12 May 2022
Today, May 12, is International Nurses Day (IND) and also the birthday of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale who was born 202 years ago (1820).
The ‘Lady with the Lamp’ is famed for spreading the gospel of good sanitation and hand hygiene in the mid-19th Century – a gospel which has become a recurring theme throughout the current pandemic.
In 2022, the theme for IND is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health. #IND2022 focuses on the need to invest in nursing and respect the rights of nurses in order to build resilient, high-quality health systems to meet the needs of individuals and communities now and into the future.
Howard Catton, chief executive of the ICN, told Britain’s Nursing Times: “The pandemic has shown us only too clearly that we need a real investment in the profession of nursing in order to secure global health. And nurses’ rights, safety and wellbeing must be protected as well.
“The nursing shortage is a serious threat to public health and must be addressed now.”
The ICN will be publishing a report today which Mr Catton said would lay out “exactly what steps we must all take to invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health.”
To access the report and other resources, please go to
https://www.icnvoicetolead.com/
One sector in dire need of the IND’s call for investment is aged care, with the ANMF campaigning for four key asks:
•
Legislated nurse-to-resident ratios
•
At least one Registered Nurse on site at all times
•
Greater funding transparency
•
Improved wages and conditions
Adelaide aged care Registered Nurse Mat Parker says the pandemic has “definitely” shone a light on the plight of aged care in this country.
“I think there is a much better awareness out there of what we do and how poorly we’ve been treated over the last decades,’’ he says.
“I think there needs to be more staffing in the sector, there needs to be staffing that matches the needs of the residents who are being cared for, not this rigid (financial) cut-to-the bone style we are currently getting.
“When I was working in the hospital, I was actually told aged care is where nurses go to have their skills die, that’s where nurses go to die basically,’’ Mat said.
“Now that’s not true. The aged care nurses, because you are coordinating a team of people, you are dealing with families, you are managing all the needs of the residents under your jurisdiction, you are actually doing a lot more than what the average nurse does in a hospital.’’
The ANMF, along with other unions, is pushing for a 25 per cent pay rise for all aged care workers through the Fair Work Commission, in recognition of the importance and complexity of the job they do and the fact they are one of the most poorly paid cohorts in the country … a fact that has contributed to an exodus of staff and crippling staff shortages.
“I remember having a meet and greet with Anthony Albanese, we were talking about the dichotomy where one week we are heroes because we are keeping this illness (COVID) at bay from our senior citizens and making sure they stay healthy,’’ Mat said.
Pictured above: Registered Nurse Mat Parker
“All the politicians in the media are calling us heroes and then six months later when it comes to Enterprise Bargaining agreements or talking about wages rises, we’re suddenly workers who shouldn’t be so needy.
“And even the Federal Government saying ‘now is not the time to be requesting extra wages’ and stuff. It’s like ‘Seriously?’. “You’re saying how fantastic we are, what a fantastic job we’re doing in that we’ve solved their problem for them in not letting people get sick, whereas when it comes to those negotiations to make our lives better, then we’re troublemakers capitalising on misery and all that sort of stuff.’’
Federal Labor, along with the Greens and key independents have signed off on the ANMF’s four key asks. The Coalition has not - in fact not one single LNP politician or candidate has committed to the cause.
“Will they (Labor) go far enough? I guess we’ll have to wait and see,’’ Mat says.
“At the end of the day it does depend on the state of the budget.
“However, there’s got to be a better way to actually spread our resources around instead of the current pattern, where our senior citizens who have given so much to our country and given us a life of plenty and quality of life, to ensure they get well looked after and those who look after them are well placed to do so and they can feel like they’ve got a career in aged care.
“So carers can actually build their knowledge, they can build their leadership skills and look after the residents, but also build a life for themselves and their own families too.’’
Asked what attracted him to the sector, Mat says it was the reward of caring for people and “giving back”.
“It’s their stories, people who have given so much, they have fought in wars, they have done all sorts of things, they’ve been politicians, teachers, artists, miners, you name it, they’ve done it.
“These people deserve to be looked after. I think just the feeling of looking after and giving back to a generation that has given us our standard of living, I think for me is the important bit.’’
Said ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM: “Congratulations to nurses everywhere for your courageous and tireless efforts during very different and difficult times.
“Effective health services are critical to the physical and mental wellbeing of communities and investing in health should always remain at the very top of governments’ priorities.’’