Latest news with #NSWNMA
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
NSW nurses' union to consider ‘interim' pay deal from Labor government
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association will vote on whether to accept an interim pay deal from the government, drawing nearer the end of a year-long pay dispute. The nurses union launched industrial action in July 2024 over pleas for a 15 per cent pay rise and improved working conditions at state-run hospitals across the state. On Tuesday, the NSWNMA received an interim offer from the government, which will be put to its members for a vote following their annual conference on Friday. The deal includes a night-duty penalty rate increase to 20 per cent – reaching parity with Queensland – along with no night duty before annual leave and two consecutive days off. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said discussions were 'going well' and that the government had accepted a number of requested 'work-life balance' changes. 'These are things that make a real difference in terms of the pressure nurses are under and in terms of the stress and strain of that job,' he said. 'I do want to emphasise this hasn't been decided on by the membership yet. We've got to respect that process (and) we were working through it. 'We will continue to have those negotiations and discussions, but it's certainly a positive step forward.' Premier Chris Minns said there had been 'good progress' on talks with the nurses union. 'We're not doing a lap of honour,' he said. 'We recognise this is in the hands of the membership of the nurses association and in front of the Industrial Relations Commission. 'They'll ultimately make a decision, but what I can say is both sides are putting down their weapons, getting around the negotiating table and hopeful of an outcome.' In a statement, NSWNMA said the interim offer did not replace the need for the Special Case, which is an application for a 35 per cent pay rise over three years. Neither does it 'impact our pathway to an additional pay rise through the Industrial Relations Commission'. The powerful workplace commission last year recommended NSW Health pay nurses a 3 per cent wage increase, which was accepted by the NSWNMA. The interim deal would also require consultation before any roster changes are made. Mr Park said the deal was important to delivering the 3 per cent pay 'boost' as a case before the Industrial Relations Commission progressed.
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Royal Prince Alfred hospital management pauses cuts across women and babies unit after protests
Management at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Sydney will pause its cuts to staffing levels across its women and babies unit, just days after staff protested the changes. On Tuesday, dozens of midwives and other clinical staff held a snap rally outside RPA, one of the city's major tertiary hospitals, claiming that management's decision to reduce the number of midwives rostered on to the birthing unit risked the lives of mothers and babies. Guardian Australia understands that late on Thursday, hospital management reached an agreement with staff to pause the cuts and revert back to previous staffing levels across the birthing unit, effective immediately, while discussions continued between management and staff. Midwives were called in to fill extra shifts, or stay late on the afternoon shift on Thursday, in order to bring numbers back up to previous levels. One RPA midwife, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: 'We're all so relieved that the cuts have been paused. There's been a lot of uncertainty in the past week … which has taken a toll on everyone. 'We're all hoping that a fair and safe roster can be negotiated in the coming weeks.' On 1 July, 20 full-time equivalent roles were removed from across the women and babies service at RPA, including five from the midwifery group practice (MGP). The New South Wales Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) said that while no jobs would be lost as a result, vacant positions would not be filled and fewer casual staff will be brought in, as a result of the changes. The new plan would mean fewer midwives rostered on to each shift in the labour ward and birth centre, said the NSWNMA, a drop from 26 midwives rostered on across day, afternoon and night shifts each day, to 18 midwives across the three shifts. 'This is not safe,' claimed NSWNMA president O'Bray Smith on Tuesday. 'This is about saving lives, having safe staffing. The midwives are absolutely terrified of what could happen here.' On Tuesday, NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said that no one at RPA would be losing their job, but midwives were being 'redeployed in other parts of maternity services' due to 'a slight reduction in birthrates at RPA'. Park added that the state government used a model called Birthrate Plus to determine the level of staffing in birthing and maternity services, a model that he said had been endorsed by the NSWNMA. The union previously endorsed the Birthrate Plus model, but has for a number of years called for its review and the implementation of 1:3 staff ratios. The NSWNMA and RPA have been contacted for comment, but did not respond before time of publication. The health minister's office was also contacted for comment.
