Major donors to the Royal Children’s Hospital have hit back at suggestions they are to blame for staff lay-offs, saying they have continued to fund programs in the hospital’s dedicated cancer centre.
The Age revealed on Friday that 10 full-time-equivalent roles across 13 positions at the hospital’s Children’s Cancer Centre – including mental health clinicians, art therapists and other support staff – would be slashed.
The hospital’s latest change impact statement, leaked to The Age, said changes to philanthropic allocations were behind the need to cut jobs “currently being supported by donor funds”.
Donors to the Royal Children’s Hospital say they continue to fund programs which were set to lose staff.Credit: Simon Schluter
Two charities that fund the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, which in turn gives money to the hospital, said they wanted to keep funding the roles and were not the reason for the cuts.
The Good Friday Appeal also confirmed it would continue funding the hospital’s art therapy program.
In a joint statement, Children’s Cancer Foundation chair Jaala Pulford and My Room Children’s Cancer Charity chair Maurizio Marcocci said: “The RCH change impact statement is quoted as saying that changes to philanthropic allocations are behind the need to cut jobs currently being supported by donor funds.
Children’s Cancer Foundation chair Jaala Pulford says the non-clinical roles are important to support families.Credit: Justin McManus
“We know it has been assumed by some that our organisations have initiated changes to our funding of roles at the Children’s Cancer Centre, and that this is the reason for these redundancies.
“This is not true. We have not withdrawn support. Our commitment remains firm.”
The charities said they had as recently as last month “expressed a strong desire to fund further positions”, not cut existing ones.
“As organisations founded by parents of children with cancer, we understand the critical importance of the 13 staff involved, and for years we have helped to fund some of these roles,” Pulford and Marcocci said in the statement.
“We remain committed to working with the RCH to fund these critical positions.”
Pulford, a former state MP whose daughter Sinead died of an aggressive and unknown cancer in 2014, said non-clinical support such as a social worker and music therapy offered her family some respite while her 13-year-old was in hospital.
“These services exist to provide really, really important additional therapy and support to families at what is an unspeakably difficult time … When your life is in free-fall, having someone take charge of the practicalities was wonderful,” she told The Age.
“These are the kinds of things that a good charity can do to make a difference, in addition to hospital services.
My Room Children’s Cancer Charity chair Maurizio Marcocci says the charity remains committed to funding programs at the hospital.
“I was surprised to see this saga unfold because our support for the funding of these roles has been unwavering.”
The Royal Children’s Hospital did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday.
Good Friday Appeal chairman Penny Fowler said in a statement the charity would continue to fund the art therapy program because it helps “children’s recovery and brings enjoyment” in tough times.
The Good Friday Appeal could not confirm how many art therapy roles would be saved in the Royal Childrens Hospital’s cancer centre by its recommitment to funding the program.
The revelations of the cuts outraged staff who anonymously told The Age they feared for the wellbeing of patients and families.
One source with links to the hospital, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said: “The real issue is that it’s the RCH Foundation that changed the parameters of the philanthropic funding. They are a law unto themselves.”
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Premier Jacinta Allan thanked the Good Friday Appeal for ensuring the art therapy program would continue.
She said there had been no changes to the way the government funded the Royal Children’s Hospital.
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