar threat – multi-drug resistant tuberculosis – just north of the Australian tropics in the southern provinces of PNG. The Asia-Pacific region is also home to a ‘super-gonorrhoea’ and potential outbreaks of epidemics similar to avian flu and zika, it says.

34% $21b

Estimated number of obese Australian adults in 2025

Estimated cost of treating obesity-related diseases in 2025

“The critically important insight for Australia is this: wherever health systems are weak, opportunistic epidemics are ready to take hold,” Ruby Shang, Chair of APMLA’s board wrote in The Huffington Post.

“The Asia–Pacific region has historically been the global epicentre of such emergencies, and threats are now outpacing our ability to respond. We risk sleepwalking into a future where cures we take for granted, rapidly disappear.”

Shang said “investing in health as a critical public good” should be a cornerstone of Australia’s strategy in the Asia–Pacific region.

“Universal health coverage, including health security, is a classic example of an economic public good and one in which Australia can show exceptional leadership.”

‘ We risk sleepwalking into a future where cures we take for granted, rapidly disappear.’

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 29

NEWS IN BRIEF

AUSTRALIA

Preventing suicide among construction workers A program seeking to reduce high rates of suicide among construction workers has received a funding boost from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Industry super fund CBUS and several large construction employers will also contribute to the Mates in Construction program.

Mates in Construction Academic Director Dr Allison Milner, from the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Health Equity, says the program has made inroads but needs scientific evaluation.

“It shows a lot of promise,” she says.

Suicide is difficult to discuss, particularly among men in blue-collar jobs. Dr Milner says programs such as Mates in Construction aim to break down those barriers and prevent the devastating effects of suicide.

“It’s something that should be discussed…in a mindful way,” she says.

The Building Employees Redundancy Trust established the Mates in Construction charity in 2008. The workplace-focused program is delivered at construction sites or company offices.

Using prevention and early intervention strategies, the program has bipartisan support from unions and employers.

It aims to reduce stigma, encourages help-seeking and help-offering, and presents suicide as preventable.

Mates in Construction is currently operating in SA, WA, NSW and Queensland.

FIND OUT MORE

matesinconstruction.org.au

ASIA

Health threats in booming Asian factory farming An explosion in Asian factory farming could increase antibiotic resistance and the spread of bird flu, according to a new study.

Thirty years ago, beef was such a luxury in China it was known as ‘Millionaire’s Meat’. But as populations and prosperity in China and the rest of Asia grows, demand for Asian meat is booming.

The use of antibiotics in factory farms in Asia is set to more than double in just over a decade, with potentially damaging effects on antibiotic resistance around the world.

The use of antibiotics in poultry and pig farms will increase by more than 120 per cent in Asia by 2030, based on current trends.

Half of all antibiotics globally are now consumed in China alone.

Factory farming of poultry in Asia is also increasing the threat of bird flu spreading beyond the region, with more deadly strains taking hold, according to a new report from FAIRR – a network of financial investors.

The latest strain to take hold in China, H7N9, is more deadly than previous strains. It has already killed 84 per cent more people in the four years since its emergence than the H5N1 strain that came to public attention in 2006.

“Investors have a big appetite for the animal protein sector in Asia.

But the growth is driven by a boom in factory farming that creates problems like emissions and epidemics, abuse of antibiotics and abuse of labour,” said Jeremy Coller, from FAIRR.

‘ The program has bipartisan support from unions and employers.’

30 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

‘ A boom in factory farming creates problems like emissions and epidemics, abuse of antibiotics and abuse of labour.’

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To advertise, contact Danielle Nicholson 02 8595 2139 / 0429 269 750 dnicholson@nswnma.asn.au THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 31

EDUCATION@NSWNMA

BUY THE DIARY THAT SAVES LIVES Every dollar raised from the 2018 Australian Women’s Health Diary goes to clinical trials research that saves and improves the lives of people with breast cancer, every day.

Buy the diary and help to save lives today, tomorrow and forever.

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what’s ON APPROPRIATE WORKPLACE BEHAVIOUR FOR NURSES AND MIDWIVES – 1 Day n NEWCASTLE Wednesday 8 November n GYMEA Friday 1 December This one-day seminar covers topics such as anti-discrimination law, identifying unlawful harassment and bullying, understand what can be done if subjected to harassment and bullying and also assists managers and supervisors to identify, prevent and resolve bullying and harassment.

Members: $85 | non-members: $170

PRACTICAL SKILLS GETTING PEOPLE ON-SIDE – 1 Day n WATERLOO Wednesday 8 November Members: $85 | non-members: $170

LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL ISSUES FOR NURSES & MIDWIVES – ½ Day Supported by The Australian Women’s Weekly, AVON and Commonwealth Bank

18.95

$

from Newsagents, Woolworths, Magshop.com.au and AVON Representatives (avon.com.au)

n GYMEA Friday 17 November.

Learn about potential liability, disciplinary tribunals, NMC and HCCC complaints, Coroners Court and more.

