April - May 2005 Message from the Secretary Hello colleagues, Welcome to the April/May issue of the ANF NT Branch newsletter. The NT election is fast approaching and it is a curious aspect of politician behaviour where we see them becoming more attentive to the interests and aspirations of their constituent voters more so that at any time during their elected term. The survival instinct appears to overshadow all other realities. This is the optimum time for nurses to be lobbying their local members and more particularly, government ministers on crucial matters such as nursing resources and workloads issues. Group letters and petitions on these issues can be most effective and attention getting. I am aware that this is already occurring and it is an indicator of how pressured and stretched nurses are becoming. Nurses have said to me that they are pushed to writing to government ministers because no one appears to be listening and responding at management level. Their experience is that they are being pushed from above to continually do more and more with less and less resources - not enough appropriately skilled nurses to cover rosters, not enough non nursing support staff - so nurses are picking up these duties in order for the flow of patient care to continue. I need to make the point here, that nurse managers can only provide and allocate resources according to what the employer provides and they are often the 'meat in the sandwich' between tired, frustrated clinical nurses and an indifferent, 'dollar focussed' hierarchy. The dispute at Alice Springs Hospital is an example of nurses being pushed beyond the limit, however, this could just as easily be happening in a number of public hospital settings at the moment. The national nursing crisis will continue to be experienced in the NT and work environment issues will continue to present as problems for nurses. Remember that an effective way of dealing with an identified need for change and action is to get involved. It is a way of addressing anger and frustration that emanates from such circumstances. If you do nothing then you are guaranteed that nothing will change, by deciding to take a stand, and get involved, there is at least a chance that things could improve - contact us for more encouragement and support. Be well, be safe, Denis. Denis Blackford denis.ntanf@octa4.net.au Organiser's Desk Angela Phillips - angela.ntanf@octa4.net.au As we go to press Angela is currently traveling with the ANF NT Roadshow in Central Australia. She is visiting Tennant Creek, Ti Tree and a range of worksites in Alice Springs. The Roadshow is an opportunity for the ANF NT Branch to connect with nurses were they work, allow the ANF to describe the benefits of membership, provide information on pay rates and conditions and offer ANF merchandise. As Branch Organiser, Angela manages and coordinates the ANF NT Job delegate (JD) network across the Territory. JD's are the core of the ANF NT and they are the workplace resource to contact when issues arise. They are ideally the first point of contact. If the issue cannot be resolved through them, the ANF Branch office is then involved to continue the process. There are not sufficient JD's to cover all work areas and the Branch is always looking for nurses to become JD's. JD meetings are monthly events in Darwin and Alice Springs. JD's will be participating in the ANF NT Job Delegate conference in May to develop resolution and select delegates to attend the ANF National Biennial Job Delegate Conference on 20-21 October. Dates to put in your diary this year: 14-18 March: Roadshow, Central Australia 30 March-1 April: Roadshow, Katherine, Pine Creek, Adelaide River 4-5 April: Roadshow: Darwin Private Hospital, Royal Darwin Hospital 12-13 May: Biennial Job Delegates Conference 28-30 September: Roadshow, Katherine 3-4 October: Roadshow, DPH, RDH 10-14 October: Roadshow, Central Australia 20-21 October: ANF National Biennial Delegates Conference, Darwin Remember - the ANF Office or your JD can assist you with up-to-date pay and workplace conditions, award or certified agreement enquiries, professional or industrial issues - or in fact any query about nursing or we will point you in the right direction. Make sure you keep yourself 'in the know'. If you are unsure of anything or rumours are circulating ring the ANF office and we will keep you informed. NTPS Certified Agreement (CA) Taskforce The last meeting of the CA Taskforce steering committee was on 16 March (the February meeting was cancelled due to unavailability of committee members). The Alice Springs Hospital (ASH) trial of Nursing Hours Per Patient Day (NHPPD) staffing tool began in February and will be trialled over about two months in two clinical areas of the hospital .It is anticipated that the outcome of the trail will provide more accurate indications of nursing resource required in clinical areas. The Taskforce members have been endeavouring to connect with public sector nurses across the NT to provide and seek information relating to the large number of projects that they are working on. Attendance and participation in this consultation process has been described to me as poor and very limited. I would like to encourage nurses to make the effort to be part of this different approach to dealing with outstanding EBA issues. We have a chance to effect some significantly improved outcomes via the Taskforce - there has never been this opportunity before. Unless nurses get involved and provide demonstrated support for this process, the outcomes that we had high aspirations for at the beginning may be compromised. Please check out the information on the website, contact the ANF Project Officer for input, respond to the surveys they may come your way. Details of steering committee minutes and related information can be accessed through the Taskforce Newsletter circulated monthly and the NTG 'Intranet' website. The ANF NT Project Officer on the Taskforce, Kirstie Hawkins, can be contacted at kirstie.hawkins@nt.gov.au or on 8922 7025. Job delegate thank you The ANF NT Branch office would like to thank the JDs who have assisted us with our mail outs and at the RDH Orientation Days. Your assistance and continued support is greatly appreciated. Alice Springs Hospital (ASH) dispute Nurses at ASH began a campaign of work bans on overtime and non nursing duties on 14 February in response to consistent heavy demands for overtime over many months. The