October 14, 2024

nursing in nsw

YOUR RIGHTS – This festive season

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When it comes to your rights and entitlements at work, NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish has the answers.

It has been a busy few months at the Association as work continues to win better lives for our members. We continue to focus on introducing real, enforceable ratios and are working hard to deliver a new safe staffing system that is transparent, accountable and enforceable.

We continue to work to ensure aged care workers in the private sector receive the full benefit of the funding provided for 15 per cent wage increases awarded by the Fair Work Commission’s decision, and ensuring the legislation requiring nurses 24/7 and a minimum number of nurse/care minutes per resident is being enforced.

But let’s get back to your existing workplace entitlements and ensuring you have access to what you are entitled to …

 

When can I access FACS leave?

I work at a public hospital in NSW and I have applied for Family and Community Services (FACS) leave due to some complicated circumstances where I had to provide urgent support to a member of my household. My manager has said that FACS leave does not apply. When can I access FACS leave? 

Clause 32 of the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2023 contains the provisions for granting of FACS leave and clause 4 of the NSW Health Leave Matters Policy Directive contains additional guidance. FACS leave has broader application than personal carers leave as it can be accessed for a range of personal and community service obligations, unplanned emergencies and pressing necessity. Sometimes there is debate about what a pressing necessity or unplanned emergency is, which can lead to your employer being reluctant to grant FACS leave. If you have had an application refused, please contact the Association for advice and assistance.

Association membership fees during parental leave

I am about to commence a period of parental leave. What happens to my membership and fees during this leave?

Members who commence a period of parental leave can request a parental leave fee waiver for the period of leave. During that time the following benefits will continue to be provided to the member:

basic guidance and support in relation to work

access to the online education portal iLearn, where a member can complete education to meet annual CPD obligations

access to discounts and savings on household 
goods and services through Member Advantage

continued subscription to the NSWNMA magazine, 
The Lamp.

At the end of a parental leave waiver, membership recommences, as does full coverage of NSWNMA services and benefits provided through membership. To request a parental leave waiver, 
members can contact our Membership team.

Repayment of Rural Workforce Incentive Scheme

I am working for NSW Health in a rural area of NSW and received a payment package under the Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme. I have been in my position for 13 months and am considering resigning. Is it true that if I do resign, that I will have to pay back the money that has already been paid to me? 

There has been a history of challenges in attracting and retaining health workers in particular rural areas of NSW. The Rural Workforce Incentive Scheme was developed to provide a range of financial and non-financial benefits to attract and retain employees at these locations. Health workers who receive payments under the conditions of this scheme and leave their role within 18 months of receiving the incentive may be required to make repayment of all or some of the money paid. The policy has not been clear or evenly applied and, through advocacy by the Association, is being redrafted to provide more transparency and fairness. Please contact the Association for further details of what repayment may apply to you in your situation.

What are the public holidays over Christmas 2023?

The public holidays coming up over the Christmas period are:

Monday 25 December (Christmas Day)

Tuesday 26 December 
(Boxing Day)

Monday 1 January 2024 
(New Year’s Day)

Generally, you should get a penalty if you are required to work on a public holiday. If you need further advice, please contact the Association.

Leave approvals for Christmas

My manager has declined my annual leave request for the Christmas period. I always take Christmas off and this is something I have done for many years. Is this allowed?

Annual leave approvals should be considered by the manager, who will need to balance all staff requests during holiday periods when more staff wish to access leave. Approvals may need to take into consideration if a staff member has previously been 
granted leave over Christmas periods, to balance granting leave to employees who may not have previously received leave during those periods. Those who have had the Christmas period off in recent years might, unfortunately, have to work through Christmas to allow others an opportunity to have the festive break. You should discuss your application and the reasons it was not approved with your manager, to see what alternatives are available to you. You can also contact the Association 
for advice.

Christmas shutdown

I work for a public hospital and my NUM has told me that our unit will close over Christmas and I have to take my annual leave. Is this true?

