Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Nursing and Midwifery Union NT Secretary Cath Hatcher about how nursing numbers are going in the Territory

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Katie spoke with Nursing and Midwifery Union NT Secretary Cath Hatcher about how nursing numbers are going in the Territory · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But we have been talking for quite a while now
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: about the concerns around a shortage of nurses following a
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: number of code yellows at Royal Darwin Hospital and the
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: need for additional nurses, and it seems well nurses will
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: be pushing for some changes as the looming EBA negotiations continue.
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  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line to talk further about
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  Speaker 1: this is Kath Hatcher, the Branch Secretary of the Nursing
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  Speaker 1: and Midwiffree Federation. Good morning to you, Kath.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Kath. You and I have spoken quite a bit in
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  Speaker 1: recent months. How are nurses in the territory going at
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: the moment.
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  Speaker 2: They're still working hard, They've still got a huge workload
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  Speaker 2: and they're still doing overtime and double shifts.
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  Speaker 1: And what about at OURDH. I know that again you
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  Speaker 1: and I have spoken on a few occasions about those
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: code yellows and about nurses pulling double shifts. How are
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: they going right now?
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  Speaker 2: It is getting slightly better. They've had some recruitment through
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: some of the specialty areas and there's more coming over
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: the coming new year. And they've also had a new
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: graduate program entry started in the last four to six weeks,
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  Speaker 2: so that's relieved some of the pressure, but that they
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: are up and coming new nurses than midwise, so they
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  Speaker 2: need to get their skills. So there is still some
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  Speaker 2: skills shortage within some of the areas of will Dale
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  Speaker 2: and Palmerston Hospital.
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  Speaker 1: And KAS you said there that obviously those graduates that
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  Speaker 1: graduate programs made a difference, and there are some other
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  Speaker 1: positions which have been filled or some of some of
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  Speaker 1: those shortages have been filled. Any idea how many extras
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: have started, because I know that when you and I
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  Speaker 1: had spoken on one occasion we had discussed the need
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  Speaker 1: for for seventy or even more nurses throughout the two
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  Speaker 1: hospitals here in Darwin and even in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. So the graduate program that has between
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  Speaker 2: two and three intakes per year, they have taken more
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  Speaker 2: over this recent months and more starting in January and
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  Speaker 2: again in April. And there's approximately I haven't got the
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  Speaker 2: figures in front of me, Katie, but approximately eighty starting
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  Speaker 2: in January across the territory, right, and then approximately sixty
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  Speaker 2: starting in April of new graduates.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so that's with the new graduate program, the eighty
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  Speaker 1: odds starting in January and sixty odds starting in April.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, and then there's approximately another twenty skilled in midwives
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  Speaker 2: starting in the new year as well. Look at targeting
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  Speaker 2: those areas like icued maternity. I said ICEE you I
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  Speaker 2: think and nearable intensive unit.
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  Speaker 1: That must feel like a bit of reprieve. I'm assuming
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  Speaker 1: CAB for our very hard working nurses and midwives within
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  Speaker 1: the system at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, And although this time of the year, you know,
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: people want to take Christmas holidays and some annual leave
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  Speaker 2: over this time. Some some that come up for six
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  Speaker 2: or eight months leave kind of about in the October November,
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  Speaker 2: so there would have been some extra shortfalls happening anyway
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  Speaker 2: across the wet season and some annual leave across the
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  Speaker 2: December January break. So it will help, but there will
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  Speaker 2: be some shortage is still in some areas and.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Kath some of our nurses I'm assuming heading out to
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  Speaker 1: those various communities at the moment as well as we
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  Speaker 1: see the COVID situation chop and change. Obviously, Binjari rock
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  Speaker 1: Hole Robinson River was a concern last week in Catherine,
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  Speaker 1: and then this week we know that La Jamana is
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  Speaker 1: a concern have have we sort of had to see
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  Speaker 1: that workforce or some of those nurses head to those
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: different locations.
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  Speaker 2: Certainly, you know the swabbing teams and the vaccine teams
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  Speaker 2: have headed out into those regions. We haven't heard of
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  Speaker 2: any concerns through coming into the office, So we're presuming that,
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  Speaker 2: you know, everything's going smoothly.
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  Speaker 1: That's good to hear, and you know, hats off to them.
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  Speaker 1: I know that they are working incredibly hard. Well, all
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: of our nurses and healthcare professionals Allied Health working incredibly hard.
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  Speaker 1: But particularly then when something like that happens, it does
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  Speaker 1: mean that there's a bit of a surge.
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  Speaker 2: I would assume, Yeah, absolutely, they are working every day.
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  Speaker 2: They're working tirelessly and it's never a dull moment and
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  Speaker 2: never a quiet moment in any of the work that
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  Speaker 2: nurses or midwives do.
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  Speaker 1: Kas We know that the enterprise bargaining negotiations are underway
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  Speaker 1: for the whole public service. Last week obviously the Chief
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  Speaker 1: Minister outlined a bonus for public servants. How has that
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  Speaker 1: been received by members of the Nursing and midw Free
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  Speaker 1: Union and is it actually going to impact them?
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  Speaker 2: Well, their enterprise agreement is not on the table at
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  Speaker 2: the moment. We have got an extra year three years
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  Speaker 2: ago when that came to the table, we actually for
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: the nurses and Midwives agreement got a four year term,
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  Speaker 2: so we've got not quite one year left on that.
