Physiotherapists, radiographers and wards people at three Sydney hospitals have threatened industrial action unless management abandons proposed job cuts they say will delay patient recovery.
In the latest example of the state government’s attempts to rein in health spending, Northern Sydney Local Health District told staff on Tuesday it needed to find $55 million in savings over the next 12 months.
Management has told senior staff that 50 allied health jobs at Royal North Shore Hospital will be cut. Mona Vale Hospital would lose 15 allied health staff, and Hornsby Hospital would see a 6 per cent reduction in staffing levels across its allied health departments.
Occupational therapist Sarah Blakemore addresses more than 100 Health Services Union members outside Royal North Shore Hospital on Tuesday.Credit: Nick Moir
In a meeting on Tuesday, Northern Sydney Local Health District chief executive Anthony Schembri confirmed recruitment for vacant positions was on hold and some temporary contracts had already been terminated, but would not provide details on further job losses.
At a separate staff briefing a fortnight ago, Schembri said Northern Sydney had gone from the best-performing health district in the state to being $18 million over budget in the first two months of the financial year.
“Our primary focus in this year is to … reduce the expense trajectory between now and the end of the financial year because, as a district, we don’t have the capacity to be running over budget roughly $9 million per month for 12 months,” he said.
News of the cuts prompted rallies outside all three hospitals on Tuesday. More than 100 Health Services Union (HSU) members at Royal North Shore Hospital voted to enforce work bans unless management reversed their decision to terminate temporary contracts, and guaranteed no further jobs would be lost.
Occupational therapist and union delegate Sarah Blakemore said already short-staffed departments from physiotherapy to podiatry would not cope with cuts, leading to patients waiting longer in hospital beds for treatment.
“It could mean the difference between going home or going to an aged care facility,” she said. “I think it just speaks to how out of touch, potentially, bureaucrats are [about] patient care.”
NSW Health and Northern Sydney Local Health District did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.
HSU boss Gerard Hayes said the cuts were “simply unconscionable” and should be examined by the state government’s ongoing inquiry into health spending.
“Physios, radiographers and wards people are exactly the type of employees who are crucial to getting patients in and out of hospital swiftly,” he said. “These workers are a necessity, not a luxury.”
The state’s 15 health districts are under pressure from NSW Health to save costs across the system.
Internal documents leaked last month revealed South Eastern Sydney Local Health District plans to cut more than 75 full-time positions to save $7.5 million, mainly in administration.
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