HEAL Concerned by Job Cuts at Nepean Hospital

HEAL MEDIA RELEASE
July 26th 2009

HEAL spokesperson, Janet Mays, has expressed concern at reports that 155 jobs will be cut at Nepean hospital.

“The cuts announced to staff two weeks ago, mean that further strain will be placed on a system that is already at breaking point” said Ms Mays.

“Sydney West Area Health Service has said that the job cuts will not include front line staff, but any job cuts will clearly have an impact on service delivery. If administrative and support staff are the targets of these job cuts, who will do their work”?

“You can’t keep gutting a system and expect first rate health outcomes. I feel for the staff at Nepean hospital, one of the busiest hospitals in the state, who are constantly expected to do more with less” she added.

“For Mountains residents who are routinely shipped to Nepean hospital for basic, primary health care services, job cuts at Nepean hospital will mean longer wait times, quicker stays and less satisfactory outcomes. This is just another reason why BMDAMH must be allowed to reinstate the services that it has surrendered to Nepean hospital in recent years. Services such as general surgery and orthopaedics”.

“These job cuts, coupled with a staffing freeze, job vacancies and a voluntary redundancy program reek of the corporate bean counters at work. When will sanity prevail and the clinicians be put back in charge of our public hospitals”? said Ms Mays.