A registered nurse at a WA public hospital was rostered on call when the consultant texted her mid-afternoon. There was an urgent case starting in about an hour and she was needed. She agreed to the shift. She left straight away for the 25km drive.
About 25 minutes later, nearly at the hospital, her phone rang again. The case was cancelled and everyone could go home. She was also asked to ring a colleague to confirm the cancellation, so she pulled over, made the call and drove home.
When she claimed her call-out, her manager said no. Because she hadn't made it inside the unit, she hadn't "arrived at work".
She got in touch with NPAA the next day. Her case manager checked the recall clause in the WA Health Nurses and Midwives Industrial Agreement. It says a nurse who is "recalled to work for any purpose" gets a minimum of three hours at the overtime rate, even if the job takes less time. Nothing in it says you have to be inside the unit first.
Her case manager drafted a letter for her to send to the hospital. It set out the timeline, quoted the clause and explained why the recall had already happened: she was directed to attend, she was on the road, and she did work for the hospital by ringing her colleague. It also asked for written reasons if the hospital still said no.
After receiving the letter, the hospital agreed to pay her call-out and the minimum payment. The surgical division then held a formal meeting and changed its call-out rules, so every health professional on call in that area is now covered. The matter was closed within a week of her first contact with us.
I'd like to provide some feedback regarding a positive experience with the NPAWA team leader Wayne. I contacted Wayne to help me respond to my call out being rejected and therefore not paid. Within hours of my helpline request, he provided me with a draft email detailing the evidence of my call out and why I should be paid. The email was sent to my manager then onto HR and IR. The surgical division had a formal meeting regarding the matter and has formally changed the rules to all call outs. This affects all health professionals in the surgical area who are contracted to on call duties at my hospital. Wayne has helped to change our policy permanently. Thank you on behalf of my unit.
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