Sydney nurses set to strike over job concerns at Northern Beaches Hospital
BREAKING: Nurses and midwives in Sydney’s north have voted to strike over concerns about jobs at the new Northern Beaches Hospital.
Manly
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NURSES and midwives at Manly and Mona Vale hospitals have voted to strike on Wednesday over concerns about jobs at the new hospital in Frenchs Forest.
Staff took part in a secret 24-hour ballot which closed at 2pm on Friday.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association said hundreds of their members had voted for strike action — “a substantial number”.
The union said the decision comes after a drawn-out, unreasonable job matching process for nurses and midwives transferring from Manly and Mona Vale Hospitals to the new Northern Beaches Hospital.
NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said the lack of transparency during the process has resulted in nurses and midwives being wrongly excluded from positions they should have been matched with.
“A lack of consultation with staff and their union during the EOI process has led to staff being matched to very different positions with no explanation or logic around why those decisions were made,” he said.
“Shift workers have been matched to day worker positions and others to completely different wards or areas that do not reflect their current expertise.
“In addition, nurses and midwives wishing to return to the public health system, have not been guaranteed the ability to hold on to their accrued public health entitlements, such as annual leave and long service leave following that transfer process.”
Both branches are seeking commitment from the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), the NSW Government and Healthscope to immediately commence negotiations with the NSWNMA by close of business Monday, or they will strike on Wednesday, from 11am until 3pm.
The NSWNMA is committed to the provision of safe patient care, so will ensure night staffing levels remain on duty during the four hour strike period.
“A failure by Northern Sydney Local Health District and Healthscope to recognise the need to match current staff expertise to future positions has resulted in members demonstrating their lack of confidence in the new Northern Beaches Hospital.
“They showed that today in their vote for a strike.
“It’s been almost four years since the government signed a contract with Healthscope to build and manage Sydney’s new Northern Beaches Hospital. With around six months to go until the hospital opens, staff are only just being given information about employment conditions, staffing and transitions now. It’s simply not good enough.”
Manly branch president of the union, Lyn Hopper, said the four hour strike on Wednesday would not impact patients.
News of a strike follows an investigation by the Manly Daily where staff claim employees are leaving “in droves” because of uncertainty over their future.
The opening of Northern Beaches Hospital on October 30, will see the closure of Manly Hospital and the loss of Mona Vale’s emergency department, to be replaced by a 24-hour urgent care service.
Staff are currently in the middle of a job matching process.
Around 800, or 90 per cent, have agreed in principle to new jobs.
However, some claim they have been offered wildly inappropriate jobs in areas where they have no experience, including:
•Staff from acute mental health being asked to work in aged care
•Nurses in the emergency department being offered jobs in surgical wards
•Experienced intensive care nurses offered jobs in general medical and high dependency
Others including experienced managers, clerical staff and pharmacists have not been matched with any jobs, according to a source.
Some staff who have been offered appropriate roles say they’re still unhappy because there is no information on shift patterns, staff/patient ratios, working practices, pay and holidays.
One manager of more than 10 years who has worked at Manly and Mona Vale broke down when she told the Manly Daily she had not yet had any offer.
The mum who wanted to remain anonymous said she had a mortgage to pay and was concerned there would be no job for her.
“We are competing for jobs against our friends,” she said. “Those who have got jobs feel guilty. It’s very unsettling.”
She said staff had been concerned for months about delays in the job matching process resulting in many jumping ship early and taking roles in other hospitals, while others were actively trying to leave.
One experienced specialist nurse said she had been offered a good job match but was hoping to find another job before she had to sign the contract in July and was even willing to move her family out of Sydney.
She said she was not confident in the way the whole situation was being managed and was concerned for patient safety at the new hospital.
“I’ve applied for two jobs outside of Sydney already and I’m prepared to move my family off the northern beaches,” she said.
“We are losing staff across the whole hospital, from nurses to cleaners and kitchen staff,” she said.
Another nurse told the Manly Daily like others she was extremely stressed and anxious.
The mum who lives on the northern beaches said she had also been offered a job that was well matched but she was not happy.
“I’ve accepted, but only because I have no choice, I have a family and a mortgage. I’m stuck,” she said.
“I’m not happy. I really don’t know what I’m in for.
“I have a young family, how can I plan anything if I don’t even know whether I will be doing eight hour or 12 hour shifts?”
Last week the Manly Daily reported how Manly’s acute mental health wing was severely short-staffed with a leaked memo revealing how managers were trying to recruit staff from outside the area to pick up extra shifts.
A spokesperson for Northern Sydney Local Health District said: “There has been extensive consultation with staff and union representatives and already the majority of frontline clinical staff have been matched to a position.
“The workforce transition process is still underway and there will be further opportunities for staff to secure a position at the new hospital, including promotional and alternative roles.
“Staff who do not wish to go to Northern Beaches Hospital will be redeployed within the health district and NSW Health, wherever possible.
“We appreciate the move to the new hospital may be unsettling for some people and with Healthscope, we are committed to ensuring the transition is as smooth and fair as possible.”
The spokesperson said the workforce at Manly and Mona Vale had been supported in recent months by an additional 30 graduate nurses along with new medical interns and resident medical officers.
“We are confident staff will be attracted by the opportunity to work at the new $600 million, state-of-the-art Northern Beaches Hospital when it opens later this year,” the spokesperson added.