Members: $40 | non-members: $85

AGED CARE NURSES’ FORUM: ELDER ABUSE breastcancertrials.org.au tel:1800423444

MeMbership Fees 2018 NsW Nurses & Midwives’ Association – in association with the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation Classification registered Nurse

Year

Quarter Month Fortnight

$745.00 $186.25 $62.08

$28.64

$633.00 $158.25

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Midwife enrolled Nurse Assistant in Nursing+ Assistant in Midwifery

Membership fees are tax deductible *All membership fees include GsT + Trainee AiNs have their fees waived for the period of their traineeship AbN 63 398 164 405

n BATHURST Monday 20 November For RNs, ENs and AINs in residential, community and hospital aged care settings across private and public sectors and any nurse who has an interest in aged care or elder abuse issues in NSW Members: $30 | non-members: $60

MIDWIFERY FORUM – 1 Day n WATERLOO Friday 24 November Hear from a range of speakers and network with colleagues from a range of settings, across private and public sectors.

Members: $30 | non-members: $60 SUBMISSION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF GUIDELINES AND POLICIES – 1 Day n WATERLOO Friday 24 November This workshop is designed for those who have previously attended the 1-day Policy and Guideline Writing for nurses and midwives course and is a pre-requisite of attendance.

Members: $85 | non-members: $170

MEDICATION SAFETY FOR NURSES AND MIDWIVES – ½ Day n WATERLOO Wednesday 29 November Members: $40 | non-members: $85

Register online

bit.ly/ NSWNMAeducation For enquiries contact NSWNMA Metro: 8595 1234 Rural: 1300 367 962

YOUR RIGHTS

Ask

Judith Breaking News Redundancy rights returned at Manly and Mona Vale hospitals One of the outstanding issues that members at Manly and Mona Vale hospitals have long been agitating an answer to has been whether the Government Sector Employment Amendment (Transfers to Non– Government Sector) Regulation 2016 (NSW) would apply to them if their positions were transferred to the new Northern Beaches Hospital (‘NBH’).

The Regulation meant that an employee who did not take up a like position at the NBH would not have been entitled to a redundancy if a job was subsequently unable to be found within the NSLHD/ NSW Health Service.

The Regulation was issued after commitments had already been made that staff who did not transfer to the NBH (either through choice or no comparable position being available) would be managed via the NSW Health Policy Directive for Managing Excess Employees. Accordingly, all public health unions and members have been arguing that the Regulation should not apply to this process.

Pleasingly, in recent weeks it has been confirmed that (due no doubt to the sustained pressure and campaigning by members at both hospitals) the Regulation has been amended to exclude the NBH transition.

This is long overdue and a fair and reasonable outcome for all staff affected by the transfer of public health services to the NBH. While the Association believes the Regulation should be overturned in its entirety, and this debate is still to be had in the NSW Parliament, this is a welcome ‘retreat’ and recognition of the history in this matter.

Backfilling absences I am a registered nurse working in a public hospital. The ward I work in has a staffing arrangement of 6 NHPPD (nursing hours per patient day). Often, however, absences are filled by casuals working a shift of shorter duration. Is that right?

No. Clause 53 (Staffing Arrangements) of the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2017 talks about the requirements to backfill an absence.

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

Where an absence is to be filled to maintain the required NHPPD, the default position requires that it be fully backfilled and not partially backfilled (for example an absence that creates an 8.5-hour vacancy should, as a default, be filled with an 8.5-hour replacement).

Part time at Ramsay

I have applied for a part-time position at a hospital operated by Ramsay. What should I expect or ask about when discussing my hours of work?

Under Clause 3.3 of the Ramsay Health Care Australia Pty Limited, and NSW Nurses & Midwives’ Association/ANMF Enterprise Agreement 2015–2018, a part-time employee will be permanently contracted to a minimum number of ordinary hours of work and have reasonably predictable hours of work in accordance with a roster. Hours contracted can be for a minimum of 4 hours per week on a regular basis and up to a maximum of 37 hours per week. The hours that a part-time employee works can be balanced over a week, a fortnight or a 4-week period, according to a roster. You should ask to have this recorded in any offer of employment.

Sick leave without pay

I work as an enrolled nurse in a public hospital. I am off work with a serious illness. Recently I exhausted my accrued sick leave. The hospital is now saying I must proceed onto sick leave without pay. Is that the only option?

No. Under section 3.1.3 of the relevant NSW Health policy directive, (PD2017_028 ~ Leave Matters for the NSW Health Service), employees may take sick leave without pay if they have exhausted their paid sick leave entitlement.

However, you have a right to elect to use other forms of paid leave in these circumstances (i.e. annual leave, long service leave). Such a request should not be denied by the hospital.

Fact finding outcome

I work in a public hospital as an assistant in nursing. Recently I was subject of an investigation regarding

a complaint. While I was honest about what occurred and agreed the action did happen, I put forward a number of mitigating circumstances. I have now been told that as the allegation was proven, I must receive a disciplinary outcome, which in my case will be a formal warning. Is this right?

In short, no. Under the relevant NSW Health policy directive, (PD2014_042 ~ Managing Misconduct), a number of options are available to the decision maker. Importantly, it can include remedial (non-disciplinary) action in situations when despite a finding of misconduct, it is not considered to warrant or justify disciplinary action. This can include (but is not limited to); training and development (relevant to the issue/ risk being addressed): monitoring conduct or performance (as part of an improvement plan to manage identified risks over a defined period of time with specific outcomes); additional supervision; mentoring; and/or counselling.

