23 June 2022
There has been overwhelming support for an ANMF (SA Branch) campaign aimed at securing retention payments and incentives for all frontline nurses and midwives, along with special measures directed to those considering retirement, relocation, or a change of career.
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ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM said the “measures are critical if we are to maintain or expand staff capacity over the winter demand months and address future workforce shortages”.
“The ability to retain experienced staff in the short term is of grave concern; especially as the strain on South Australia’s health system continues during winter and we have more new and less experienced staff in our health system,” Ms Dabars said.
“With both NSW and Victoria moving to implement incentive payments of around $3000 per nurse/midwife, the need to provide similar incentives here has never been clearer.”
South Australia’s health system is on the brink of collapse. This is a result of the community’s need for health services, and the significant shortages in the health workforce following years of neglect.
There is no sign of the COVID-19 pandemic easing, with a new variant and immune-resistant sub-strain of Omicron likely to mean that the bed demand for COVID-19 patients will continue. In addition, South Australia is also being confronted by the worst flu season since 2017, which will put further strain on our hospitals.
And now, as staff work extra shifts, double shifts and overtime just to maintain the best possible care, the Labor Government has announced they will be discontinuing free car parking across metropolitan hospitals for nursing and midwifery staff. This was a measure that was introduced under the previous government in response to the COVID pandemic, in recognition of the significant contributions from the nursing and midwifery workforce, who continue to work tirelessly, without reward and with real risk to their own safety.
“This decision on car parking at hospitals could see nurses and midwives paying up to an extra $1000 per year and is yet another disincentive to remain in the health care sector,” Ms Dabars said.
“We have formally written to the Department for Health and Wellbeing urging them to reconsider their position and extend the free car parking agreement.”
Incentives needed to address regional staffing crisis
The urgent need for retention payments and incentives for all frontline nurses and midwives is an equally high priority in regional SA.
Ms Dabars told ABC Radio that workforce shortages are so grim, regional areas are already losing health services. The situation is likely to get far worse in the next five years unless urgent action is taken.
“By the year 2025 we anticipate that in South Australia alone, we will be short by 10,000 to 15,000 nurses and midwives,’’ Ms Dabars said.
Burnout and fatigue are contributing to the exodus while many nurses and midwives are reaching retirement age, which threatens to exacerbate the shortage in the sector.
On a positive note, Ms Dabars said the ANMF (SA Branch) had been buoyed by the new State Government’s assurances it was willing to work with the union on workforce strategies.
“But as part of that, we need attraction and retention bonuses and allowances and accommodation strategies for nurses and midwives in rural and regional South Australia,’’ she said.
“For instance, in Whyalla the Annie Lockwood residential aged care facility was shut down as a direct consequence, as we understood it, from not being able to attract and retain registered and enrolled nurses to staff that facility adequately.
“We understood at the time that many of those staff actually ended up working over in the hospital instead.
“It does go to show the vulnerability of the Whyalla region in terms of the available staff in the area. This is an issue across South Australia.
“We know that the midwifery service, for instance, over in Waikerie has ceased because they cannot find enough midwives.
“Midwifery services have been on and off down in the South Coast again due to the lack of availability of midwifery staff. In the Berri-Barmera region the Barmera hospital has had its emergency department closed on a number of occasions, again as a result of not having available staff.
“And, in fact, one of the largest regional hospitals, Mount Gambier Hospital, just recently had an entire ward closed because the eight COVID patients who were in a ward there simply could not be staffed properly. Those patients ended up being transferred down to Adelaide.
“So the issue is an urgent and desperate one because we do believe that people who live in the country deserve and need services close to home. That is really important for their health, wellbeing and recovery, to have those services available and to be able to be visited by friends and family.”
Health Workforce Australia has projected a shortfall of approximately 85,000 nurses and midwives nationally by 2025, and 123,000 nurses/midwives by 2030.
“So what we are saying is we do need to have the workforce planning, which we seem to be getting some traction on with this new Government,’’ Ms Dabars said.
“They have expressed an interest in our assertion that workforce planning is fundamental to bringing about a better workforce and a workforce availability, because the reality is that announcing more beds is great and we warmly welcome it. But we need a workforce that will actually be able to staff those beds.’’
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