NEWS-HR

Quad Services is dealing with a s.365 (Application to deal with contraventions involving dismissal) before Fair Work Commissioner Johns in his Melbourne chambers (Cannon).

A nurse has suffered a head injury as attacks on health workers in the Townsville Hospital’s mental health units continue. A male nurse in the acute mental health ward was assaulted by a patient about two weeks ago and required medical treatment. The source said the patient lashing out was another case of the far too many attacks that happened against health workers. “No one deserves to be punched and spat on for simply trying to do their job,” they said. The assault comes despite the increased presence of security in the mental health services group, ordered by hospital management.

The National Union of Workers and Hospira Australia Pty Ltd will argue the merits of a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) before Fair Work Commissioner Cirkovic in Court 7 – Level 6 in Melbourne at 2pm.

Health Services Union and Villa Maria Catholic Homes Limited have a contretemps (s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) in full voice before Deputy President Hamilton in Court 3 & Conference Room B – Level 6 in Melbourne.

Scalabrini Village Ltd is still fighting a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) before Commissioner Johns in his Melbourne chambers (Stanvic).

Goulburn Valley Health has a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) to answer in front of Fair Work Commissioner Cirkovic in the Fair Work Commission 11 Exhibition Street Melbourne (Ahmad).

A nurse who murdered two aged care residents with insulin after they made complaints about her has had her appeal on 20 grounds dismissed Former nurse Megan Jean Haines was tried in late 2016 before Justice Peter Garling and a jury in the Supreme Court at Sydney on two counts of murder. The court found that Ms Haines, while employed as a registered nurse at the St Andrews Aged Care facility in Ballina, murdered residents Isabella Spencer, 77, and Marie Darragh, 82, after they made complaints about her. Ms Haines had been told that Ms Darragh had complained about her refusing to give her a cream to soothe an itch and also that she had made a rude comment, while Ms Spencer said Ms Haines had refused to assist her in reaching the toilet. At the time of the complaints, Ms Haines was subject to reporting conditions with AHPRA after having had her registration previously cancelled a few years’ back due to allegations of unprofessional conduct. The prosecution asserted that Ms Haines thought it would be likely that further complaints, if substantiated, would end her nursing career. Ms Haines was found to have murdered Ms Spencer and Ms Darragh by injecting each of them with insulin. Neither Ms Spencer nor Ms Darragh were insulin dependent. An insulin ampoule, usually kept in the medication room of the facility, was found to have been missing in the facility on the day of their deaths. As a result of the insulin injection, both Ms Spencer and Ms Darragh fell into a hypoglycaemic coma and died. Both murder counts were alleged to have been committed on 10 May 2014 at Ballina, NSW. The jury returned a verdict of guilty on each count.

A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application from Dingee Bush Nursing Centre Inc Nurses Enterprise Agreement 2018 has been approved by Fair Work Commissioner McKinnon in Melbourne on 4 December 2018.