NSW Health authorities fly blind on three day doctor strikes

Premier Chris Minns has warned of even longer waits at some hospitals as strike action kicked off with 200 junior, senior and specialist doctors rallying outside Westmead on Tuesday morning.

Westmead Hospital in Western Sydney has become the first frontline of the doctors strike as thousands prepare to walk off the job over the next three days for the first time in decades, as NSW Premier Chris Minns warned of longer waits in some emergency departments due to a lack of clarity of how many doctors are striking at which hospitals.

About 200 junior, senior and specialist doctors rallied outside Westmead on Tuesday morning to kick off the strike action, joined by members of the Greens, leaving the public hospital on a “holiday” staffing roster amid concerns patient care will be compromised.

NSW Health Deputy Secretary Matthew Daly. Photo by Gaye Gerard / NewsWire

Doctors chanted “safe conditions, safe care” and held up posters calling for “no more Band-Aid solutions” and “pay me like one of your Victorian girls,” as NSW doctors seek a 30 per cent wage rise to match wages in other states.

But for most of the doctors at the strike, money was the least of their worries – fighting for overtime pay, fatigue leave and better staffing for their patients was why they had joined the action.

ASMOF Councillor Mark Priestly said he had worked at Westmead Hospital for decades and has “never done this in my lifetime”.

“To all reports it’s at least 40 years (since doctors went on strike here),” he said.

“This is the first time in a long time I’ve woken up with a ray of hope that something will change,” he said.

LACK OF CLARITY

Mr Minns said a lack of clarity around how many doctors were striking and at which hospitals means there could be people who have to wait long periods of time in emergency departments, or who could be expecting elective surgery, which is then cancelled at the last minute.

He said only after discussions with the doctors union late on Monday afternoon that health officials were “able to get some clarity about some of the key sites”.

“We’ve worked hard with the union to try and get an understanding about how many people would be out,” he said on Tuesday.

“We need to get clarity on those things and in the past some of the work … government undertakes with big unions when there is industrial action is a lot of behind the scenes work to ensure that there is a minimum number of staff located geographically spread across the major hospitals. That wasn’t happening in relation to the doctors strike.”

Doctors during a demonstration at RPA Hospital in Newtown.

Mr Minns said he was concerned about the risk to patients over the next three days.

“Health is pretty good at contacting those that are scheduled for elective surgery … I am concerned about those presenting to emergency departments unaware of the industrial action taking place and having to wait a long period of time,” he said.

Although the NSW government has rejected the union’s requests for a 30 per cent pay rise, Mr Minns said other concerns raised by striking doctors about working up to 16 hour shifts without breaks were not unwarranted.

“I accept that they can earn more in other professions, taking on private clients and even in other jurisdictions,” he said.

“I’ve never said that their arguments with the NSW government are without merit – we just can’t cut them a cheque for a 30 per cent pay increase if we don’t have the funds for that.

“I can’t make up for 12 years of wage suppression in 12 months.”

WESTMEAD ASSURANCES

Meanwhile Mr Priestly also assured services at Westmead, which is one of the largest hospitals in the southern hemisphere, would not be impacted by the strike.

“I want to emphasise in terms of urgent care and safe practice, everything will go as usual today,” he said.

“Westmead is a very busy hospital, 24 hours a day, if you need to come to the emergency department, if you need our intensive care service, if you need a baby delivered, all of that will be provided like any other day.“

“(But) we want simple things that any man in the street, any patient, would expect – and it exists in other states.“

A number of junior doctors also held up posters with a marshmallow on fire with the message “burn out,” referring to an email sent by hospital administration at John Hunter last year, dismissing junior doctors as “clinical marshmallows” for pushing back against working 10 nights in a row.

Doctors represented by the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) union are expected to join the strike action at Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour Hospital by 10am on Tuesday.

Westmead resident junior doctor Henry Crayton said the government could not “bury its head in the sand” any longer.

“I’m seeing my colleagues work 130 hour fortnights, I’m seeing some of the most talented junior doctors I’ve ever worked with who are already leaving and going to other states, and I’m seeing my patients wait longer in the emergency department and on wards where I can’t help them,” he said.

“All we’re asking is for the government to make it more attractive for people to stay (and work) here, so that we can keep patients safe.”

BITTER WAGE DISPUTE

Health authorities have warned they have no idea how many doctors are set to strike, as during the bitter wage dispute with the Minns government.

Members of the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation (ASMOF), which represents more than 9000 doctors in more than 30 public hospitals across NSW, have walked off the job from Tuesday until Thursday – despite the Industrial Relations Commission last week ordering them to call off all industrial action for three months.

NSW Health authorities have accused ASMOF of failing to provide detailed information about how many doctors would be striking and from which departments, which they say has impeded mitigation planning designed to prevent risk to patients.

NSW Health deputy secretary Matthew Daly said the information hospital management had received from ASMOF as to how many doctors would be striking was “haphazard”.

“We’ve been pleading with the union to provide us with the precise details of the staffing that will be provided so that we can actually make a judgement call as to the level of risk,” he said.

“It is now impossible for us to make a call on how high the risk is going to be elevated.”

The union expects more than 5000 doctors to participate in the strike but have said staffing will be maintained in key areas, such as emergency departments for patient safety though elective surgeries will be affected.

Health Minister Ryan Park said hundreds of elective surgeries are expected to be cancelled. Photo by Gaye Gerard / NewsWire

ASMOF NSW executive director Andrew Holland said the union had informed NSW Health safe staffing levels would be in effect for emergency departments and critical care, to the same level they are staffed on weekends, nights and public holidays.

Intensive care specialist Dr Behny Samadi warned that doctors in the public health system are at breaking point, with burnt out doctors often working up to 16 hour shifts without a break.

Dr Samadi said the strike action was not just about money, but an attempt to “modernise” the award, which in its current form does not allow staff specialists to be remunerated for working additional hours.

“There are very poor conditions we work with,” she said.

“We work with fatigue – there’s no fatigue management systems, no safe working hours policy. We don’t get paid overtime while on call.”

Among a raft of improvements to working conditions, the union wants a 30 per cent rise in total, which they say will bring remuneration in line with other states.

The government has instead offered a 10.5 per cent increase over three years.

Originally published as NSW Health authorities fly blind on three day doctor strikes