Nurses close 15 beds at PDH

PDH Chief Executive John O’Neill said late Sunday he had spoken with the local Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) representative who confirmed 10 acute care and 5 sub-acute care beds had closed.

The ANF members started implementing the industrial action at the weekend, closing more than 400 beds statewide as they upped the ante in a pay and conditions dispute with the State Government.

ANF State Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the protected action could only be stopped when nurses and midwives voted to accept an offer at a statewide members’ meeting.

“Our members at Portland are giving us fantastic support, they are implementing the bans and wearing our T-Shirts to promote our cause” she said.

Mr O’Neill said the bed closure had not had any impact on PDH during the weekend.

“The only area it may impact on involves patient transfers to Melbourne” he said.

“While they say emergency patients are exempted from the effects of any action, the more than 400 beds closed as part of the action does include beds that have been reserved for emergency patients.

“What it may mean is that we will have to check to see if there are beds available first  in Melbourne before we can send a patient off by air ambulance, and there may be a small delay associated with that while we do our checks.”

Ms Fitzpatrick said emergency patients had no reason to worry.

“There are more than 120 beds for emergency care in Melbourne.  I don’t foresee any issues” she said.

Conciliation talks between the ANF, State Government representatives and the Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association were expected to resume again this morning in Fair Work Australia.

Key issues in dispute between the ANF and the Government regarding enterprise bargaining negotiations include, in part:

• Nurses and midwives are seeking an 18.5% wage rise over three years and eight months.  The Government is offering a 2.5% increase per year.
• The ANF I seeking improvements to Victoria’s mandated minimum nurse-midwife patient ratios, which would mean more nurses working each shift in several key areas such as emergency departments, palliative care and coronary care; and more midwives in birthing suites.

The ANF says the Government and hospital employers are seeking to replace nurses with health assistants and replace eight hour shifts with broken shifts and unlimited four and five hour shifts, resulting in the removal of the ratios and a reduction of 1758 full-time nursing positions.

 STORY BY Bill Meldrum, PORTLAND OBSERVER

Monday 14 November 2011