Private hospital nurses begin industrial action
Hundreds of members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association working for Healthe Care, including on the Central Coast, say they will take part in a series of escalating industrial action.
Hundreds of members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association working for Healthe Care, including on the Central Coast, say they will take part in a series of escalating industrial action.
Nurses and midwives at two Illawarra private health facilities have stopped work for several hours. The action is part of a dispute with operator Healthe Care over pay and enforceable staffing ratios. The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association says talks have stalled after six months. Further action, including stop works and overtime bans, could follow across Healthe Care's 13 private hospitals and day surgeries if no agreement is reached. The union says the company's final pay offer is below inflation and has refused to introduce shift-by-shift nurse-to-patient ratios.
Nurses and midwives across NSW private hospitals have voted to take industrial action after six months of failed pay talks. The NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association says 96.5 per cent of members who voted backed the action, which begins in the Illawarra on Thursday. The union is demanding enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios and wages matching the public system, with Healthe Care's offer described as falling short. Further stoppages are expected across the operator's hospitals in the coming weeks, with no details yet on which sites or how long they will last.
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Get the appThousands of Victorians waiting months for surgery could be treated sooner under a $1.27 billion plan called SurgerySooner, announced by the Nationals and Liberals. The plan would use existing private hospital capacity to deliver up to 25,000 additional surgeries each year and help halve the state's surgery waitlist. Nationals MP Melina Bath said nearly 70,000 Victorians were waiting for elective surgery, with thousands in Category 2 and 3 having exceeded recommended waiting times. Eligible public patients would be offered surgery at participating private hospitals at no cost, keeping their public patient status.
Doctors and federal MPs have called for an independent national authority to oversee the private health system. They argue that greater transparency and accountability are needed to protect patients and improve value for money. The Australian Medical Association president-elect, Dr Michael Bonning, said voluntary industry commitments had not delivered the improvements needed. Independent MP Dr Monique Ryan said 80 private hospitals were expected to close within five years, a claim not independently verified at the press conference. The call comes amid a separate debate over proposed changes to the private health insurance rebate for people over 65.