The
eight nurses featured in the series of unscripted advertisements speak about
their fight to keep safe staffing levels and explain why all Victorians should care
that the Baillieu Government is planning to reduce the number of nurses and
midwives working in our hospitals.
The
three-week television campaign will be supported by advertising on buses and
trains and billboard advertising across metropolitan and regional Victoria to
let the community know that the Baillieu Government's plans are going to "risk
patients' lives for the sake of a dollar".
ANF
(Vic Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said: "Our new TV ads give nurses and
midwives a voice because Victorian's need to know what this dispute is about
and that it affects everyone who could be a patient in a hospital and that's
all of us.
"The
Baillieu Government representatives have confirmed that under their ‘ratio
flexibility' proposals a typical surgical ward can lose 65 nursing hours, or
eight nurses working eight-hour shifts, over a 24-hour period," she said.
"By
replacing nurses with health assistants as part of the ratios and by replacing
nurses' eight-hour shifts with unlimited four-hour shifts and split shifts -
they're going to risk patients' lives for the sake of saving dollar," she said.
"This
Government's legacy will be Baillieu's health lottery. Victorians won't know
until they're in a hospital bed whether it's a nurse with three year's training
or a health assistant with three months training who's caring for them. That's
the gamble Victorians will be taking," Ms Fitzpatrick said.
"This
dispute is at an impasse because nurses and midwives want safe patient care,
but the Baillieu Government wants less nurses and midwives so it can short
change patients by $473 million," Ms Fitzpatrick said.
"I
urge Victorians to tell Mr Baillieu to stop his plan to short change patients
by ending nurse/midwife patient ratios."
ANF
is seeking better care for Victorians by asking for an extra nurse per shift in
emergency, palliative care, residential
aged care, rehabilitation and geriatric evaluation management units and extra
midwives in birthing suites.
Conciliation talks between ANF, Baillieu Government
representatives and the Victorian Hospitals' Industrial Association resumed in
Fair Work Australia on Monday 23 January and are scheduled again for Friday 3
February.
The new advertisements will appear on all commercial channels and the Sky News Channel.
View the ads: Nurses ad 1 http://youtu.be/846hgViE3CQ
Nurses ad 2 http://youtu.be/uKaFykA33MI
Nurses ad 3 http://youtu.be/p2gr4c_aKxU