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Women and babies could die due to midwife cuts at Sydney's RPA hospital, staff warn
Midwives at one of Sydney's largest hospitals have warned women and babies could die in light of cuts to the number of midwives staff deployed across the birth and delivery unit. Hospital staff say 20 full-time equivalent roles have been removed from across the women and babies service at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) hospital in Camperdown, including five from the midwifery group practice (MGP), effective from Tuesday. The New South Wales Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) said that while no jobs will be lost, vacant positions that are currently advertised will now not be filled and fewer casual staff will be brought in. The changes will mean fewer midwives will be rostered on to each shift in the labour ward and birth centre to assist mothers giving birth at RPA. 'So currently in the birth unit, you would have eight midwives on a day shift, 10 midwives on an afternoon and eight on the night [shift],' the NSWNMA president, O'Bray Smith, said. 'With the new changes, you will have six midwives [on each of the three shifts]. This is not safe.' The union said nine beds in the maternity ward would also be cut, with Smith warning this would mean 'women will be pushed out faster than they already are'. Speaking at a rally outside RPA on Tuesday, Smith said reducing the number of midwives assisting women during birth will mean that not all women will receive the one-to-one care during active labour and two-to-one care during delivery, which is considered safe practice. 'Midwives are already at breaking point,' Smith said. 'They know that women aren't getting the care they deserve in NSW. This is really going to make things a lot worse. Every single shift, a mother or a baby could die as a result of not having enough staff. This is about saving lives, having safe staffing. The midwives are absolutely terrified of what could happen here.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Jessica Rendell, a midwife at RPA since 2021, the staffing changes were 'a slap in the face'. 'It's just really unsafe having such limited [number of] midwives,' she said, speaking to Guardian Australia in her capacity as an NSWNMA member. 'It's such a joke that they're cutting our staffing and numbers. It's not like we're sitting around doing nothing. We are run off our feet every single day. 'If you ask any of the girls working today, have they had a break? Have they eaten? And they probably haven't … We're exhausted, honestly we've had enough. The government is making it so hard to enjoy coming back to work every day, because it's just so stressful coming into work and knowing that you might not be able to help your woman in an emergency.' Rendell said she knew a number of midwives who were looking to leave positions in NSW Health for jobs in other states where the pay is higher and staff-to-patient ratios are better. The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, told reporters on Tuesday: 'I want to make it clear, no one in RPA is losing their jobs.' He said midwives were being 'redeployed in other parts of maternity services' due to 'a slight reduction in birthrates at RPA'. Park added that the state government used a model called Birthrate Plus to determine the level of staffing in birthing and maternity services, a model that he said had been endorsed by the NSWNMA. The union previously endorsed the Birthrate Plus model, but has for a number of years called for its review and the implementation of 1:3 staff ratios. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The NSWNMA has raised concerns about the reduction in the number of midwives who will work across the MGP program, which allows a woman to see the same midwife throughout her pregnancy, during delivery and postnatal follow-up care. The number of midwives assigned to MGP will drop by at least five, the union said, despite a huge demand for the service and the fact that the recent NSW birth trauma inquiry recommended 'the NSW government invest in and expand midwifery continuity of care models, including midwifery group practice'. The Aboriginal MGP, a dedicated program to assist Indigenous women to give birth in culturally safe ways and to improve outcomes for Indigenous women and their babies, will also be merged with the general MGP program. The two dedicated Aboriginal MGP midwives say they anticipate being asked to pick up extra patients from the general service, diverting their focus from Indigenous women. 'It's been integrated. It's no longer a protected Indigenous space,' , one of the Aboriginal MGP midwives, Paige Austin, said, speaking to Guardian Australia in her capacity as a NSWNMA member. 'Those women lose us, and they lose our time and everything that we give to them extra on top of MGP.' News of the staffing changes was shared on the mothers' group that Charlotte Wesley and Bridget Dominic are part of, and they both turned out in the rain on Tuesday to show support for the RPA midwives who had assisted them to deliver their babies – George and Roonui – just three months ago. 'The midwives showed up for us so we really want to show up for them,' Dominic said. 'I do think that these cuts could lead to deaths of mothers and babies. But further than that, we shouldn't just be aiming for alive mothers and babies; we want happy and healthy [mothers and] babies who contribute to happy healthy communities.' RPA was contacted for comment.
