(EB8) 2012 Nurses and Midwives EB8 in principle agreement

Proposed Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health)
Certified Agreement (EB8) 2012
Nurses and Midwives EB8 in principle agreement
A copy of the full proposed agreement is available at www.qnu.org.au/eb8
Matter
Details
Length of Agreement 3 years (agreement operates from date of certification, but applies from 1 April 2012)
Wages and
allowances
3% or $30 per week (whichever is the greater) from 1 April 2012, 1 April 2013 and
1 April 2014
Allowances to increase by 3% each year
One-off increase $500 increase to base annual wage rate at end of agreement at 31 March 2015
Increase to night shift
penalty
Professional
Development
allowance
Associate/Advanced
Practice Levels
Additional increment
level – Nurse/Midwife
Grade 7
Increase the Sunday night shift penalty from 1 April 2013 to 25% [shift from midnight
Sunday night into Monday].
Further analysis to be undertaken over next 12 months to improve attractiveness of
night shift and to investigate fatigue management strategies. Includes application of
the definition of continuous shift worker to those working permanent night shift, should
the analysis demonstrate there are minimal cost impacts, subject to Director-General
(DG) approval.
Increase Professional Development Allowance by 3% per annum in alignment with
wage increase dates.
Create a new pay point as at 1 April 2013, between Nurse Grades 6 and 7 [5%
above top pay rate of Nurse Grade 6]. This is an associate role for Nurse Grade 7s
across all four streams. 10% of existing Nurse Grade 6 workforce can apply for these
enhanced roles.
Further work will be undertaken in relation to advanced practice roles during the life of
the agreement.
Create a new pay point (as an annual increment) at the top of the Nurse Grade 7
classification as at 1 April 2014.
This pay point will equate to $99,000 annual base salary in current terms (as at 31
March 2012).
Midwifery Increase case-load midwives loading from 30% to 35%
Enhance the visibility of midwifery roles and career pathway within the nursing and
midwifery career structure.
Develop a midwifery workforce profile and plan. Align classification and career
structure accordingly.

Proposed Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB8) 2012
Nurses and Midwives EB8 in principle agreement
Matter
Workload
Management
Details
Commit to the ongoing application of the Business Planning Framework (BPF) and
allocation of increased resources to ensure correct application.
This includes:
• BPF sign-off process: joint Senior Nursing/Midwifery and Chief Finance Officer
(CFO) sign-off;
• Two joint Queensland Health/Queensland Nurses’ Union BPF documents/
processes – notional nurse or midwife/patient ratio for each unit and prioritisation
notice/process;
• Streamlining Service Profile development and providing greater assistance to
Nurse/Midwifery Unit Managers (N/MUMs) or equivalent, in the development of
Service Profiles;
• Improved processes related to specialist panel escalation process;
• Commitment to reviewing the BPF process over the life of the agreement.
In addition:
• Establishing a dedicated Nurse Grade 7 position appointed to each District/
Hospital and Health Service (HHS) and funding for a Nurse Grade 9 Resource
Management position at Nursing and Midwifery Office Queensland (NMOQ) to
drive productivity enhancement through refinement and promotion of BPF and
appropriate skill mix in HHSs;
• Establishing BPF Steering Committees for each District/HHS with jointly agreed
Terms of Reference to oversight promotion and application of BPF.
Enrolled Nurse
Advanced Practice
(ENAP)
Re-align nurses
classification
structure with HP
structure
The parties have developed a procedure for assessing applications for advancement
to ENAP.
Recognise that nurses occupying roles of team leaders in Integrated Mental Health
and Community Health will receive relevant Health Practitioner (HP) wage rates and
conditions. Specific recognition will be given in the nursing and midwifery classification
structure at Schedule 1 Wage Rates of this Agreement.
Where nurses occupy Team Leader positions, measures will be undertaken to ensure
professional isolation is eliminated. This may require an independent review of
measures to address professional isolation.
By exchange of letters, Queensland Health will commit to:
• examine the governance framework of team member job design in Integrated
Mental Health and Community Health and review role descriptions; and
• work cooperatively with the QNU to identify any pay anomalies where they may
arise between nurses and HPs to ensure nurses and midwives are equitably
valued.
Rural and Remote Increase to the RANIP bonus from 1 April 2012:-
• 1 st year - $3,500
• 2 nd year - $10,500
• 3 rd year and thereafter - $7,000
Cooktown will be incorporated as a designated RANIP site.
Include ability to ‘cash out’ air fare entitlement when travelling by car.
Jointly develop agreed criteria to extend Rural and Remote incentives to other
centres.

