The Nurses' Strike

Anyone who knows me knows that I am overly familiar with Victoria's health system. I have seen it from pretty much every angle possible both public and private. What I have to say about this may anger some of my nursing friends, but I think they need to think beyond their own ward a little bit.

Victoria has a pretty chronic shortage of nurses. This is a fact. Our big hospitals send people on recruiting drives interstate and overseas. Nurses are worked pretty hard - to the point where most are actually part-timers rather full time staff. They have to rotate on and off night shifts as well. So there can be no disputing a pay rise for at least cost of living (which is more than has been offered).

Where it comes unstuck is the rigid adherence to existing nurse:patient ratios and demarcations between job classifications. There are barely enough nurses at the moment to fill available positions. The government wants to be able to bring in lower skilled (and paid) nurses aides (or similar). Thus would enable them to open more beds and perhaps save money on a per patient basis. Nurses see this as a devaluation of their skills and work. To some extent maybe it is.

But, and this is a big but, when cost cutting measures occur in hospitals - fewer cleaners, clerks, porters or maybe social workers - nurses are the ones who get lumped with the extra work. The doctors' union is too strong to allow any of this "unskilled, non-clinical" work to land on their shoulders, so nurses bear the burden. This nurse's aide concept should allow the nurses to relieve themselves of some of this burden. A skilled division 1 nurse is not needed to change sheets, clean up vomit, feed a demented old man or deliver a bed pan in most cases. This can be done by anyone. If you argue against this then I'll run for parliament campaigning to bring in child licensing for prospective parents. Trade these jobs away nurses. Let someone else do it whilst you do dressings, plan discharges, administer medications and check wounds. Trade the ratio to one division one nurse to six patients provided there is a nurse's aide for every eight patients. This should give you more staff overall on each ward plus free up division one nurses to hopefully open some more beds across the entire system.

Nurses, it's time to change the mindset of the negotiations. Think about what you can get out of what the government wants rather than what they might be trying to take from you to get it. My last point is about productivity gains. There is no way that nurses can get more indirect and non-direct care positions in this bargaining period. You added heaps in the previous one and it is too big a drain on budgets and direct care personnel to do it again. Nurses in offices don't add much to patient care.