ANNUAL report - Queensland Nurses Union

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PROFESSIONALMuch work is being done to support members as thechanges are rolled out. We have developed a suite ofinformation to support members in understanding andworking within the new scheme and these materials areavailable on our website.Access to MBS and PBS for NPs andeligible midwivesFrom 1 November 2010, nurse practitioners and eligiblemidwives will be able to access the MBS and PBS underlegislation passed in March.The outcome represents a major win for consumersand provides long deserved recognition of our highlyskilled nurses and midwives. The QNU, along withother nursing unions from across Australia, have beenlobbying for over ten years for this decision.Unfortunately however, there remains some red tapewhich will prevent nurse practitioners and eligiblemidwives from practising to their full scope.National Health and Hospital ReformSweeping health changes announced by the federalgovernment in March marked the commencement ofa new and invigorated debate about health reform inAustralia.As part of the federal government’s overarching healthstrategy that was announced, a new National Healthand Hospitals Network, funded nationally and managedlocally, will be established to run Australia’s hospitals.Under the proposed reforms, which are based on theNational Health and Hospitals Reform Commissionreform plan:»»the Commonwealth will fund 60 per cent of the“efficient price” of all public hospital services,recurrent expenditure on research and training inpublic hospitals, and capital works costs»»over time, the Commonwealth will assume 100 percent responsibility for funding and policy for allGP and primary health care services (including the“efficient price” of equivalent outpatient servicesprovided to public hospital patients)»»to pay for the reforms, the CommonwealthGovernment will retain one-third of GST revenue, andinvest it directly in health and hospital spending»»Local Hospital Networks will be established acrossAustralia to run clusters of hospitals, with localhospital boards set up under state legislation»»national standards will be set for public hospitals,including for emergency departments, elective surgerywaiting times, adverse events and hospital acquiredinfections»»national governance arrangements will be introducedfor performance monitoring in the health and hospitalsystem, national standards and public hospital pricing.The Queensland government has agreed to the reformsand is currently working with the federal government infinalising the details.Within a week of launching the government’s plan, thePrime Minister at the time, Kevin Rudd, met with statebranch secretaries of the ANF, including the QNU. Atthis meeting we were able to raise with him many ofthe issues we see as critical to this debate and to healthreform more generally. Mr Rudd also met with QNUCouncil at our April meeting to talk further abouthis government’s vision and hear our thoughts andconcerns. The ANF also provided him with a writtenissues paper that the QNU provided extensive detailfor.We will continue to attempt to shape the Gillardgovernment’s health agenda through the provision ofstrategies and the highlighting of areas of concern.We have a vision for health and aged care reform inAustralia, one that sees nurses and midwives playing acentral role, and we will strenuously advance this visionin the coming months.QNU member reference groupsThe QNU has a number of member driven referencegroups which help establish the policies and direction ofour Union.These reference groups are made up of motivated anddedicated members who provide expert advice as wellas comprehensive and informed feedback to the QNUabout relevant issues in their field; such as mental health,midwifery and aged care.Representatives come from a range of settings andpractice contexts and from both the private and publicsector.Logan Group Practice midwives first birthday celebrations(April 2010)14 | Annual Report 2009-2010 | Queensland Nurses’ Union of Employees
PROFESSIONALThe depth of knowledge and experience that underpinsthese diverse expert groups ensures the interests ofnurses and midwives are recognised. QNU members onthese reference groups make a considerable contributionto achieving our objective of promoting and defendingthe professional interests of members.Midwifery issuesReform of midwifery, or in areas which impact onmidwives, continues to be undertaken at a state andfederal level. Much work has occurred to activelyinfluence this reform and promote new models ofcare which enable midwives to practise to their fullestpotential.The QNU midwifery reference group, made up ofQNU members, has provided invaluable informationand feedback during the consultation of the exposuredrafts of various relevant legislation. This has enabledus to actively influence reform. This group continues toteleconference on a state-wide basis and we have recentlyseen increased representation by members in remoteand rural areas.Mental healthOver the past year the mental health nurses’ referencegroup has worked to identify interests for considerationin enterprise bargaining negotiations, to establish theQNU position for inclusion in QNU submissions—both in the specialist field and in the broader nursingcontext—and also aids in the development of QNU andANF policies.The bi-monthly meeting of the reference group alsoprovides a valuable opportunity for members to identifyemerging issues from the coalface, as well as the impactof employer-driven initiatives arising from national,state and local agendas that may affect professionalpractice and standards of care. Currently the groupare developing models for case management andcommunity mental health nursing.A critical issue in mental health remains the significantshortage of appropriately qualified staff. These shortagesare having a substantial impact on members. The QNUis currently lobbying for enhancements to curriculumas well as additional transitional courses to increase thelevel of qualified staff entering the field. We are currentlyadvocating for mental health to be included as a criticalelement of undergraduate nursing courses.In November 2009 we completed a submission tothe national Mental Health Workforce AdvisoryCommittee on the development of a National MentalHealth Workforce Strategy and Plan. We addressedthe workforce issues associated with nursing in mentalhealth and adult mental health services. We arguedthat nurses are well placed to provide contemporarymental health care consistent with a recovery model. Acommitment to the implementation of this model offersthe potential for enhanced job satisfaction for nurseswhich may encourage nurses to enter and/or remain inthe workforce. We also advocated for increased fundingin the sector to enable mental health nurses to expandand extend their practice and to access contemporaryresearch in order to create a more sustainable andperson-centred service.As a result of the significant nursing shortages inmental health, workloads have become a wide rangingissue. Currently we’re providing specific feedback tothe QNU/Queensland Health Nurses and MidwivesImplementation Group’s BPF (workloads) project area.We are formulating innovative and creative ideas for theimplementation of the BPF in the community setting,particularly in mental health.Physicians’ assistantsSince the pilot trial of physicians’ assistants wasfirst proposed the QNU has actively opposed theintroduction of this position. We are concerned theposition will form another cohort of unregulated healthworkers in this state.A trial of physicians’ assistants at three sites has nowbeen completed and an evaluation report forwarded toQueensland Health and the QNU. Queensland Healthhas indicated to the QNU that they will not be making acabinet submission for additional money to extend thetrial or to implement the physicians’ assistants role in thepublic sector.Graduate nursesCurrently Queensland is in the position of havinghundreds of domestic nursing graduates unable tosecure employment. Given the continuing and predictedworsening nursing shortages, this issue remains asignificant concern for the QNU.While there remains substantial nursing and midwiferyworkload issues right across the state, it is astoundingthat many graduate nurses have not been able to gainemployment in Queensland Health. Queensland Healthmaintains there are limited vacant positions.The QNU is actively lobbying both the state and federalgovernments to address this issue.Professional seminarsThe QNU continues to run professional and legalseminars for members. Focusing on current professionaland legal issues affecting nurses and midwives theseminars are open to members and non-members as avaluable professional development opportunity.Queensland Nurses’ Union of Employees | Annual Report 2009-2010 | 15
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ANNUAL report - Queensland Nurses Union

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