Nurse strike bites

By Emma Sun
THE nurses’ strike has caused some patients at Southern Health to wait more than 40 hours to receive treatment, Chief Executive Officer Shelly Park said yesterday.
Bed closures have affected many hospitals Casey.
Ms Park said as many as 10 ambulances were lined up at Monash Hospital on Tuesday because the hospital hadn’t been able to admit them straight away.
“Our beds have always been at full capacity and now that they are closed, there are not enough beds to care for our patients,” Ms Park said.
She said Southern Health’s main concern was the health and wellbeing of its patients and getting as many patients through the hospital as possible.
Ms Park, who is a former nurse, said she is looking at the situation from a nurse’s perspective and supports their cause.
Nurses want an 18.5 per cent pay rise over three years and improved patient to nurse ratios.
“We value our staff and nurses are a critical part of our hospitals,” Ms Park said.
“We are still negotiating in good faith.”
Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) Victorian Branch secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the nurses and midwives would never harm patients.
“Nurses and midwives are angry that Health Minister David Davis doesn’t understand that his health system needs more nurses each shift in pressure areas like emergency departments, palliative care, coronary care, rehabilitation and aged care and more midwives in birthing suites,” she said.
“The patient care issues in these areas will not be fixed by Minister Davis asking nurses to be more productive, they will only be fixed with more nurses and midwives on each shift.
“Empty beds have been closed as patients are discharged.”
Conciliation talks at Fair Work Australia are still ongoing and Commissioner Anne Gooley is assisting the ANF, Baillieu Government representatives and Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association representatives with their negotiations for a new public sector nurses and midwives agreement.