Sally Furniss
Well-known member
Hospitals buckling under swine flu strain: union
The ACT's nurses union says the high number of swine flu patients this season is putting extra pressure on an already stretched workforce.
The Government says the ACT's 400 swine flu cases have increased the demand on hospitals and that might force some patients to be moved to the private system, or for elective surgery to be postponed.
Jenny Miragaya from the Nurses Federation says there has also been an increased rate of absenteeism among nurses because of the virus.
"Even without the swine flu problem, my members are working additional shifts, overtime and double shifts and that's to meet the ordinary service needs," she said.
"So it's difficult to see how there can be any increase in those utilisation of staff to meet a swine flu pandemic.
"There is always difficulty with staffing and workload in winter and particularly in this period when it's school holidays, because it's difficult to actually get casual and agency staff in school holidays.
"There's historically an increased workload due to the flu season."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/18/2629603.htm
The ACT's nurses union says the high number of swine flu patients this season is putting extra pressure on an already stretched workforce.
The Government says the ACT's 400 swine flu cases have increased the demand on hospitals and that might force some patients to be moved to the private system, or for elective surgery to be postponed.
Jenny Miragaya from the Nurses Federation says there has also been an increased rate of absenteeism among nurses because of the virus.
"Even without the swine flu problem, my members are working additional shifts, overtime and double shifts and that's to meet the ordinary service needs," she said.
"So it's difficult to see how there can be any increase in those utilisation of staff to meet a swine flu pandemic.
"There is always difficulty with staffing and workload in winter and particularly in this period when it's school holidays, because it's difficult to actually get casual and agency staff in school holidays.
"There's historically an increased workload due to the flu season."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/18/2629603.htm