‘People will die’: Health union claims budget cuts will have dire consequences

The state government has denied a health budget crisis and a plan to cut back on recruiting mental health staff will lead to a reduction in health services.

Minister Guy Barnett. Parliament Question Time. Picture: Chris Kidd

Doctors, health unions and opposition politicians have warned job cuts in health will hurt patients.

Health Minister Guy Barnett said the claims were a “gross misrepresentation” and “a terrible thing to say”.

The government has denied a health budget crisis and a plan to cut back on recruiting staff will lead to a reduction in frontline services.

A memo from the Department of Health’s acting deputy secretary Rick Monty dated May 27 said the department is putting the brakes on hiring.

“The Department’s budget position has deteriorated significantly over this financial year and is forecast to continue to worsen in 2024-25 unless strategies are put in place,” the memo said.

“In addition, the Department is expected to make savings from next financial year.

“The secretary has advised that a Vacancy Control Committee will be in place as a strategy to assist with budget repair.

Australian Medical Association, Tasmania Branch spokesman John Davis said the plan would worsen outcomes in the state’s public hospitals and make attracting key workers harder.

“We cannot take any cost-cutting measures in health without seeing patients harmed through increased ambulance ramping, worsening bed block, elective surgery cancellations, and outpatient waiting lists blowing out, ultimately leading to further pressure on general practice,” Dr Davis said.

“Vacancy control is a blunt instrument and could have adverse consequences if already slow recruitment processes are further slowed down or stopped, with potential recruits finding jobs elsewhere.”

HACSU State Secretary Robbie Moore. Picture: Chris Kidd

Health and Community Sector Union state secretary Robbie Moore said the cutbacks would kill.

“The government’s decision to use vacancy control to cut staffing and services in mental health will mean more Tasmanians with mental illness will die,” he said.

“We are already aware of preventable deaths that have occurred because of a lack of mental health services, and this is on the back of St Helens Private Hospital closing and regular issues at The Hobart Clinic.

“For the secretary to now set up a Vacancy Control Committee due to a deteriorating budget

position indicates that this is probably more than just budget cuts but also that they are over budget, meaning the cuts will have to go further.”

Speaking after a meeting of health ministers in Adelaide on Friday, Mr Barnett denied vacancy control amounted to cuts.

“Can I make it very clear in terms of what’s being said today by the Labor Party and HACSU, it is grossly misleading, it’s a terrible thing to say, some of their remarks,” he said.

“It’s about improving healthcare services and it’s about providing a fit for purpose and people in the right roles post the pandemic posed the pandemic you need to insure, we need to adapt. and that’s what the Health Department’s doing.”

“We’re on a recruitment blitz. We want more doctors, more nurses, more health care professionals across the board more about growing the healthcare workforce to ensure Tasmanians get the health care they deserve.”

Labor leader Dean Winter. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

Minister Guy Barnett. Picture: Chris Kidd

Labor health spokeswoman Ella Haddad said “vacancy control means job cuts.”

“The government has been steadily cutting money out of the health budget since they came to power in 2014,” she said.

‘We know that there are 500 nursing vacancies alone, there are vacancies across the entire health system and what vacancy control means is that many of those positions won’t be filled and some of them will be abolished altogether.

“The health system simply cannot afford to lose that many staff and patient lives will be at risk as a result of that.

And Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said the people of Tasmania were not being given the full story.

“That is a classic way of governments making sure there is nobody to do the work that is required because when somebody goes off on maternity leave they will not put anyone in that position.”