Page 3067 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 5 December 1989
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(2) Do Royal Canberra and Woden Valley hospitals, with a combined total of 772 beds, have 27 level four nurses.
(3) Does this compare unfavourably with Royal Adelaide, a hospital with 795 beds, which has nine level four nurses; if so, why.
Mr Berry: The answer to Mr Humphries' question is as follows:
(1) The Government considers that all nursing positions contribute to patient care activities. The question invites the Government to make an arbitrary distinction between direct patient care providers and others, a distinction which the Government does not accept. The new nursing career structure contains three major streams: a Clinical Stream, a Management Stream and an Education Stream. It is true that the management stream does not get involved in direct "hands on" patient care but it is not true that they do not contribute to direct patient care activities. The new nursing career structure was put in place in 1987 following extensive arbitration hearings before the Industrial Relations Commission. The structure is now part of the nursing award.
The Government and the Australian Nurses Federation have agreed to a review of the career structure and are presently discussing the timing and format of such a review. The government would welcome a submission from Mr Humphries when the review is commenced.
(2) Yes.
(3) The ACT operates under an Industrial Award that provides for a nursing service structure that is different from that which operates in South Australia. One of the features of this Award is that it provides for a larger number of nursing positions at higher levels.
Hospital Services
(Question No. 50)
Mr Humphries asked the Minister for Community Services and Health, upon notice, on 15 November 1989:
Did the Minister meet with (a) the Australian Nurses Federation (ANF) and (b) the Hospital Employees Federation (HEF) during October and November; if so, (i) what was the purpose of these meetings, (ii) when and where did they take place and with which officials of the ANF and (iii) did the Minister make any undertakings to either the ANF or the HEF and if so, what were these undertakings.
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