NEWS-HR

Federal Government action on a damning report into the safety of remote area nurses is likely to be delayed until at least May — 14 months after the murder of South Australian nurse Gayle Woodford. A report released in January backed demands by outback nurses that they only attend consultations and emergency call-outs in pairs or with an escort. The Federal Government-funded report also warned that some remote health professionals were living in unsecure accommodation and lacked access to reliable emergency radios or satellite phones. Health Department officials who appeared before a Senate committee last week said they would have a “close look” at the report and it would be considered at a rural health “roundtable” meeting in May.

Sunrise Way Therapeutic Community is set to defend a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) before Deputy President Asbury in Hearing Room 1 in Brisbane (Henderson).

A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application by Yooralla for its Yoralla Staff Terms and Remuneration (Star) Agreement 2016 has been approved subject to the HSU being written into the arrangement.

Not being able to pass wind for 24 hours is just one example of the 95,000 unnecessary calls to Victoria’s triple-0 service every year. The State Government said the non-urgent calls were putting unnecessary pressure on ambulance crews who should be responding to life-threatening situations. A new advertising campaign has been launched to educate Victorians about when they should call for emergency help, Health Minister Jill Hennessy said.

A Territory staffer has been suspended on full pay despite being charged with a string of drug offences. Police have charged the 27-year-old woman with five drug offences after seizing two separate parcels of drugs in the mail.

Senior doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital have warned that staff shortages and high levels of distress pose “a major risk to safety” at the hospital. In a position statement dated last Friday, the PMH clinical staff association claim many doctors have lost confidence in hospital management.

Ipswich Hospital has been forced to temporarily close its intensive care unit after a mould outbreak.

The Senate clerk has acknowledged concerns the Government’s decision to release personal information to a journalist could have a “chilling” impact on sources. The Department of Human Services (DHS) has stood by a decision to release a Centrelink client’s personal information to a journalist to counter her claims in the media.