Yule be asked to work

Covid surge puts pressure on hospital staff levels

HOSPITAL staff are being asked to voluntarily come in during their Christmas leave, with the scourge of Covid infections among frontline staff auguring a “very difficult” festive season in Tasmania’s health system.

Meanwhile, non-cleaning staff, such as hospital aides and allied health assistants, are being offered cleaning shifts at overtime rates.

Health worker union bosses said these were bad signs for an already overburdened health system, which is on the precipice of a level four “disaster” Covid escalation management plan.

With 240 frontline health care workers, including paramedics, across Tasmania currently off work with Covid, unions are warning the level of unfilled hospital shifts will likely make Christmas and New Year “very difficult” this year.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff has confirmed it will be “all hands on deck” as the health system struggles with increased demand and staff shortages.

“We need as many hands as possible as hospitals around the country experience pressure due to Covid,” Mr Rockliff said. “People need to be cared for.”

The Mercury reported on Friday that hospital bosses were expected to ask staff to cancel their Christmas leave to cope with the Covid-induced crisis.

While that hasn’t been mandated, union bosses have confirmed their members had been asked to do so on a voluntary basis.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmania secretary Emily Shepherd said nursing staff had been sent emails this week, asking them “to consider picking up shifts”.

“But they’re not being recalled at the moment,” she said, adding that any decision to mandate the cancelling of Christmas leave would need to be made by the emergency operations and control centre commander.

“I know managers are also having informal discussions with staff about whether they’d be willing to pick up shifts.

“But there’s been no mandate or requirement for staff to cancel booked leave.”

The Health and Community Services Union’s Tasmanian branch confirmed many of its members were on sick leave with Covid and other illnesses.

Assistant state secretary Lucas Digney said hospitals across Tasmania would have “serious issues” having enough clinicians to fill rosters over the festive season.

He said hospital operations staff were also wiped out, with non-cleaning staff such as allied health assistants being offered cleaning shifts at overtime rates.

“It indicates where they’re at in terms of being able to provide a contingency workforce,” Mr Digney said.

“It’s likely the Christmas period, between now and the new year, is going to be very difficult for health care workers, much the way it was last Christmas.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Anita Dow said news that the hospital’s workforce was at “breaking point” was “heartbreaking”.

“It’s also a completely unsustainable approach from a government that said it had planned and was prepared for increased demand across our hospital system,” she said.

“It’s unbelievable that crises like this are now a regular occurrence in Tasmania.”