Queensland's health workers call for better solutions to COVID-19 surge

Published: 23 December 2021 
 

Queensland health workers are today calling for a coordinated response to the planning and management of the impending surge in COVID-19 cases and associated expected increase in pressure on Queensland’s public health system. 

As part of the Health Needs Urgent Care campaign, four Queensland unions representing health workers have called for urgent meetings with the Health Minister, Department of Health and Hospital and Health Services and workers to discuss the Palaszczuk Government’s COVID-19 surge response.

As a collective of unions representing health workers, our experiences over the last two years have been  rushed, inadequate or delayed consultation and feedback processes during the pandemic.

While we understand the need to respond quickly to a crisis, there have been significant issues with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), staff vaccination rollouts and access to resources. These issues have only been resolved as a result of the involvement and engagement of workers via their unions.

To manage risk, we are calling on representatives of the Palaszczuk government to meet regularly with our unions about the planning and management of the impending surge of COVID-19 cases and subsequent pressure on the Queensland public health system.

The joint union call for urgent meetings comes after a state-wide union questionnaire revealed 72 per cent of health workers surveyed were not confident their facility would cope if a COVID-19 outbreak occurred in their region. A further 14 per cent were unsure.

A further 58 per cent of those surveyed did not believe their facilities were safe for patients or staff. A further 14 per cent were unsure. Seventy-five per cent said they were unsure or did not think their employer would listen if they identified a solution to improve health services.

This crisis is being managed by our members in hospitals and health services around Queensland. These workers need to be directly included through their union in the planning, crisis management and action on this pandemic.

In addition to immediate solutions to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health Needs Urgent Care campaign is calling on the state and federal governments to:
  • Work with health workers to identify long term solutions for a sustainable health system and economy
  • Commit to smarter funding that is in the best interests of patient care and staff safety
  • Commit to keeping our health system in public hands, not privatising services or beds
  • Direct employment by Qld Health of the non-clinical staff from administration to science, trades and technical roles.

                                        
In advance of submissions closing for the State Government’s Inquiry into the provision of primary allied and private health care, aged care and NDIS care services and its impact on the Queensland health system closing, the four Queensland unions have released a joint vision statement for the future of health care in Queensland . 

Identified solutions include better health system design, enhanced connection between services, the improved management and prioritisation of health services and new fit for purpose federal and state government healthcare funding frameworks. 

Health workers know firsthand Queensland cannot wait – our health system is in crisis. We need radical change and a plan now.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed issues in public health systems world-wide - and Queensland is no different. 

The state’s public hospital system has long struggled to meet demand. The federal and state governments’ failure to adequately invest in our public health system has seen the long-term transfer of public patients to high-cost, acute private facilities. 

This outsourcing of health services and beds is a band-aid solution that minimises health funding transparency and undermines Australia’s commitment to free healthcare.  

The lack of proper public health service planning has created short-term crisis management that adversely impacts the public system and generates considerable profit for private companies. 

It is also puts Queensland patients at risk and causes invaluable frontline health workers to experience extreme stress and burn out. 

This situation is now untenable and unsustainable for both patients and health workers.

It is time for the swift and serious re-evaluation of how Queensland’s public hospitals and health services are funded, designed, staffed and operated. This must occur now to ensure demand surges are met safely and valuable taxpayer dollars best spent.

Union submissions on these grounds will be made to the State Government Inquiry into the provision of primary allied and private health care, aged care and NDIS care services and its impact on the Queensland health system. Submissions close at 5pm on 23 December 2021. 

Unions involved in the campaign are the Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU), Together Union (Together), the United Workers Union (UWU) and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU).