Q&A with Victorian Treaty Advancement Commissioner Jill Gallagher

Victoria is the first state to enter formal treaty negotiations with Aboriginal Victorians with legislation passed in the Victorian Parliament in July 2018. An election to establish the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, which will establish the ‘ground rules’ for treaty Victoria, is set for this month. Victorian Treaty Advancement Commissioner Jill Gallagher talks to […]

Seizing opportunities of Nursing Now

Australia’s nursing organisations must work together if they are to capitalise on the opportunities afforded by the unfolding global Nursing Now campaign and fast-approaching 2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife to raise the profile of the profession and improve healthcare, according to campaign board member Professor Jill White. Addressing delegates at the Australian College […]

‘Beaten, broken and exhausted’: former aged care manager speaks out

Beaten, broken and exhausted are the words Gay Taylor used to describe how she felt after 12 months working as an aged care facility manager. The pressure to provide quality care to aged care residents without adequate staffing was relentless, Ms Taylor revealed to about 600 delegates in a passionate and emotive presentation at the […]

Earle Haven raised “serious red flags”, Commission told

A distraught 92-year old woman and a disoriented elderly man were among residents caught up in the middle of chaotic scenes during a recent emergency evacuation of a Gold Coast nursing home, the Brisbane Hearing of the Aged Care Royal Commission heard this week. The sudden closure of the Earle Haven Retirement Village in Nerang […]

DonateLife Week: register for organ donation

Victorian tissue and organ donation nurse Samantha Harriman is urging Australians to take one minute this week to register to become an organ donor. DonateLife Week 2019 – a national awareness week dedicated to promoting organ and tissue donation – runs until this Sunday. “For the time it takes your barista to make your coffee […]

Reducing low value and unnecessary care

A national scale-up of an initiative to reduce low value care and reduce unnecessary treatment was the focus of a nationwide meeting recently. The Choosing Wisely Australia national meeting was held in Melbourne in late May and showcased innovative projects both national and international. A nurse discontinuation protocol of telemetry implemented at Johns Hopkins Hospital, […]

Reducing low value and unnecessary care

A national scale-up of an initiative to reduce low value care and reduce unnecessary treatment was the focus of a nationwide meeting recently. The Choosing Wisely Australia national meeting was held in Melbourne in late May and showcased innovative projects both national and international. A nurse discontinuation protocol of telemetry implemented at Johns Hopkins Hospital, […]

Qld to mandate ratios in public aged care homes

The Queensland Government has pledged to legislate nurse-to-resident ratios across its 16 state-owned public aged care homes to ensure elderly residents receive the full care they need and deserve. Premier Annastacia Palasczuk made the announcement this morning at the annual conference of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) in front of hundreds of delegates. […]

NSW delegates urged to keep fighting for ratios

NSW nursing and midwifery delegates have been urged to take belief from the success of Victoria and Queensland in legislating public hospital nurse-to-patient ratios as the union’s campaign to make this a reality pushes ahead. Addressing delegates at the NSWNMA’s 74th Annual Conference in Sydney last Thursday, President O’Bray Smith implored nurses and midwives to […]

ALP pledges to start taking action to address aged care crisis

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has promised to start taking action to improve the current crisis in aged care, including increasing staffing levels and skill mix and ensuring there is a registered nurse (RN) on duty 24/7, if elected at this Saturday’s federal election. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten released a statement yesterday outlining Labor’s plans […]