The Lamp May 2005 by NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association

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lamp the

magazine of the NSW Nursesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association

volume 62 no.4 May 2005

Print Post Approved: PP241437/00033

Aged care nurses

CELEBRATE 25% PAY WIN

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ABOUT THE LAMP

C O N T E N T S

Contacts NSW NURSES’ ASSOCIATION For all membership enquiries and assistance, including Lamp subscriptions and change of address, contact our Sydney office. SYDNEY OFFICE 43 Australia Street Camperdown NSW 2050 PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 (all correspondence) T 8595 1234 (metro) 1300 367 962 (non-metro) F 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au W www.nswnurses.asn.au HUNTER OFFICE 120 Tudor Street Hamilton NSW 2303 ILLAWARRA OFFICE L1, 63 Market Street Wollongong NSW 2500

Cover story

Aged care nurses celebrate 25% pay win 14 Cover Members welcome the win: (clockwise from top) Tina Heath, Lucille McKenna, Lynnette Flanagan, and Lorraine Read.

News in brief

Nurses in the media

8 8 9

35 When nursing puts you in the legal spotlight

10 10 11 11 12 13 13 13

Abbott backflips on Medicare Norfolk nurses paid less than hairdressers Staff, patients terrorised in drunken rampage East Timor nurses get a union Health insurance to cost even more Enough research, we need action NZ nurses vote for freeloaders’ fee Council shuns pioneer nurses Nylie takes message to everyone in town Help young people in nursing homes The long wait continues for Rozelle Hospital

Aged care 20 Day in the life of an AiN

Professional development 37 Trust helps Lois’ RN dream come true

Obituary 38 A tribute to Char Cook

Tips from members who know 39 Peace of mind with meditation

Regular columns 5

Industrial issues

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

27 Workloads committees easing the load

6 33 41 43 44

Agenda

Competition!

29 Howard’s choice for employees: take it or lose your job

32 Win fantastic fiction

22 Public Hospital nurses’ pay campaign steps up

Workloads

Professional issues 30 The global nurse shortage

The Lamp COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Noel Hester T 8595 2153 EDITORIAL For all editorial enquiries, letters and diary dates: Glen Ginty T 8595 2191 E gginty@nswnurses.asn.au M PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 PRODUCED BY Lodestar Communications T 9698 4511 PRESS RELEASES Send your press releases to: F 9550 3667 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au THE LAMP EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Brett Holmes, NSWNA General Secretary Judith Kiejda, NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Coral Levett, NSWNA President John Lyons, Coonabarabran District Hospital Jonathan Farry, RPA Hospital Mark Kearin, Wyong Hospital Roz Norman, Tamworth Base Hospital Robyn Wright, Moruya District Hospital Stephen Metcalfe, Lismore Base Hospital Therese Riley, St George Hospital ADVERTISING Patricia Purcell T 8595 2139 or 0416 259 845 F 9550 3667 E ppurcell@nswnurses.asn.au RECORDS AND INFORMATION CENTRE - LIBRARY To find old articles in The Lamp, or to borrow from the NSWNA library’s nursing and health collection, contact: Jeannette Bromfield, RIC Coordinator T 8595 2175 E gensec@nswnurses.asn.au General disclaimer The Lamp is the official magazine of the NSW Nurses’ Association. Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily those of the NSW Nurses’ Association. Statements of fact are believed to be true, but no legal responsibility is accepted for them. All material appearing in The Lamp is covered by copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. The NSW Nurses’ Association takes no responsibility for the advertising appearing herein and it does not necessarily endorse any products advertised. Privacy Privacy statement: The NSWNA collects personal information from members in order to perform our role of representing their industrial and professional interests. We place great emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the privacy and security of your personal information. Personal information is protected under law and can only be released to someone else where the law requires or where you give permission. If you have concerns about your personal information please contact the NSWNA office. If you are still not satisfied that your privacy is being maintained you can contact the Privacy Commission. Subscriptions Free to all Association members. Ex-members can subscribe to the magazine at a reduced rate of $44. Individuals $60, Institutions $90, Overseas $100.

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

A win for the aged and their carers g Congratulations to our members in aged care for their 25% pay rise win!

ged care members have achieved a 25% pay rise in the Industrial Relations Commission – a 6% wage increase for this year, and another 6% for next year, along with previous interim decisions. This win was hard-fought. We had to prove the increase in work value in all categories of aged care and we did it. It is a very good achievement. But if we can improve the union presence in the sector we can achieve even more. We got this outcome with only a third of aged care employees in the union. Imagine what we could have done with everyone involved! This win will lead to a better aged care sector.The pay rise is an important incentive for those committed to working in aged care to stay in the industry, and should encourage those who have left the sector to return. It is a particularly good result for aged care AiNs. Employers argued throughout the case that AiNs shouldn’t get the same increase as other nurses.

The broader achievements of our campaign

‘Not only has there been a decent wages outcome, but it has also led to the federal government coughing up additional money to improve conditions in nursing homes’

There are other substantial benefits for the sector arising from our Fair Share for Aged Care campaign. Not only has there been a decent wages outcome that will make the sector more attractive to work in, but it has also led to the federal government coughing up additional money to improve conditions in nursing homes. Our case has also led to greater transparency and accountability. Professor Bob Walker, Australia’s preeminent authority on accounting practices, submitted evidence on behalf of the Association that proved the capacity of aged care employers to pay. His analysis – accepted in full

by the Commission – highlighted the need for better financial accounting in aged care for residents and families. This information will now be available to government agencies and will make employers more accountable as a condition of federal government funding. The Fair Share for Aged Care campaign will have to continue. We need to maintain pressure on the federal government for increased funding. What happens to this money should be transparent.Taxpayers money should go where it is needed; into increased quality of care rather than profits. While there are many positives to draw from the Commission’s decision, there was one disappointing aspect – the Commission failed to see the importance of restoring parity with public hospitals. Here the Commission made a cautious decision claiming that aged care needs to be assessed separately, although it recognised the connection between pay rates in aged care and public hospitals.

Membership growth in aged care will protect us against the federal onslaught This great result in aged care again highlights the value of the state IR system to NSW nurses. We would never have got this result in the federal arena under the current government. If the Howard government achieves its workplace objectives the next time we seek a pay rise it will be through the federal IR system. We need to take advantage of this win to strengthen our organisation in aged care. It is important that we convince aged care nurses who are not in the union to join up. A bigger, stronger membership will be the best protection against any federal government and employers’ attacks. This also holds true for public hospital nurses as we push for a better pay deal. Convincing our colleagues who are not members that they should join up is crucial if we are to improve the lot of NSW nurses. T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 5

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L E T T E R S

LETTER of the month Stephen Langford Karen Tuapiki

Fair share, non-members should join up When we were first told of the pay increase for aged care nurses, we were very pleased. I can't wait to get the money. Let me say that, as an AiN, the money is already spent! What surprised me was how long it took the Commission to make the decision. It made me feel that aged care nurses weren’t a priority. I don’t know whether this is true of the people making the decision, but that’s how I felt. I also work in a clerical job parttime, and I was cross when I realised that clerks get paid more than AiNs. I don’t want to degrade clerks, but nurses’ work is so different and surely is more important to the community. I don't know why we get paid less. I do know the union fights hard for us but I also know the union doesn’t get to make the decisions. As a member and a delegate, I know the NSWNA membership fees I pay are well spent to improve our working lives, but I want others who aren't yet members to pay their share too. We talk about a Fair Share for Aged Care, but it should be the responsibility of all nurses to be part of the union and participate. Sometimes I think it would be easier to say if you don't pay the union, you shouldn't get the benefits – but I know this isn't a real solution. I just want everyone pay their way. I am proud of our union and of our Councillor and DoN Lucille McKenna.

Karen Tuapiki Palm Grove Nursing Home Karen Tuapiki wins the prize for letter of the month, a $50 Myer voucher.

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Australia’s cruel treatment of refugees One issue that concerns me is detention centres, Australia’s own ‘gulag archipelago’ where people can be locked up for years without charge or trial. They can be deported back to a country where they will be tortured and killed. They can be driven to despair, to madness, by endlessly being locked up. Their physical and mental illnesses can be left untreated. The recent case of Ms Cornelia Rau (April Lamp) is just the tip of the iceberg, serious as it is. What position is the NSWNA taking on the detention of asylum seekers, and the role of nurses in detention centres? I would like to finish by mentioning two people I would call friends who are caught up in this national disgrace. Arta Zahedi is a young man from Iran, normally upbeat and friendly, despite the constant threat of deportation to Iran and the cruel regime there. He has been locked up in Villawood IDC for two years. When I went to visit him recently, he had asked apparently for ‘time out’ in punitive ‘stage 1’. A more depressing and claustrophobic place I have never seen. When will he be allowed to stay? My other friend, Peter Qasim, a

Christine Catt

All nurses deserve equal pay Yes, nurses do deserve equal pay, but not just public hospital nurses, what about private hospital nurses, don't we deserve equal pay? We are just as much overworked and understaffed as nurses in the public system. Why can there not be one award for both sectors? Why are public hospital nurses thought better of in the community than the private? We have the same qualifications, the same demanding jobs, the same

refugee from Kashmir, has been locked up over six years. No charge, no trial. He is in Baxter Detention Centre. He is stateless, and, thanks to the wisdom of the High Court, and the nature of the Howard government, could be in Baxter Detention Centre till he dies. What is the NSWNA saying on this human rights abuse taking place in front of our eyes?

Stephen Langford Wolper Jewish Private Hospital Editor’s Response: The NSWNA has repeatedly expressed our opposition to the current detention regime in a range of forums and our Committee of Delegates has voted overwhelmingly in support of a number of resolutions condemning the policy. NSWNA is also a supporter of ChilOut and has hosted several functions for this organisation dedicated to the removal of all children from detention centres. Earlier this year a resolution was carried by Committee of Delegates calling for the NSWNA to seek legal advice to develop a statement that will clarify the role and professional obligations of nurses involved in involuntary deportations. This work is ongoing. demanding lifestyles as our colleagues. If anything, we are worse off, as we always have to play catch-up with our pay increases. Every time the public wage rises, so do our union fees, yet, we don’t get the pay rise. Why should public nurses get 4% increase in wages annually, and not the private? Yes,ALL nurses should get equal pay!

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

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Got something to say?

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

Make EN courses affordable As an EN with 15 years’ nursing experience in a Private Aged Care facility, I attended an information session at TAFE on the medication course for ENs. This course cost $1400 and about $100 for text books. The course includes a refresher for ENs who completed their training before 1991! My questions are: 1. Why is it so expensive, when: a) It is being conducted through TAFE? b) The course is over three months but only three weeks of face-to-face lectures, and the rest is distance education? c) The government is trying to attract more nurses (ENs back to nursing hospitals)? d) No obvious sign of ENs actually receiving more money with the qualification (therefore not compensated for the cost)? 2. Why wasn’t the clinical placement organised in a public hospital? I wasn’t able to do the course, as I am in the private sector and our nursing home is not an accredited facility for me to do my clinical hours. TAFE was unable to organise my 30-hour clinical placement with any other facility in NSW. I spent time and money trying to organise my own clinical. I was unsuccessful. As an EN I am required to maintain registration, and education. My work place has excellent education covering a wide range of pertinent areas. I have also attended, and paid for, many sessions

outside the workplace. We are able to take leave to do training, but our workplace won’t pay for it. I believe it is an insult to be required to pay to do the training, when we are, and have been, working in hospitals and nursing homes, especially the ‘refresher’ which is virtually basic training again. I have two sons attending TAFE. They are both paying fees of less than $200 for a six-month course (part-time). At the end of their training they will both be earning far more money than I will ever dream of earning as an EN.