Extreme overtime

I am a registered nurse working in a public hospital. My ward is heavily reliant on staff doing overtime to maintain NHPPD requirements due to vacancies on the roster. However, this is now taking on extreme levels, and you never know when you might finish your rostered shift.

Do circumstances exist where I can refuse overtime?

An employee can refuse to work overtime in certain circumstances – essentially when working such overtime would mean working hours that are unreasonable. Clause 25(i)(c) of the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwifes’ (State) Award 2017 sets out the criteria to be used to determine whether such additional hours are unreasonable or not.

Whilst it includes the needs of the workplace, it also takes into account the circumstances of the individual employee (e.g. family and carer responsibilities), along with the notice given by the employer of the overtime and any risk to health and safety that might arise.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 33

Upgrade REGULARS your NSWNMA membership & you could win a relaxing 5 NIGHT ESCAPE in

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Any member who upgrades their membership by 31 March 2018 will be entered into the draw to win 5

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nights’ accommodation (for two guests) at the Astagina Resort Villa & Spa in a deluxe room Daily breakfast for two 2 x dinners for each guest 1 x 60 minute massage each Return airport transfers.

The NSWNMA will arrange and pay for return f lights for two to Denpasar.

You will experience a traditional Balinese escape in Legian - a short stroll to the beaches and restaurants of Seminyak. Astagina Resort Villa & Spa is perfectly situated close to the famous Cocoon Beach Club and Double Six Beach, trendy boutiques and cafes and bars Seminyak has to offer. Or choose to relax by the pool and be pampered at the Anjali Spa, where you will be left feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.

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Conditions apply. Prize must be redeemed by 1 April 2019 and is subject to room availability. Block out dates 1 July to 31 August 2018 and 20 December 2018 to 10 January 2019. Booking to be made directly through Astagina Resort Villa & Spa on info@astaginaresort.com. Competition opens on 1 October 2017 and closes 31 March 2018. The prize will be drawn on 1 April 2018. Must be a financial member of the NSWNMA at time of travel. If a redraw is required for an unclaimed prize it must be held up to 3 months from the original draw date. NSW Permit no: LTPM/17/01625

SOCIAL MEDIA

Do you have a story to tell? An opinion to share?

Nurse Uncut is a blog written by everyday nurses and midwives.

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

New on our Support Nurses YouTube channel

9 signs you’re a burnt-out nurse

UNION DAY OF ACTION Candlelight Vigil for Shellharbour Hospital http://bit.ly/ShellhabourVigil

JOHN HUNTER HOSPITAL Fights against unsafe staffing http://bit.ly/JohnHunter1 Connect with us on Facebook Nurse Uncut www.facebook. com/NurseUncutAustralia New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association www.facebook.com/nswnma Ratios put patient safety first www.facebook.com/ safepatientcare Aged Care Nurses www.facebook.com/ agedcarenurses Look for your local branch on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/nswnma Follow us on twitter @nswnma / @nurseuncut Share on Instagram by tagging @nswnma and don’t forget to use the hashtag #nswnma!

Here’s some pointers to help you find out if work is getting to you. https://www.nurseuncut.com. au/9-signs-youre-a-burntout-nurse/

Nurse and mother: scared to speak out on rosters Nurse Ange speaks about the conflict between being a passionate nurse and a dedicated mother, in an age where shift work is near compulsory. https://www.nurseuncut.com.au/ nurse-and-mother-scared-to-speakout-on-rosters/

Drunk or on drugs?

Misdiagnosis can be dangerous Lauren Monds and Celine van Golde discuss the problems caused by misdiagnosing drunkenness and drug use. https://www.nurseuncut.com.au/ drunk-or-on-drugs-misdiagnosis-canbe-dangerous/

9 ways to take better photos With the NSWNMA supporting the Your Health Link National Photography Competition, we thought it timely to give you some tips on how to up your camera game. https://www.nurseuncut.com. au/9-ways-to-take-better-photos/

‘What a dreadful thing war is’ Janet Scarfe shares the story of her aunt Dorothy Janet Campbell, who served as a nurse in the Second World War. https://www.nurseuncut.com.au/ drunk-or-on-drugs-misdiagnosis-canbe-dangerous/

Listen to our podcast PROFESSIONAL DAY 2017 http://bit.ly/ profession17 THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 35

Going to work shouldn’t be like this

Download the NSWNMA App and report your workplace violence incident.

The NSWNMA has a tool as part of our NSWNMA Tool Kit App that allows you to quickly report an incident to the Association as soon as it happens.

It’s an easy fillable form you can submit from your mobile device and an officer of the Association will be in touch with you.

Nursing is considered one of the most dangerous professions.

HELP STOP VIOLENCE AT WORK! NSWNMA Toolkit App is FREE and available to download from iTunes and Google Play store 36 | THE LAMP MARCH 2017

SOCIAL MEDIA

your

Say

What nurses and midwives said and liked on Facebook www.facebook.com/nswnma

comes, let people go in as much peace as possible.

Death is a natural part of life. We need to honour that as humans.

Let’s give people that option. Whether you choose to use it or not, let that be a personal choice!

