Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch)
Victorian Nurses, Midwives Persist Amid Healthscope Crisis
The announcement of Healthscope’s receivership yesterday is a distressing and uncertain time for the almost 2500 ANMF (Vic Branch) members at Healthscope’s 12 hospitals in Melbourne and Geelong, not to mention all the Victorians that count on receiving health care at Healthscope sites.
But our Healthscope members will keep delivering a high standard of clinical care to their patients, whether in maternity care, mental health treatment and support, or elective surgery. We understand that the Commonwealth Bank has agreed to provide a line of credit to Healthscope to keep facilities operational for at least the coming months.
ANMF will meet with our impacted nursing and midwifery members tomorrow, followed by site visits at each of the 12 Healthscope sites in the coming week. We will support our members every step of this process.
While it is not yet clear what will happen to Healthscope facilities in the long term, ANMF is meeting with federal and state governments to ensure that there is a plan in place to protect the jobs and entitlements of our members at Healthscope hospitals across Victoria.
In 2022 the Victorian Government took over two Healthscope facilities, Frankston Private and Bellbird Private Hospital, to assist with the increased pandemic demand for healthcare and elective surgery services.
ANMF (Vic Branch) Acting Secretary Maddy Harradence said: ‘This announcement is a clear reminder that we need better regulation of the private health sector. We will be urging the Federal Government to review the types of companies they allow to participate in the delivery of health services and prevent unethical and unscrupulous parties that have no regard for patients or the health workforce from entering the system.
‘Here in Victoria, we need a plan that considers the more than 1,600 beds that Healthscope currently operates including specialised mental health services, elective surgery and rehabilitation programs. There is scope already in Victoria for a State Government takeover of Healthscope hospitals.
‘We can’t allow profits to be put before patient care. All Victorians deserve access to timely, quality healthcare.’
About us:
The ANMF (Vic Branch) has more than 108,000 members – nurses, midwives and aged care personal care workers – across the Victorian health, mental health and aged care sectors.