Name withheld

Tired of night shift In response to the letter by ‘fed up night nurse’ in The Lamp March 2005: I am in total agreement with you. Night duty is certainly not a labour of love and I’m not sure if there are too many people out there whose bodies are not affected by the disruption of the normal circadian rhythms. But someone has to do night duty and a better form of compensation would certainly go a long way to making it a bit more appealing. I suggest minimum penalty rates of 15% for an afternoon shift and 25% for night duty. I brought this suggestion to the union representative on one of his visits and was told we needed to form a branch of the union, put it on the agenda for discussion, agree on it, then send a delegate to the conference and hope it gets brought up and discussed. I’m sure this would work in the larger areas but, as usual, the small

country areas are well overlooked. Maybe we don’t even exist! Another suggestion to prevent sickies and burnouts is to increase annual leave weeks from four to five or six. And again maybe we, the nurses, could be the first to introduce a 35-hour week? That would also create more jobs as the shifts must be covered. Surely The Lamp could run more surveys to gauge the feeling of what is really wanted out here, starting with the above ideas. From my experience of several small hospitals within this country area, we find that the majority of NSWNA members do have plenty to say on issues pertaining to all employment within the health system, from management to the most mundane jobs. But, to get these people to express these ideas in writing is not that easy as many of our colleagues are running at least two jobs, such as helping run farms at the end of shifts or even before they begin their shifts. This way there would be across-the-board opinion from all nurses, not only your bush colleagues.

Name withheld

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

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B R I E F

STOP PRESS

ABBOTT BACKFLIPS ON MEDICARE As The Lamp went to print, the federal government announced it was raising Medicare safety net thresholds, despite a ‘rock-solid, iron commitment’ from the Minister for Health Tony Abbott not to raise the thresholds. The threshold will rise from $300 to $500 for lower income families, and $700 to $1000 for everybody else. The increase means around 400,000 patients will be worse off. The June issue of The Lamp will explore the implications of Abbott’s backflip on Medicare.

YOUR HELP NEEDED SWNA is producing a new Law for Nurses Educational Resource Package. To ensure we address current and relevant issues to the nursing profession, we need your input. If you have been involved in any situation at work where you were unclear about your responsibilities or the legal implications, we would appreciate hearing from you. The sort of information we’re looking for is: c an outline of what occurred and the impact c the type of facility – eg nursing home, public or private hospital c size of the facility c where you work – rural, metro or remote area c your classification – eg RN, EN, AiN c how management responded. Please do not mention peoples’ names or workplaces.

Return your story by 30 May to: LYNNE RIDGE NSWNA, PO BOX 40, CAMPERDOWN, NSW 1450; Email: lridge@nswnurses.asn.au 8 T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5

Norfolk nurses paid less than hairdressers

g The NSWNA has launched a campaign to win nurses at Norfolk Island Hospital a pay rise that gives them pay parity with other health professionals. According to Joy Cochrane, RN at Norfolk Island, it’s urgent nurses’ wages are improved to attract younger nurses to Norfolk Island Joy Cochrane, Hospital – a 24RN at Norfolk Island. bed, multipurpose facility. With RNs earning a meagre $15.75 per hour, it’s not hard to see her point. ‘No one in their right mind would choose to work as a nurse on Norfolk Island because of the appalling pay. Hairdressers earn more than us,’ said Joy. ‘We are also grossly underpaid compared with similar health professionals on the Island. At the moment RNs earn approximately 70% less than allied health professionals employed at the Hospital. ‘Nurses at the hospital are an ageing workforce and we need to improve the pay and status of nurses so that younger nurses are willing to come here to work after they have finished their training. ‘Nurse training is not available on Norfolk Island so they need to leave to study

on the mainland or overseas. At the moment they are not coming back,’ said Joy. The state awards system that determines wages and conditions for NSW nurses does not apply on Norfolk Island. Wages are set by the local Public Sector Remuneration Tribunal, following negotiations with the Norfolk Island Hospital Board.

‘No one in their right mind would choose to work as a nurse on Norfolk Island because of the appalling pay.’ Since the Association commenced the campaign for a pay rise, all 23 nurses at Norfolk Island Hospital have joined the union. ‘We held a meeting to discuss the pay rise and I said to the other nurses that we all needed to be members of the union. We need to have the strength and expertise of the union behind us. Nursing staff must submit a report to the Norfolk Island Minister for Health detailing their pay claim by 20 May. It is expected that negotiations with the Minister will commence shortly after that date.

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Staff, patients terrorised in drunken rampage g Nurses demand security upgrade at MPS taff at a remote rural hospital are seeking an urgent security upgrade following a four-hour rampage by drunk and abusive visitors. Nurses and a doctor were threatened and patients terrorised during the disturbance at Lake Cargelligo MultiPurpose Health Service (MPS). Following the incident, two NSWNA officers carried out a health and safety audit of the MPS and asked the Greater Western Area Health Service to make specific improvements. A patient at the MPS, Mrs Sue Doyle, said she was woken at 11.30 pm by noise from a group of drunks who accompanied a patient to Emergency. Mrs Doyle said two nurses and a doctor attempted to treat the patient. ‘Their task was almost impossible as I could hear many people yelling, swearing, shouting abuse and threatening the staff,’ she said. ‘I was shocked to hear someone threaten to hit the doctor and nurses. They were abused and sworn at repeatedly. ‘There was continuous loud, aggressive, offensive language and behaviour for the next four hours. ‘As a temporarily immobilised patient I was very frightened for my own safety and appalled at the danger the staff were in, merely for trying to do their jobs.’ The Central West town of Lake Cargelligo lies between Condobolin and Cobar. The MPS has 15 nursing home beds, six acute beds, and two resuscitation beds. The union’s branch secretary at the MPS, Barbara Nilsson, said only two nurses are on duty after 11 pm and there is no security guard at any time. Barbara said the incident described by Mrs Doyle was ‘not uncommon’ and staff had documented security problems more than two ago. This resulted in an Area Health Service inspection which recommended changes to the layout of the buildings.

While some changes have been implemented, the Area Health Service has yet to make funds available for construction of security doors and an appropriate waiting room.

‘I was shocked to hear someone threaten to hit the doctor and nurses. They were abused and sworn at repeatedly.’ ‘The layout isn’t good from a security point of view,’ Barbara said. ‘The admin area sits between aged and acute care, which means individual nurses often work in isolation and can’t see or hear each other. ‘There is no way you can lock off any part of the hospital, which means visitors have direct access to any part of the facility. ‘I’ve been on duty during emergencies with multiple trauma where you’re attending to several people, and you haven’t got the staff or the time to monitor where visitors are.’ Barbara said a security presence was essential at least on night shift.

‘There are only two police officers on duty after hours when most aggressive incidents occur, and they have a wide area to cover. ‘Knowing that police may not be close enough to the hospital to respond to our call is an underlying pressure on the nurses, adding to their feeling of insecurity.’ Barbara said nursing home residents are unable to leave windows open at night because there are no security screens on their windows and doors. ‘Residents shouldn’t have to lock themselves in, especially on hot nights,’ she said. NSWNA health and safety coordinator, Trish Butrej, said many multipurpose health centres built around the same time as Lake Cargelligo, had similar design and layout problems. She said that, as well as seeking design changes, the Association had asked the MPS to employ a health security assistant at Lake Cargelligo. She said staff were using inadequate duress alarms that did not comply with the Health Department’s security policy and guidelines. ‘We have asked that these be replaced or upgraded, and that the Department provide an action plan with a timeline indicating when the improvements will be carried out,’ Trish said.

‘Knowing that police may not be close enough to the hospital to respond to our call is an underlying pressure on the nurses, adding to their feeling of insecurity.’ The union’s branch secretary at the MPS, Barbara Nilsson

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EAST TIMOR NURSES

GET A UNION

espite poverty and inexperience, nurses in East Timor are building their first union with help from Australian nurses. The East Timor Nurses’ Association (ETNA) has a potential membership of 4000 nurses mostly located in small rural health centres scattered across the country. Its organising efforts are hampered by lack of funds, untrained staff, rough mountain roads and a rudimentary telephone system. Branches of the Australian Nursing Federation including the NSWNA, have been supporting ETNA with funding for three staff, a vehicle and computers. An organiser from the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Nursing Federation, RN Agnes Stanislaus-Large, went to East Timor recently to discuss a program to train ETNA organisers, create a membership database and hold a national congress in September. ‘The East Timor union movement is alive and well, and nurses around the country are eager to join ETNA,’ Agnes said. Agnes said ETNA’s coordinator Agustinho Da Costa Tilman worked with the Tasmanian branch of the ANF for two weeks to observe how nursing unions operate.

‘Tasmania was chosen because it is a relatively small branch and because I speak Bahasa Malaysia which is understood by Indonesian-speaking Timorese,’ Agnes said. She said the Queensland Nurses Union has sponsored Timorese nursing educators to visit Queensland to study how to develop the education of nurses in East Timor.

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Health insurance to cost even more as young quit funds ustralians under 55 are abandoning private health insurance in droves as premiums go through the roof. And as more young people stop paying premiums, insurance will become even more expensive for older people who are the heaviest users. Research by the Australia Institute, an independent think tank, also shows that premiums rose by more than 21% on average since 2002. The federal government’s 30% private health insurance rebate now costs taxpayers over $2.5 billion a year.

The government claims the health insurance rebate will cut waiting lists in public hospitals, but Dr Denniss said no one including the government had done any research to back up that claim. ‘The government is overstating the case when it suggests that every time someone goes into a private hospital they’ve just freed up a bed in the public system. ‘There is a substantial amount of evidence that private insurance has increased demand for a whole bunch of services, including elective and cosmetic surgery. So in that respect it is actually making the

Percentage of Australians with private health insurance, by household income, 2004 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

ore rM 9 0o 9 9 00 30 $129 $1 9 0 to 00 1999 20 $1 to $1 9 0 00 0999 10 $1 to $1 0 00 999 00 $1 o $99 t 00 999 00 $9 o $89 t 00 999 00 9 $8 o $7 t 9 00 00 6999 $7 to $ 00 999 00 $6 o $59 t 00 999 00 $5 o $49 t 00 999 00 9 $4 o $3 t 00 999 50 $3 o $34 t 9 00 9 9 00 $3 o $29 t 00 99 9 50 $2 o $24 t 00 99 00 99 $2 o $1 t 00 0 50 $1 500 1 r$ de Un

‘The East Timor union movement is alive and well, and nurses around the country are eager to join ETNA.’

ETNA members meeting in Dili.

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In the 12 months to February, more than 66,000 people aged under 55 quit private health insurance, while over 90,000 Australians aged over 55 joined a fund. This shows the government is failing in its objective of encouraging young people to take out private health cover in order to cross-subsidise older members, according to Australia Institute deputy director Dr Richard Denniss. ‘The average cost of hospital benefits paid to an 80-year-old are more than eight times those for a 40-year-old,” Dr Denniss told The Lamp. He said private cover was simply too expensive for most families on low incomes, and the well-off were getting the biggest benefit from the rebate.

queue longer rather than shifting people from public to private systems.’ Dr Denniss said the money paid in rebates would be better spent in public health promotion, Aboriginal health, and on improving health services in rural and remote locations. ‘The cost of the rebate could contribute to combating high rates of smoking, drug and alcohol abuse and childhood obesity which are creating expensive ongoing problems for our health system down the track. ‘The government argues it can’t afford more funds to address the tragic health disadvantages of Indigenous Australians, yet it can afford to write an open-ended cheque to the health insurance industry’.

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ENOUGH RESEARCH,

WE NEED ACTION ealth workers and the services they provide have become the most studied industry in Australia. Two federal government inquiries into health are now under way, on top of at least five recent federal studies. Most have outlined the shortage of nurses and made specific recommendations to increase their numbers. Rather than implement these recommendations, it seems the government would rather hold more inquiries. The Productivity Commission is now examining ‘issues affecting the health workforce including the supply of, and demand for, health professionals.’ The Commission is a permanent body which advises Canberra on ‘microeconomic policy and regulation.’ The inquiry is conducted by Mike Woods, an academic and management consultant who bears the grand but puzzling title of ‘Commonwealth Commissioner for Competitive Neutrality’. Mr Woods is joined by academic Helen Owens, who has been involved in more studies, reviews, boards and committees than she could possibly remember. While this pair study away, the Prime Minister has established his own health ‘task force’ to examine how to improve the delivery of health services. Despite the dynamic-sounding name, the ‘task force’ is yet another inquiry chaired by Andrew Podger, a Public Service Commissioner who used to run the federal Department of Health and Ageing. Let us hope these latest studies take the time to read the reports already on the table calling for action on the nurse shortage. They include: c The Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee report on the nursing workforce (2004). c The report of the National Review into Nursing Education (2002). c Professor Hogan’s report on residential aged care (2004). c The National Health Workforce Strategic Framework (2004).