Dilemmas with the dying We shared Sandy Briden’s story of wanting to be able to die peacefully after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Here’s what you had to say.

Bless you, Sandy. I just wish you and the many others in a similar condition could have the opportunity to decide when the time is right for you to switch off and for it to be legal, for the sake of the families.

I had to watch my husband begging for the doctors to let him die and this is the memory that stays with me. My husband used to say to the medical staff if I was an animal you would put me out of my misery. I wish you all the very best with your endeavour to die peacefully and with dignity. God bless you.

She can choose when she dies; suicide is no longer criminalised. I certainly won’t be helping anyone end their life though, and don’t support euthanasia.

Having done palliative care and sitting through the death of both my parents, the mercy of death and relief from suffering is so huge. It’s criminal to let a living being suffer; when death

You should have the right to die with dignity and have as much control as you need to have. But please don’t ask me to terminate your life. It is not why I became a nurse.

An appraisal of aged care Aged Care EN Kylie gave her thoughts on the shortcomings of our aged care system. Many of you agreed with her analysis.

The government thinks that the aged are worth nothing. I am involved in doing ACFI and I know how hard it is to claim for the care that person needs.

My suggestion is that the Minister for Aged go and work in a facility and look at the care and unrealistic funding.

As a retired registered nurse I agree with every word that has been written. Further to this, RNs are facing unrealistic and dangerous workloads and carers are doing hours of unpaid work.

Well written and I agree completely; however,

the gallery

profit- driven providers are also a big issue.

Well written. My father recently had a bad fall and has since been in both medical wards and rehab units. They are understaffed and often not able to provide the care necessary. Our aged parents mean the world to us and yet to our government they are nothing. This is not good enough – charity should start at home!

/1

/2

Spot on from another aged care EEN of 16 years.

Very well written. Damn growing old. Who cares?

I’ve spent 30 years of aged care nursing and I’ve seen so many changes. Why is it devalued over other health areas? We all grow old, many with chronic ailments. No fault of the individual. The needs of the elderly are higher, so where are trained staff to meet these needs?

Aged care needs to be reviewed sooner rather than later.

The government and some family requests make it hard to safely nurse the elderly in a RACF. I am finding that we nurse the resident as per family request instead of resident needs (not sure if that is just my workplace or more common). Nurse – resident ratio is definitely needed to safely and appropriately look after residents.

As an RN in aged care I totally agree.

Nurse-to-patient ratios are paramount and increased funding from the government.

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1/ Gosford Private Hospital nurses stand up for marriage equality 2/ Nurses and midwives at John Hunter Hospital fight against unsafe staffing and workload issues 3/ Enrolled nurses at their recent conference show their colours in support of marriage equality 4/ Nurses and midwives at Manly ask how they can care for patients if they don’t know what the future holds for them 5/ Nurses and midwives at Murwillumbah show that regional nurses back marriage equality THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 37

JOURNEY ACCIDENT INSURANCE Your journey injury safety net

DID YOU KNOW THAT

your membership fees cover you for travel to and from work?

If you are involved in an accident while travelling to or from work, NSWNMA’s Journey Accident Insurance provides you with peace of mind.

As a financial member of the NSWNMA you are automatically covered by this policy.

Make sure your membership remains financial at all times, so you’re covered.

Unsure if you are financial?

It’s easy!

Ring and check today on 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (rural).

Change your payment information online at

“

It was nice to know that the Association was there to provide that assistance. I am so impressed and indebted to them for it.

RN Alexis Devine

”

bit.ly/NSWNMA-alexis Watch Alexis talk about Journey Accident Insurance

“

The Association has been absolutely marvellous, helping me step by step throughout the whole process. They also organised and helped me go back to work on restricted duties.

RN Shari Bugden

”

bit.ly/NSWNMA-shari Watch Shari talk about Journey Accident Insurance

www.nswnma.asn.au

38 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

NURSING RESEARCH ONLINE The latest edition of the Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing is available free online.

This journal aims to provide a vehicle for nurses to publish original research and scholarly papers about all areas of nursing. Papers will develop, enhance, or critique nursing knowledge.

Graduate nurses’ experience of feedback, support and anxiety: a pilot study Isabelle Gardiner & Dr Jane Sheen It is well established that the transition to a new professional role can be difficult. This is particularly true for nursing graduates who have reported stress, disillusionment and anxiety related to their role transition from student to professional nurse (Duchscher 2009). After completing university and attaining registration, many first-year graduate nurses (GNs) gain employment within a graduate nurse program (GNP). A GNP is intended to facilitate role transition and provide support to alleviate distress.

Despite the objectives of these programs, many GNs continue to experience stress, emotional exhaustion, isolation, lack of support and concerns for their patients’ safety. Feedback is defined as information provided to a student that describes their performance of a task. This information is intended to improve future performances (van de Ridder et al 2008; Ende 1983). http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol35/Issue1/1Gardiner. pdf

Antipsychotic use for behaviours by persons with dementia in residential aged care: the relatives’ perspectives Dr Anita De Bellis, Dr Sandra Bradley, Dr Lily Dongxia Xiao, Dr Ingrid Belan, Tim Wallace Over 50 per cent of residents living in residential aged care (RAC) have dementia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2015). Caring for residents with dementia in RAC who display challenging behaviours resulting from Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) is perceived by care staff as the most difficult aspect of managing the daily needs of these residents (Lawrence et al 2016; Ervin et al 2014).

