Last week’s announcement regarding the shortage of trained nurses staffing the Oncology Ward at Cowra Hospital has been labelled as not a long term solution by the Cowra and District Cancer Action Group.
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The group has stressed the announcement will not solve the problem of permanent staffing at the Oncology ward.
“We are not lobbying for a succession plan, but rather for a second permanent Oncology nurse,” Cowra and District Cancer Action Group President Barbara Newham
said.
“You [Member for Burrinjuck Katrina Hodgkinson] have a job to do and we respect that. However, we have a job to do, to lobby for a second Oncology nurse and it is our intention to carry out that job until we have a successful conclusion.”
The comments came after Member for Burrinjuck, Katrina Hodgkinson, last Thursday announced via a media release “that an interim solution to the problem of an additional oncology nurse for Cowra Hospital has been put in place and a long-term solution is currently underway”.
“Following strong representations to the Government, I am very pleased to announce that the Nurse Manager at Cowra, who is also an accredited chemotherapy nurse, will replace the permanent nurse while she is on leave,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
“The Cowra [and District] Cancer Action Group has done a fantastic job and they should be rightly proud of this great outcome for local health services and for the future delivery of oncology services,”
Cowra Mayor Cr Bill West said the news provided short term relief but an appropriate long term solution was needed.
The Cowra and District Cancer Action Group has also secured funding for a nurse to complete a 12-month Postgraduate course, starting in mid-July.
At the end of this course, the nurse will be recognised as having specialist knowledge relevant to cancer care.
The Group has paid the fees for the nurse of $5750 and said it was their way of giving back to the community who have supported them by donating funds.