Proposed Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB8) 2012
Nurses and Midwives EB8 in principle agreement
Matter
Classification
evaluation process
Details
Vary the existing HR policy B7 (Nursing and Midwifery Classification Structure) to
maintain and extend a joint central evaluation process for all unresolved nursing and
midwifery classification evaluations.
This process will consist of a peer panel including Directors of Nursing (DONs), QNU
Professional Officer and a Human Resources representative.
The panel will make recommendations to District/LHHNs Chief Executive Officer
(CEO), or delegated authority, on nursing/midwifery classifications.
Support of N/MUM or
equivalent role
Introduce a nursing/midwifery clinical support officer role classified as an Assistant in
Nursing (AIN). This role will provide support to N/MUMs to provide Queensland Health
with cost effective measures for productivity in ward areas. The range of activities will
include but are not limited to:
• Transactional safe quality patient support;
• Facilitating the generation of Queensland Health own source revenue;
• Clinical and general support;
• Other duties as required by the N/MUM.
A trial will be undertaken under the auspices of Nurses and Midwives Implementation
Group (NaMIG) following certification of the Agreement, taking into account the above
points and the BPF i.e. within current funding.
Within 12 months of certification of the Agreement the parties will review the
recommendations of the Queensland Health and Queensland Nurses’ Union N/MUM reports.
Where agreed by the parties the recommendations will be prioritised and implemented.
Productivity and
efficiency reforms
Commitment to refine and broaden the application of the BPF (e.g. BPF addenda) to
ensure appropriate staffing levels across Queensland Health including reduction of
casuals and agency staff.
• A productivity enhancement framework will be developed and oversighted by a
Nurse Grade 9 position, Performance and Reporting NMOQ. This will include
development of an agreed Queensland Health/Queensland Nurses’ Union Key
Performance Indicator (KPI) framework, review of delegated authority for nurses
and midwives in management positions and the inter-relationship between BPF
and Activity Based Funding (ABF).
• Changes in community needs require responsive models of nursing and midwifery.
• Nurses and midwives working to their full scope of practice.
• Responsive and flexible skills mix through collaborative change.
• Lead innovation through Centres of Excellence.
• Measure and monitor new nursing and midwifery models of care.
Specific strategies may include, but are not limited to:
• Full implementation of the BPF (which will result in decreased utilisation of
agency/casual staff and the implementation of appropriate skills mix according to
evidence based practice)
• Criteria-Led Discharge
• Hospital in the Home
• Hospital Avoidance Program
• Primary Health care initiatives or models
• Midwifery-led models
• Community, Hospital and other Interface Programmes
• Clinical redesign processes including, the Time to Care approach (e.g. “The
Productive Series” and “Patient Flow Manager”)
• Improved functioning of multi-disciplinary teams

Proposed Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB8) 2012
Nurses and Midwives EB8 in principle agreement
Matter
Productivity and
efficiency reforms
Disaster Relief –
overtime for senior
nurses/midwives
required to work
Jubilee Day Public
Holiday
Christmas Day special
loading
Working arrangements
and environment
Nursing and Midwifery
workforce
Bodies of work during
life of agreement
IR Compliance
System-wide initiatives:
Details
• Maximising funding opportunities under ABF and block funding arrangements,
in particular ensuring that the BPF is appropriately implemented to ensure the
matching of supply with demand for nursing and midwifery services;
• Generation of own source revenue for Queensland Health;
• Implementation of eHealth and other technological initiatives;
• Implementation of Nurse on Q;
• A commitment to best practice which may include development of centres of
excellence.
Develop a set of rules to specify when Nurse Grade 9 and above will be able to claim
overtime in relation to disasters (natural and internal disasters). These rules would
specify when the provision of TOIL is inappropriate given the need to work beyond
usual hours to maintain clinical services during or after a disaster.
Implement payment at double time and one half for all nurses and midwives.
Vary the award to extend Christmas Day special loading to any other day gazetted as
Christmas Day.
• Implement revised Queensland Health Principles for Best Practice Rostering.
• Develop strategies around transitioning nurses and midwives into and out of the
workforce (e.g. new graduate employment and transition to retirement strategies.
• Develop a formal process for banking of time arrangements.
• Develop strategies to make night shift more attractive and better manage fatigue.
• Implement Queensland Health Occupational Violence Prevention Strategy as
may be varied during life of agreement.
• Seek endorsement of the Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Directions to 2020
framework.
• Develop and implement a Midwifery Workforce Plan.
• Develop strategies to support rural and remote nursing and midwifery workforce.
• Improve and promote the BPF.
• Analyse further skill mix and models of care (including skills mix impact
statement).
• Develop and oversee a productivity enhancement framework. This will include
development of an agreed Queensland Health/Queensland Nurses’ Union
KPI framework, review of delegated authority for nurses and midwives in
management positions and the inter-relationship between BPF and ABF.
Establish a Central IR Compliance Unit in QH.
Authorised by B. Mohle, Queensland Nurses’ Union. June 2012.