Stop Work North and North West
September 2024
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Tasmania) invites the Tasmanian community to the two Stop Work Meetings on the North-West Coast TODAY.
TODAY
EMBARGO UNTIL 1.30PM, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2024
WHAT: Stop Work Meeting
WHERE: North-West Regional Hospital Front Entrance
WHEN: 1.30pm, Thursday, September 5
WHAT: Stop Work Meeting
WHERE: Mersey Community Hospital Front Entrance
WHEN: 3pm, Thursday, September 5
ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd, said the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Tasmanian Branch will hold a stop work meetings at the North-West Regional Hospital and Mersey Community Hospital today to highlight the sustained and unreasonable workloads of ANMF members.
“ANMF nurses, midwives and Assistants in Nursing will today strike to give a voice to their patients who they say deserve better care and treatment which is not able to be provided due to short staffing on the majority of shifts,” Ms Shepherd said.
“For many years, members have struggled with vacancies and difficulty in filling even permanent positions, which is concerning, particularly given it is a remote area competing with other remote areas in Australia.”
Ms Shepherd said the ANMF received a proposal from the Government on Tuesday regarding a number of strategies to address staffing concerns which will be presented to members at a Statewide meeting next week.
FRIDAY
EMBARGO UNTIL 2PM, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2024
WHAT: Stop Work Meeting
WHERE: Launceston General Hospital Front Entrance
WHEN: 2pm, Friday, September 6
The ANMF member will support members to strike in pursuit of safe staffing levels at the Launceston General Hospital.
“Members at the Launceston General Hospital have had a very difficult couple of years and it disappointing that they are now having to struggle with unsafe staffing and untenable workloads,” Ms Shepherd said.
“In particular, the Transfer of Care has had an enormous impact in the workloads in the Emergency Department with some patients corridored with no nursing staff allocated and it has also created enormous additional workload on Nurse Unit Managers who are now spending huge amounts of time focussed on patient flow in amongst continual recruitment processes, day
to day staffing and finding staff to work overtime and double shifts and also trying to provide clinical support.
“It is just untenable.”
Ms Shepherd said members will be provided with the proposal from the Department in regard to the immediate action they will take to address understaffing at the strike and also at a statewide member meeting next week.
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Media contact:
Emily Shepherd, ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary
Mobile: 0400 884 021
Email: Emily.Shepherd@anmftas.org.au