Australian Medical Association (NSW)

PATIENT SAFETY: Ensuring your clinical team has the appropriate qualifications to treat your illness is paramount. AMA (NSW) president Dr Kathryn Austin talks to A Current Affair tonight regarding Elle Macpherson's cancer therapy and claims made by her nutritionist. Tune in at 7pm for the full story.

GEM OF A YEAR: It's been an incredibly productive year for AMA (NSW) - with more to come - so it was a pleasure to celebrate with our Federal counterparts, members and corporate partners last week at the spectacular Minerals Gallery at the Australian Museum. Thanks to all those who attended - and to those who continue to support our work in advocating for doctors, medical policy issues and a better health system for all.

SHOWCASE: Research is the foundation of good medicine, so it was a pleasure to attend yesterday’s research showcase at John Hunter Hospital. The event brought together fourth year medical students from the University of Newcastle and doctors working across Hunter New England Local Health District to showcase their work this year on improving the quality and safety of healthcare provided. Our membership team was on hand to provide information on how AMA (NSW) can provide career-long support and benefits for doctors. For more information on AMA (NSW) services, please contact us via members@amansw.com.au

Results now live. Head to our website for more https://lnkd.in/g8-X8dZh

COLLABORATION: We all have pivotal moments in our careers which chart our futures and help shape who we become - and how we get there. Last night, AMA (NSW) held the first of our new “Pulse on” series, the brainchild of president Dr Kathryn Austin, aimed at bringing people together to network, collaborate and share career knowledge and experiences. Last night, we focused on women who lead, with an expert panel headed by Dr Austin and featuring the very impressive CoreLogic chief executive officer Lisa Claes and the founder of Impact Governance Kara Nicholls. The panel generously shared stories on how they’ve achieved great success, and answered questions from an engaged group of leaders in medicine, law and the corporate health sector. Thanks to all who attended and to Lipman Burgon for sharing their space with us last night. We look forward to the next “Pulse on” gathering in February.

BILL WELCOMED: AMA (NSW) welcomes a Private Members' Bill, tabled in NSW Parliament, which will allow doctors contracted to work in the public hospital system to negotiate and modernise their pay conditions for the first time in 17 years. Terms and conditions for Visiting Medical Officers – who make up half the medical workforce in NSW public hospitals – have not been updated since 2007, despite substantial changes in the ways they use technology to deliver better patient care and efficiencies for NSW Health. The Bill, introduced by Wagga Wagga MP and doctor Joe McGirr, seeks to amend the Health Services Act 1997 and the Health Services Regulation 2018, paving the way for an arbitrator to be appointed from the Industrial Court following the court’s re-establishment by the NSW Government this year. This will allow VMOs to arbitrate for better conditions before an experienced industrial judge, as was the case before the court was dismantled in 2016. “AMA (NSW) has been working on this issue for quite some time, so we are very pleased to see this Bill now up for discussion,” AMA (NSW) president Dr Kathryn Austin said. “The concerns of VMOs are the concerns of all doctors - to be paid fairly for the work they do in a modern health system. “If the NSW Government is serious in suggesting arbitration is the path to improving arrangements for those working in health in NSW, VMOs need to be able to access the Industrial Relations Commission." Dr Austin said regional and rural hospitals and patients, in particular, relied heavily on VMOs, and they deserved fair recognition and remuneration for the substantial ways in which their work had changed over the past 17 years.

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY: In 1847, Professor James Simpson was about to realise one of his longest-held ambitions when he rose to address the Edinburgh Medico-Chirurgical Society. About 20 years earlier as a medical student, he had witnessed surgery for the first time. The operation, to remove a breast, was carried out by Robert Liston, one of the leading surgeons of the day. Speed was essential, as was the physical immobilisation of the patient, either by stout leather straps or burly attendants, since no reliable anaesthetic existed. The sight and sounds of that operation were a horror that Simpson never forgot. He fled the theatre in distress, determined to abandon medicine and enrol as a law student. Fortunately, he soon returned to medicine, determined to alleviate pain in surgery. In 1846, he tried ether, using it controversially in obstetrics, but soon felt it had too many drawbacks. Then in 1847, he came across a previously little-regarded compound - chloroform - and was keen to address his colleagues on its potential. At the close of his address, he produced a bottle and a silk handkerchief, inviting those present to sample its effects. The first two volunteers inhaled deeply, immediately falling unconscious. A third took less than the others and jumped to his feet in excitement. One by one, everyone in the room sniffed the handkerchief, and once recovered, agreed the sensation was delightful. Chloroform would revolutionise surgery - but it would also play a role in robberies, rapes and murders, bringing Simpson huge public praise and storms of outrage.

BUDGET CRISIS: AMA (NSW) and doctors are calling on the NSW Government to urgently increase public hospital budgets as demand soars and cost cutting puts patients at risk. In a survey conducted by AMA (NSW), Medical Staff Council chairs from 12 local health districts and two speciality networks, also called for urgent award reform, a greater focus on recruitment and more doctor involvement in decision making. Doctors reported their local health districts were between $6 million and $100 million over budget, resulting in recruitment freezes, no funding for new services and the closure of beds. Others said taking leave entitlements to attend specialist education and training was being made so difficult they were missing vital opportunities to upskill and stay current in their practice, while some said their hospitals were unable to perform adequate volumes of elective surgeries due to a lack of staff. Many hospitals had grown significantly with new infrastructure under the previous government, but doctors report the workforce has not grown to meet increased bed numbers and activity levels. "Our Medical Staff Councils from across NSW are making it very clear they are in crisis,” says AMA (NSW) president Dr Kathryn Austin, pictured. "Their budgets are insufficient to meet demand, and when doctors are in crisis, patients suffer. This is untenable and we call on the NSW Government to provide an urgent top up to the budgets of local health districts so our doctors, nurses and allied health staff can meet the needs of our patients.”

READY FOR ANYTHING: Training for emergencies is routine work for doctors, nurses, paramedics and police. Today, emergency personnel gathered at Warilla for Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District’s annual training day, focusing on simulated land and sea rescues for critically unwell patients. More than 100 participants gathered at the event, sponsored by AMA (NSW), to practise retrieval, triage, treatment, and team coordination. Thanks to our membership team for being on hand to provide information on the career-long representation on medical policy and workplace relations issues provided by AMA (NSW) to medical students, junior and senior doctors. To join, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gjCkhTZK

WE REMEMBER: Today marks 106 years since the end of hostilities in World War I - at 11am on November 11, 1918. It is also a day to honour all those who lost their lives in the line of duty across all wars. May we also take a moment at 11am to embrace peace, kindness and stability going forward.