The nation will head to the polls on May 3 to decide on the next Prime Minister of Australia, in what will be a key moment for the healthcare sector. After much anticipation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the general ...
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Strikes, sales and a parliamentary inquiry: Healthscope on the brink
Turmoil surrounds private hospital operator Healthscope. The Canadian-owned health giant operates 38 private hospitals across the country, including Sydney’s Northern Beaches Hospital ,which has recently made headlines due to the death of two-year-old Joe Massa and subsequent NSW parliamentary inquiry. ...
More »Times up: Qld nurse and midwife strikes looms as tens of thousands of wage contracts expire
The Queensland government is on the brink of a major union showdown, as wage contracts for tens of thousands of nurses and midwives are being negotiated. Tensions have risen, with strike action looming alongside the critical March 31 deadline, as exhausted ...
More »What to expect from tonight’s federal budget: Health and cost of living relief
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down the federal budget at 7:30pm (AEDT) tonight, Tuesday March 25. Here's what we know so far. The Albanese government has already made a number of significant pledges towards the improvement of national healthcare, and ...
More »Australia’s medicine supply shortages explained
Patients are struggling to fill their prescriptions in the face of hundreds of medication shortages across the country. As of March, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has more than 400 medications listed as experiencing shortages, whereas in March 2022 that ...
More »‘Better than nothing’: Clinicians and hospital heads accept lower standards of care outside metro hospitals
Seven million Australians live in rural and remote areas and many struggle to access the same quality of health care as those in metropolitan areas. More than 18,000 Australians have no access to primary health care services within an hour’s ...
More »Peak bodies unite to deliver reform action plan – APNA chief Ken Griffin tells us why
Nine nursing and midwifery organisations are coming together to advocate for better utilisation of the nursing workforce ahead of the upcoming federal election. In a move reminiscent of the push to professionalise the roles some 40 years ago, nine of ...
More »Parliamentary inquiry into Northern Beaches Hospital announced after death of 2 year old boy
The NSW government will conduct a parliamentary inquiry into Northern Beaches Hospital after a two-year-old boy died after receiving care at the hospital. Joe Massa was taken to Northern Beaches Hospital on September 12 after he began vomiting. Two-year-old Joe ...
More »What are physician assistants? Can they fix the doctor shortage?
If you’ve tried to get an appointment to see a GP or specialist recently, you will likely have felt the impact of Australia’s doctor shortages. To alleviate workforce shortages, the Queensland government is considering introducing health workers called physician assistants ...
More »NSW Health Minister unable to use public hospital funding to up nurse wages
Using federal funding to come up with a better pay offer for NSW nurses has been ruled out, just one day after union members gathered to demand increased pay in line with other states. Members of the NSW Nurses and ...
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