Covid-fatigued nurses take their case to the Tasmanian Industrial Commission

Exhausted nurses have had enough and have taken their grievances over staffing to the Tasmanian Industrial Commission. WHAT THEY WANT >>

THE union representing Tasmania’s nurses and midwives has lodged a safe staffing grievance with the state Industrial Commission, arguing its health workers were being asked to carry unreasonable workloads during the Covid pandemic.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian secretary Emily Shepherd on Thursday took aim at the Tasmanian government and the health department for what she said was a “failure to prevent sustained and unreasonable workloads for nurses and midwives.

Ms Shepherd said the ongoing lack of transparency regarding staffing levels and overtime had also forced the federation’s hand.

ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd.

“The ANMF and members, despite being the worst paid in the country, have been more than reasonable in continuing to consult and work collaboratively with the Department on a daily basis to try and get outcomes on these issues, but the reality is that the failure by the Tasmanian Government to recognise and value nurses and midwives has led to this staffing crisis and our members have had enough,” she said.

A union-won fatigue and hydration direction that nurses get longer meal breaks was having little effect because staff shortages meant they often cannot take a break at all, the federation said.

Department of Health Secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said she understood the directive had been well received as was making a difference.

“We talk to the federation on a daily basis. We absolutely value our nurses,” she said.

Ms Shepherd said the impact of the latest Covid-19 outbreak had cut into the nursing and midwifery workforce and was likely to increase with school return, when many nurses and midwives will need to provide care to children who become infected.

“The ANMF was able to negotiate a fatigue and hydration direction to allow members more time for meal breaks due to donning and doffing PPE and also to prevent dehydration. “However, the reality is that due to staffing shortages, many members say that they are at times unable to take their allocated meal break, let alone an additional hydration break.”

Kathrine Morgan-Wicks secretary department of health. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The ANMF recently called on the Premier to financially acknowledge the significant contribution of the nursing and midwifery workforce through a special allowance.

“While the Premier has committed to negotiating this allowance, he has indicated that this will not come into effect until level 4 of the Covid-19 escalation plans are reached,” Ms Shepherd said.

“With 259 roster gaps on the upcoming roster in Paediatrics at the RHH, not enough staff at the LGH ED to adequately staff the CoviD-19 hot zone, it defies belief that this is being accepted by the Department of Health and the Tasmanian Government.”

“In Tasmania, the ANMF called repeatedly for a workforce pillar of the Department of Health’s COVID-19 preparedness strategy in early November 2021, well ahead of the December 15, 2021, border opening date. Despite these calls, no surge workforce plan or strategy was developed that would prevent already exhausted nurses and midwives from burning out after borders opened.”