To minimise the use of chemical restraint for the person with dementia, guidelines for non-pharmacological management have been generated by a number of professional organisations (APA 2016; National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE) 2015; World Health Organization (WHO) 2012). These guidelines emphasise the need to consider person-centred care as the initial non-pharmacological approach.

Relatives of people who have dementia and live in a RAC setting have a key role to play, in collaboration with care staff, about behavioural management; yet, relatives’ perspectives on the use of antipsychotic medication for the person with dementia in RAC remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the

relatives’ perspectives on antipsychotic medication use to control BPSD for the person with dementia living in RAC. http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol35/Issue1/3DeBellis.pdf

The Art of Clinical Supervision: the Traffic Light System for the Delegation of Care Kylie Russell, Sarah Williamson, Ann Hobson The Art of Clinical Supervision (ACS) is a one-day seminar for nurses facilitated by academic staff in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at The University of Notre Dame Australia. Initially designed as an intervention strategy for a PhD in 2013 with 200 participants, the program has now been delivered to more than 3,000 health professionals across Western Australia (WA). Of significance, the ACS was developed to improve participant knowledge and attitude towards students and clinical supervision, as well as to provide practical tips to assist with clinical teaching and supervision (Russell et al 2016; Russell 2013). This article is the focus of one of these teaching tips – the Traffic Light System for the Delegation of Care. http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol35/Issue1/4Russell.pdf

Assessment and management of acute pain in older people: barriers and facilitators to nursing practice Sally Fitzgerald, Henrietta Tripp, Gillian Halksworth-Smith Populations are rapidly ageing worldwide (World Health Organization 2015). The progressive loss of function associated with ageing often carries a significant burden of pain; in the acute hospital system, older people have the highest rates of hospitalisation, surgery, injury and disease (Gibson and Lussier 2012). Therefore, it is imperative that health professionals are familiar with pain management approaches for the older person (Herr 2010).

The negative effects of pain can be particularly compromising in the older patient (Wells et al. 2008), and management strategies differ significantly from other groups (McLeish et al 2009).

This review sought to review current literature, and further explore the assessment and management of pain for the older patient within the acute hospital setting, with an aim to identify both barriers and facilitators to nursing practice. http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol35/Issue1/6Fitzgerald. pdf THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 39

REGULARS

e m S i l n a y a t i k R w O y ha F a st aw RECENTLY I!

r! fe oo

Be A TRI sw P ep t

TW

AL B O OT

WI N

CHANGED YOUR EMAIL? CLASSIFICATION CHANGED?

Log on to ONLINE.NSWNMA.ASN.AU and update your details to be automatically entered in the draw to win

5 nights in your very own one-bedroom pool villa at the luxurious Villa Kayu Raja.

YOU AND A FRIEND WILL ENJOY:

• 5 nights’ accommodation in a 1-bedroom pool villa for two • Return airport transfers for two • Return flights for two to Denpasar • Breakfast daily for two • 2 x dinners for two • 2 x 60-minute massages.

Spend your time relaxing and recharging at the resort, a tropical oasis surrounded by palms, or take the complimentary shuttle into Seminyak and experience all the region has to offer – boutique shopping, cafes and chic bars.

Fu

l

lt er

40 | THE LAMP MARCH 2017

Log on and update your details from 1 October 2017 – 30 June 2018 and you will automatically be entered in the draw to win.

m sa nd co nd it

ion s

are

avai lable

at www .nswnma.asn.au/nswnm

st s nte o c / bers amem

ns /

online.nswnma.asn.au

ot m ro p d- an

io

CROSSWORD

test your

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ACROSS 1. An abnormal combination of male and female characteristics (16) 9. Rode faster, farther, or better than; outstripped (9) 10. To cause the loss of all usable hearing (6) 11. To move with a hissing or whistling sound (5) 12. The distribution of veins to an organ or structure (8) 14. Bovine spongiform

encephalopathy (1.1.1) 15. Symbol for rhenium (2) 16. A hormone secreted by the hypothalamus that stimulates release of thyrotropin (1.1.1) 17. Urine (3) 18. Spare times (8) 20. The attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman beings and objects (16) 27. To gape (4) 28. A complaint, disease,

or physical disorder (7) 30. Bifid tongue (9) 31. To distress or perturb mentally or emotionally (5) 32. The inner layer of the bag surrounding the heart (10) 33. Echo-planar imaging (1.1.1) 34. An x-ray done with contrast dye that is useful in patients with lymphoma, metastatic tumour, or Hodgkin’s disease (16)

DOWN 1. Relating to the tongue and pharynx (16) 2. A source of nourishment; food (9) 3. A person who lives near or next to another (9) 4. To restore to a better condition (9) 5. Condition in which symptoms simulate meningitis, without actual inflammation of these membranes (9) 6. The head of state government (7) 7. Children younger than 1 year old (7) 8. The specificity of light in a single defined wavelength (16) 13. More real; genuine; authentic (5) 19. Early pregnancy hormone (1.1.1) 21. A physical, mental, or emotional condition that interferes with a person’s normal functioning (8) 22. Scant urine production (8) 23. Approaching; nearing (8) 24. One of four chambers in the ruminant stomach (6) 25. A rectangular column with a capital and base (8) 26. To form an idea, conception, or image of (6) 29. Indirect immunoperoxidase (1.1.1) THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 41

6

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ESSENTIALS

5

2 1

3

ORDER FORM

NSWNMA summer favourites are not only stylish & comfortable, but also affordable & sold at cost to members.

