SA Pathology job cuts — 196 full time positions to go

UPDATED: SA Pathology staff have been told at least 196 jobs will be cut across the organisation from September, with more positions likely to go in the future.

• Consultant’s report calls for SA Pathology jobs to go
• Special report: Transforming Health — the great health debate

SA Pathology staff have been told at least 196 jobs will be cut across the organisation from September, with more positions likely to go in the future.

Angry staff will start industrial action from Thursday, including refusing to process invoices and undertake IT training needed for the move to the new RAH.

These actions will not affect pathology work for patients.

SA Health officials announced on Wednesday afternoon that they would cut 196.6 full time equivalent positions from SA Pathology’s scientific and technical arms, where 831 full time staff are currently employed.

A review will now also look at cuts for about 100 medical officers.

A consultant’s report initially recommended cutting 332 jobs to save $42 million a year.

Consultants Ernst and Young found pathology costs in SA were almost 50 per cent higher than the industry-accepted benchmark, and SA Pathology had failed to deliver planned savings and productivity improvements.

Union officials at Wednesday’s meeting with SA Health officials said they were told that “nothing was off the table” when they asked if the service would be privatised.

However SA Pathology director Dr Glenn Edwards said there was “absolutely no consideration” being given to privatisation.

He said quality of the service would not suffer and that technology would make up for the mass redundancies.

“We are building a contemporary and modern service” he said.

“There will be no impact on turn around times and we aim to improve quality.”

Sceptical union leaders described it as a cost cutting exercise and warned that patient safety was at risk.

Professionals Australia SA director Sarah Andrews said delays in pathology from the cuts would lead to delays in treatment.

“This is devastating news for job losses and bad news for the community,” she said.

“A 25 per cent reduction in scientific and technical staff means people will be waiting longer for diagnoses and so for treatment.”

SA Salaried Medical Officers Association senior industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland said the cuts would impact on patient care.

“They are now going to review the medical officers’ positions and given this cost cutting exercise, there is no guarantee for those jobs,” she said.

Ambulance Employees Association SA secretary Phil Palmer said the cuts were “a disaster in the making”.

“The whole health system is under strain — SA Health needs to be increasing staff, not reducing.”

Professionals Australia, the association for medical scientists and technical officers, wrote to Health Minister Jack Snelling calling for the cuts to be abandoned, warning patients will have to wait longer for results of crucial medical tests.