Last Sunday, the Emergency Short Stay Unit (ESSU) at Maitland Hospital moved to 24/7 operations. The ESSU had only been operating during weekday hours since opening mid-year. Staff were given one week’s notice and were not consulted about this abrupt change.

HSU members raised concerns about increased workloads and the Union put the matter into dispute, calling for management to meet with union members to address their issues. The HSU will meet with management on Tuesday to discuss ESSU workloads at a Union Specific Consultative Committee (USCC).

The HSU has launched a workload survey for you to provide feedback about the impact of additional operations. Feedback provided before COB next Monday 23 September may be shared with the LHD at this meeting, including:

• How has your workload increased and by how much
• What level of staffing your work area needs to be manageable 

COMPLETE THE SURVEY HERE

Members right across the hospital have reported they feel they’re already operating beyond capacity. With significant issues already affecting recruitment and retention, additional workloads resulting from level 5 coming online, the ambulance matrix realignment and ESSU has members reporting they’re being pushed past breaking point.

This is your chance to provide feedback directly to senior managers about the pressures Maitland staff are under. Anybody can complete the survey, so please share with your colleagues and if they’re not members, encourage them to join the HSU to push back on unsustainable workloads. You can also print a flyer with a survey QR code for your work area.

Want to speak about Maitland ESSU operations and workload? Contact your HSU organiser via [E-Mail not displayed].