The issue of parity

Since the last edition of Scope, Mater Private Hospitals have seen the extremes of the health care environment in Queensland. As hospitals throughout Brisbane struggle to recruit qualified nurses, our staff shortage reached a crisis point which in turn led to one of the most exciting staff announcements I have made in my tenure.

After many years of trailing our colleagues in the public sector, it was a great pleasure to announce that from 1 October, 2006 Mater Private Hospitals will pay public sector base rate parity for ENs, EENs, L1 RNs and L2 RNs.

This means that nursing staff in those categories will be paid the same base rate as public sector nurses in the same category, while maintaining their other Mater Private terms and conditions (including salary packaging of meals entertainment and discounted car parking).

In response to targeted negotiations over recent months, a number of the health funds have contributed to this outcome by assisting with rate increases specifically in recognition of Mater Private's endeavours to pay its nursing staff base rate parity. Regretably, not all health funds have assisted our cause and the hospital has met a major proportion of the increased wages expense.

In response to a submission from Mater Private Executive, Mater Health Sevices Board approved the additional funding and supported the proposal to implement the increases immediately. I am grateful for the support of the Board and my executive colleagues in addressing this increasingly important issue.

Most of all, I am grateful for the exceptional efforts of all the staff at Mater Private Hospitals who have stayed with the organisation through the difficult times. Rather than turn patients away, our staff have frequently undertaken additional shifts and overtime to ensure that patient care is not compromised. It is my sincere hope that this recent announcement will provide our current staff with the financial and staff support they so richly deserve.

In my opinion, there is now no reason Mater Private Hospital shouldn't be the most attractive employment option in private health care in Queensland.