Shutdowns can occur over the Christmas/New Year period and annual leave is encouraged if you are not providing essential services. Managers are encouraged to release employees wherever possible and, in many workplaces, can direct staff to take leave with reasonable notice. If you work in a unit such as operating theatres, elective surgeries would stop but emergency surgeries would still occur. Staff can elect to take annual leave and others may be redeployed to other wards if available as long as the nurse is not working outside of their scope of practice. Shutdowns can occur in both the public and private systems. You can contact the Association for advice.

Increases in parental leave

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New laws introduced to federal parliament in October will allow for families to access 26 weeks of paid parental leave by 2026.

This is the largest increase to paid parental leave since the beginning of the scheme in 2011. This follows previous changes made by the Albanese Government that started from 1 July 2023, to make the scheme more accessible, flexible and gender-equitable.

Parents already have access to 20 weeks of paid leave, but under the changes that amount will increase by two weeks each year from July 2024, until the 26-week rate is reached in 2026.

Once the scheme is fully implemented from July 2026, the 26 weeks will be able to be shared by both parents. It also increases the number of weeks reserved for each parent to four weeks.

ACTU President Michele O’Neil welcomed the changes.

“After a decade of neglect by the previous government, this bill is a significant improvement by providing more paid leave and creating a more equal balance of caring responsibilities among parents,” she said.

“It’s not only a good policy for women, but it’s also a good economic policy that will boost the economy by supporting working families to share their skills and experience with the workforce.

“There is still more to be done to improve and expand Australia’s PPL scheme, including the extending of the scheme to 52 weeks, increasing the rate of pay from its low level of the National Minimum Wage, and paying superannuation on parental leave.”

Strikes win private hospital ratios

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Nurses at two big private hospitals have won staffing ratios 
after sustained industrial action for a new enterprise agreement.  

NSWNMA delegates at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney, and the Mater Hospital in North Sydney have described their winning campaign for staffing ratios as a 
great achievement.

Their employer, St Vincent’s Health Australia (SVHA), had earlier rejected ratios as “out of the question”.

However, nurses at Sydney’s biggest private hospital, Sydney Adventist, had already set something of a precedent by winning ratios in 2022.

Encouraged by this example, NSWNMA members employed by SVHA held their first strike at the end of 2022 and maintained a strong campaign that united nurses in industrial action across both the Mater and St Vincent’s Private.

Nurses voted for industrial action in secret ballots and held five rounds of strikes at each hospital.

SVHA responded with an offer of three annual increases of 3.75 per cent, 3.25 per cent and 3.25 per cent, and inadequate ratios for a limited number of wards/units
at night.

NSWNMA branches voted to reject the revised offer, but management insisted on putting it to a vote of all nursing staff.

The offer was overwhelmingly rejected by 76 per cent of nurses 
and midwives.

A huge achievement

The NSWNMA then held a second ballot, which won strong endorsement for further industrial action.

This showed the SVHA executive that nurses were serious about getting a better deal.

SVHA then agreed to ratios throughout both hospitals, to improve staffing in  all perioperative areas and an improved pay offer.

NSWNMA Branch secretary at 
the Mater Hospital, Deidre Duggan, described the win as “a huge achievement”.

“Initially, the executive was adamant they would never consider giving us ratios, so the outcome is a huge turnaround and it’s really exciting for us,” she said.

“It will make a huge difference for our workplace, our patients and ourselves as individual nurses 
and midwives.

“It’ll be a much safer workplace and we will be in a much better position to support and educate the new grads coming through, because our workloads won’t be as heavy.

“Previous offers from management weren’t up to scratch – we just couldn’t accept them. But overall, we have done very well out of 
this campaign.

“Our ratios will be better than what the Sydney Adventist Hospital and the public system have.”

Deidre, a theatre nurse, said implementation of ACORN standards would increase theatre staffing to 3.5 nurses, with an additional nurse working across two theatres.

