I am a registered nurse working in a public hospital. When talking to my colleagues and the Branch, it is often said that the Reasonable Workload Committee at the hospital is dysfunctional. What is the intended role of the committee?

Under Clause 53 of the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2017, the intended role of the committee is to “…provide a structured and transparent forum for all nurses to be genuinely consulted about workload matters through an appropriate mechanism; contribute to the decision-making process; and have the ability to resolve disputes about workloads, should they arise, through the committee process and provisions in this Award”. It includes but is not limited to discussing and resolving issues about “… nursing workloads generally, the provision of specialist advice, training, and planning for bed or ward closures or openings as they relate to nursing workloads”.