A stoush over paramedics having to wear sweaty “shower-curtain” polyester shirts is set to come before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. Paramedic unions say they raised concerns with NSW Ambulance a year ago about new summer long-sleeved over-shirts, which are up to 65 per cent polyester, after receiving complaints from paramedics that the shirts were causing rashes and overheating. The Australian Paramedics Association (APA) NSW and Health Serivces Union (HSU) are supporting members who stop wearing the overshirt, with the APA saying in a statement they provided employees with short-term solutions for heatwave conditions due to inaction from NSW Ambulance.
January 19, 2017
Clinic and accommodation alarms should be upgraded and personal alarms considered to keep remote health workers safe, a report has found. The peak body representing remote health workers investigated safety concerns following the death of South Australian outback nurse Gayle Woodford in 2016. CRANAplus says staff should be accompanied on call-outs and at other times where risks have been identified, and should be better-educated about safety issues. It’s investigation also identified the lack of indigenous clinic staff as having a negative impact on the services available in remote communities and on the safety of nurses and other health workers. “Remote area nurses and other health staff were at increased risk because they frequently did not know the personality or background of community residents or visitors,” the report said. “They were also at increased risk at times, as they were usually last to be aware of tensions in the community and the likelihood of violence.”
January 19, 2017
Nurses at two Adelaide public hospitals will meet to consider industrial action over bed closures. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation state secretary Elizabeth Dabars says nurses are reeling at the decision to close beds at the Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth hospitals. Ms Dabars says the federation will recommend ongoing action to highlight the impact of the closures on patients and staff.
January 19, 2017
An elderly man was given 10 times the amount of his prescribed medication and left with unexplained bruises while staying at a government-run mental health facility in Adelaide’s north-east, his family says. Bob Spriggs has since died but had been a patient at the Older Persons Mental Health facility at Oakden last February, which provides residential care.
January 19, 2017
A s.437 (Application for a protected action ballot order) from the National Union of Workers involving Clifford Hallam Healthcare Pty Ltd has been granted by Deputy President Gostencnik.
January 19, 2017
Two paramedics unions have been dragged before the Industrial Relations Commission for recommending members shed part of their hot and heavy uniforms during the recent heatwaves. The Australian Paramedics Association (APA) and the Health Services Union NSW (HSU) were hauled into court this week by NSW Ambulance for advising paramedics not to wear long-sleeved over-shirts during the recent weeks of soaring temperatures across NSW. APA NSW president Steve Pearce said he had received complaints about the heavy uniform from across the state, particularly the west and north-west, where temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees. Some paramedics became soaked in sweat “from collar to waist” in the polyester blend, forcing them to change their saturated shirt several times a shift, while others suffered rashes and skin irritations, Mr Pearce said.
January 19, 2017
A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application by Australian Pharmaceutical Industries for its Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd NSW Enterprise Agreement 2016 has been approved by Commissioner Gregory in Melbourne on 17 January 2017.
January 19, 2017
Water Minister Mia Davies has announced the appointment of Michael Hollett as chair of Water Corporation. Mr Hollett has served on the board for five years as a non-executive director. Mr Hollett is a qualified hydrographer who moved into property development in the private sector. He is director of Ocean Gardens Retirement Village and H&H Development Enterprises, former chief executive of National Lifestyle Village Group, and former chair of the Pilbara Development Commission. Mr Hollett takes over as chair following the end of Eva Skira’s five-year term. Current director David Lock has been appointed deputy chair.
