ACM calls for greater community-based maternity care and access to homebirths amid COVID-19
The Australian College of Midwives (ACM) is calling on the federal government to explore innovative ways to increase community-based maternity services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, such as setting up clinics in empty schools and community halls and expanding access to home birthing, in a bid to reduce pregnant women potentially being exposed to the virus […]
What is the coronavirus crisis doing to our mental health?
The coronavirus pandemic gripping the world has triggered an increase in anxiety among Australians as the nation faces an uncertain future. Fights over toilet paper at supermarkets and the stockpiling of medicines, driven by lockdown fears, give an insight into the toll COVID-19 is taking on mental health. Clinical Psychologist Dr Rebecca Anderson, from Curtin […]
ANMF presses Aged Care Minister over COVID-19 response
ANMF Acting Federal Secretary Lori-Anne Sharp probed Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck on last night’s ABC Q+A episode over the federal government’s…
World Health Organization declares coronavirus a global pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the global coronavirus outbreak a pandemic amid ‘alarming levels’ of spread and severity and inaction by some countries. WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus announced the decision in Geneva this morning, saying it expects COVID-19, which has already triggered 118,000 cases across 114 countries, including 4,291 deaths, […]
ACTU calls for two weeks paid leave for all workers forced to self-isolate due to coronavirus
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has called on the federal government to urgently legislate two weeks paid leave for all workers, including permanent, casual or part-time, forced to self-isolate as a result of the escalating coronavirus. Under the plan, workers would also be eligible for the guaranteed paid leave in the event they […]
‘It’s sinister. It’s dodgy’: Ged Kearney slams federal government’s plan to privatise ACAT
Former ANMF Federal Secretary Ged Kearney has hit out at the federal government’s push to privatise funding assessments for aged care currently carried out by Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT) that include experienced registered nurses. The government revealed its plan to put the management of ACAT out to tender last December. ACAT is currently run […]
When the heat is on: The role of a Burns Nurse Practitioner
Burns Nurse Practitioner Hana Menezes cut her teeth nursing in the Intensive Care Unit where the firsthand exposure to a broad range of patients and specialties saw her pinpoint an interest in burns. “It’s a fascinating speciality,” she recalls of her career trajectory. “There’s new advancements happening all the time in every realm. It’s multidisciplinary […]
Nurses and frontline workers call for action at Emergency Services Summit on bushfire crisis
Nurses and fellow frontline workers including police and paramedics converged on Parliament House this week for the ACTU’s Emergency Services Summit on Australia’s bushfire crisis, sharing gripping first-hand accounts of responding in fire affected communities and standing together to push for a range of better resources and urgent action. The Emergency Services Summit set out […]
Amazing Grace: Meet the quick-acting nurse who saved the life of a Wiggle
A quick-acting nurse who saved the life of original Yellow Wiggle Greg Page after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a bushfire relief concert in Sydney last month still doesn’t feel entirely comfortable with being labelled a hero and just feels thankful she was on hand to help. “Everyone’s been really proud and really happy […]
My journey to becoming an RFDS flight nurse
Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) flight nurse Susan Markwell says the job demands a broad range of professional skills to tackle complex primary healthcare emergencies and the ability to deal with the unexpected. Last September, Susan was awarded the prestigious Aurora Award at the 37th CRANAplus annual conference for her contribution to remote health and […]