A move to replace professional staff who develop recreation programs for sick children at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth with volunteers has been condemned by the WA Opposition.
The State Government has announced 7.4 full-time equivalent play coordinator positions will be cut, which represented nine staff.
Play coordinators assist children when they were hospitalised and aimed to minimise their fear and anxiety.
Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook said the play coordinators had a vital role.
“These would be the last people that you would be seeking to dismiss if you cared about patients,” he said.
“These people would be the last people you would be looking to sack if you actually thought the kids in our hospitals are the priority.
“In this case it’s young patients, the youngest, most vulnerable patients of all who will pay the price.”
Volunteers would see ‘revolving door’ access to kids
Angus Hollington, 13, who is in remission from bone cancer, said play coordinators at PMH made a world of difference to him while he was going through chemotherapy.
“I can’t describe how useful they are to us because without them we probably wouldn’t be able to deal with having needles every single week — it’s horrible,” he said.
“They make us feel happy and they try as much as they can to calm us down with the needles, and they do such a great job at it, that’s why we trust them.”
He said the entire cancer ward and hospital would suffer if the staff were cut.
Angus’s mother Tracy Hollington said the play coordinators devised programs to keep the children stimulated, monitor their development and give parents the opportunity to have a break.
“At all times Angus has had access to play coordinators and they definitely play a major role in assisting the kids particularly with the implementation of invasive procedures,” she said.
Mrs Hollington said she predicted a volunteer system would lead to a revolving door of people having access to the children.
“The staff we have as play coordinators … have long-term experience and they build absolute relationships with children— the children trust them and develop a really special bond with them,” she said.
“Also I think it undervalues the staff that are here by saying they can easily and simply be replaced by somebody that’s volunteering.
“These are professional staff with training and development and years of experience, and just to dismiss their role and their impact on our children’s health services is just disgusting.”
In a statement, Health Minister John Day said Princess Margaret Hospital was one of the only hospitals in Australia who still used play coordinators and adapting to the new model would better meets the needs of patients and families.
He said cutting the positions would only result in a small saving and was part of a plan that pre-dated current budget considerations.
The current model will cease on April 29, and affected staff would be offered alternative employment within WA Health.