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Winter 2004

A word from the President of the HACSU Health Professionals Sub Branch

The launch of the Health Professional Reserved Matter claim is a positive step to solving staff shortages and conditions. The joint approach between HACSU and the CPSU has seen a claim, which I believe can truly address members’ concerns says Helen Burnet, President of the Health Professionals Sub Branch.

Shortages of Health Professionals have been a silent part of the healthcare crisis in Tasmania for many years. It is now worsening in many areas for a number of reasons, including the ageing workforce and population, the cost of tertiary education, and national and international competition in the health professional job market.

Services at our major hospitals and community health centres are often understaffed because it is hard to keep staff in Tasmania. Chronic staff shortages exist in physiotherapy, dental therapy, podiatry and speech therapy to name a few areas. These are often worse in country areas, but sometimes in specialty areas within the RHH and LGH as well.

The Health Professional Sub-branch of HACSU has been working hard to identify the areas of concern for its members. Member surveys conducted by HACSU helped highlight various problems, many of which were also highlighted in the DHHS' own workforce planning status report of 2003.

The union's claim looks at offering health professionals incentives such as ensuring access to study leave, and postgraduate qualification allowances.

It also has incentives for new recruits to stay in Tasmania by offering a retention bonus after 3 years. If health professionals choose to work in country areas, then there are not only financial incentives in the claim, but also the added security of mentoring and peer contact.

Even with the wage gains of the state public sector wage claim, there is lack of parity with mainland health professional salaries. This means there needs to be financial incentives to attract OTs, medical physicists, dental therapists and other health professionals to the State if we want to maintain a strong public health system, and provide appropriate levels of care to Tasmanians in this State.

The health professional claim addresses many of the concerns. It looks at wage parity and a more flexible classification structure, using Victoria as a model. The claim suggests better management of vacancy control in order to minimise gaps in service.

HACSU in conjunction with the CPSU have worked hard to put together such a comprehensive claim. The combined unions and Health Professional Association Forum held in Hobart earlier this year allowed health professionals to see that many of their concerns were common across all health professional groups.

We look forward to a positive response from the Government, in order to fix a problem, which sometimes drives dedicated health professionals from a career in delivering public healthcare. However, we should be prepared to fight for better conditions in order to strengthen public healthcare services for the people of Tasmania too.

Helen Burnet
President
HACSU - Health Professional sub-branch