The final hearing of the New South Wales birth trauma inquiry has heard from two young mothers about their traumatic experiences when giving birth. The inquiry has received more than 4000 submissions detailing the disrespectful – and sometimes dehumanising – treatment women have received in NSW’s maternity system. Last week, the sixth and final hearing of the inquiry was held at Parliament House in Sydney. Twenty-one suffering from multiple strokes Mum of three, Cassidi-Rae Amosa, gave evidence via audio video link and shared her story of a post-traumatic stress disorder 9PTSD)diagnosis follow ..read more

The Albanese government seeks to delay aged care wage rises of 23 per cent by almost two years due to concerns that a large pay jump could fuel labour shortages by attracting workers from other sectors. The government has requested that the Fair Work Commission to phase in the increase over two years in halves from January 2025 to January 2026. In a submission released on Friday, the government said the proposed compensation was deemed "fair and reasonable" for workers engaged in direct care, including AINs. The decision aligns with the government's fiscal strategy, especially considering aged ..read more

The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) chief is one of the three executives who have been suspended pending an independent investigation of "potential financial irregularities" within the organisation. Complaints were brought to the ACN board's attention, subsequently leading to the board appointing a third-party legal and forensic financial expert to investigate. Chief of ACN Kylie Ward, COO Neil Haynes, national partnerships director Karoline Dawe, and an employee in senior management have been stood down for the duration of the investigation. In a statement, a spokesperson said the ACN Boa ..read more

South Australian public hospitals have reached near-record ambulance ramping levels, with the government citing "extreme pressure on the health system". According to figures provided by SA Health, patients spent 4095 hours on the ramp in March – almost reaching November's 4285 hours. SA Health defines ramping as a patient waiting in an ambulance outside an emergency department for more than 30 minutes. The Royal Adelaide Hospital had its worst month on record in March, with 1476 hours lost due to ramping compared to February's 1289. Flinders and Queen Elizabeth recorded an increase of around 1 ..read more

An increase to award wages for Certificate III aged care workers has "finally" been secured. The Fair Work Commission ordered pay increases of 23 per cent for assistants in nursing (AINs) and personal care workers (PCWs) with a Certificate III qualification. The increase includes last year's 15 per cent increase. NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) general secretary Shaye Candish said the latest rounds of increases were due to the members' push for aged care reform. "This is a massive achievement for AINs and PCWs working in the sector, and was won through the passion and hard work o ..read more

The Australian Capital Territory Government has announced free abortion will expand to some general practices in the territory. Since last year, Canberrans have been able to access free abortions but only at one location in the city. The government has now partnered up with health advocacy organisation Women's Health Matters to encourage GPs to provide abortions for free. The GPs taking part are the Watson General Practice and Canberra Family Planning in Tuggeranong, where people can access medical abortions until nine weeks gestation. Both GPs will offer free contraception options and patholo ..read more

Katie Attwell, The University of Western Australia and Jessica Kaufman, Murdoch Children's Research Institute Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the first to need two doses to keep their jobs. State and territory governments subsequently implemented employment and public space mandates which required people to show proof of vaccination to enter hospitality venues and events. A constellation of private companies also required vaccines for their workers or patrons. Va ..read more

Around 60 aged care nurses and carers from across Australia travelled to Canberra to address "ongoing failures" by providers, and to call for accountability. The group stood together to call out aged care providers, saying "they can't be trusted" to uphold the standard of care for older Australians. Aged care nurses and carers also arranged meetings with politicians in hopes of providing a first-hand account of the workload pressures they faced. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) secretary Annie Butler said many providers were "cutting corners" and not complying with the mandat ..read more

Western Australia's new abortion laws came into effect last Wednesday, six months after they were passed last year. Abortion has officially been removed from WA's criminal code, putting an end to clinically unnecessary barriers, and improving access to reproductive healthcare for women across the state. The state is the last in the country to decriminalise abortion. According to WA Health Minister Amber Jade-Sanderson, "These are really important reforms that will bring WA more in line with other states and jurisdictions," said Ms Sanderson. "We know that over the last 20 years or so that the ..read more

The forthcoming flu season is forecast to be just as bad or worse than 2023, with one in three people tipped to get a cold or influenza. Flu cases are already double the weekly rate of last year, but one epidemiologist says it’s unclear whether cases are peaking early or climbing to record levels. Influenza hit at least 300,000 Australians in 2023, as the illness took hold in the freer post-covid pandemic world. Cold and flu reports, medicine sales data, weather forecasts, and vaccine rates have been used in modelling put together by Codral Cold & Flu in partnership with the health consult ..read more