level of overtime experienced was putting patient care at risk, as well as nurses own well being. Nurses indicated, at the largest ANF meeting seen at ASH, that enough was enough and voted to put the bans in place. Nurses reported to the ANF NT Branch that in their time off they constantly lived in fear of their phone ringing and the hospital pressuring them to come in to work overtime. One of the contributing elements to the action was the proposed introduction by the Department of Health and Community Services (DH&CS) of changes to the way nursing agencies were used to supply staff to ASH. These changes effectively meant that nursing agencies would be less attracted to supply their nurses due to reduced salary rates and conditions. The DH&CS indicated that these changes were to occur on 24 February and from that date it meant that even more pressure would be put on ASH nurses to work overtime. ASH is highly dependent on agency staff as there is no effective supplier of agency nurses in town to provide shift by shift coverage. The bans continued and were variously effective in different areas of the hospital. A subsequent members meeting passed 'no confidence' resolutions about ASH executive and DH&CS Acute Care Services, voted for a continuation of the bans in the absence of anything of substance from DH&CS and called for the intervention of the NT Health Minister, Peter Toyne. A delegation of ASH nurses met with the Health Minister who expressed surprise and dismay at the described situation at ASH for nurses. The Minister indicated that he would act on the concerns of nurses and push for an increase in nursing resources at the hospital through the current NT budget process. Despite the Minister's professed commitment to improving the situation at ASH, as an indicator of how determined the nurses were to see definitive changes actually happen, nurses voted to continue the bans. At the time of going to press, the DH&CS have indicated that they intend to begin the certified agreement dispute resolution process. As a part of the DH&CS offer to address the nursing workloads issues, ANF members have agreed to begin fortnightly meetings with ASH executive management as part of a process towards resolution. NTPS Nursing Career Structure Review (NCSR) The Project Officer, Gloria Gopel travelled to the regions to meet and speak with public sector nurses regarding the NCSR. The project officer also met Darwin nurses in various worksites The NCSR steering Committee will meet again on 16 March. Survey forms seeking the views of public sector nurses on the NCS have been sent to all public sector nurses and to the time of writing, the results are not yet known. Broad project objectives: Audit the nurse 'Work Evaluation System' results and review areas within the structure where significant levels of variance in work evaluation have resulted. Develop an appeals and dispute process. Evaluate the current nurses career structure model and make recommendations of proposed changes. Identify and process current appeals. Review exemplary practice processes. Identify linkages between the nurses career structure review and the Nurses Certified Agreement Taskforce Project activities and work in partnership to ensure outcomes meet nursing and organisational requirements. NTPS nurses can access more information about the NCSR steering committee process through the Nurses Taskforce newsletter and the NTG 'intranet' site. Aged care EBA The ANF NT expects to enter into an enterprise bargaining process with NT Aged Care provider Frontier Services. Negotiations will commence soon. Frontier Services operate a number of aged care facilities in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs. NT public sector nurses Got a problem with entitlements, allowances or issues relating to your employment conditions? Your employer is obliged to provide these to you, answer your queries and resolve your issues. Contact the DH&CS Human Resources and Workforce Development Branch on 8922 7249. If you do not receive the answers or solutions you require contact us at the ANF NT office. When contacting Branch When contacting the Branch for assistance or enquiry, it assists us greatly if you can provide us with your ANF NT membership number. This can be found on your membership card provided at the time joining the Branch and it is also on the ANJ front address sheet that you receive each month as part of your membership benefits. We will get back to you!! The ANF NT is the smallest and least resourced Branch in the ANF. Our team of four, based in Darwin, is responsible for the whole of the NT. Consequently we get many contacts from nurses everywhere with a variety of requests for information and support. If we are not there to take you call at the time, do not hesitate to leave a message. We will respond and acknowledge your message within a reasonable time frame. Our goal to get back to you within 24 hours. If it is a work conditions related matter, your employer is obligated to provide this to you in the first instance. You never know they could have the answer? Nevertheless, we will always respond if you contact us. Exit letter copy to the ANF Leaving your job or thinking of leaving your job, because of issues with your employer and/or workplace? Why not think of sending a copy of your resignation letter describing your concerns and reasons for leaving. This will allow us to develop a database of evidence informing the debate about the reasons why nurses are not staying in the NT. Great information to put before employers - particularly at EBA times. Our fax number is (08) 89454 171, email ntanf@octa4.net.au Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) registration requirements Recent changes to NT legislation pertaining to nurses has meant that it is now a requirement of registration with the Health Professionals Licensing Authority (New version of the NT Nurses Board) to indicate that nurses have adequate professional indemnity insurance. ANF membership covers most nurses in employment with its PII cover. Nurses who work in some private contract arrangements earning more than $20,000 per year are not covered. ANF Federal Election for Vice President The outcome of the Federation's election for Federal Vice President was declared in March. Bernadette Roberts, from South Australia was elected. The national votes for the three candidates were: Bernadette Roberts, 12510; Kim Luby, 12474; Raye McNally, 9708.