Concerns increase for Bacchus Marsh health jobs

THE issue of health service staff cuts in Bacchus Marsh continues to simmer, this time with the proposed move of a 1.4 equivalent full-time nursing position from the local urgent care centre to Melton.

Moorabool Shire councillor Sheila Freeman raised the matter as an item of urgent business at last week’s council meeting, resulting in a vote to write to local MPs, Western Health officials, Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas about it.

The letters will seek an assurance from Western Health that safe patient care will continue to be delivered at the centre and that workable nurse-to-patient ratios will be maintained.

The shire will also ask for a meeting to discuss the issue.

Cr Freeman’s move follows similar action by Cr Rod Ward late last year when he sought a reassurance that commitments given on jobs and service levels at the time of the Western Health–Djerriwarrh Health Services merger in 2021 would be honoured.

The shire wrote to Ms Allan, Ms Thomas, Member for Eureka Michaela Settle and Western Health chair Jill Hennessy seeking those reassurances.

Shire chief executive officer Derek Madden told last week’s meeting that Ms Thomas was the only one to have replied, although he did not detail what her reply said.

Cr Freeman told the meeting she had received two documents in her letterbox, one from Western Health and one from staff – which have been seen by the Moorabool News – revealing the 1.4 EFT position relocation to Melton.

“They are saying that presentations at the urgent care have gone down when in actual fact they haven’t,” Cr Freeman said.

“And staff are saying that Bacchus Marsh has had in excess of 15,000 [presentations] for the last year and they are currently under-staffed.

“Their ratio is one-in-four patients when it should be one-in-three, which is putting our residents at risk within the hospital.”

Cr Freeman said losing the position would “lead to significant negative and unsafe consequences for patient care, safety and overall hospital operations.”

Earlier this week, Cr Freeman said she had found a further document in her letterbox outlining a proposal to reduce three medical staff shifts from a mix of 12 and 12.5 hours for a daily EFT of 37 hours to three 10-hour shifts, or 30 hours a day.

The document said doctors had indicated a desire to work shorter shifts.

If they proceed, the shift changes would be supported by a hospital medical officer switching from a mornings-only shift to a morning and afternoon shift five days a week.

But staff say that hospital medical officers are not in the urgent care centre at all times.

Cr Freeman said she did not know who was putting the documents in her letterbox.

Approached for comment, a Western Health spokesperson said only that board chair Professor Jill Hennessy had actually responded to a letter from then mayor Cr Ally Munari on 12 November last year. They did not provide details.

A Moorabool Shire Council spokesperson confirmed the 12 November response but similarly did not provide details of what it contained.