PM Howard and his deputy Peter Costello

Hutt Hospital nurse Kathryn Dewe (right) gathering signatures in support of the NZ Nurses Organisation’s fair pay campaign

NZ nurses vote for freeloaders’ fee g Non-members told: pay your way or miss out on wage rise ew Zealand nurses who refuse to join their union must now pay the union a bargaining fee or miss out on the 20% pay rise it recently negotiated with the NZ government. A ballot of all nurses, midwives and health assistants, required under the Employment Relations Act, voted in favour of a bargaining fee. Any employee who did not want to join the union or pay the fee to the NZ Nurses Organisation had two weeks to notify their employer of their decision. Those employees will not receive any wage increase until they negotiate their own individual contract with their district health board. Employees who did not join the union and failed to notify the employer had the bargaining fee automatically deducted from their pay. Since its pay victory the union’s membership has dramatically increased, said NZNO president Jane O’Malley. ‘We gained over 1500 new members

in the past two months, and total membership is now 39,000,’ she said. ‘The membership growth is an endorsement of the settlement and the power of membership campaigns.

‘People can see that being in a union is the way to achieve better pay and conditions.’ ‘People can see that being in a union and joining together to collectively bargain is the way to achieve better pay and conditions.’ Jane said that, for a small amount extra, non-union employees could join NZNO and receive all the benefits of full membership. ‘Obviously many of them are acknowledging the value of union membership by taking up the option to join the majority of their colleagues and become NZNO members,’ she said. The Howard Government has moved to outlaw bargaining fees in Australia.They are now illegal in federal agreements and the Government has flagged that they will outlaw them in state agreements. T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 1 1

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B R I E F

Council shuns pioneer nurses g Authorities reject proposed street names n opportunity to honour the pioneering work of nurses and doctors at the historic Prince Henry Hospital site at Little Bay is about to be lost. Authorities overseeing the conversion of the site in South East Sydney to a housing development have refused to name any of its streets after the hospital’s early luminaries. The developer, Landcom, and Randwick City Council rejected a proposal by the Prince Henry Hospital Trained Nurses Association to name nine streets after some of the distinguished women and men who served at the hospital from its foundation in 1881. Instead these streets will carry the names of British, French and American doctors and scientists. No Australians, no women, and not one with any connection to the hospital. A majority of Randwick councillors voted to accept the Landcom proposal for street names. Only the three Green councillors, including the mayor Murray Matson, supported the ex-nurses’ submission. Labor and Liberal councillors also defeated a move by Mayor Matson to hold a community forum to find out what locals preferred. ‘All we are asking for is recognition of the people who made Prince Henry one of the leading hospitals in Australia,’ said Lyn Smith-Watts, secretary of the PHH Trained Nurses Association. Lyn is referring to people like Dorothy Cawood, a graduate of the hospital’s nurse

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training school who was awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous bravery in World War I. And Muriel Doherty, the hospital’s first nurse educator who was chief nurse at Belsen concentration camp in Germany for the Allies. Other rejected names include: c Jean McMaster, who established the nurses training school in 1894. c Mary Meyler, the hospital’s first matron and the first white woman to live on the site in 1881. c Urologist Gerald Murnaghan who performed the first successful kidney transplant in NSW at PHH in 1961. c Professor Neville Stanley of the hospital’s bacteriology department, who introduced the Salk vaccine to Australia at PHH. c Dr Cecil Walters, outstanding surgeon and PHH medical superintendent from 1937 to 1959. Instead, the former hospital site will bear the names of figures such as Sir Benjamin Brodie (English surgeon 17831862), William Harvey (who established

the principles of blood circulation 15781657), and the 17th Century English physicist Sir Isaac Newton. A Landcom representative said: ‘These names were not based on specific individuals associated with the hospital but instead reflect broader medical personalities whose work influenced the hospital at the time.’ Lyn Smith-Watts said Mayor Matson has agreed to support another attempt to convince Landcom and Randwick City Council to accept at least some of the names put forward by the Trained Nurses Association. Lyn and a small band of volunteers operate the PHH nursing and medical museum at the former hospital on Anzac Parade, Little Bay. The museum will be retained in the housing development and is open to the public on Sundays and Mondays from 1 pm to 5 pm. Former Prince Henry nurse Maylean Cordia, foundation president of the PHH Trained Nurses Association, and husband Pieter recently received a Medal of the Order of Australia for their 14 years of work for the museum.

Prince Henry nurses' tug-of-war on nearby Little Bay, around 1920 and TOP: Nurses posing in front of Prince Henry hospital, around 1920. Nurses lived at the hospital from its foundation in 1881.

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NYLIE TAKES MESSAGE TO EVERYONE IN TOWN here may only be 600 people in the small north-western community of Coolah, but each and every one of them will soon understand that There’s No Fix Without Nurses. Local nurse Nylie Martin organised for leaflets to be distributed to every member of the community through the local post office. ‘It’s a very close-knit community and the mailout went to 600 people, which covers the town and the surrounding area,’ said Nylie. ‘People are very pro-active here. When they see the leaflet they won’t just throw it in the bin, they’ll actually pay attention.’ Nylie and other nurses from Coolah Hospital are also planning to hold a stall outside their local supermarket to distribute more leaflets to get the community behind them.

HELP YOUNG PEOPLE IN NURSING HOMES here are more than 6,000 young people living in nursing homes throughout Australia – including one nine-year-old boy. These young people live with others who are 30, 40 or 50 years older than them. They deserve to go to more suitable accommodation with people their own age. You are invited to a fundraising event to raise money and awareness about this issue at Camperdown Bowling Club on Saturday, 4 June from 7 pm. There will be food and drinks at club prices, entertainment from blues band Dr Don's Double Dose and fantastic auction items for sale. The lucky door prize is an unframed artwork by internationally acclaimed artist, Maree Azzopardi. Tickets cost $25 and must be preordered by calling (03) 9482 5655 or 0437 178 078. Secure your tickets soon as numbers are limited. For more information on young people in nursing homes, visit www.ypinh.org.au. Come and show your support and help give these young people lives worth living!

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Patients’ relocation just a rumble …

The long wait continues for Rozelle Hospital he relocation of 37 psychogeriatric patients from Rozelle Hospital to an aged care facility sparked anticipation that some decision had been made on the future of Rozelle Hospital. Not so, says Charles Linsell, Branch President at Rozelle Hospital. ‘The 10 years of indecision continues.’ The patients in two psychogeriatric wards at Rozelle Hospital have been transferred to an aged care facility in Croydon run by Catholic Healthcare Services. According to Charles, the patients were relocated partly because the buildings accommodating the psychogeriatric ward at Rozelle are in a bad state of disrepair. ‘The building was very substandard and nurse and patient safety was at risk. It’s also about cost shifting between state and federal governments.’ Nurses working in the former psycho-geriatric wards have been absorbed in vacancies in other wards at Rozelle Hospital. Around 200 mental health beds remain at Rozelle Hospital. ‘The buildings of Rozelle Hospital are basically falling down,’ said Charles. ‘The building stock is inappropriate for the care of the mentally ill. ‘Something needs to be done – the question that has been looming for the

past 10 years is what? The hospital can be rebuilt on the existing site, or built on a new site at Concord Hospital,’ he said. ‘Members would prefer that the new hospital is build on the current site. It’s an ideal location for mentally ill patients. ‘The various health ministers over the years have promised to resolve the issue but nothing has been done. It’s been a long wait for staff and patients,’ said Charles.

‘The buildings of Rozelle Hospital are basically falling down.The building stock is inappropriate for the care of the mentally ill.’ Charles Linsell, Rozelle Hospital’s Branch President

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S T O RY

g Aged care nurses in NSW are celebrating a 25% wage rise over three years, awarded by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission in late March.

Aged care nurses celebrate 25% pay win

HOW MUCH EXTRA

WILL YOU GET? 6% now

‘The NSWNA is on the alert for employers who try to cut nursing hours to offset the pay rise.This is totally unacceptable … they can afford the pay rise.’ ged care members and the NSWNA waged a hard-fought campaign to win a 25% pay rise over three years, which will be enjoyed by 25,000 aged care nurses in NSW. The NSWNA took its Fair Share for Aged Care case to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to address low nurse wages, which is creating a staffing crisis in the aged care sector. The Commission awarded aged care nurses an immediate 6% rise, plus another 6% from 30 March 2006 – on top of previous pay rises of 6% and 5% awarded since the case began in June 2003. NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes said, ‘Aged care nurses deserve this pay rise.They do valuable work and this was recognised by the Commission decision. ‘The NSWNA’s Fair Share for Aged Care campaign has been hard-fought by aged care members and they are to be congratulated.’

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Fair win for AiNS An important part of the Commission’s decision is awarding AiNs the same percentage pay rise as other categories of nurses, despite employer attempts to give AiNs a lesser rise.’ ‘The NSWNA successfully argued that AiNs provide a valuable role and deserve the same pay rise as other nurses,’ said Brett.

AiNS don’t reclassify to CSE ‘Many AINs have approached by their employer asking them to reclassify to Care Services Employees (CSE). AINs are strongly advised to resist pressure from employers to reclassify to non-nursing awards. CSEs will not be eligible for the pay rise or other gains achieved in the paycase that AINs will receive,’ said Brett.

Pay gap reduced The pay rise reduces the pay gap between aged care nurses and public hospital nurses. Brett Holmes said: ‘The pay gap was

AiN EN RN (Year 8)

$33/wk $40/wk $58/wk

25% between June 2003 and March 2006 AiN EN RN (Year 8)

$122/wk $149/wk $218/wk

unable to be completely eliminated because of the federal government’s funding policies for aged care.The NSWNA will continue its Fair Share for Aged Care campaign to close the gap in the years ahead,’

‘No capacity to pay’ case dismantled Aged care providers argued in the Commission that they could not afford to pay these rises. The NSWNA case proved these claims were incorrect and the Commission’s decision vindicates this. The NSWNA asked one of the country’s top auditors, Professor Robert Walker, to ascertain the aged care industries capacity to pay a decent wage. He concluded the industry was in a better financial position than they had presented and should be able to afford the pay rise. ‘The NSWNA is on the alert for employers who try to cut nursing hours to offset the pay rise.This is totally unacceptable given they have been unable to prove that they cannot afford the pay rise,’ said Brett.

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‘WE DESERVED A FAIR SHARE … AND WON IT!’

CASE PROVES VALUABLE ROLE OF AINS

Tina Heath

Lynnette Flanagan

Tina Heath, RN at the RSL Veterans’ Retirement Village, Collaroy, says aged care nurses deserve the pay rise. ‘Our workloads have increased significantly for a number of reasons and nurses have higher skill levels. Residents have more complex care needs because the age of residents is increasing. Ten years ago, the average age of residents entering a home was 75 years, now it is 85. Family expectations are also higher, and technology is more complex and requires higher skill levels. Government requirements have also pushed our paperwork through the roof.’

Lynette Flanagan, AIN at Pioneer House Nursing Home, said AiNs were devastated when their employers tried to claim they were worth less than other nurses. ‘We deliver the day-to-day care to residents. We work very hard and we deserve to be recognised with a fair pay rise. It was a big relief when the Commission acknowledged this. It’s also important AiNs resist pressure from their employers to reclassify to CSEs. We need to be hold on to our nursing title so we’re not devalued. We’re nurses and we want to be recognised as such.’

MEMBERS WELCOME THE WIN ‘STEP TO ADDRESSING SHORTAGES BUT WE NEED STRONGER UNION’ Lorraine Read

Lorraine Read, DON at Bethel Nursing Home in Ashfield, says the pay rise is a strong step to addressing the problems of retaining and attracting good nurses. ‘We can’t get good staff if we can’t pay them a decent wage. We achieved the pay rise because we had the strength of the union behind us. People who can’t see the value of being a member of the Association are very foolish. They don’t realise that they need to be a member of the NSWNA to build a stronger, more professional sector.

