health unions

Staff shortages are not negativity but a fact

October 5, 2021 by Madeline Lucre Leave a Comment

Union [also known as a trade union] noun: an organisation of employees for mutual aid and protection, and for dealing collectively with employers. (Macquarie Dictionary, 2021)

Mr Hazzard, nurses and midwives on the frontline, and working across our public health system are the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association.

We are the union.

And just to clarify, not only have the NSW AMA and the NSWNMA voiced concerns about staff shortages, but so too has the HSU Ambulance Division.

This is not negativity, this is a fact! Frontline workers have been calling on the NSW state government to deliver safe staffing ratios for our state.

Our public health system does not have appropriate staffing levels. Our workloads are not sustainable. We were under pressure before the pandemic, and we are under even more pressure during a pandemic!

What will it take for the NSW government to listen to frontline workers?

It’s time the NSW government listened to the evidence that is literally in front of them, and properly staffed and resourced our health system.

Skye Romer, EN

Beefing up security isn’t the only way to make hospitals safer

November 15, 2019 by Nurse Uncut Editor Leave a Comment

The strike by NSW hospital staff over security concerns has highlighted just how serious the issue of workplace violence has become for health-care workers.

The Health Services Union, whose members include administration, cleaning and security staff, as well as paramedics and other health professionals, has reportedly called for measures including 250 more security guards across the state to better protect workers.

But tackling the growing problems of violence in our hospitals is about more than beefing up security numbers. Violence in our health-care system is also not limited to inner city hospitals, and it doesn’t just affect staff in emergency departments.

How big a problem is violence in our hospitals?

The levels of violence in hospitals have been steadily increasing across Australia.

For example, in NSW there was a 50% increase in the number of police-recorded assaults on hospital premises between 1996 and 2006. This number has continued to rise with an average increase of 5.8% a year between 2010 and 2015. In Western Australia, there was a 38% increase in assaults on nurses between 2017 and 2018.

Patients are the main source of this violence, and this includes the parents of children admitted to hospital.

Violence against health-care workers is also recognised internationally. The World Health Organisation sees it as a significant issue. And a US government report says many health-care workers see it as an inevitable part of their job.

Media attention is often focused on high-risk areas like the emergency department and mental health settings. However, violence occurs everywhere in the health-care system, from the community to hospital wards, even birthing suites.

The impact of violence on health-care staff includes physical and psychological reactions. Symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder such as sleeplessness, nightmares and flashbacks have been reported and can persist for up to 12 months.

Violence towards health-care staff has also been linked to perceived poorer patient care.

Where do security guards fit in?

Rising levels of violence against health-care workers suggest current security measures are not a sufficient deterrent.

Despite union calls for more security guards, an interim report NSW Health commissioned looking at how to improve hospital security did not recommend this.

But an increase in security guards is warranted when you consider that some rural and regional hospitals have minimal, or no security presence; staff in these facilities have to rely on the police for help if they encounter a violent patient.

In fact, staff in regional and remote areas experience the same levels of violence as their metropolitan colleagues.

A NSW Health spokesperson says the author of its hospital security report is visiting hospitals in rural and regional areas to understand their security challenges and this information will be included in the final report, due by the end of the year.

While an added security presence may be warranted in some circumstances, more security guards would not impact staff working outside hospitals, including paramedics and community nurses.

Then there’s the quality of security guards. Health is a unique environment where traditional security measures can be counter-productive. For instance, if guards use inappropriate communication when people are anxious and stressed they can increase the chance of a situation escalating.

What’s needed are specially trained health security guards, working with doctors and nurses, as part of a multidisciplinary rapid response team. This doctor-led team would be called in to manage violent behaviour, for instance to “take down” a violent patient.

The Health Services Union has reportedly called on the NSW government to commit A$50 million for a proactive security team at hospitals, including staff trained in mental health, drug and alcohol abuse.

This makes sense as patients under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, including ice, and those with mental health issues, are the ones most likely to be violent.

It’s not just about emergency departments

A spokesperson for NSW Health says A$19 million has been invested to improve security in emergency departments at public hospitals, and more than A$5 million to upgrade duress alarms for staff in emergency departments.

However violence in health care extends beyond the emergency department to all clinical specialities and beyond the walls of a hospital.

In a recent study of NSW nurses and midwives, staff discussed the physical design and layout of wards, and areas that should be secure but aren’t, as reasons they felt unsafe at work.