1 Navy AUS Vests $40. Quantity: Size:

XS

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2 Short Sleeve Quick Dry Polo Shirt $20. Quantity: Size:

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3 Long Sleeve Quick Dry Polo Shirt $25. Quantity: Size:

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Phone H MOB METHOD OF PAYMENT Cheque MasterCard

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Signature

TO ORDER www.nswnma.asn.au 42 | THE LAMP MARCH 2017 FAX (02) 9662 1414

POST NSWNMA, 50 O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo NSW 2017

REVIEWS DISCOUNT BOOKS FOR MEMBERS The Library is pleased to announce that McGraw-Hill Publishers are now offering members a 25% discount off the RRP! The offer currently covers medical as well as a range of other professional series books. Please see the online Book Me reviews for a link to the promotion code and further instructions, or contact the Library directly for further information.

T ES

S PE

Mary Hazard with Corinne Sweet Harper Element https://www.fishpond.com.au/ RRP $14.64 ISBN 9780008118372

INTE IAL

ST RE

Sixty Years a Nurse

SPE C

book club

All the latest Book Club reviews from The Lamp can be read online at www.nswnma.asn.au/libraryservices/book-reviews.

R

When 18-year-old Mary Hazard touched down in post-war CI Putney to begin her nurse’s training, she could never have known AL IN T E that it was the beginning of a colourful career that would still be going 60 years later – one of the longest ever serving NHS nurses.

For Mary, raised in a strict convent in rural south Ireland, working in her first London hospital was a shocking and life-changing experience. Against a backdrop of ongoing rationing and poverty, she saw for the first time the horrors of disease, the heart-breaking outcomes of failed abortions – and faced the genuine shock of seeing a man naked for the first time!

60 Years a Nurse follows the dramas and emotions as Mary found her feet during those years.

It’s About Patient Care: Transforming Healthcare Information Technology The Cleveland Clinic Way C Martin Harris and Gene Lazuta

McGraw-Hill: https://www.bookdepository.com/ RRP $52.00 ISBN 9781259642937

This industrychanging guide by Cleveland Clinic’s esteemed chief information officer shows health professionals how to design, implement, and maximize their IT systems to deliver fully integrated, coordinated, highquality care. The book offers valuebased strategies that health systems can apply using online tools and IT systems to improve collaboration among patients, caregivers, and care teams.

The Essentials of Nursing Leadership Ruth Taylor and Brian Webster-Henderson Sage Publications: http://www.fishpond.com.au RRP $55.99. ISBN 9781412962025

This new approach to leadership focuses on how students can develop leadership skills right from the start of their nursing program through to

transitioning to their first role. The book first takes students through the underpinning knowledge and theory and then through practical skills to help them understand all aspects of leadership and how it is a key component of providing quality care to patients in a range of environments and settings. Further reading and links to journal articles in both the book and the companion website help students delve deeper and prepare for assessments.

Clinical Examination Skills For Healthcare Professionals Hannah Abbott and Mark Ranson

M&K Publishing: https://www.mkupdate.co.uk/ publishing RRP £32.00.

ISBN 9781905539765

Today, an increasing number of healthcare professionals (including nurses, midwives and members of many allied professions) have to conduct the vital first stage in a patient’s journey – taking a clinical history and conducting an effective physical examination. This book offers clear, practical guidance on the fundamentals of clinical examination for any practitioner who wishes to understand their patient’s specific needs and to plan appropriate care.

The Basic Science Of Oncology Ian Tannock, Richard Hill, Robert Bristow and Lea Harrington,

McGraw-Hill Education: https:// www.dymocks.com.au/ RRP $129.00 ISBN 9780071745208

Here in one wellorganised, readerfriendly volume, you’ll find everything you must know about the biology underlying cancer and its treatment, supported by the latest peer-reviewed research.

Written by pre-eminent oncology researchers and clinicians, the book highlights the full range of important oncology topics and takes you through the biological basis of current and future biological therapy as well as more traditional approaches to cancer treatment.

For graduate students, oncologists, residents, and fellows, there can be no more useful guide to the bedrock science and practice of oncology than this all-in-one reference.

All books can be ordered through the publisher or your local bookshop. NSWNMA members can borrow the books featured here via the Library’s Online Catalogue: visit http:// www.nswnma.asn.au/library-services.

Call 8595 1234 or 1300 367 962, or email gensec@nswnma.asn.au for assistance with loans or research. Some books are reviewed using information supplied and have not been independently reviewed.

