21 January 2022
Nurses, midwives and care workers are being “physically and emotionally pummelled” by the current health care crisis, ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM told a State Parliament hearing yesterday.
Ms Dabars and ANMF (SA Branch) Director, Operations & Strategy, Rob Bonner, told the COVID-19 Response Committee of the incredible strain on the hospital system and health care staff and the Government’s lack of preparedness.
Ms Dabars and Mr Bonner gave testimony to staff shortages, crushing lack of capacity in public hospitals and lack of resources as well as the failures of under staffing and resourcing in residential aged care facilities.
The Committee was told the ANMF (SA Branch) had warned successive governments for years of the failings of the health system, failings now completely exposed and exacerbated by the COVID onslaught.
Of the November re-opening of the borders, Ms Dabars said: “The Chief Public Health Officer called, as we understand it twice, for the decision to be reversed following the arrival of omicron, that in fact the situation was dire.
“And we were very concerned when the advice was ignored by the State Government and our borders were re-opened and the Government persisted with plans to lift the public health measures that had worked to prevent the spread of COVID.’’
Ms Dabars said since that time members have been “absolutely exposed to record numbers of people needing testing in searing heat”. She spoke of exhausted members working double shifts and even 18-hour shifts, insufficient PPE, inability to access rapid antigen tests, inadequate breaks, of members trying to care for aged care residents without staff as staff had been furloughed due to COVID exposure.
“We knew COVID exposure in South Australia was inevitable, but we do not believe it was inevitable that we would tackle the pandemic without adequate resources and adequate planning. We know that there was a 24-month lead in time and South Australia commenced behind the ball,’’ Ms Dabars said.
“We constantly said we are very concerned. If you’re not coping now, how are you proposing to cope with the borders re-opening?’’.
The ANMF informed the Committee that some of the 600 extra nursing graduates the Government announced in November it was intending to employ would not enter the health system until April or May - even though they were touted as part of the COVID-ready response.
Mr Bonner told the Committee of a phone call he received from a nurse who was left with 22 aged care patients who had been exposed to COVID.
“She had no support … in the end three paramedics were sent out to work with the staff, so that’s an example of the lack of preparedness,’’ he said.
“Our members are ringing in record numbers telling us why they are not coping with this outbreak.
“So, the point that we made to the Premier was to the extent that the system is coping in providing care to the community, it’s on the backs of the health care workforce who are going above and beyond what is reasonable.
“This is two years into the pandemic.’’
Ms Dabars also said the ANMF was not consulted and had major concerns about new restrictions at the Lyell McEwin Hospital that ban new mothers from having their partner stay for longer than four hours after birth.
“Obviously birthing is a really important time for the mother and the partner to be available to each other and the partner does provide that really important support,’’ Ms Dabars told Parliament.
“We are in full support of changes being made to ensure that there’s better accessibility.”