‘EMPLOYERS CAN AFFORD TO PAY A FAIR WAGE’ Lucille McKenna

Lucille McKenna, DoN at Palm Grove Nursing Home, is very happy with the Commission’s decision but warns members to watch out for employers that try to cut hours to compensate for the pay rise. ‘After hearing the evidence in the Commission I know they can afford to pay nurses fairly. Especially since Anglican Retirement Villages has agreed to pay their nurses an extra 7% on top of the rise. If one can afford to pay decent wages, they all can – they all get the same funding. We work extremely hard and give a lot of ourselves – we should be paid fairly.’ T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 1 5

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S T O RY

Expert debunks employers’ poor plea DON’T COP

CUTS TO HOURS

g Professor Bob Walker, engaged by the NSWNA to analyse the industry’s capacity to pay the pay rise, said the Commission’s decision is ‘a devastating rebuff to employers’.

The NSWNA case to the Commission proved there was no validity in the claims by employer representatives that aged care facilities cannot afford to pay nurses the pay rise. It’s very disappointing that some employers are continuing to claim they cannot afford to pay the nurses who are the backbone of their business a fair wage,’ said Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda. ‘The far-sighted decision of Anglican Retirement Villages to pay their nurses an additional 7% on top of this rise just reiterates the capacity of the industry to pay. Aged care providers all receive the same funding from the government. If one can afford to do the right thing, they all can,’ she said.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HOURS ARE CUT If your employer cuts nurse hours in the roster, you should contact the Association on

1300 367 962. 1 6 T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5

Professor Robert Walker

rofessor of Accounting at the University of Sydney, Professor Bob Walker, said the NSWNA should be very happy with the outcome of the aged care pay case. ‘The Association was quite innovative in arranging independent academic research to analyse the employer’s financial arguments,’ he said. The Association engaged Professor Walker to analyse the employers’ case that the industry did not have the capacity to pay the increases we sought. Professor Walker examined financial documents from 18 aged care facilities and gave evidence to the full bench of the Commission. In their judgement the commissioners

noted that Professor Walker found that the industry was in a healthy financial position overall. ‘Professor Walker considered the 18 individual capacity to pay affidavits (tendered by the employers) and concluded that they were unrepresentative of the industry as a whole,’ the commissioners commented. Following the Commission’s decision, Professor Walker told The Lamp that most evidence presented by employers dealt with nursing homes in isolation, rather than as integrated businesses combined with retirement villages. Employers’ evidence also failed to take into account sources of income such as revenue from retention of accommodation bonds, he said. ‘As a result the Commission concluded that the employers’ evidence did not reflect an objective analysis of the industry’s real financial situation,’ he said. Professor Walker said the job of analysing some of the financial statements presented in evidence by the employers was very demanding because the accounts were so poorly presented. He said organisations receiving government subsidies, such as aged care facilities, ought to be required to make public the minimum financial information required of public companies, to an acceptable accounting standard. ‘At the moment this is just not happening,’ he said.

‘The commissioners noted Professor Walker found that overall the industry was in a healthy financial position.’

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’It’s only going to be harder next time’ SWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda says the 25% pay rise is a great win for aged care nurses – thanks to the one third who are NSWNA members. ‘These members and the Association campaigned solidly for 18 months to achieve a significant win that closes the gap between aged care and public hospital wages, despite the fact we had only one third of aged care nurses on board as members of the Association,’ she said.

‘It was a hard fight to achieve the 25% pay rise and it’s only going to be harder next time. We will be limited in what we can achieve for aged care nurses by the density of members in that sector. We are only as strong as our membership. We need more aged care nurses to join the NSWNA so we can build on the gains we have already achieved. ‘Members need to explain the benefits of the union to non members and ask them to join the NSWNA,’ said Judith.

Anglican Retirement Village pays 7% on top of award nglican Retirement Village (ARV) has just become an employer of choice for nurses working in the aged care sector, with the signing of an Agreement that provides nurses with an extra 7% pay rise on top of the 6% awarded in the Commission in April. Eighty-three per cent of members had voted to accept the agreement. The agreement will cover wages and conditions for one year and will apply across all ARV facilities. ARV has demonstrated its commitment to building a more professional, highly-trained workforce, says Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda. ‘The pay rise, along with other features of the agreement, will mean that nurses will be attracted to ARV as an employer, and existing staff will be encouraged to stay and build a career.’ ‘The willingness of ARV to pay 7% above the Award nullifies arguments put forward by the industry that aged care providers cannot afford to pay nurses a fair payrise,’ said Judith. Emily New, RN at ARV, Castle Hill, said members were very happy with the

‘The pay rise goes a long way to recognising the hard work we do.’ Emily New, RN at ARV, Castle Hill

Agreement. ‘People have more of an incentive to build a career with ARV. ‘Aged care nurses work very hard. The older people in our care have higher care needs, families have higher expectations and we have extensive paperwork that

WHY ALL

NURSES NEED TO

JOIN US On their own nurses have little chance of achieving the wages and conditions they deserve. Through the unified strength and industrial relations expertise of the the Association, nurses will be rewarded for their hard work. c Members who face industrial and legal problems in their workplaces have the union behind them. c The NSWNA can assist by providing legal advice and advice on nurses’ rights or entitlements. c Where necessary it will also step in and mediate with the employer on the nurse’s behalf or commence action in the Industrial Relations Commission when these mediations are unsuccessful. c Members also gain access to resources such as the NSWNA library and professional development through NSWNA conferences and training.

must be completed. The pay rise goes a long way to recognising the hard work we do,’ said Emily. The key features of the agreement include: . 7% above Nursing Home Award wages; . Nine weeks’ paid maternity leave and one week paid paternity leave; . Option of taking single days of annual leave; . Option of salary sacrifice for super; . Option for voluntary salary packaging for expenses up to $3750 per year; . Family friendly arrangements e.g. ordinary hours to be calculated over a fortnightly period where by agreement the employee can choose to work irregular hours week to week; . Make up pay for jury duty. T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 1 7

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S T O RY

8 WAYS TO RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS 1 2

STAR RECRUITER LOUISA TELLS:

‘There is only one solution, it’s the NSWNA’

ouisa Maua, AiN, has spread the good word about the NSWNA to her colleagues at Wyoming Nursing Home in Summer Hill – nearly all have joined the Association after hearing about the benefits.

Last year Louisa recruited seven new members to the NSWNA, and another three to date this year. ‘I encourage all new nurses to join the Association because we can’t afford to be on our own,’ she said. ‘When they raise problems about pay

or workloads I tell then there’s is only one solution and that’s the NSWNA. It’s there to help us through good and bad times. ‘I sit down with new employees and have a cup of tea with them. I explain what the Association does, and the benefits of being a member. Mostly, when they hear the facts they are keen to join so I give them an application form. ‘If they are uncertain at first, I give them a form to take away. Once they have read the facts for themselves they come back later and are keen to join up,’ said Louisa.

Try to meet new employees during an orientation to the workplace. After explaining the union benefits to a non-member, ask them to sign up then and there and offer to send the application form to the NSWNA yourself. If a non-member refuses to join first time around, talk to them again once they’ve seen the positive results of union action. Never assume that your colleague or friend is a member of the Association. It’s always best to ask them, and if they are not, invite them to become a member. Nurses often say that they have wanted to belong to the Association but have just never been invited to join! In larger facilities, it’s important to identify an activist in every ward or unit who will talk to new nurses about the benefits of the Association. It is important to cover not only day shifts, but nights and weekends, as well. Branch officials are encouraged to gain access to orientation programs in order to talk to newly employed nurses. Have a membership drive. The Association’s Campaigns Team is always happy to talk to you about recruiting tips, and will be happy to sponsor a BBQ, morning or afternoon tea and/or provide your branch /workplace with promotional items that will assist in attracting existing and new members to branch meetings or events. Another way is to ask the Campaigns Team to book an ‘Association Comes to the Workplace’ visit to your workplace. These are great opportunities for branch officials to raise their profiles across the workplace. T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 1 9

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C A R E

Day in the life of an AiN o 6.30am

It’s an early start for Veisinia van Niekerk, who has been an AiN for 19 years and has worked at Weroona Nursing Home in Leichhardt for almost nine years.

o 7.30 am

o 8 am

After showering the residents, it’s time to get them ready for breakfast.

While the residents enjoy breakfast, Veisinia gets to work making the beds and doing a quick tidy up of the rooms.

o 9am

Veisinia helps residents with their personal care, helping one man cut his fingernails.

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o 10 am

It’s time for morning tea, and each resident gets a cuppa and some cake.

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o 11 am

There’s always plenty of paperwork to be done, and Veisinia takes some time out to catch up on the relevant documents for the day.

o 11.30 am

It’s time for Veisinia’s break, and she settles in for a cuppa and a chat with a colleague.

6 12

o 12.30 pm

o 1 pm

Back to work, and now it’s time to prepare for the residents’ lunch break, which is served in the lunch room.

Veisinia briefs DON Janelle McDowall on her day’s work. If Veisinia was classified as CSE rather than AiN, her day could include more non-nursing duties such as gardening or kitchen work. 12

12 6

o 2 pm

Veisinia spends some time with a resident who has made her a special Christmas gift as thanks for all her care.

o 2.30 pm

After a long day, it’s the end of the shift and time to head home. ‘People don’t realise how hard we work,’ Veisinia said. ‘I love my job. And if you love your job then your job loves you.’ T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 2 1

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N E W S

We need to step up our campaign g Government fails to improve wage offer to public hospital nurses ublic hospital nurses across NSW have strongly backed the campaign for improved pay and conditions to address the workloads crisis. NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes said that thousands of members had participated in campaign activities over the past month – but further pressure must still be exerted on the state government. ‘We’ve seen some great rallies at metropolitan and regional hospitals. Nurses have taken the message to colleagues and the public with campaign materials and badges,’ said Brett. ‘Now we need to take our campaign up to another level. Over coming weeks, we need to bring the focus onto the key issue of workloads and the fact that an equitable pay rise is critical to addressing this problem.’

P ‘Over coming weeks, we need to bring the focus onto the key issue of workloads and the fact that an equitable pay rise is critical to addressing this problem.’ NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes

Brett said ‘positive’ meetings with the Health Department were continuing, but the state government had not yet offered wage rises equal to those paid to other public sector employees. A kit covering the campaign issues has been delivered to Labor backbenchers and Brett addressed a meeting of 15 backbenchers at Parliament House. The March meeting of the NSWNA Committee of Delegates condemned the unacceptable wages offer and called on Branches to commence regular activities to highlight: c Short-staffing created by nonreplacement of lost agency nurse shifts; c The effects of excessive workloads on nurses’ health and patient care; c The dire effect on rural and regional hospitals if nursing management jobs are cut.

The current public hospital pay campaign is the ideal opportunity to recruit new members and strengthen the NSWNA. More members – and more active members – will boost the Association’s bargaining power and deliver better pay and working conditions. Gai Pickering, a staff educator at St George Hospital, says that she and other activists are ‘always recruiting’, but stepped up their efforts as they organised a rally on 7 April. ‘We made sure everyone, even those who couldn’t attend the rally, wore a campaign badge on the day,’ said Gai. Several new members signed up, joining the many that Gai and her colleagues have recruited in the past. ‘I look after the new graduates program and undergrads, so I make sure each new nurse knows about the benefits of joining us,’ said Gai. ‘And I approach any nurse who is new at the hospital.’ The NSWNA also has a session at the hospital’s fortnightly orientation program for new staff. ‘I explain to nurses that it’s not about what the union does for you. It’s about what you do for yourself as a union member,’ said Gai.

GAI IS ‘ALWAYS

RECRUITING’

‘I explain to nurses that it’s not about what the union does for you. It’s about what you do for yourself as a union member,’ 2 2 T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5

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Workloads

action

g A key aim of our pay campaign is to solve the crises of excessive workloads and nurse shortages. Branches are encouraged to take action to stop award breaches, including unreasonable overtime worked due to nurse shortages or the inability to fill shifts with agency nurses.

Closure threat delivers new nurses at Shoalhaven hoalhaven Hospital has agreed to recruit more staff after overworked nurses threatened to close an operating theatre because the hospital breached the award by not meeting ACORN 2002 standards. Fed-up theatre nurses swung into action when hospital administration failed to address chronic understaffing. After an NSWNA meeting in lateMarch threatened to close one of Shoalhaven’s four theatres, hospital management moved to advertise and fill five positions by the end of May. NSWNA Branch President Hugh

Whitfeld said the union campaign had been led and driven by ‘RNs on the ground’. ‘Grassroots nurses did all the hard work. They crunched the numbers to find that the theatres were short of 10 FTE positions,’ said Hugh. The hospital was running two theatres but with only enough nurses for one, according to ACORN standards. Hugh said the key to the success of the campaign was the ‘unity of fedup nurses’. He said having reasonable workloads provisions incorporated into the award gave nurses the power to take action on chronic understaffing.