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  Speaker 2: But the general agreement to the public sector is on
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  Speaker 2: the table at the moment with others like power and
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: water and Jacana, etc. So this offer of the ten
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: thousand dollars over four years will come into play with
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  Speaker 2: the nurses and midwives public sector next year. Of course,
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  Speaker 2: we would actually like to see something in the on
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  Speaker 2: the table now for the general agreement that looks like
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  Speaker 2: percentage wise rather than the ten thousand dollar bonus, So
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  Speaker 2: we've asked the Commissioner for Public Employment what the percentage
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: would look like. We haven't received that as yet, but
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  Speaker 2: interested to see what an accumulative percentage looks like.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, because I mean, Kats, you and I have spoken
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  Speaker 1: on so many occasions about the need for more nurses.
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  Speaker 1: We've also spoken a lot about the very hard work
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  Speaker 1: that our nurses and midwives obviously do. And I know
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  Speaker 1: that you did say that You're agreement is an extra
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: year unlike the rest of the public service, but I mean,
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  Speaker 1: how would nurses feel about not getting a pay increase
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  Speaker 1: and only getting a bonus despite their workload increasing a
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  Speaker 1: lot by the sounds of it, Well.
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  Speaker 2: Not one hundred percent sure on that. We'd have to
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  Speaker 2: do a survey which we are going to put out
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  Speaker 2: to the nurses and midwife soon about what their log
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  Speaker 2: of planes are going to be for the next year
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  Speaker 2: at the table, but we would ask that question as well,
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  Speaker 2: what they thoughts of our thoughts are in four years time,
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  Speaker 2: they're still going to have a base rate pay of
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  Speaker 2: exactly the same as what it is now, and that
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  Speaker 2: would be the same for the general agreement, and yes
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  Speaker 2: they would have an extra ten thousand dollars in their
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  Speaker 2: pocket after tax, etc. But we would like to know
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  Speaker 2: what our members think. And some that have come verbally
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  Speaker 2: back to the office through this General Agreement not happy
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  Speaker 2: about a bonus. They would rather see it in a
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  Speaker 2: percentage and get it over the fortnight and accumulative over
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  Speaker 2: the next four years.
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  Speaker 1: And Katz from what I can gather as well, you'd
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  Speaker 1: also like to see or they would also like to
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  Speaker 1: see some changes when it comes to the ratio of
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  Speaker 1: nurses to patients.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, so, Queen Plans and Victoria and now ACT have
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  Speaker 2: just or ACT have just gone over the line with
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  Speaker 2: getting ratios with the government there. But Queenslan and Victoria
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  Speaker 2: have had it in place for quite a number of
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  Speaker 2: years and we certainly have a number of Queen Plan
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  Speaker 2: and Victorian nurses working in the territory and they are
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  Speaker 2: asking us to go forth and look at the proposal
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  Speaker 2: with ratios. So it would be very interesting to see
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  Speaker 2: how nursing ours per patient day would look if it
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: was converted into the ratio perspective, because it would be
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  Speaker 2: easier to understand. WA and Tasmania A and MS are
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: also looking at the same concept on how the nursing
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  Speaker 2: ours per patient day and the acuity and how that
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: would look towards the patient ratio to nurse and CAS.
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  Speaker 1: I know that some listening this morning we'll be wondering
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  Speaker 1: what kind of impact do the patient to nurse ratios
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  Speaker 1: actually have? What does it mean for a patient who
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  Speaker 1: presents at the hospital.
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  Speaker 2: So each area, you know, particularly looking at ICU two
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  Speaker 2: ed to the wards within the hospitals, so emergency department,
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  Speaker 2: each area would have a different ratio or nursing ours
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  Speaker 2: per patient day. So if you look in the resuscitation
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  Speaker 2: area of ED it be one patient, one nurse, and
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  Speaker 2: that would be the same in ICU. And when you
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  Speaker 2: look on the wards, the morning to the late shift
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  Speaker 2: to the night shift would be all different nursing ours
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  Speaker 2: per patient day, and converting that to nurse patient ratio,
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  Speaker 2: you could be anywhere from a nurse looking after four
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  Speaker 2: patients depending on the high acuity or if they're low acuity,
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  Speaker 2: you might have six, six or seven patients to look at,
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  Speaker 2: which would be absolutely huge. And then you look at
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  Speaker 2: the midward free area, you might have five to six
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  Speaker 2: maternity patients to look after the midwives, but some might
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  Speaker 2: be pregnant, some might have had their babies, and if
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  Speaker 2: you have six women that have had their babies, you
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  Speaker 2: could be looking after six babies as well, So technically
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  Speaker 2: that would be not six patients, twelve altogether.
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: Well, and presumably it means that for some of our
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  Speaker 1: nurses they are absolutely run off their feet.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, And then when you look at what they
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  Speaker 2: need to do for all the patients and medications and
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  Speaker 2: observations and all the paperwork that goes with that, you
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  Speaker 2: know they would hardly get a morning tea break or
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  Speaker 2: an afternoon tea break depending on what shift, and they
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  Speaker 2: would be hard struck to get away to have their
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  Speaker 2: meal breaks.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Kath Hatcher, I really appreciate your time this morning
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  Speaker 1: and all the time really that you've given us over
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  Speaker 1: the last last couple of months. I think it's imperative welcome.
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  Speaker 1: You know that our nurses and our midwives and all
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  Speaker 1: of our healthcare professionals, we've got to make sure that
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  Speaker 1: there's enough of them and that they've got those conditions
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  Speaker 1: so that they're able to care for patients to the
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  Speaker 1: best of their ability.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, because it affects us alcating in the community and
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  Speaker 2: when we're going in to have our care, we want
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: the best care possible.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: Kath Hatcher, it's always a pleasure. Thank you so much
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  Speaker 1: for your time.
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: You're very welcome. Thank you.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: That's Kath Hatcher there, the Branch secretary with the Australian
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  Speaker 1: Nursing and Midwiffery Federation eight nine four one