Royal Adelaide Hospital sleep lab workers to strike over plan to close service

MEDICAL scientists say they've been told the sleep laboratory at the Royal Adelaide Hospital will close and will walk off the job to protest — it is one of two protests today with the nurses’ union to hold its first stop-work meeting.

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MEDICAL scientists say they've been told the sleep laboratory at the Royal Adelaide Hospital will close and will walk off the job to protest.

It is one of two protests today with the nurses’ union to hold its first stop-work meeting.

The nurses’ protest over the lack of beds is set to take place at the RAH from 2pm today with action at other sites also in the works.

Health unions claim Central Adelaide Local Health Network chief executive Jenny Richter told staff that her preference was for all of the state’s sleep services to be based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

But Ms Richter says the action is premature as it's yet to make a decision about the future location of sleep services, except from ruling out its privatisation.

“A consultation paper will soon be provided to clinicians and staff for their input, prior to any decision being made,” Ms Richter said.

“Ensuring patients receive safe, timely and appropriate care for their condition will be paramount to any decision about the location.”

Sleep specialists at the RAH will walk off the job for one hour from 12.30pm today.

SA Salaried Medical Officers Association industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland said Ms Richter asked her what she thought of the plan to close the sleep laboratory at the RAH at a meeting two weeks ago.

“I got called by union members at the RAH who had been advised the same thing,” she said.

“I’m glad they’re stepping back from it but what we got told was that their preference was for it to be at the QEH.”

The service supports people suffering with sleep issues including sleep apnoea as well as stroke and respiratory victims.

Overnight sleep services are only available at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after the RAH’s overnight service was not funded in the shift to the new hospital last year.

Professionals Australia SA director Sarah Andrews said dismantling the RAH’s sleep laboratory would leave the “already under-resourced Queen Elizabeth Hospital to pick up the slack”.

Ms Andrews said merging the services into one location would extend waiting times and claimed the move would put patients at risk given the waiting list had already stretched out to 12 months.

She said it was galling for staff to be told the service would move given Health Minister Stephen Wade had assured the union he would consult with the workforce before making a decision.

“We understand the Minister has not yet even reviewed the report (into the future of the service), let alone consulted with the medical scientists and technical officers who work in the service, yet the department has already taken out the axe,” Ms Andrews said.

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