A letter to Robyn CNEs , tired of lower rates of pay and high workloads, are writing personal letters to the Director General of NSW Health, Robyn Kruk, to explain why they deserve a better deal. RPAH, Prince of Wales and Liverpool Hospital CNEs have written to Robyn arguing that their jobs have gone beyond their award descriptions.They are increasingly asked to conduct university tutorials, plan courses and write policies. CNEs, who implement NSW Health policies that protect patient safety, are vital to maintaining safety standards in hospitals. The current pay and conditions claim includes for CNEs to have the right to pursue futher pay increases during the next four years – to recognise their increasing work responsibilities. So far the claim to be able to arbitrate a pay increase has been refused.

NEPEAN THEATRE NURSES WIN FAIRER WORKLOADS Nepean theatre nurses have achieved a major win in the campaign against unreasonable workloads and chronic overwork. Nepean Hospital has seven theatres but – according to the Australian College of Operating Room Nurses (ACORN) standards – the hospital only has the nursing skills mix to staff four or five theatres. The Hospital attempted to address the issue by having theatre nurses work overtime and extra shifts. The fed-up nurses arranged a meeting to discuss the problem and sent a firm resolution to management saying that they could only operate four theatres at the current staffing levels. The resolution made management sit up and take notice. In consultation with the Workloads Committee, the hospital agreed to look at the nursing skills mix in theatres. The Committee decided that three managers must now meet daily to discuss the staffing needs for that day to ensure they meet ACORN 2002 standards. If staffing levels do not meet ACORN 2002 standards, theatres will be closed.

If you’re a CNE who hasn’t yet written a letter, contact the NSWNA on 8595 1234 (metro) or 1300 367 962 (country) and ask to speak to the campaigns office. Make sure you sign the petition to support more pay increases for ENs who achieve the qualification to administer medication. Download the petition from the NSWNA website or ask your delegate. T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 2 3

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N E W S

NURSES I

LIVERPOOL HOSPITAL RALLY – 4 APRIL

ST GEORGE R

More than 16 kilos of sausages were sizzled at the lunchtime rally which attracted hundred of community members and nurses.Branch president Brian Grant addressed the rally, along with Brett Holmes and the local member for Liverpool, Paul Lynch, who pledged to take the issue of nurses’ pay back to his fellow parliamentarians.

b We’re professionals ‘We believe we’re worth just as much as any other public servant in the system. Nurses are very well trained under the university system, we’re professional people and we should be treated as professionals.’ Wendy Smith, nurse educator

b Pretty scary

c Falling behind

a Must retain nurses ‘We need equal pay so we can retain nurses in the profession and not lose them to other health specialties such as physio and occupational therapy, which are now getting paid more than nurses.’ Jodie Bancroft, nurse educator

‘It’s pretty slack that after three years of uni, you come out as one of the lowest paid professions. It’s pretty scary, you can get sued if you do something wrong.’ Lilla Silaphet, paediatric nurse

‘Our friends are so much ahead of us and better off. It takes us so many years to get up to their wage. Then we’ve got to pay for our degree.’ Jodie Scott, paediatric nurse

a We’re undervalued

a Retain nurses

a Unsociable hours

a We work hard

‘It will help with recruitment and retention. More nurses will be willing to come to work because the pay is better.’ Saroj Naidu, cardio thoracic nurse

‘It will encourage more new graduates to come into nursing. We need to be recognised for the unsociable hours and the long hours we work.’ June Tayler, cardio thoracic nurse

‘We deserve the 4%. We need the money. We work hard. We see more and more patients every day.’ Imelda De Guzman, renal nurse

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‘Nurses are under-valued. Pay is a significant issue as to why people would select nursing as a career choice. The responsibility and the pay are very closely linked.’ Therese Riley, nurse educator

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N ACTION RALLY – 7 APRIL

PARLIAMENT HOUSE RALLY – 5 APRIL

b Please recognise us

Pensioners selling lamingtons to help Bob Carr fund the nurses’ pay rise joined nurses from Sydney and St George Hospitals, as well as representatives from the Combined Pensioners and Superannuates Association of NSW. Many members of the public signed postcards, and passing taxis tooted their support.

‘If the government is really serious about fixing the health system, they need to recognise that nurses do a really important job. If we aren’t paid equally to other health professionals by the same work we do, then I think they are going to find themselves with more trouble.’ Janet Angus, nurse educator

b We want equal pay ‘I’m here to get equal pay for a fair day’s work. All the other allied health are getting the 4%, but we’re getting 3%. We’re doing similar work, if not more, and we just feel that we deserve the same pay rise.’ Maureen McDowell, nurse educator

b Big responsibilities ‘ We have big responsibilities, and I think we should have equal pay with the rest of the public servants. It will help to keep the nurses in the workforce.’ Amy Fung, vascular surgery

a We’re overworked a United stand

a We deserve 4%

‘Consider all the work we do, not only as an NUM but there’s more people sick at this time and not many staff around. Constantly as a manager, you’re on the floor working. People have burnout.’ Pele Lutui-Palmer, NUM

‘The previous wage case was a work value case to bring us into line with other professions. So they can’t say that we shouldn’t be kept in line with other professions to get the same 4%.’ Phillip Sheard , ED

‘I think we have to show a united front together for the whole hospital system. If the nurses fall down, what’s going to happen? Who’s going to look after me when my time comes?’ Robin Meehan, CNS

EASTER SHOW

RPA

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W O R K L O A D S

Workloads committees easing the load g Nurses are using reasonable workloads committees to ease workloads in public hospitals.

Workloads relief at Singleton Hospital Nurses at Singleton Hospital are geared up to address workload issues since receiving training on how to use their reasonable workloads committee.

Kim Edwards, RWC staff representative

urse-workloads at Singleton Hospital have been relieved by measures implemented by the Reasonable Workloads Committee (RWC), which was established at the hospital last September. According to NSWNA delegate and staff representative on the RWC, Kim Edwards, workloads in the casualty ward

have been eased when the RWC agreed to increase after-hours clerical support in the ward. ‘Since receiving workplace training on establishing a reasonable workloads committee, nurses are a lot more aware of how to use the committee to address workload problems,’ said Kim. Between January and April this year, representatives of the NSWNA and NSW Health visited nurses in public hospitals across NSW to promote their right to a reasonable workload. Nurses received training on how to use a reasonable workloads committee to address workload issues. The training reiterated to nurses their right by law to a reasonable workload under the Reasonable Workloads Clause (Clause 48) in the Public Hospital Nurses’ Award. The Award allows for the establishment of RWCs to calculate and manage nurse workloads in the public sector, and the implementation of a generalist reason-able workloads tool to calculate workloads.

‘When nurses raise an issue with me I suggest they write to the committee stating their workload concerns and any possible solutions to the problems. Nurses working in the wards understand what their problems are and how these can be best addressed. They are best placed to pose a solution. ‘I am an EN working in theatre so I am not always on top of what is happening in the wards. ‘The RWC has provided a formal structure for nurses to raise workloads issues. It’s a step in overcoming a culture of just keeping quiet and not complaining about heavy workloads and other problems. Some of the nurses at Singleton Hospital have been here for 20 years and it’s a whole new concept for them that they have a right to a raise workload problems. ‘The RWC has empowered nurses here and given them a voice.There’s a sense that we are all working together to find solutions to workloads problems,’ said Kim.

‘We’re small but we have a right to a reasonable workload’ Nurses and management at Merriwa Hospital applied the reasonable workloads principles of the award to address concerns about nurse and patient safety due to excessive workloads. oN Michelle Turnbull explained: ‘We’re a small hospital, 13-bed hospital. When a complex care patient presented for admission, we had to determine whether we had adequate staffing to cope. We utilised the reasonable workloads

principles and were able to ascertain that we could not accept this patient without putting nurse and patient safety at risk.’ Staffing on a shift at Merriwa Hospital comprises one RN and one EN. Michelle Turnbull is a member of a newly formed Reasonable Workloads Committee (RWC), established after workplace training by NSWNA. Because of its small size, Merriwa grouped with a number of smaller hospitals in the Hunter region to form an RWC. The RWC for Merriwa, Murrurundi and Denman Hospital was about to hold its first meeting as The Lamp went to print.

‘Recruitment and retention of nurses is a major theme for us all and we’ll be discussing this at the first meeting,’ said Michelle.

Michelle Turnbull with NSWNA members at Merriwa Hospital

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STATE SUPER SAS Trustee Corporation STC advertorial

SASS — Maximising Your Employer Financed Benefit SASS — State Authorities Superannuation Scheme The flexible contribution system SASS offers lets you select a personal contribution rate of from 1% to 9% each year. However, if your contribution rate during your membership is less than an average of 6% each year, it means that you have not accrued your maximum available employer financed benefits. You could be missing out on many thousands of dollars in employer superannuation contributions towards the SASS benefits payable at retirement or on earlier exit due to retrenchment, disability or death if your average contribution rate is less than 6%. For a personal contribution of 1% of your salary for one year, you accrue 1 employer financed benefit point worth 2.5% of your final average salary on retirement — and, in addition to the employer financed benefit, you get your own contributions back with interest. The employer financed benefit alone could be worth more than 4 times your final average salary.

What to do? You can make up for some, if not all, contribution rates of less than 6% in the earlier years of your membership by contributing, in the future, at 7%, 8%, or 9% of your salary. An election to change your contribution rate is provided to you with the SASS annual benefit statement we send you towards the end of each year. Example: If you have contributed to SASS at the rate of 5% each year for the 12 years you have been a member you will have accrued 60 benefit points (12 years x 5 points each year) instead of a potential maximum of 72 points (12 x 6) over that period. You can pick up the backlog of 12 points and maximise your benefit entitlement by contributing 7% of your salary for the next 12 years, or 8% for the next 6 years, or 9% for the next 4 years. You should consider having a goal to achieve that magic average contribution rate of 6% each year. That way, you don’t miss out on any of your employer financed benefit. But don’t despair if you think you don’t have enough years of future membership left to fully make up for those previous years in which you contributed at less than 6%. Future contributions above 6% will still ensure that you are at least making up some of the difference and getting a larger benefit financed by your employer. Notes: There are limits on the accrual of benefit points of 6 (average) for each year of membership and 180 in total. Different benefit point accrual rules, benefit point values and retirement ages apply to certain SASS members — please check your SASS annual benefit statement or call Customer Service for details. All your personal contributions, including those in excess of 6% average over your period of membership, will accrue and be paid to you with accrued interest at the time your benefit is paid.

For more information go to www.statesuper.nsw.gov.au or call Customer Service on 1300 130 096, from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday for the cost of a local call (except from a mobile or pay phone). Reasonable care has been taken in producing the information in this advertorial and nothing in it is to be regarded as personal advice. If there is any inconsistency between this advertorial and the relevant scheme legislation, the scheme legislation will prevail. Neither the SAS Trustee Corporation nor its respective Boards or officers will be liable for any decision taken on the basis of information shown or omitted from this advertorial. Members should seek professional advice before making decisions which may affect their future. SASSMYEFB06/03 LAMP05/05

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A G E N D A

HOWARD’S CHOICE FOR EMPLOYEES:

take it or lose your job How AWAs have been used to rip employees off

ith his cool looks, spunky partner and chic restaurant, Pink Salt’s boss Evan Hansimikali is an unlikely looking

class warrior. But an exchange between Evan and his sous-chef Stewart in a recent episode of Channel Seven’s My Restaurant Rules on prime-time television has given Australian workers an illuminating insight into the workplace ideology now being championed by the Howard government. Stewart had realised the boss had unilaterally stopped paying staff award rates. He confronted Evan after he was paid $300 less than he expected. ‘I thought we were all on casual ... Now we are all on wages? No one has talked to us. No one has shown us where our pay slips are. No one’s shown us our tax, no one’s shown us our super,’ he said. ‘I’m getting the forms so you can sign the AWAs (individual contracts),’ replied Hansimikali. Stewart estimated he would now be paid about $10 an hour. Pink Salt had made $82,000 the previous week.