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 43

REVIEWS

at the movies

Dr Jacqui Pich, Lecturer – Faculty of Health University of Technology Sydney is this month’s reviewer. If you would like to be a movie reviewer, email lamp@nswnma.asn.au

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The Killing of a Sacred Deer GIV E A W

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is billed as a psychological horror film and it does not disappoint. The title refers to the Greek myth about Iphigenia.

After her father Agamemnon accidentally kills a deer sacred to the goddess Artemis, he faces a choice: to sacrifice his daughter or halt his invasion of Troy.

The father in this story is Dr Stephen Murphy (Colin Farrell), a successful cardiovascular surgeon who in the day-to-day of his job could be said to play “God”. He is revealed to be a flawed and socially awkward character whose interactions with his family are often stilted and disquieting. His sexual relationship with his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) involves role playing – but not with your typical foreplay: “general anaesthesia?” she asks.

If Murphy is the flawed “God” in 44 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017

this story then it could be said that Martin (Barry Keoghan) is the opposite, and represents the “Devil”. Their relationship is not clear at the start, but something does not feel right and it becomes obvious that there is a history between the two and that Murphy feels responsible in some way for his welfare. To that end he introduces Martin to his family, Anna and their two children Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and Bob (Sunny Suljic), with the teenage Kim taking to him immediately.

What follows is a story of vengeance as the past catches up with Stephen.

We learn that he struggled with alcohol in the past and that Martin holds him responsible for the death of his father on the operating table.

To that end Martin gives Stephen a simple but seemingly impossible choice: he must sacrifice one of his own to make up for the death that

he caused and if he doesn’t then all of his family will die.

As foretold by Martin in chilling detail, the Murphy children then fall ill to an inexplicable illness, which begins with partial paralysis.

Initially Stephen turns to medical science to find the answer but the inevitable macabre conclusion begins to be played out as the children continue to deteriorate.

Sensing this, Bob and Kim compete to win their father’s affection in a bizarre “Sophie’s Choice” while mum Anna, fearful that she will

REVIEWS

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at the movies GIV E

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Valkyrien

be next, declares that it is logical to sacrifice one of their children as they will be able to have more.

You need to suspend disbelief as the story builds tension towards the climax, not the least because, despite being paralysed and facing death and all the while knowing that Martin is in some way responsible, Kim remains besotted with him.

The story reaches a violent and shocking conclusion as Martin’s plan comes to fruition. And then with the sacrifice complete, life seemingly returns to normal, and Martin exits the lives of what is left of the Murphy family.

Email The Lamp by the 12th of the month to be in the draw to win a double pass to The Killing of the Sacred Deer thanks to Madman Entertainment. Email your name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma. asn.au for a chance to win!

Ravn, a respected physician, is desperately seeking a cure for his dying wife, Vilma. When the hospital stops her treatment, Ravn continues working in secret. He is aided by the corrupt civil defence man Leif, a doomsday prepper and former patient of his. Deep underground, Ravn and Leif open an illegal clinic for treating off-the-grid patients. The clinic finances Ravn’s research into a cure for Vilma, while Leif increases his position among the criminal and the paranoid who live outside the welfare state.

Starring: Sven Nordin (Lilyhammer), Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, Ellen Birgitte Winther

Email The Lamp by the 15th of the month to be in the draw to win a DVD of Valkyrien thanks to Acorn Media. Email your name, membership number, address and telephone number to lamp@nswnma. asn.au for a chance to win!

THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 | 45

DIARY DATES

make a date

Diary Dates for conferences, seminars, meetings, and reunions is a free service for members. lamp@nswnma.asn.au

EVENTS: NSW

Please send event details in the format used here: event name, date and location, contact details – by the 5th of each preceding month.

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

Priority is given to non-profit professional events.

EVENTS: INTERNATIONAL

4th International Collaboration of Perianaesthesia Nurses [ICPAN] Conference 1–4 November 2017 Luna Park, Sydney www.icpan2017.com.au Westmead Hospital Critical Care Nursing Conference 3 November 2017 Jennifer.Yanga@health.nsw.gov.au Where is God in mental health? Professional Breakfast 4 Nov 2017, 9 am Coorong West Ryde http://ncfansw.org – mobile: 0412 862 776 Breast Cancer Information Day Friday 10 November 2017 Royal Hospital for Women Randwick www.royalwomen.org.au/ breast-cancer-information-day SESLHD Nursing & Midwifery Forum Friday 10 November 2017 Aboriginal Health College, Little Bay, NSW SESLHD-NAndMPAndWUnit@health.nsw.gov. au Australian College of Critical Care Nurses NSW Branch Seminar 17 November 2017 Colombo House Theatres, UNSW, Randwick https://www.acccn.com.au/events/event/ nsw-critical-care-seminar-17-november-2017 Emergency Services Golf Day 17 November 2017 Pambula Merimbula Golf Course Facebook.com/2017ESGD The Jo Kent-Biggs NETS Neonatal Retrieval Seminar 10 November 2017 Pier One, Sydney Harbour NETS.health.nsw.gov.au jane.roxburgh@nets.health.nsw.gov.au 5th National Elder Abuse Conference 19–20 February 2018 Sofitel Sydney Wentworth togethermakingchange.org.au