Strong union presence

“It will be easier to take meal breaks and theatres will run much more smoothly. Plus, we will have more time to teach new grads,” she said.

“It’s a big step forward; our theatre staffing will be better than any other hospital in NSW.”

She said the Mater’s NSWNMA branch was now much stronger as a result of the campaign of indust-
rial action, with about 90 per cent union coverage.

“Our campaign delivered new members, which in turn strengthened our campaign.

“The more members we had, the more people we could take 
out on strike, which gave us a 
greater impact.”

The NSWNMA had already raised its profile among SVHA nurses before the campaign for a new enterprise agreement got underway late 
last year.

The union acted to successfully recover incorrect payments and additional days off (ADOs) that had been abolished.

“Getting ADOs back for us was a 
big membership boost and during the campaign, nurses could see we were determined to make the hospital a better place to work,” Deidre said.

Medals for nurse leaders

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Nurses and midwives prominent in the Australia Day Honours list.

Named in the 2023 Australia Day Honours list were Jennifer Collins, the union’s state president from 1992–1998, and Susan Pearce, who was a NSWNMA organiser and manager for almost nine years.

Jennifer, who retired as a Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Commissioner (NSW and the ACT) in 2017, was commended for “significant service to veterans and their families, and to nursing”.

Susan, who is Secretary of NSW Health and a former NSW Chief Nurse, led the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre health response during the pandemic.

She was commended for “significant service to public health administration and governance”.

Susan told The Lamp she did high school work experience at a hospital and “never conceived of being anything else other than a nurse. I liked the idea of caring for people and I still do so – that’s always been in me.”

She became an Association branch official while nursing at Broken Hill.

“I’ve always loathed unfairness and tried throughout my life, whether personally or professionally, to address things I could see were unfair,” she said.

“That probably attracted me to the union and the role unions play in advocating for staff as a collective.”

She agreed her background as a nurse and Association officer undoubtedly helped her in her role as head of the state’s operational response to COVID-19.

Skills learned while working systematically through “very difficult problems, dealing with difficult situations, dealing with people when they were distressed or upset” stood her in good stead for a top health role during a period of crisis.

“A lot of nursing leaders stood up during the course of the pandemic … many of our senior nurses led the operational response to the pandemic and did a magnificent job of it.”

A unique privilege

Susan has no hesitation in recommending nursing as a career; NSW Health employed a record number of newly graduated nurses and midwives this year and her own daughter has just started nursing.

“I think the beauty of the profession is the breadth and depth of it … You can really make of it anything you want to be, and I don’t think any of that has changed since I started nursing.”

Nurses and midwives have “the unique privilege of being with people during some of their most difficult and vulnerable times, as well as happy times. Dealing with people in those situations and forming those relationships sticks with you and you remember them forever.”

Jennifer Collins started her nursing career at Cooma Hospital in 1974, undertook general training at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, and then commenced midwifery training at Westmead Hospital.

“I was shocked that many of the nurses’ conditions that were in place at Concord did not exist at Westmead,” she told The Lamp. “This injustice motivated me to be active at a local and state level to ensure nurses were not disadvantaged regardless of where they worked.”

Jennifer became a union delegate and branch secretary, a member of state council, and state and national president.

“The union taught me about advocacy and being willing to call out things such as inequity and social injustice. It also taught me that if we stand together we can achieve great things.”

In the Department of Veterans Affairs she led major reforms in service delivery for widows and families of ADF personnel, and the development and implementation of a support program for wounded, injured or ill veterans.

In retirement, she chairs the boards of management 
of the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway and War Widows Guild.

“My role is to ensure the stories of our veterans and families are not forgotten and also to advocate for families to ensure they receive the necessary support,” she said. ” n

Recognition of 
our profession

Three NSW nurses and two midwives 
were recognised in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list. 

Joanne Gray was received as a member of the Order of Australia (AM) “for significant service 
to education, and to the midwifery profession”.