AWAs are the tool the Howard government has given employers like Evan so they can impose a take-itor-leave-it ultimatum on their staff. Australia is the only country in the democratic world where an employer can refuse to negotiate with a union, demanding instead that employees sign individual contracts that remove their rights to collective bargaining and representation. Employees who refuse to sign an individual contract generally do not receive the wage increases and other benefits that go to those who do sign. They can even be locked out by the employer until they do, as occurred at the G&K O’Connor meatworks.

‘A group of mothers was sacked at a Victorian mushroom farm after they refused to sign up to a 25% pay cut under AWAs.’ In 2001, Channel 9’s Sunday program exposed criminal tactics, incitement to violence, perjury, frame-ups and the use of undercover spies in a three-year drive to cut workers’ wages using AWAs at the G&K O’Connor Meatworks at Pakenham, near Melbourne.

Last year in another notorious case, a group of mothers was sacked at a Victorian mushroom farm, Merbein, after they refused to sign up to a 25% pay cut under AWAs. The six women were the only members of the workforce of about 45 who refused to sign the individual contracts. The new contracts cut their pay by an average of around $150 per week. Some of the women had worked for the company as mushroom pickers for nearly eight years, but were classified as ‘casuals’ and received less than $1,000 in termination pay. NSWNA General Secretary Brett Holmes says AWAs are a deliberate strategy by the Howard government to undermine unions and collective bargaining. ‘They are an obnoxious tool for employers to cut pay and conditions. They contravene internationally recognised rights. They are inefficient, ineffective and unfair. Employees should resist signing them and stick with their union.’

WHAT IS AN AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACE AGREEMENT? . AWAs are individual contracts. . They are secret and unreviewable.

. The only way to challenge a decision of the Employment Advocate who is responsible for secretly reviewing AWAs is through the High Court on a question of law.

. The federal government has championed them for nine years yet less than 2.4 per cent of the workforce is covered by AWAs.

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

The global nurse shortage g Nursing has become a valued international commodity as countries around the world experience crippling shortages of qualified nurses. How serious are the shortages, and what are governments doing about them?

The Lamp looks at diverse examples from Australia, Britain and the Philippines to illustrate the global nature of the nursing crisis.

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I S S U E S

Much talk, little action from Australian governments

Protests by student nurses at Sydney University

ustralia’s severe shortage of nurses is likely to get much worse when 40% of the nursing workforce who are 45 or older, retire in the next 10-15 years. So you would expect governments to be taking firm action now to prevent a dangerous scenario unfolding. But federal and state governments so far have been all talk and little action. This year Australian universities again turned away thousands of qualified applicants for nursing degrees. For example, in NSW, Charles Sturt University distance education nursing course attracted 500 applicants for 100 places. Much of the blame lies with the federal government which provided only an additional 400 university nursing places for 2005 in last year’s budget. The government chose to ignore an expert study by Professor Warren Hogan, which recommended an extra 2,700 nursing places over the next three years, starting with 1,000 places in 2005. The government’s drive to shift higher education costs to consumers is also to blame. Universities must raise an increasing proportion of their funds from student fees. But they are not permitted to increase fees for nursing and teaching which are regarded as ‘National Priority Student’ places. This barrier to putting up fees largely explains last year’s decision by the University of Sydney to opt out of undergraduate nurse education and transfer places to other institutions. Nursing students already enrolled at Sydney University have been permitted to remain until they complete their courses. But as one student, Karoline Morwitzer, told The Lamp: ‘We are feeling disillusioned because we feel the course has been devalued.’

Karoline said it was deplorable that students had to fight to get guarantees from university authorities that essential services such as the nursing faculty library would remain open. In a series of actions late last year, students occupied administration offices and picketed a meeting of the University Senate. Karoline said posters advertising student meetings were torn down by university authorities who also brought in the police tactical response group to confront a peaceful student picket. Faced with insufficient graduate nurses, Premier Bob Carr has promised to recruit 300 interstate and overseas nurses this year. NSW Nurses’ Association General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said the union welcomed every effort by the government to get more nurses. ‘But it’s also important to retain the people we already have in the system and ensure that the working conditions of nurses improve. Then maybe the people who have left nursing will say it is worthwhile coming back,’ Brett said. There are some 90,000 registered nurses in NSW, but only about 33,000 working in the NSW public health system. There is a mass exodus of nurses, trained and experienced, from our hospitals and that’s the problem the government has to address. That’s precisely why the NSW Nurses’ Association is campaigning for higher salaries. A decent pay rise will make nursing a more attractive career, drawing more staff back into the public health system. As staff numbers increase, the workload will ease, giving nurses more encouragement to stay on. Our campaign gives the NSW government a chance to put its money where its mouth is.

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IN THE TERRITORY:

IN THE UK:

Hospitals cut agency nurse pay

REGISTRATION TEST FOLLOWS INFLUX OF FOREIGN NURSES

orthern Territory hospitals are paying short-term agency nurses two-thirds Greg Rickard, NT more than resident Health Department’s nurses in order to principal nursing lure staff from advisor southern states. The pay gap is causing ‘huge resentment’, the Territory’s Health Department admits. The department has now decided to

progressively reduce agency nurse pay to the same hourly rate as resident nurses, while it runs a campaign to recruit more resident nurses. The department’s principal nursing advisor, Greg Rickard, cited the town of Katherine as an example of the pay gap, where resident nurses earn $30 an hour and agency nurses $50. He said agency nurses recruited on short-term contracts through private agents were sometimes working on $50 an hour, plus free accommodation, return airfares and free STD calls.

IN THE PHILIPPINES:

Doctors want to be nurses he Philippines is exporting more nurses than it is producing, leading to a severe drop in the quality of hospital care and even forcing some hospitals to close. Almost 90,000 nurses left the Philippines in the last 10 years, according to the National Institute of Health. So great is the lure of a foreign nursing salary that experienced Filipino doctors are studying nursing with the aim of working abroad. In the last four years, 3,500 Filipino doctors left the country to take on nursing jobs overseas, the institute reported. The Philippines supplies an estimated 25% of all overseas nurses worldwide. More than half are in

In the last four years, 3,500 Filipino doctors left to take nursing jobs overseas. Saudi Arabia, 14% in the USA and 12% in the UK. About 10% of the country’s 2,500 hospitals have shut down in the past three years, mainly because of the loss of doctors and nurses to jobs overseas, according to a study by the Philippine Centre for Investigative Journalism. In 2002, 11,911 nurses chose to work abroad compared to the 4,228 students who graduated as nurses.

The number of overseas nurses registering to work in Britain has risen fourfold in the past five years, prompting UK authorities to announce a more rigorous registration program. The number of annual overseas registrations in the UK rose from 3,621 in 1998-99 to 14,122 in 2003-2004. There is ‘widespread concern that many overseas-trained nurses are thrown straight into practice without proper preparation and little or no understanding of the cultural differences and expectations of patients,’ according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council which regulates nurses in the UK. The council announced a new Overseas Nurses Program, which must be successfully completed before the council will register applicants. The program, to be introduced from September 2005, includes:

Common entry standards regardless of where the nurse was trained.

A compulsory 20-day period of ‘protected learning’ for all nurses trained outside the European Economic Area.

A period of supervised practice of between three and nine months for applicants assessed as needing more training or education to bring them up to UK standards.

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COMPETITION

WIN! FANTASTIC FICTION Need a good read? You could win a fantastic fiction prize from Random House and the NSWNA. We are giving away a selection of best-selling titles such as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Deception Point or Digital Fortress; Past Mortem by Ben Elton, Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, The Broker or The Painted House by John Grisham, The Touch by Colleen McCullough, Sunset in St Tropez by Danielle Steel, Kilroy Was Here by Kris Olsson, After the Rain by Thomas Christopher Greene, A Foreign Affair by Valerie Barnes, Come Away With Me by Sarah McDonald, Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, Too Much Tuscan Sun by Dario Castagno, or The Patient by Michael Palmer.

Make the

➔ right

move

To win, write your name, membership number and address on the back of an envelope, along with the name of the book you want to win, and send it to:

The Lamp/Random House competition PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Conditions of entry Open to NSWNA members only. Competition closes 1 June. One prize per member only. Winners’ names are not published for privacy reasons.

NURSECOVER a legal plan for members of the NSWNA Members now get relevant legal advice and representation for all sorts of workplace issues such as having to appear before the Coroner’s Court, the Health Care Complaints Commission or the Nurses’ Registration Board and of course the alltoo-common problem for nurses work injuries and the tangled web that is called the ‘workers compensation system’. You are also entitled to have one free standard will drawn up and one free consultation in relation to other legal problems. But what happens when you need a solicitor for anything else? Legal costs can be crippling and it’s virtually impossible to get legal aid these days. For $2.50 a week, you will get access to a whole range of discounted legal services. For more information on NURSECOVER, ring the NSWNA on 1300 367 962 or go to www.nswnurses.asn.au

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Q & A

ASK

JUDITH

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS AT WORK, NSWNA ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY JUDITH KIEJDA HAS THE ANSWERS. THIS MONTH JUDITH TALKS ABOUT THE AGED CARE WAGES CASE.

When will we get the pay rise?

Non-members will lose

When will we get the pay rise and will it be backdated?

One of my workmates has been sneering at me saying that she will get the wage increase without being in the union. What should I say to her?

The first 6% pay rise is effective from the beginning of your first full pay period that commences on or after 30 March 2005.You will get back pay to this date.

Who does it cover? Does it cover all classifications of nurses including CSEs?

This increase is payable to all RNs (including managerial grades, nurse educators etc.), ENs and AiNs employed under the Nursing Homes Award. If you are classified as a CSE or PCA you will not get the increases.

Why not pay parity? How come we didn’t get parity with the public hospital nurses?

While the Commission ruled that wage parity with public hospitals would not apply, it also said that the difference should not be great. This pay rise is a substantial step in minimising the differences and puts NSW aged care nurses closer to their public hospital counterparts than in any other state. The NSWNA is committed to continuing to close the gap.

In the beginning she might think it is clever to save a few dollars a week while picking up a pay increase that was won by her colleagues. But everyone, including her, is the weaker for it. The more people we have in the union, the better the results we will be able to achieve in the future.

Employers can afford to pay I’ve been reading in the paper that employers say they can’t afford this wage increase and it will lead to a loss of jobs. Should I be concerned about getting the sack?

Employers devoted the majority of their time and resources in their case in the Commission to this false claim. It was unequivocally rejected by the independent umpire. The Commission accepted the NSWNA’s case that included evidence from a highly-respected independent financial analyst that employers could afford to pay the increase. The pay increase can be delivered without an impact on jobs.

If your employer tells you that they will have to cut nursing hours to pay for the pay rise, you should ring the Association immediately.

Where to from here? Thanks for the pay rise, it’s certainly welcome and deserved! Where do we go to from here to improve our workplaces in aged care?

The campaign to get a Fair Share For Aged Care is going to be long and this is a good first step to improve the sector. Fixing pay, improving working conditions and increasing funding will all be important to make the sector better for employees and residents alike. We also need to change the culture within many workplaces – to eliminate bullying, for example. That will involve improving work relationships. The key to maintaining the momentum so we achieve these goals is to grow the union in the sector. We need to tell our workmates about the pay increase and how it was achieved and to convince them working together through the union is how we can make things even better.

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A C C O U N T S

Summary of the Financial Report of the New South Wales Nurses’ Association he financial report of the Association has been audited in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act, 1991 (NSW) 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 auditors' report and financial report will be supplied free of charge to members on request. Certificates required to be given under the Act by the Accounting Officer and the Council have been completed in accordance with the provisions of the Act and contain no qualifications.