EVENTS: INTERSTATE 2017 Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference 6–8 November 2017 Canberra www.hivaidsconference. com.au 2017 Australasian Sexual Health Conference 7–9 November 2017 Canberra www.hivaidsconference. com.au 17th National Nurse Education Conference 1–4 May 2018 Crown Promenade, Melbourne www.dcconferences.com. au/nnec2018

Disability Matters: Making the Convention Real 26–27 November 2017 Dunedin, New Zealand disability.matters@otago.ac.nz 10th European Congress on Violence in Clinical Psychiatry 26–28 October 2017 Crown Plaza, Dublin, Ireland http://www.oudconsultancy.nl/dublin_10_ ECVCP/index.html 3rd World Congress on Midwifery and Women’s Health 13–17 November 2017 London, UK http://midwifery.conferenceseries.com/europe/ 4th Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Conference 12 March 2018 London, UK http://www.commonwealthnurses.org/ conference2018 3rd Asian Conference in Nursing Education April 18–20 2018 Yogyakarta, Indonesia. http://acine2018.fk.ugm.ac.id/ 12th PACEA CONFERENCE: Pre-conference training courses 4–6 June 2018 Taipei, Taiwan http://ncfi.org/conference/ ncfi–pacea-regional-conference/ NCFI PACEA Conference ‘Christian nursing in a troubled world’ 7–11 June 2018 Chientan Youth Activity Center, Taipei, Taiwan ncfi.org/conference/ ncfi-pacea-regional-conference

EVENTS: REUNIONS Lewisham Hospital Graduate Nurses Association Annual Lunch Saturday 4 November Dalton Gardens Ryde (formerly Mount St Margarets) 1,100 Mass followed by lunch Chris Majewski: 0401 866 377

Tamworth Base Hospital February 1984 Intake 30-Year Reunion 25 November 2017 Rachel.Peake@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au Vickie.Croker@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au Wendy.Colley@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au Nurses Christian Fellowship, Christmas BBQ 4 December 2017, 6 pm Balls Head Reserve, Sydney http://ncfansw.org Prince of Wales, Prince Henry Hospitals and Eastern Suburbs NSW of UNSW 1973 PTS class 17 February 2018, 6 pm Malabar (Randwick) Golf Club Roslyn Kerr: gert@optusnet.com.au Patricia Marshall (Purdy): tapric135@bigpond.com St. Vincent’s Hospital March 1975 PTS Group Reunion Saturday 24 March 2018, Sydney anne.roth@health.nsw.gov.au Cowra Hospital celebrates 60 years of caring 26 May 2018 Marie Peel: 02 6340 9000 Roseann Slattery: 0418 232 918 Crown Street Women’s Hospital Graduates March 1968 50-Year Reunion Lunch 1 June 2018 Wendy Wooller kwooler@tpg.com.au RNSH Hospital July 1977 Intake 40-year Reunion Ann Fincher (Wyllie-Olson) afincher0@gmail.com Linda Tebbutt lyndagtebbutt@gmail.com Tamworth Base Hospital February 1976 intake 40-year reunion Sandra Cox: sandra.cox@hnehealth.nsw Sean O’Connor: 0408 349 126 Gerard Jeffery: 0417 664 993 Camden District Hospital PTS February 1978 Reunion Gay Woodhouse 0438 422 069 Gay.woodhouse@health.nsw.gov.au

CROSSWORD SOLUTION

While you look after those who need it most, we’re looking out for you.

Contact us to register today.

02 9965 9456

nurses@pulsestaffing.com.au pulsestaffing.com.au

46 | THE LAMP NOVEMBER 2017 P3470 Pulse Australia (Nursing) press advert.indd 1

13/07/2017 09:27

Bali?

Do you want to escape to

Re

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i! l w a r a r e n d b d g o e i h n a t t o m e m B u, ew g n g n a a C n i t to win a 5 night holiday rui

The 2017–2018 NSWNMA Member Recruitment scheme prize The winner will experience their very own private oasis in two luxurious villas, with the following inclusions (for two): g Five nights’ accommodation at two super luxe properties located in Canggu, Bali (three nights at Sandhya Villa and two nights at Lalasa Villas) g Return airport transfers and transfers from Sandhya Villa to Lalasa Villas g Breakfast daily g One dinner for two guests at Lalasa Villas g One 60-minute massage for two guests at Unagi Spa g The NSWNMA will arrange return flights for two to Denpasar.

You will experience a serene and peaceful holiday away from the hustle and bustle, with Seminyak’s fabulous restaurants and shopping just a stone’s throw away. Relax by your private pool, take a free shuttle service to Berawa Beach or explore the village of Canggu.

Recruiters note: Join online at www.nswnma.asn.au. If you refer a member to join online, make sure you ask them to put your name and workplace on the online application form. You will then be entered in to the NSWNMA Member Recruitment scheme draw.

Every member you sign up over the year gives you an entry in the draw!

Conditions apply. Prize must be redeemed by 30 June 2019 and is subject to room availability. Block out dates 1–30 August 2018 and 24 December 2018–5 January 2019. Competition opens on 1 August 2017 and closes 30 June 2018. The prize will be drawn on 30 June 2018. If a redraw is required for an unclaimed prize it must be held up to 3 months from the original draw date. NSW Permit no: LTPM/17/01625

Prize drawn 30 June 2018

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