Fears of Tasmanian health worker exodus as interstate bidding war targets fed up nurses

Tasmania runs the risk of a health staff exodus as government pay talks with nurses drag on and interstate health services compete to poach fed-up health workers with big wads of cash.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff opening a new playground at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Tasmania runs the risk of a health staff exodus as government pay talks with nurses drag on and interstate health services compete to poach fed-up health workers with big wads of cash.

Queensland Health is offering nurses cash incentives of up to $20,000 and doctors up to $70,000 to take on jobs in that state’s health system. South Australia offers $15,000; Western Australia, $6,000 and Victoria has offered between up to $5,000.

The Royal Hobart Hospital has been dealing with a crisis in recent days, as seasonal illness, chronic understaffing combine with a surge in demand that has kept the emergency department filled beyond capacity

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation state secretary Emily Shepherd says the ongoing crisis and government’s latest pay offer to nurses weren’t doing anything to make people want to stick around.

“It’s up to the government to actually put an offer on the table that’s actually going to allow us to retain our graduates here, because that’s the pipeline for our profession also to recruit,” she said.

“They’re just dead in the water at the moment in terms of being competitive with other states and territories who are really trying their best to recruit,” she said.

“I just feel that the government hasn’t really caught on to that.

“If they don’t either start prioritising and putting money and resources to the nursing and midwifery profession it will be impossible in 12 months.

“Without your workforce, you can’t deliver services.”

Ms Shepherd said nurses were exhausted and did not feel like they were being supported.

Without an offer from the government that the union could recommend to members, industrial action was a possibility, she said.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff was asked whether things at the Royal Hobart Hospital were likely to improve over the next 12 months.

“All our acute hospitals experience a high level of demand throughout the year, we’re experiencing high levels of demand now,” he said.

“We’ve got a number of staff away and we’re managing that as best as we possibly can.”

Mr Rockliff said the problems in the hospital started well outside the emergency department door.

There are currently 30 aged care patients who are well enough to be discharged but are occupying beds in the hospital because they have nowhere else to do.

“We need to focus on the primary care aspect and have greater access to primary care within our community, access to GPs and indeed, to ensure that we have the NDIS and aged care placements to ensure that we don’t get that bed block created by people that are medically ready for discharge, needing an aged care bed.

“Both those are responsibilities of the federal government.”

‘We also need to focus on really reducing that demand at the ED by also ensuring that we do have those primary health care services – because four out of 10 people that attend an emergency department really could be supported with their care elsewhere in the community.”

Labor’s heath spokeswoman Anita Dow said her party would do better.

“In its ten years in office, the minority Liberal Government has failed to implement plans for workforce recruitment and retention,” she said.,

“Tasmanians who rely on the health system as patients are fed up, and it’s little wonder our nurses are too – as they move to leave the state for better opportunities and conditions elsewhere.

“Looking after workers is in Labor’s DNA, and we have a plan to attract and train 150 new health workers in Tasmania by offering free university degrees for those who work in a regional hospital for three years.”