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.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2004 INCOME

2004 ($)

2003 ($)

Subscriptions Other Income

16,667,629 1,291,827

14,867,622 1,200,698

TOTAL INCOME LESS TOTAL EXPENDITURE

17,959,456 16,039,340

16,068,320 15,173,300

1,920,116 0

895,020 500,000

14,300,585 16,220,701

13,905,565 14,300,585

SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR Less transfer to Legal Reserve ACCUMULATED FUNDS AT BEGINNING OF YEAR ACCUMULATED FUNDS AT END OF YEAR

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2004 2004 ($) ACCUMULATED FUNDS LEGAL RESERVE

2005 ($)

16,220,701 750,000

14,300,585 750,000

16,970,701

15,050,585

Represented by: ASSETS Current Assets Investments Fixed Assets

698,381 12,921,172 7,082,968

1,133,202 10,134,721 7,416,095

TOTAL ASSETS LESS TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES

20,702,521 3,731,820

18,684,018 3,633,433

NET ASSETS

16,970,701

15,050,585

AUDITORS’ CERTIFICATE We certify that the attached Summary is a fair and accurate Summary of the financial report of the New South Wales Nurses’ Association for the year ended 31 December 2004. Our Auditors' Report dated 5 April 2004 on the financial report did not contain 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.

A J WILLIAMS & CO, Chartered Accountant, D S MCLEAN, Registered Company Auditor Sydney NSW 2000, 5 April 2005.

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M E D I A

When nursing puts you in the legal spotlight g A nurse caught up in a high-profile court case learned some important lessons about talking to police and getting advice from the NSWNA.

Michael Grant

ichael Grant happened to be working in the RPAH emergency department one night when a blood sample went missing from one of his patients. Michael didn’t think much about it until he got a call from the police a couple of weeks later. The case was to be examined by the Police Integrity Commission to investigate whether the blood sample went missing through corruption or simply by accident, and Michael had to give evidence in court. He started giving a statement to police at Bondi police station when a colleague rang to advise him to not say anything else until he had spoken to the NSWNA. Once Michael contacted the NSWNA, he found out more about his rights. ‘It was really important advice I got from the union. Some of the things that I had been saying to the police officer at Bondi may not have been appropriate. Just little comments, saying things like: “he was drunk”, rather than “he smelled of alcohol

and he lost his balance”.You can’t make those assumptions in a court of law.’ Michael drew up his statement with a lawyer from the NSWNA. The NSWNA also organised legal representation for Michael in court, as well as counselling about the case. Michael had just come off night duty one morning and was told that he was expected in court that day. ‘So I was sitting in court all day, wanting to sleep but not being able to. By the time I got on the stand I was a bit messy, yawning and rubbing my eyes. The NSWNA lawyer asked the commissioner to excuse me as I’d been on night duty.’ Michael was on the stand for two and a half hours. He recalled how he had been working a shift on 13 October when a well-dressed man arrived at the ED. ‘He’d had a car accident,’ recalls Michael. ‘We got him into bed and the doctor came and looked at him.’ Michael watched the doctor take the blood sample. ‘I asked the doctor if he put the blood sample in the box, which is what you have to do. The blood sample that was supposed to go in the box went missing, which launched an inquiry by the Police

Integrity Commission. It was eventually revealed that the judge was in possession of the missing blood sample, though it is unclear how it came into his possession. ‘In court they kept on focusing on what happened after the blood was drawn,’ says Michael. ‘As much as you think you might know the story, you can only say what you know to be true and what you witnessed.’ The commissioner allowed Michael to go home for a good night’s sleep before he faced cross-examination the next day. At the end of the case, the commissioner praised Michael’s account. ‘The story I gave was clear, straightforward and not confused. I can only put that down to the fact that I went over it so many times with the lawyers from the NSWNA.’ When Michael left court, press photographers followed him down the street and his photo appeared in several newspapers as a key witness in the case. Michael says he learned an important lesson from the experience. ‘I don’t think I’d even consider making a statement without talking to the hospital’s medico-legal department and the NSWNA. If there’s any chance you might go to court, go straight to the union.You pay your union fees for a reason and they’ve got the resources, they’re there to help you. It was certainly helpful for me.’

MAKING A STATEMENT If you are present during a patient death, injury or serious incident, you may be asked to make a statement about what happened. You can be asked to make a statement to police, your employer, the Health Care Complaints Commission, the Nurses’ and Midwives’ Registration Board or civil lawyers. These authorities may approach you directly, but that doesn’t mean you can’t seek advice first. Generally, the statement should be a factual account of what you saw, did or heard – not your opinion or what you think another person saw or heard. If you are asked to make a statement: 1. Contact the NSWNA straight away for advice. 2. Prepare a draft of what happened, using only the facts, but do not submit it. 3. Submit a copy to the NSWNA so we can provide legal advice. 4. Remember, the NSWNA is here to protect you and your rights. T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 3 5

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Trust helps Lois’ RN dream come true g When Lois Barker decided to change her enrolled nursing qualification to a registered nursing degree, she not only had to tackle the challenge of university but discovered a surprising difference in her new job.

t had been a long time between classes for EN Lois Barker when she went back to university to study to become an RN. ‘It was very scary, it had been many years since I’d been to school,’ says Lois. Like many ENs, Lois had always wanted to become an RN but family commitments and financial pressures had made it too difficult. However, when a bridging course for ENs opened at Wollongong University, Lois saw her chance. She also applied for a scholarship with the Edith Cavell Trust, which eventually awarded her $2000 to help with her studies. Going back to university as a matureage student was both rewarding and challenging for Lois. She wasn’t confident with her maths skills, and so studied over the holidays to catch up. ‘Anyone can go to university, as long as you apply yourself,’ she says. Studying at a mature age also gave her a good perspective on the relevance of her studies. ‘I loved getting the education at a mature age of life. Some of the younger people were frustrated with the assignments but I enjoyed them.’ The Edith Cavell Trust scholarship allowed Lois to broaden her clinical experiences as part of the course – she travelled to Broken Hill and Katherine. During her placement at Katherine she visited remote Aboriginal communities and worked in the clinics there. ‘I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the scholarship,’ says Lois.

Lois graduated from her degree in nursing last year and now works at Shoalhaven Hospital. She says there was a surprising difference in changing from an EN to an RN. ‘I know a lot of ENs think that enrolled nursing is the “real” nursing, because you’re doing the showers and you have the patient contact. But you can still do that as an RN and can still give that hands-on care,’ she says.

‘The Edith Cavell Trust scholarship allowed Lois to broaden her clinical experiences as part of the course – she travelled to Broken Hill and Katherine.’ ‘Being an RN is so different to being an enrolled nurse. And I never would have guessed the difference was so great. It’s the responsibility. Working for years as an EN you would just report to the RN. Now if I know my patient is in pain I can do something about that, I don’t have to wait for another person,’ she says. ‘I just absolutely love it. I go to work every day with a smile on my face and come home with a smile on my face, even though I’m so tired.’

Clockwise from top: the landscape of Broken Hill, Broken Hill Hospital, Lois Barker on her graduation. T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 3 7

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O B I T U A RY

A tribute to Char Charmaine ‘Char’ Cook (nee Whitney) 25 December 1951 – 24 June 2004

he Mater at Newcastle is a special hospital. Each department has a close-knit group of people working together. Our intensive care unit has seen many staff come

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and go. One of the ‘old timers’ we hoped would be with us for many more years is no longer with us. Soon after meeting Char you realised what a lovely person she was. Char loved to share, especially her experiences, some in great detail. She shared her vast knowledge in a way that didn’t threaten others, but empowered people, making them wiser. And, of course, Char shared her love. She was willing to accept people whoever they were, and meet people wherever they were at. It didn’t matter who, when, or where, Char was always ready to listen, to offer advice or just give a hug. Our unit will never be the same as it’s our Mater family, and we’ve lost a sister. Char had an ability to comfort, support and nurture every grieving friend or relative. It made Char feel good that she was helping others. Her name always featured in the thank you cards we received, a true

‘Char loved to share, especially her experiences, some in great detail. She shared her vast knowledge in a way that didn’t threaten others, but empowered people, making them wiser.’ acknowledgement that she had made a difference in people’s time of need. Charmaine’s family and extended family were what mattered most. She loved them dearly and wanted to be there for each and every one of them. She loved being with them and we thank them for sharing Char with us.

FROM FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES AT THE MATER ICU, NEWCASTLE

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TIPS FROM MEMBERS WHO KNOW

All in the mind g Feeling stressed and anxious after a hectic shift? Then meditation may be able to help you, says Susan Ashton, a community nurse from Port Macquarie. usan realised the benefits of mediation when she began practising it 15 years ago. ‘Learning how to meditate helped me to be more objective in my nursing. What I’ve learned through meditation is the ability to witness, and encourage others to express themselves from a deeper part of themselves,’ she says. When she’s not nursing, Susan runs a natural health practice, including guided relaxation and meditation classes. Meditation has moved from mysticism to science in recent years, as researchers uncover the growing number of physical benefits. The most evident physiological benefit of meditation is that it lowers blood pressure. It is also proven to decrease anxiety and gives people a greater ability to deal with stress. ‘We’re all so busy with hectic lives – stress creates a speeding up of all these physiological processes in the body,’ explains Susan. ‘If we can take the time to be still, relaxed and slow down, we offer some equilibrium to the body. Everything begins to slow down. The mind becomes more tranquil.’

Other proven benefits to meditation include helping people with depression, cardiac problems, arthritis, and even skin conditions like psoriasis. ‘Making time to meditate is taking time to look after yourself.’ Says Susan. ‘We often talk about the mind, body and spirit, but the spirit sometimes gets left behind and doesn’t get nurtured. That’s what meditation can do – nurture your spirit.’

Susan’s meditation tips Meditation should be done on a regular basis. It takes practice – it’s like if you go to the gym, you don’t get fit from one session. I recommend starting with 10-15 minutes, three times a week. Time is always a dilemma for nurses. You need a place that’s quiet and free from distractions and interruptions. Sit in a comfortable chair, you don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor. Meditate at the same time in the same place each time so you create a rhythm.

Close your eyes. Then just sit and watch your breath. Watch the in-breath and the out-breath. Imagine with each inbreath you’re breathing in oxygen, rejuvenating and refreshing the body.You can use the visualisation of light or refreshing energy entering the body. With each out-breath, imagine letting go. Let go of work and family stresses, emotional baggage. Breath them out, let them go. Watch what happens by following your breath for ten minutes. A lot of thoughts may begin to invade the mind. Acknowledge each thought, put it aside, and think, ‘I’ll deal with that later, I’m having my quiet time now.’ Take yourself to a place in nature. Visualise that place in as much detail as you can. Imagine the dirt under your feet, feel the trunk of a tree with your hand, take in the smells of that place, the sounds.

To find out more about meditation, visit Susan’s website, www.rainbowconnection.com.au. She has her own guided meditation CDs available.

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Courses in Complementary Medicine Nature Care College College Open Day - 30 April Discover an avenue to personal growth • Aromatherapy • Energetic Healing • Herbal Medicine

• Lymphatic Drainage • Massage • Meditation

• Naturopathy • Nutrition • Reflexology

Phone today to receive your free Open Day leaflet and Term 2 magazine. Short courses • Weekend intensives • Professional Training Programs

Australia’s leading and most respected College of Natural Medicine Phone 02 9438 3333 4 0 T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5

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www.naturecare.com.au

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L I F E S T Y L E

Book me Dirt Cheap: Life at the wrong end of the job market

Doing it Down Under: The sexual lives of Australians

by Elisabeth Wynhausen, Pan Macmillan, RRP $30 Is it possible to live on the minimum wage in Australia? Elisabeth Wynhausen, a journalist from The Australian, decided to find out by going undercover for a year to work as a factory hand, check-out chick, cleaner, and a kitchen hand in a nursing home. Her account of sorting eggs, washing dishes and serving lunches is delivered with incisive humour as she struggles to live on the $12.95 hourly wage she earns. She found casual work in a nursing home, where she ‘stumbled across a commode that hadn’t been emptied, gagged and rushed to gulp some air in the corridor’. ‘I stood there a minute to remind myself that I would be spending a few days doing what thousands of underpaid workers do every day.’ The most poignant moments in Dirt Cheap are when Wynhausen talks about the lives of her minimum wage co-workers: men and women with little money and scant respect who struggle on regardless. While Wynhausen concludes workers may be able to just get by on the minimum wage if they work full-time, Australian workers are increasingly being offered casual work only, with no sick pay or even a guarantee of their next shift. But perhaps the real price of minimum wage work is the complete powerlessness: time and again Wynhausen comes up against managerial stupidity, bullying and indifference, and yet her coworkers never challenge their lot. As the federal government moves to dismantle the minimum wage, Dirt Cheap serves as an important reminder of the unseen lives of the working poor.

by Juliet Richters and Chris Rissel, Allen and Unwin, RRP $22.95 If you’ve ever wondered what Australians get up to between the sheets, Doing it Down Under reveals all with one of the largest ever surveys on the sex lives of 19,307 Australians. Written in a simple, forthright style, the book covers the average age for first-timers, number of partners, contraception, kinky sex, safe sex, pregnancy and sexual attitudes.