Joanne is the current Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students, at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), as 
well as the President of the Australian College 
of Midwives.

Dr Nicky Leap was also received as a Member 
of the Order of Australia “for significant service 
to midwifery as a clinician and educator”.

Dr Leap is Adjunct Professor of Midwifery at 
UTS, and was involved in the development of 
the university’s Bachelor of Midwifery program. She has served in the Midwifery Practice Committee of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, and was the Association’s Midwife 
of the Year in 2006.

Rose-Marie Radley was received as a member of the Order of Australia “for significant service 
to community health, and to the nursing profession”. She had been a former Director of Nursing at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, as well as having been the Lead Nursing Officer at Open Heart International’s first visitation program to the Solomon Islands.

Elizabeth Grist was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her “service to community health, and to nursing and midwifery”. She has been the Executive Director of Clinical Services Nursing and Midwifery for Hunter New England Local Health District since 2015.

Natalie Shiel was also awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for “for service to nursing”. Natalie is the Director of Nursing, COVID-19 Vaccination and Screening Program, for the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD).

Pain Nurses Australia Conference

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Pain Nurses Australia, (PNA) is holding their Annual National Professional Conference on Friday 13th October 2023 at the Waterview conference centre Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW.

Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals are invited to attend.  The theme of this conference is Catching Up in Pain Management.

WHY ATTEND

Attending this ‘face to face’ day is a wonderful opportunity for staff to expand their knowledge of pain and network with other health professionals who have an interest in pain management.

We have a great line up of speakers who will be covering law, wound pain, first line pain management, regional analgesia, drug health, paediatric distraction, cancer, and advanced pain modalities.

In addition, there will be an extensive trade display, great food, and competitions.

For those who are unable to attend Face to Face the event will be live streamed.

This event is worth 5 CPD Points.

For full program please see attached pdf program and postcard.

PNA is very pleased to offer two scholarships, for Rural and Remote Nurses to attend.

REGISTRATIONS

Registration before August 21 – PNA member $99 and Non-member $150

Registration from 21st August – PNA $130 and Non-PNA $180

By paying $60 to become a PNA member you will be given the discounted fee – Become a member     

The event will be streamed across Australia.

Online attendance PNA $130 and Non-PNA $180

Nurses and midwives mental health has been on a 9 year decline new study finds

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A study has detailed the shocking toll psychological injuries have on the NSW healthcare workforce, with the rate of claims amongst nurses and midwives seeing a 150% increase over the last nine years.

The study commissioned by the Healthy Lives Research Group at Monash University examined the psychological health of public health workers and the risk factors that lead to higher instances of psychological injury amongst this cohort.

The report found healthcare workers and those working in the social assistance industry, comprised nearly double the number of psychological injury claims made to icare, when compared to workers in other sectors.

Psychological injuries sustained by nurses and midwives most commonly occurred within hospital settings (53%) and residential care services (36%) with stress and/or anxiety being the most common psychological injury.

The primary causes for increased instances of psychological injuries amongst this cohort, were found to be due to increased rates of bullying, work pressures and occupational violence.

Over the study’s nine year period, it found those working in NSW healthcare and social assistance sector had collectively lost more than 170,000 working weeks due to psychological injuries, equivalent to approximately 3.450 full time equivalent lost working years.

NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish said of report’s findings:

“This report is a damning inditement of the NSW government’s failure to invest in our healthcare workforce and paints a bleak picture of the declining system nurses and midwives have been forced to work in over the past nine years.”

“Nurses and midwives are increasingly being overworked and it is clear their workloads and current working conditions are severely impacting their mental health.

“This report highlights the need for the government to urgently act and invest in prevention and early intervention strategies. That’s what our ratios claim aims to do. By providing nurses and midwives with mandated safe staffing levels, you are implementing a circuit breaker to help stop the mass exodus from the profession.” said Ms Candish.

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