Nurses at the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Department of Medical Imaging have launched industrial action, citing chronic understaffing and dangerous levels of fatigue they say are putting both staff and patient safety at risk.
Members of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) began their action on Tuesday, following what they say have been months of unresolved concerns about unsustainable working conditions.
ANMF Tasmanian Branch Acting Secretary Phoebe Mansell said nurses are being pushed to work excessive hours well beyond safe limits.
“Members have made it clear,” she said. “They are being forced to work unsustainable and unsafe hours, including excessive overtime and on-call rosters as frequent as every two to three days.”
She said this is “far exceeding the agreed maximum” of one in six days.
“These on-call shifts are stacked on top of full rosters that regularly run into overtime due to procedures frequently extending beyond scheduled hours,” she said.
Mansell said staff have been trying to get these issues addressed since January, but their concerns have gone unanswered by hospital management and the Department of Health.
As part of the industrial action, nurses will refuse to work forced overtime, stop performing non-nursing duties and take extra 30-minute fatigue management breaks when on-call.
The ANMF’s demands include immediate funding for more staff, the creation of a dedicated clinical coach role, a commitment to reduce the frequency of on-call shifts and the introduction of a formal workload management tool.
“This is not just about staffing numbers. It’s about keeping our nurses safe at work so they can keep their patients safe too,” Mansell said.
“Our members are dedicated professionals doing their best in impossible conditions.”
The Department of Health said it was disappointed by the industrial action and that steps would be taken to minimise any impact on patients.
