No jobs lost once Repat Hospital closes and services move, staff promised
STAFF that work across major hospitals in Adelaide’s south have been promised there will be no job cuts ahead of the closure of services at the Repatriation General Hospital later this year.
STAFF that work across major hospitals in Adelaide’s south have been promised there will be no job cuts ahead of the closure of services at the Repatriation General Hospital later this year.
A bulletin obtained by The Advertiser, sent to all Southern Adelaide Local Health Network staff on Wednesday afternoon, reveals the State Government is working with senior clinicians to determine exactly how they will reconfigure and move current services at the Repat to both Flinders Medical Centre and Noarlunga Hospital.
Once the Repat is decommissioned later this year, services that will move include outpatient and surgical services such as orthopaedics, joint replacements and urology cases, as well as outpatient clinic and treatment rooms.
Staff in these areas have been assured there will be no cuts but doctors warn space for all the current services is at a premium and fear there could be staff cuts as a result.
“Although there will be some movement of staff across the network, we will not be reducing clinical staffing levels as part of these service move plans,” the bulletin, signed by SALHN acting chief executive officer David Morris reads.
“We are continuing to meet with staff to provide them with the latest information on the draft plans, prior to formal consultation with all staff later this month.
“The draft plans show that all the clinical services currently provided at the RGH will be accommodated across the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN).”
As a result of the changes, Mr Morris said “it will be easier for our patients to access multiple appointments on the same day”.
Mr Morris encouraged staff to provide feedback on the proposed plans by the end of April.
SA Salaried Medical Officers Association president Dr David Pope said staff at the FMC had been engaged about the draft plans but it “doesn’t mean there’s not problems”.
“It’s a huge challenge,” he said.
“At the end of the day it may not be possible to fit all the staff into Flinders and Noarlunga and to be able to deliver the services as efficiently as they’re currently delivered.”
Dr Pope said adequate space across both the FMC and Noarlunga for the current services was a major issue.
“There still won’t be enough space to do what needs to be done ... but they have been working to identify all the space constraints issues,” he said.
The Repat is expected to be closed by late 2017.