In an effort to continue talks surrounding staffing issues at the South East Regional Hospital (SERH) the Health Services Union (HSU) NSW secretary, Gerard Hayes has contacted member for Bega, Andrew Constance.
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The threat of further action by the HSU was hanging over SERH after a meeting was called off between the Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) and union representatives last week. Mr Hayes said that the chief executive was unwilling to meet him with two other union representatives and called the lack of dialogue “very disappointing”.
However Mr Hayes said that after reading Mr Constance’s comments that his door was always open, he decided to contact him.
Mr Hayes said that a meeting between a senior HSU official, a local delegate and Mr Constance was planned and that members would reconvene following the meeting.
Staffing issues at the hospital have been the subject of concern by not only the HSU but also the Australian Medical Association and the Rural Doctors Association. Now the Australian Nurses and Midwives Federation NSW (ANMF NSW) has asked for more nurses to be recruited.
ANMF NSW organiser, Nola Scilinato said that the local committee had met September 22 and had put forward a number of resolutions to the hospital management.
“There is a proposal to open another ward, the sub-acute ward which has 12 beds on October 24 but the branch is not happy to see this open until until there is full recruitment,” Ms Scilinato said.
“The branch would also like to see the medical and surgical wards staffed and recruited for full occupancy. Because there is not very much of a casual pool to draw from staffing needed to be at full complement. Currently staff are being asked to take on extra shifts.”
Ms Scilinato said SNSWLHD has agreed more nurses were needed, but was having trouble recruiting.
“We believe the recruitment process is cumbersome. A nurse can apply for a job and it can take three months or more before they are appointed. In the meantime they could be offered another job elsewhere,” she said.
“No one expected the demand to be at the level it is at and it has been quite underestimated. They took into consideration the numbers from both the Bega and Pambula hospitals but numbers have exceeded that,” Ms Scilinato said.
