GREENS LAUNCH RURAL AND REMOTE HEALTHCARE CAMPAIGN
Improve Training and Conditions to Address Drift of Healthcare Professionals Away from Smaller Communities
The Tasmanian Greens today launched a campaign to improve the delivery of healthcare services in rural and remote areas of Tasmania, and to improve the working conditions of healthcare workers in these areas.
Greens Health spokesperson Paul ‘Basil’ O’Halloran MP said that in the wake of recent events at Bruny Island Health Centre where five Registered Nurses have recently resigned, it is imperative that we improve conditions to retain Nurses and other healthcare professionals in our rural and remote areas.
Mr O’Halloran also said there is a desperate need for a number of improvements and refinements to the current system, including,
• The provision of adequate and specific accredited training for Remote Area Nurses (RANs), particularly around the first line emergency response;
• An urgent review of the poisons regulations with a view to enabling RANs to maximise the services they are able to deliver;
• A Primary Health systems review for rural and remote areas, involving all stakeholders including RANs, all unions representing healthcare workers, the Council of Remote Area Nurses Australia and Tasmanian Ambulance Service; and,
• Improved community consultation prior to planning and delivery of healthcare into rural and remote communities.
“We need to stop the drift of highly trained medical professionals away from our rural and remote areas, and the Greens will be campaigning hard to see that improvements are made to the current system which is too bureacratised and centralised, and which is not serving the interests of our smaller and more remote communities,” said Mr O’Halloran.
“I am strongly encouraging all RANs, healthcare workers, and all community members to contact his office with any concerns or suggestions that they may have about the delivery of healthcare services to rural and remote Tasmanian communities.”
“Under the recently negotiated nurses’ EBA, Bruny Island is not classified as a Remote Area and therefore does not attract much by way of increased incentives for Nurses.”
“We are now receiving correspondence from a number of Bruny Island community members who are very concerned about the future of the health service with so many staff leaving in such a short time. Some elderly community members have indicated they might move off the Island to ensure they have access to healthcare services as they age.”
“While I can commend the current government for committing to fund two new nurse educator positions for rural and remote communities, improvements are still needed and I am calling on all stakeholders and community members to contact my office to share any concerns or suggestions that they may have,” said Mr O’Halloran.
