Allied health workers rally in Wollongong to call attention to workforce crisis
Allied healthcare workers will today rally at Wollongong Hospital in response to the work force retention crisis putting pressure on clinicians and patients.
Health Services Union members are celebrating the invaluable work of allied health practitioners, and campaigning for measures to attract and retain clinicians who are vital to the health of the Wollongong community.
“Allied health workers play a critical role in our stretched health care system, and we are at risk of losing these clinicians if we don’t shake things up,” HSU Secretary Gerard Hayes said.
“We need to attract and retain more clinicians who provide invaluable services caring for the health of people in the Wollongong area. We must take steps to keep them. The alternative is longer wait times, and people may have to travel further from home for treatment,” Gerard Hayes said.
Allied health workers have been operating under an outdated award which no longer reflects the role these professionals play in modern health.
Negotiations for new Allied Health Awards are scheduled to commence in April for the first time in 15 years, and will coincide with the release of the Special Commission of Inquiry findings which are expected to highlight the urgent need for reform to Allied Health Awards to improve attraction and retention.
“With our ageing population, and chronic disease on the rise, we must invest in attracting and retaining allied health workers. Our health needs would not be met without them. We must do what we can to secure their futures for the health of our communities” Gerard Hayes said.
Allied health practitioners include physiotherapists, psychologists, radiation therapists, pharmacists, social workers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, radiologists and sexual assault workers.
Worker action details:
When: Press conference at the back of the hospital at 1PM, Tuesday 18
Where: Wollongong Hospital
What: Roughly 100 workers will rally to call for action for attracting and retaining staff (photos and video from the rally inside the hospital can be provided)
To arrange interviews on the ground, contact Nick Haughain on 0447 944 031