Emergency law, 2nd edition by Michael Eburn,The Federation Press, RRP $34.95 With an increasing number of people suing over incidents in emergency care, it’s more important than ever for nurses to understand their legal obligations. Emergency Law covers legal responsibilities when offering care and the tricky framework of the law.

WHERE TO GET

MAY NEW RELEASES

Basic Clinical Dialysis Edited by David Harris, Grahame Elder, Lukas Kairaitis and Gopala Rangan, McGraw Hill Medical, RRP $44.95 Basic Clinical Dialysis is a reference guide to the clinical care and management of chronic kidney disease through dialysis.The book covers all the basic aspects of care, including kidney function, infection control, haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and acute dialysis.

Scarlet poppies: The army experience of Australian nurses during World War One By Ruth Rae,The College of Nursing, RRP $25 In the bloody battlefields of World War One, nurses were there all the way, often risking their lives to pick injured soldiers off the front line. Scarlet Poppies gives a thorough account of nurses’ roles in the war, and includes detailed histories of the political and military events that shaped nurses’ experiences. Scarlet Poppies is available from the College of Nursing, phone 9745 7500. These books are all available on order through the publisher or your local bookshop. Members of the NSWNA can borrow any of these books and more from our Records and Information Centre. For borrowing information, contact Jeannette Bromfield, 8595 2175, jbromfield@nswnurses.asn.au or Cathy Matias, 8595 2121, cmatias@nswnurses.asn.au T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 4 1

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CRoSSWoRD

Test your knowledge with The Lampâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nursing crossword 2

10 11

15 18

21 22

s 1. 4. 8. 10. 12. 13. 15. 20. 24. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31.

ACROSS The state of being tranquilised (8) Solution of sodium chloride and water (6) Relating to the thorax (8) Punctual, on time (5) To stretch or hold out; extend (5) Severe headaches (9) Pins and needles (12) An instrument to measure temperature (12) Inflammation of the retina (10) Blood-sucking parasite (5) To artificially initiate pregnancy (6) Derivative of opium used for severe pain (8) The whole organisation of the body (6) Number or volume of individual cases (8)

Solution page 45

s 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. 9. 11. 14. 16. 17. 18. 19. 21. 22. 23. 25. 26.

DOWN Stitches to close a wound (6) The windpipe (7) A sedative (5) Large artery from the left ventricle of the heart (5) To create resistance to diseases and antigens (8) Ear nose and throat, abbrev (1.1.1) Relating to the mouth (4) Non-government organisations, abbrev (1.1.1.1) Cotton wool or gauze (4) Enters into hospital (6) Digit (3) Hormones including progesterone and prednisone (8) Basic compounds of protein (8) The return of disease after convalescence (7) Colloquial doctor (6) Type of worm (6) The position of an organism in an ecosystem (5) An artificial opening for feeding (5) T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5 4 3

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D I A RY D AT E S

Conferences, seminars, meetings SYDNEY, HUNTER & ILLAWARRA Holistic Nurses Assoc. of NSW Date: First Tuesday each month, 7pm Venue: Macquarie Hospital, North Ryde Details: Kate Belfield 9634 3924 Infection Control Assoc. NSW Southern Metro Interest Group Date: First Wednesday each month, 2pm Venue: Rozelle Hospital Details: Jan O’Hara, 9556 9179, jan.ohara@email.cs.nsw.gov.au Sydney Hospital Graduate Nurses’ Assoc. Date: 3rd Wednesday each month, 10.30am, commencing Feb 05 Venue: Nightingale Wing of Sydney Hospital Details: Karys (Hall) Fearon 4323 1849; Jeanette Fox, 4751 4829 Gosford Hospital Midwifery Conference ‘Midwifery: New Life, New Challenges’ Date: 6 May Venue: Apollo Resort, Wamberal Details: Penny McCulloch, 4320 2111, pager 18292, pmucculloch@doh.health.nsw.gov.au

Venue: Bravo Trattoria & Gelato Bar/Crows Nest Details: Tracy Cosgrove 9926 8200, tracycosgrov&doh.health.nsw.gov.au Archives Exhibition Open Day (International Nurses Day celebrations) Date: 13 May 10-4pm Venue: The College of Nursing Details: Lynne Hille on 02 9745 7512 or lhille@nursing.aust.edu.au International Nurses’ Day Masquerade Ball Date: 13 May Venue: City Beach Function Centre, Wollongong Details: Nevia Kusa, 4222 5214 Glen Barrington, 0402 000 841 NSW Urological Nurses Society (NUNS) Study Day ‘Genitourinary Trauma’ Date: 13 May 2005 Venue: Liverpool Hospital, Education Centre Details: Colleen McDonald, Westmead Hospital 9845 5555 page 01272 / Karina So Concord Hospital 9767 5000 Page 60264 Wound management Dates: 26&27 May Venue: Sydney University Details: Nada Dunda, 9351 0677, ndunda@nursing.usyd.edu.au

Neuroscience Nursing Dates: 5&6 May Venue: Sydney University Details: Nada Dunda, 9351 0677, ndunda@nursing.usyd.edu.au

NSW Lactation College Annual State Conference Date: 27 & 28 May 2005 Venue: Carlton Crest Hotel, Broadway Details: Margot Stivens AH 9797 1363 email melliffe@bigpond.net.au

Genetics and Breast Cancer CNSA – Sydney Date: 12 May

Nurses’ Christian Fellowship Professional Evening Date: 3 June

Venue: NCF, 5 Byfield Street, Macquarie Details: Diana Marshall, 9476 4440 CNSA – Sydney Executive Committee Meeting Date: 7 June Venue: Level 12 RNS Hospital Details: Tracy Cosgrove 9926 8200 ACAT meeting Date: 21 June Venue: Bankstown Hospital, L4 Details: Wendy Oliver, 9722 7300 Nursing and Allied Health Stroke conference ‘Smart Strokes’ Dates: 7&8 July Venue: Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney Details: Louise Pitney, 9437 9333, Louise@conferenceaction.com.au HIV, Sexual Health & Viral Hepatitis course Dates: 11-15 July Venue: RNSH Details: Carol Martin, 9926 6508, cmartin@doh.health.nsw.gov.au Infection Control Assoc. of NSW 28th Annual Conference Dates: 21 & 22 July Venue: Hilton Hotel, Sydney Details: Jan O’Hara, 9556 9179, jan.ohara@email.cs.nsw.gov.au Navigating Neuro Neuroscience Conference Date: 13 August Venue: Wollongong Hospital Details: Terri Penkis, 4222 5390, Narelle Walton 4253 4400 Westmead Midwifery Dinner ‘A Professional Evening for Midwives – Celebrating Midwifery’ Date: 2 September Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Parramatta Details: Sadie Dugdale,

Diary Dates Diary Dates is a free service for members. Please send information at least two months before the event, in the same format used here – event, date, venue, contact details. Send information to: Ms Glen Ginty Email: gginty@nswnurses.asn.au Fax: 9550 3667 Mail: PO Box 40 Camperdown NSW 1450 Please double-check all information sent is correct. The Lamp cannot guarantee that the issue will always be mailed in time for the listed event. Due to 4 4 T H E L A M P M AY 2 0 0 5

9845 5555, page 01793, or lesleyepotter@bigpond.com 5th Australian Update on HIV & Hepatitis C in Children & Families Dates: 22-24 September Venue: Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick Details: Kidest Nadew, 9382 1654, or NadewK@sesahs.nsw.gov.au Wound Care Assoc. of NSW conference Dates: 11&12 November Venue: Luna Park Conference Centre Details: Debbie Blanchfield, 4295 8203, or wcansw@lists.health.nsw.gov.au

INTERSTATE Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia conference ‘Moving Forward, Looking Back’ Dates: 23&24 June Venue: Rydges Capital Hill, Canberra 3rd Australasian Conference on Safety & Quality in Health Care ‘Evolution or Revolution!’ Dates: 11-13 July Venue: Adelaide Convention Centre Details: www.aaqhc.org.au /resources.asp, or aaqhc05@sapmea.asn.au South West Infection Control Association Quarterly Workshop Day Date: 1 June Venue: Henty Community Health Centre, Henty Details: Cheryl Fox 6933 9125 Neurosurgical Nursing Professional Development Scholarship Cttee 1 Day Conference Date: 3 June

F rom page 45 high demands on the page, some dates too close to publication or too far in the future may be cut.

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

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

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Desperately Seeking Margaret Geoffrey Margaret was born around 1946 in Newcastle and attended St Theresa’s School and new Lambton School. She trained as a nurse in Newcastle. If anyone knows Margaret, contact Jan Kilmurray, jan.kilmurray@mater.health.nsw.gov.au

Venue: Rydges Jamison Hotel, Sydney Details: Fiona Wilkie 9954 4400 nnpdsc@dcconferences.com.au ‘The Changing Face of Critical Care, Seminar 2005, Celebrating 31 years’ Date: 21 July Venue Stamford Grand Hotel, North Ryde Details: Vivienne East 0405 130 002, vivienne.east@email.cs.nsw.gov.au Partners in Pain: Patients Clinicians & Pain Management Date: 18-19 August Venue: Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour Details: Fiona Wilkie 9954 4400 Pinp@dcconferences.com.au CCSM: Chronic Condition Self Management Workshop Date: 19 August Venue: Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour Details: Fiona Wilkie 9954 4400 ccsm@dcconferences.com.au

Assoc. Neonatal Nurses NSW 3rd Annual Level II Clinical Practice Day Date: 27 August Venue: Blacktown Hospital Details: Jennifer Dawson 4734 2863, dawsonj@wahs.nsw.gov.au 8th Australian Palliative Care Conference 2005 Date: 30 August – 2 September Venue: Sydney Convention Centre Darling Harbour web: www.pallcare2005.com pallcare2005@tourhosts.com.au

Reunions Lewisham Hospital 30-year reunion PTS April 1975 Date and venue: TBA Details: Wendy Janick, 6925 0578, or Julie MacQueen (Conlan) 6686 7727 Prince Henry Trained Nurses’ Association International Nurses’ Day

Linen nurses needed! Can you volunteer to help us with our linen service? Just two hours a fortnight, making beds with clean linen for frail elderly people in Lane Cove. (It’s more fun with a friend – but if you can’t rally one, we’ll match you with one of ours!) Details: Lane Cove Community Aid Service 9427 6425 afternoon tea – all welcome Date: 12 May, 2pm Venue: Nursing museum, Prince Henry, Little Bay Details: RSVP 6 May, Lyn Smith 9387 4412 St Joseph’s Hospital Auburn Graduate Nurses’ Association and Associates reunion Date: 21 May Venue: St Joseph’s Hospital Details: Mary Rigby (Cameron) 4733 3862, rigbyfamily@ozemail.com.au Royal North Shore Hospital 5/82 reunion Date: 28 May 2005 Venue: Manly Pacific Hotel Details: Jacinta Kilpatrick Eaton 9948 6330 Maria Dunn 9971 5857 cin_ray@yahoo.com.au Western Suburbs Hospital Trained Nurses Association luncheon and reunion Date: 28 May

Venue: Burwood RSL Details: Lesley Potter, 9349 8387, lesleyepotter@bigpond.com RPAH 30-year reunion PTS September 1972 Date: TBA September Venue: Vanuatu for 5 nights!!! Details: ‘Don’ Stibbard, Stephen or Martha, 6629 5742, debraelfes@hotmail.com Reunion Renwick Infants Hospital (now Grosvenor Hospital) Date: 8 October 9.30am-3pm Details: Rae Watson (nee Botefur) 4446 5577 Heather Fallows (nee Stewart) 9747 3598 Orange Base Hospital PTS Feb and March 1981 Date and venue: TBA Details: Joyce Kennedy (Biggs), 6361 0408, jkenne14@postoffice.csu.edu.au

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