Midwives and nurses fear hit to pay packets

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NURSES and midwives are “concerned and anxious” over the State Government’s “lack of significant details” in its plans to overhaul the state’s health system and fear the changes will impact work and job security, including slashing their take-home pay.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s submission to the Transforming Health inquiry is one of more than 2370 to the State Government.

The submission, signed by the union’s Chief Executive Officer Adjunct Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars, criticised the “lack of significant details, which has caused concern and anxiety for our membership”.

“Therefore, it has been extremely difficult to reach a common view on many of the proposals outlined in the paper,” it states.

Other major health stakeholders, including the Australian Medical Association and SA Salaried Medical Officers Association, have also criticised the Government’s lack of detail and lack of consultation in its Transforming Health proposal.

Submitted on behalf of the union’s 18,500 members, the submission also attacked the Government’s proposed closure of the Repatriation General Hospital, its plan to relocate acutely ill newborns at the Flinders Medical Centre’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and changes to Noarlunga Hospital’s health services.

It also states nurses take-home pay will be reduced due to the loss of weekend penalties, holiday and leave entitlements if the proposal for some elective surgical sites to operate Monday to Friday — and on limited daily opening hours — goes ahead.

“The Transforming Health paper is silent on the impact of these proposals on the workforce and job security,” it states.

ANMF (SA Branch) director of operations and strategy Rob Bonner said members were concerned about the impact of reform on its workforce and job security.

“We also do not know if the State Government is planning to reduce the number of nursing and midwifery staff as part of its plan to find savings across the entire health system,” he said.

Health Minister Jack Snelling said the Government had already spent the past four weeks explaining the reasons behind its Transforming Health Proposals Paper and will now assess the submissions.

“We value the input of the nurses and take their input seriously,” he said.

“We are now going through all the submissions (and) once we have looked through them we will be able to comment further on the Transforming Health process.”

Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade said the Government needed to listen to advise from the union.

“The ANMF has not merely made scathing assessments of the Weatherill Government’s health plan, they have also criticised the poor way that the Labor Government has treated staff,” he said.

“Without engaging health professionals at the front line they will fail to deliver real reform on the ground.”