HACSU medical scientists who work in the Pathology laboratory at the Launceston General Hospital are today escalating their industrial action and walking off the job for 60 minutes over the government’s failure to address urgent staffing shortages to meet the current demand for services.
Despite repeated calls from both workers and HACSU for discussions about the critical staffing shortfall, the Department of Health has remained silent, leaving overworked and under-resourced staff at breaking point as they struggle to meet the ever-increasing demand, which is now impacting patient care.
“The staffing crisis has resulted in critical testing being sent to the private sector and patients and other health professionals are waiting longer for important testing results than they really should,” HACSU State Secretary Robbie Moore said.
“Delays in diagnostic results can lead to delayed treatments, increased patient anxiety, and potential worsening of conditions. Without sufficient staffing, our entire healthcare system is at risk. It is time to stop the excuses and start fixing this crisis now,” he added.
A recent business case outlined the requirement for an additional 17.54 full-time equivalents (FTE) to safely meet current demand in the LGH Pathology laboratory but there has been no funding commitment to this request since the state budget was handed down last week, leading to concerns that it was not allocated for funding.
Union members in Pathology do not take the decision to stop work lightly, but today’s action underscores the urgent need for the Rockliff government to engage in meaningful dialogue with the affected workers and take immediate action to recruit and retain more pathology staff.