Musical chairs ?

The proposal to combine and integrate the roles of cleaners and wardpersons at Wollongong hospital reeks of cost cutting.

At first glance it seems reasonable. Having a pool of people who can do either job means that there is greater flexibility. If things are quiet in the wards, more people can be tasked to clean and help eliminate the super bugs that are spreading throughout the hospital.

That is where theory comes into sharp contrast with reality. The majority of the wardpersons are male - and big, muscled males at that - well suited to moving patients in their beds to various parts of the hospital for procedures. They also do the heavy lifting under instruction from nurses and doctors.

The cleaners are mostly female, are well trained - and have an affinity for the jobs they do.

Combining the roles simply means diluting the skills and causing headaches for the nursing staff who need to call on either section. If there is a surge in patient movement it would have to be at the cost of cleaning, and if cleaning is essential to prepare a bed for a new patient then movement to procedures will have to be delayed.

The one factor not mentioned in this proposal is staff numbers, but a cynic would be certain that hospital management has in mind a reduction in numbers - and therefore a saving in costs.

What is galling to the people who actually work in and run hospitals is that this inevitable lowering of standards is being proposed at the same time as an army of displaced senior bureaucrats is idle, drawing big figure salaries and doing nothing - because their jobs have been abolished.

It is time that redundancy in the public service means the same as it does in the private sector.

You get a pink slip - and you get your cheque for redundancy pay, holiday pay and any other money owing - and you go out the door and go look for another job !

At least that would be more practical than damn fool schemes like combining skills to achieve lower standards !