Fly-in-fly-out anaesthetists are threatening to boycott Dubbo Base Hospital because of a cut to their accommodation budget, potentially disrupting surgeries and services at a major regional hospital heavily reliant on a temporary workforce.
Western NSW Local Health District emailed visiting medical offers (VMOs) last week informing them that the hospital would only house temporary staff in apartments, units and a motel owned by the hospital, and would no longer pay for the accommodation of their choice.
Endeavour Court Dubbo, one of several accommodation options owned or leased for housing healthcare workers that doctors say is “unsuitable” for their needs.
In subsequent email chains seen by the Herald, doctors raised concerns ranging from the distance between the hospital and the accommodation to a lack of comfortable furniture and crockery.
One anaesthetist said the hospital’s accommodation was “often dirty, riddled with ants and cockroaches, with uncomfortable furnishings and very poorly maintained”, and that they would “need to reconsider” their work at the hospital if the changes were enforced.
Another said spending days and weeks away from family could be difficult, and they expected to be compensated with accommodation that is “comfortable, has facilities such as coffee making, appropriate supply of toiletries, soap, tissues, bottled water and adequate cooking facilities so that we don’t have to eat out every night”.
Responding to the complaint, chief executive Debbie Bickerton said the accommodation was up to standard and most VMOs were comfortable with the changes.
“You remain unhappy due to the lack of coffee table, height of the crockery and only 4 pieces of each crockery in the unit … it is my opinion that the accommodation offered free for your convenience is entirely reasonable,” she wrote.
VMOs are private medical specialists who work in hospitals as contractors rather than salaried employees. Their hours vary depending on individual agreements with hospitals, but they can earn anywhere from $160 an hour to more than $300 an hour for a senior staff specialist.
All anaesthetists providing services at Dubbo hospital are VMOs. About half work locally, while seven doctors who fly (mostly from Sydney) have disputed the move.
Another anaesthetist, who did not want to be named to protect their ongoing contracts, said many doctors worked in regional hospitals to give back to the community, but cost-cutting measures were quickly eroding that good will.
“If we all pulled out … I think it would greatly impact their service,” they said. “They already have to cancel [surgical] lists sometimes because they haven’t got enough nursing staff, or they don’t have anyone to cover the anaesthetics.”
Retaining medical and nursing staff has become a major headache for NSW Health, particularly in regional and rural hospitals heavily reliant on temporary and locum staff.
More than $1.3 billion of NSW Health’s $16 billion wage budget was spent on visiting medical officers in the 2022-23 financial year, up $29 million on the year before.
A spokesperson for the Western NSW Local Health District said buying or leasing worker accommodation would protect workers from “increasing demand and limited housing supply”, while maximising the level of funding invested directly into patient care and services.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.