Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Premier; Kathrine Morgan-Wicks, Secretary Department of Health, 16 August 2022

Recognising all frontline health staff in new proposal

The Tasmanian Government is committed to reducing the pandemic pressure on our hospitals, in particular on our nursing and midwifery workforce.

The Department of Health has been working with unions to implement workforce initiatives to ease this pressure, which is being felt in states and territories right across the country.

A COVID-19 Escalation Allowance Agreement was recently registered in the Tasmanian Industrial Commission after agreement with a number of unions, including the ANMF and HACSU.

This daily payment is payable to specified staff for Level 3 COVID escalations that last for 30 days and longer and Level 4 escalations in defined public health service settings.

The Premier has listened to feedback from the Tasmanian Health Service and Ambulance Tasmania and has this afternoon put forward a revised proposal to all union parties involved in the current agreement to broaden the application of the payment to all frontline public sector health staff, and make it certain and final.

It has been proposed that the Department of Health replace and encompass the existing COVID allowance with a one-off $2,000 payment under a new Frontline Health COVID-19 Allowance to relevant Health Service and Ambulance Tasmania staff, with the payment including any back pay owing under the COVID-19 Escalation Agreement.

Where the accrued COVID-19 Escalation Allowance is higher than the $2,000 payment, then the Government will pay the higher amount.

This new offer includes Tasmanian Health Service (THS) Nurses, Midwives, Doctors, Allied Health professionals, Orderlies, Ward Clerks, Food Services, Cleaners and Ambulance Tasmania Paramedics working in Hospitals, inpatient and ancillary health care areas during the pandemic, but not staff in areas such as HR, Infrastructure or Finance.

This one-off payment would apply to around 9,500 FTE staff in the Tasmanian Health Service, seeing an additional 3,500 FTE staff included in the new proposed agreement and responds directly to feedback that it be broad-based and remove any uncertainty of payment due to the timing of escalation or de-escalation of our hospitals and health services.

The payment of this one-off Frontline Health COVID-19 Allowance would replace the existing COVID-19 Escalation Allowance Agreement and be paid on the basis that all relevant industrial action ceases and that relevant Unions accept the proposed workforce package. The Government’s original offer to bring forward the next round of negotiations for the Nursing and Midwifery Agreement also stands.

The workforce package originally proposed to the ANMF and HACSU is aimed at recruiting, recognising and retaining health care staff and includes:

  • A Return-to-work bonus payment of $2,000 pro rata for any nurse/midwife that returns to the frontline who has resigned in the 12 months prior to 31 July 2022;
  • Establishing a Strategic Nursing Recruitment and Retention Working Group to deliver new workforce modelling to manage pandemic peaks and a range of other recruitment initiatives;
  • A trial of Clinical Nurse Coaches on public hospital wards who will mentor and support early career nurses; and
  • Reform the Statewide Nursing Transition to Practice Model, providing a pathway to permanency for all UTAS graduates, accelerated probationary periods, and removing the requirement for individual interviews, significantly saving time for our senior nursing staff and fast-tracking recruitment processes.

While the unions consider our proposal, the Tasmanian Government is not waiting to act as we work to improve access and patient flow and assist in easing the pandemic workloads – both now and into the future.

Work is already underway to ease pressure on our hospital system and ensure Tasmanians can get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Staff are continuing to do a fantastic job in addressing the demand for health services and we pay tribute to their continued hard work and dedication to the Tasmanian community.

We look forward to continuing discussions with unions to find a resolution to staff concerns by the weeks end.

Media release – David O’Byrne MP, Member for Franklin, 16 August 2022

Premier’s embarrassing backflip on Covid bonus

Only two weeks after announcing a ‘return-to-work bonus’ for healthcare workers, the Premier has been forced to make an embarrassing backflip on the policy after it attracted widespread criticism.

Franklin MP David O’Byrne, who forced the Premier to reveal the backflip in question time today, said it revealed a bumbling government that was inept and out of touch.

“Rather than follow the lead of other states and introduce a one-off bonus payment for frontline health workers, this government tried to forge ahead with its own half-baked plan for a return-to-work bonus,” said Mr O’Byrne.

“I’m glad the government have instead committed to providing a bonus payment that will actually go to the frontline health workers who are still working tirelessly keep our over-stretched, under-resourced health system afloat.

“However, detail around this bonus is still yet to come out. Sadly with this government there is always a sting in the tail, so I want to make sure that these hardworking health staff are getting what they deserve.

“As per usual from this government, this last-minute backflip announcement is way too late. Our nurses and midwives are already fed-up, having had to go on strike just to have their voice heard. Our paramedics are in a similar position and will commence industrial action soon.

“Why has the government only offered this payment now? Like many others, I have been calling for a Covid bonus for health workers for over a year. It should not have taken the government this long to react.

“Questions need to be asked around why they thought this return-to-work bonus policy was a good idea in the first place, and why the policy was dropped after just two weeks.”

Media release – Dr Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Health spokesperson, 16 August 2022

How Many Tasmanians are Dying While Ramped?

Ambulance ramping continues to worsen, but it’s clear the Liberals are still not it seriously enough, with the Premier today unable to tell Parliament how many Tasmanians are dying while ramped.

Paramedics do absolutely everything in their power to provide the best possible care for patients while they are ramped, but they aren’t miracle workers. When thousands of Tasmanians are spending hours on the ramp, harm and tragedy are unavoidable.

The tragic case of a woman who died at the Launceston General Hospital after she had been ramped for 9 hours is a stark reminder of the harm that can be caused by ambulance ramping. But if you talk to any paramedic they’ll tell you this wasn’t an isolated case.

Data from Victoria released last month showed more than 70 preventable deaths attributed to ramping in a single year. It’s unclear from the Premier’s answer today whether Tasmania collects this type of information – or any data whatsoever about the welfare of ramped patients.

If the government does have more information about the terrible circumstances that are too often occurring on hospital ramps, why wasn’t the Premier forthcoming with it in Parliament?

If they don’t, why not? After all, understanding the severity of this issue is surely an essential requirement for taking meaningful action.

It’s time for the Premier to stop pretending that tinkering at the edges of the issue is going to fix ambulance ramping, and to have the courage to tackle the issue head on. The process needs to start with a information about the impact ramping is having not just on the wider health system, but on the increasing number of people who are suffering on ramps around Tasmania.