Over four million Australians are currently affected by allergies and, although precise statistics are not known, medical professionals agree that allergies and rates of anaphylaxis are on the rise. The term 'allergy' covers a number of health issues including, but not limited to: allergic reactions to a food, drug, animal, or other (e.g. latex); eczema; hay fever; asthma; and hives. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 10 per cent of Australian children aged 0-14 and two percent of adults are currently affected by allergies. The University of South Australia (UniSA) is ..read more

A $35m investment will be made into a new aged care, disability support and mental health care and support TAFE centre in Cairns in an effort to fill gaps in industries facing skills shortages. The boost comes as part of a larger plan to build a network of up to 20 TAFE Centres of Excellence in areas of high skills needs around the country. That goal has seen a combined $650m from the Commonwealth and states and territories to carry out reforms listed in the National Skills Agreement that began on January 1, 2024. The Albanese government said the new centre will progress vocational pathways in ..read more

As Australian nurses grapple with sector wide staff shortages, the Department of Health and Aged Care has revealed that demand will continue to outweigh supply for more than a decade. The Nursing Supply and Demand Study has forecast the workforce shortfall for nurses in Australia over the next 12 years using data collected from a number of sources between 2014 and 2022. The study looked at nurses across four sectors – aged care, acute care, primary care and mental health – and projected that the workforce undersupply will grow to 70,707 full-time equivalent nurses (FTE) by 2035, with an estima ..read more

University of Queensland (UQ) research shows violence against healthcare workers is increasing in frequency and severity, not only in Australia but worldwide. The study, which was headed up by Dr Conor O’Brien, looked at 3000 studies and examined the "causes, prevalence and impacts of violence against healthcare workers between 2016 and 2023." The violence ranged from verbal and emotional abuse to physical injury and death. Dr O'Brien said few attempts at workplace violence prevention have shown lasting effects, highlighting the complexity of understanding and mitigating the issue. “Some incid ..read more

Nurses and midwives in New South Wales have commenced industrial action against global health care conglomerate Ramsay Health Care, after multiple failed attempts to negotiate a pay offer that will meet inflation. This is the first time that industrial action has been taken against Ramsay Health Care in NSW and comes after 81 per cent of Ramsay nurses and midwives rejected the proposed enterprise agreement in May. NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) general secretary Shaye Candish expressed her disappointment at the continued undervaluing of Ramsay staff. “This decision [to commence ..read more

The Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) has announced a national, cross-university network in a bid to advance Australia's digital health systems. The Australian Council of Senior Academic Leaders in Digital Health (the Council) will bring together academic leaders from 36 universities to "advance the application of digital technology, informatics and data science to health in Australia." The announcement comes after the Productivity Commission concluded that improved integration of digital technologies into Australian healthcare systems could save more than $5 billion a year. T ..read more

Australia's largest not-for-profit healthcare provider, St Vincent’s Health Australia, has announced they will be cutting ties with private health insurance provider nib. St Vincent’s CEO Chris Blake said nib had left the organisation with no choice but to end their agreement, as their request for a fair-funding agreement had not been met. “There is a crisis in private healthcare in Australia,” said Mr Blake.  “Over the last five years, more than 70 private hospital services have closed. We’ve now got a major federal government review into the survival of the sector.  “For private he ..read more

Jonathan Karnon, Flinders University and Andrew Partington, Flinders University We’ve seen countless media reports in recent days, weeks and months about the ramping of ambulances at hospital emergency departments (EDs) around Australia. Ambulance ramping occurs when paramedics are made to wait at the hospital’s entrance and are unable to transfer their patient into the emergency department within an appropriate time frame – defined as 30 minutes in South Australia. Ramping is an indicator of hospital stress. It means patients are waiting longer to receive care in the emergency department, and ..read more

The Minns government will issue up to 300 body-worn cameras to public hospital security personnel as part of a 12-month trial to improve safety and protect hospital staff. The trial, which will be conducted across nine public hospitals, is part of the state government's response to recommendations made by the Anderson Review of Hospital Security. NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said the trial will be a test to confirm if the technology is effective at not only de-escalating violence but recording evidence for the prosecution of offenders as well. “The safety of our healthcare staff and patie ..read more

The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) has released survey data showing almost 40 per cent of primary health care nurses and midwives are considering leaving the sector in the next two to five years. The APNA National Workforce Survey, conducted annually, showed mass employment dissatisfaction among respondents, with inadequate pay and lack of recognition for their work among their top grievances. APNA chief Ken Griffin expressed his disappointed at the findings and said the sector needs to improve support for their nurses and midwives. “We’re obviously extremely concerne ..read more