In particular, they described feeling unsafe returning to the car park in the dark, often with no security personnel present and in poorly lit conditions. Lack of duress alarms, poor placement of duress alarms or non-functioning duress alarms were also an issue.

Time for governments to act

The NSW interim report into hospital security acknowledges some shortcomings in the current management of violence in health care and as such is a positive step in reducing the risk to staff.

However, the persistent nature and increasing levels of the violence mean that the state government needs to prioritise the safety of all health-care staff.

Jacqui Pich, Lecturer in Nursing, University of Technology Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Union cooperation vital to improve health

September 4, 2017 by Rayan Calimlim

Health unions are working closely together to improve aged care staffing and defend public hospitals, Brett Holmes told annual conference.

Stronger cooperation among health unions has aided the battle to protect regional public hospitals and will be vital in advancing other campaigns such as better staffing of aged care, said NSWNMA General Secretary Brett Holmes.

Brett told the 2017 annual conference the NSWNMA had reached an agreement with the Health Services Union (HSU) on coverage of assistants in nursing (AiNs) and care service employees (CSEs).

“We recently signed a memorandum of understanding that sets out each of our union’s understanding of coverage issues and a way of dealing with disputes that have dogged us on and off over the last 17 years since the creation of the CSE category,” he said.

“This has kept us from being truly able to work together in aged care campaigns and has at times hampered our respective bargaining efforts.

“Nothing is ever solved overnight but I have hope.

“Our ability to truly work in coalition with other unions like HSU and the Doctors’ Union and the community is absolutely essential if we are to have any chance of winning.

“And we are seeing some of those wins in the fightback against the privatisation of regional hospitals.”

Brett said the NSWNMA joined forces with the HSU, the Doctors’ Union and Unions NSW to force the state government to back down on the privatisation of Goulburn, Bowral and Wyong hospitals.

“This campaign has certainly been one of strength in unity – with the community joining us at forums and rallies to reinforce the outrage and send a clear, strong message to the government that it is not okay to privatise our public hospitals.

“We forced Liberal MPs in Shellharbour and Bowral to listen to us and abandon their mission of finding the most ‘efficient’ model, and to promise they would do the right thing by the community.

“We influenced the narrative and changed the government’s own line of hospitals being delivered ‘faster, bigger and better’ to make this issue less about efficiency and more about the local community.”

The fight against privatisation is not overBrett said health unions would keep fighting to stop the privatisation of Maitland and Shellharbour hospitals.

He said delegates should not be swayed by the government’s recent announcement that it would seek a not-for-profit organisation to build and run the new Maitland Hospital.

“Although it is not a private profit-based corporation do not be fooled – this is the same deal.

“The government still hasn’t got it that ratios save lives, and the private sector for profit or not-for-profit simply don’t get it either.”

Brett said the new understanding with the HSU would allow the NSWNMA to focus on a national campaign to improve staffing and skills mix in aged care facilities.

He said the campaign to be launched later this year would focus on achieving staffing wins at a nationwide level.

“It is a big battle, delegates, and we will need each one of you to help the community understand that they can demand our government and our politicians step up to deliver the care our elders need and deserve.”

More members, more gains

General Secretary Brett Holmes has urged union members to encourage their work colleagues to join the NSWNMA in order to strengthen the campaign for improved and extended nurse-to-patient ratios.

He told the national conference the union’s campaign for improved ratios was achievable “if we draw on our collective strength. We won some ratios in 2011 and now – while the state budget is in surplus – is the time to demand the government take public health seriously and plan for our future.

“We know that the politicians will start listening when the next state election is near.

“We need a commitment from you, our members, to take action in 2018 and 2019 if we are to achieve a better outcome.

“There is strength in numbers but whether we make change is dependent on you, as delegates, to stand up with your colleagues, speak out when there is injustice – even if it seems it does not directly impact on your lives – and make sure the people working beside you are members.

“Sign them up, organise them and try to transform them into active and engaged members.”

Time to repair the Fair Work Act

Brett said nurses needed greater workplace bargaining power to overcome biased industrial laws.

The Fair Work Commission’s decision to cut penalty rates for some of Australia’s lowest-paid workers early this year showed how national industrial law has been rewritten to favour employers.

“We have already had attempts from two aged care operators to reduce weekend pay in their enterprise agreements.

“The so-called Fair Work Act is broken. There are now at least six legal processes with traps all along the way before we can force the employer to the table to bargain for an enterprise agreement in the federal system.

“Even then, they can sit there and simply say ‘no’.

“It is not an even playing field to negotiate on your behalf when governments have created an imbalance of power in favour of the employer.”