ANMF Tasmanian Branch to Hold Stop Work Meetings at the Launceston General Hospital and Royal Hobart Hospital

Thursday, 14 March 2024

Over the past year, the ANMF has been advocating for a collaborative approach with the Government to develop a Transfer of Care procedure, following the Government’s agreement with Ambulance Tasmania and the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) that they would implement the Transfer of Care Procedure within 12 months, that effectively addresses the underlying issues causing ramping, particularly focusing on access and flow within the healthcare system. Emily Shepherd, the Branch Secretary of the ANMF Tasmanian Branch, emphasises the importance of fixing these fundamental issues to alleviate the strain on hospitals and ensure timely access to care for patients.

ANMF members express concerns that the proposed transfer of care procedure may merely shift the risk from ambulance ramping to hospitals, resulting in prolonged wait times for care for patients and exacerbating the moral distress and exhaustion experienced by nurses and midwives. Insufficient staffing and resources further compound these challenges, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive solutions.

“Banning Ambulance ramping and striking an agreement to offload ramped patients does not fix the fundamental issue that causes ramping, and that is access and flow challenges, so if the Government is serious about enabling access and flow then that is where they should be focusing their energy; otherwise, the ramped patients will end up ramped inside hospital corridors, without the sufficient number of nurses and doctors needed to provide satisfactory care,” said ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary, Emily Shepherd.

The ANMF urges the Government to prioritise improvements in offload times alongside enhancements to access and flow, with adequate resource allocation. It emphasises the non-politicisation of this issue and calls for a commitment to addressing the concerns of frontline healthcare workers in all hospitals, as well as supporting paramedics in responding to triple zero calls in the community.\

Should these calls go unheeded, the ANMF stands ready to support its members in continuing industrial action and will pursue an emergency hearing application with the Tasmanian Industrial Commission (TIC) if the Transfer of Care procedure is implemented without addressing these critical issues.