❓ Mr Rundle questions the Minister for Health about potential cuts to casual nursing shifts in regional WA and their impact. The Minister avoids a direct answer, highlighting government initiatives and challenges in regional healthcare.
AnsweredQoN 339Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WA Country Health Service—Nursing shifts
339. Mr Peter Rundle to
the Minister for Health:
(1) Has the minister been briefed by the WA
Country Health Service on its decision, which came into effect yesterday, to
cut casual nursing shifts to a maximum of only six hours, which will put even
more pressure on rostered nurses?
(2) If yes to (1), is the rationale cost savings?
(3) If no to (1), will she seek an urgent briefing
from the WA Country Health Service?
339. Mr Peter Rundle to
the Minister for Health:
(1) Has the minister been briefed by the WA
Country Health Service on its decision, which came into effect yesterday, to
cut casual nursing shifts to a maximum of only six hours, which will put even
more pressure on rostered nurses?
(2) If yes to (1), is the rationale cost savings?
(3) If no to (1), will she seek an urgent briefing
from the WA Country Health Service?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I thank the member for the
question. Of course, we are very focused on making sure that there is an appropriate
workforce across all our health service providers. That is why we have introduced
things like the nurse-to-patient ratios, which the nurses' union has sought for
a long time, and it took a Labor government to deliver it. We are focused on
making sure that we have the right people in the right places to deliver the
care that we need. As the member has heard me say in this place before, there
are challenges in doing that in delivering healthcare services in the largest
health jurisdiction in the world—some 2.5 million square kilometres. That
is why WACHS has put in place a number of ways of delivering the workforce that
is needed, including having the capacity to provide people in places where
there are needs for surge workforces and what have you.
The WA
Country Health Service has done a lot of work to make sure that it is
addressing workforce needs across regional Western Australia. There are always
challenges in doing that because of the size of the Western Australian—
Point of order
The Speaker: Member for Carine.
Mr Liam Staltari: I have a point of order. Is this
relevant to the specific question about whether the minister has been briefed
on this decision and the reasons this decision has been taken?
Mr David Michael: Further to that point of order,
despite the conventions of this Parliament, the opposition continues to raise
points of order about relevance in question time, and the Speaker continues to
rule that the ministers are able to answer the questions as they see fit, so
these points of order are vexatious, which is unparliamentary.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members, points of order will be heard in
silence! Leader of the House, I will not uphold your point of order. Member for
Carine, I will not uphold your point of order, either. The minister is
responding to the question, and she shall carry on. Carry on, minister.
Questions without notice
resumed
Ms Meredith Hammat: Thank you very much. As I was
explaining, workforces have always been an important focus of our government. There
are challenges in regional WA in ensuring that the workforce is where it needs
to be when it needs to be there.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Carry on, minister.
Ms Meredith Hammat: Thank you, Speaker. One thing our
government is really proud of is our commitment to ensuring that people who
work in the public sector have access to permanent, full-time jobs. One thing we
have been very clear about is trying to reduce the reliance on people who are
on contracts, something that proliferated when the Liberal–National
governments were in place, when there was a rise in insecure employment,
including casual employment.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Meredith Hammat: Our preference has always been to
be able to provide—
Ms Libby Mettam interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Vasse!
Ms Meredith Hammat: Our preference is always to
provide ongoing employment if there is the capacity to do that because that
delivers better outcomes for workers than insecure employment like casual
employment or contract employment does. It delivers better outcomes for
staffing continuity and patient care. Where we can do those things, we are
looking at doing them.
question. Of course, we are very focused on making sure that there is an appropriate
workforce across all our health service providers. That is why we have introduced
things like the nurse-to-patient ratios, which the nurses' union has sought for
a long time, and it took a Labor government to deliver it. We are focused on
making sure that we have the right people in the right places to deliver the
care that we need. As the member has heard me say in this place before, there
are challenges in doing that in delivering healthcare services in the largest
health jurisdiction in the world—some 2.5 million square kilometres. That
is why WACHS has put in place a number of ways of delivering the workforce that
is needed, including having the capacity to provide people in places where
there are needs for surge workforces and what have you.
The WA
Country Health Service has done a lot of work to make sure that it is
addressing workforce needs across regional Western Australia. There are always
challenges in doing that because of the size of the Western Australian—
Point of order
The Speaker: Member for Carine.
Mr Liam Staltari: I have a point of order. Is this
relevant to the specific question about whether the minister has been briefed
on this decision and the reasons this decision has been taken?
Mr David Michael: Further to that point of order,
despite the conventions of this Parliament, the opposition continues to raise
points of order about relevance in question time, and the Speaker continues to
rule that the ministers are able to answer the questions as they see fit, so
these points of order are vexatious, which is unparliamentary.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members, points of order will be heard in
silence! Leader of the House, I will not uphold your point of order. Member for
Carine, I will not uphold your point of order, either. The minister is
responding to the question, and she shall carry on. Carry on, minister.
Questions without notice
resumed
Ms Meredith Hammat: Thank you very much. As I was
explaining, workforces have always been an important focus of our government. There
are challenges in regional WA in ensuring that the workforce is where it needs
to be when it needs to be there.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Carry on, minister.
Ms Meredith Hammat: Thank you, Speaker. One thing our
government is really proud of is our commitment to ensuring that people who
work in the public sector have access to permanent, full-time jobs. One thing we
have been very clear about is trying to reduce the reliance on people who are
on contracts, something that proliferated when the Liberal–National
governments were in place, when there was a rise in insecure employment,
including casual employment.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Meredith Hammat: Our preference has always been to
be able to provide—
Ms Libby Mettam interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Vasse!
Ms Meredith Hammat: Our preference is always to
provide ongoing employment if there is the capacity to do that because that
delivers better outcomes for workers than insecure employment like casual
employment or contract employment does. It delivers better outcomes for
staffing continuity and patient care. Where we can do those things, we are
looking at doing them.
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