Latest news with #Section39
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Whistleblowers lodge 67 valid HSE disclosures, with a third about patient health and safety
There were 67 valid protected disclosures made to the Health Service Executive last year, of which more than a third related to the alleged 'endangerment of health and safety' of patients or service users. On Friday, the HSE published its 2024 annual report, which found there were 135 protected disclosures received by the executive last year, up 38 per cent when compared with 2023. A total of 67 disclosures were deemed to be 'valid'. Of these, 26 were closed over the 12-month period and 41 are 'still under examination'. More than 80 per cent of disclosures were made by HSE employees, with the remainder coming from Section 38/39 workers who were not HSE employees. READ MORE A total of 37 per cent of disclosures related to the endangerment of health and safety, 15 (22 per cent) related primarily to alleged unlawful or improper use of funds, with a further 15 relating to 'oppressive, discriminatory or behaviour that constitutes gross misconduct by a public body'. The responsible area that had the highest number of disclosures was HSE Dublin and Midlands with 15, followed by HSE Dublin and North East at 12 and HSE Dublin and South East at 10. According to the annual report, Ireland's population grew by approximately 100,000 people last year, reaching 5.38 million. The number of people aged 65 and over has increased by 37 per cent since 2015 and life expectancy now stands at 82.6 years – above the EU average. As a result of the ageing population, the burden of chronic disease and cancer 'remains high, particularly among older adults'. The report highlighted a number of areas in which services have improved, including a reduction in waiting times for elective procedures as well as fewer people on trolleys. However, it also acknowledged the provision of disability services as a key challenging area for the health service. 'A major priority for the HSE is to significantly improve access for children and families to services,' the report said. 'There is still much to do to significantly improve access when needed, particularly for children and young people.' [ Opinion: Nobody wants to stay in hospital longer than necessary. There's a better way to handle patient discharge Opens in new window ] Speaking about the annual report, HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said last year marked 'real progress'. 'We reduced the number of people waiting on trolleys by over 10 per cent, expanded community services and improved access to scheduled care with an additional 24,000 patients seen within target time frames,' he said. 'Our focus in 2025 will be to build on this momentum, improve patient flow and continue to reform how care is delivered across seven days.' [ HSE aims to bring in new weekend work rosters for healthcare staff over summer Opens in new window ]
West Australian
03-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
‘Are your promises worth anything?': Fiery clash in NSW parliament over controversial workers comp reform
NSW's workplace tsar has been accused of breaking a promise over workers compensation reforms in a furious clash in parliament. A revised proposal to reform workers compensation, specifically psychological injuries claims, was tabled last week by Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis. Ms Cotsis said the compensation plan sought to instil a 'culture of prevention' in the scheme, and give clarity to employers on their rights and responsibilities. Detractors argue the changes would lock many out of receiving damages – namely a new 30 per cent threshold for permanent impairment due to psychological injury. While the Opposition is yet to formally announce its position on the bill, Liberal leader Mark Speakman questioned Ms Cotsis on Tuesday morning over the threshold. Mr Speakman claimed during question time that Ms Cotsis had pledged to remove the provision – known as Section 39 – altogether prior to the 2023 state election. 'Are your promises worth anything?' Mr Speakman asked, sparking shouting across the chamber. In the fiery exchange that ensued, Ms Cotsis shot back that she was 'more of a worker's friend than the Leader of the Opposition (is)'. 'Where were you when people died under your watch?,' Ms Cotsis said, referencing the former Coalition government. 'Where were you when review after review came out and said that you needed to fix work health and safety? You were nowhere.' Police Minister Yasmin Catley, Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison, and Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong were all also grilled over their position on Section 39. 'I'm delighted to always get a question about workers in this place,' Mr Chanthivong said. 'Because there's only one party in this parliament to speak when it comes to workers – its actually us'. The planned reforms have stirred controversy since they were first introduced earlier this year, with support from some of the businesses community. The state's unions, including the NSW Teachers Federation, Unions NSW, and the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, have instead opposed the bill. Their members rallied outside parliament earlier this month, calling on the government to reconsider the plan and to engage with the unions. In tabling the bill last month, Ms Cotsis noted amendments had been made since its first iteration and that a tripartite review committee would be established, including Unions NSW. The bill also seeks to address the NSW government's bottom-line, with Treasurer Daniel Moohkey ruling out any further payments to the state's self-insurer. Business leaders told a parliamentary inquiry into the bill earlier this year that insurance premiums to businesses and charities had seen their premiums increase. Treasury modelling released by the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday warned business and not-for-profits may be forced to fork out an extra $1bn per year if reforms aren't made. A separate bill seeking to amend workplace health and safety legislation was also tabled in NSW parliament.
Perth Now
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘Worth anything': Fiery clash over workers
NSW's workplace tsar has been accused of breaking a promise over workers compensation reforms in a furious clash in parliament. A revised proposal to reform workers compensation, specifically psychological injuries claims, was tabled last week by Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis. Ms Cotsis said the compensation plan sought to instil a 'culture of prevention' in the scheme, and give clarity to employers on their rights and responsibilities. Detractors argue the changes would lock many out of receiving damages – namely a new 30 per cent threshold for permanent impairment due to psychological injury. While the Opposition is yet to formally announce its position on the bill, Liberal leader Mark Speakman questioned Ms Cotsis on Tuesday morning over the threshold. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman is yet to announce the Coalition's position on the reforms. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Speakman claimed during question time that Ms Cotsis had pledged to remove the provision – known as Section 39 – altogether prior to the 2023 state election. 'Are your promises worth anything?' Mr Speakman asked, sparking shouting across the chamber. In the fiery exchange that ensued, Ms Cotsis shot back that she was 'more of a worker's friend than the Leader of the Opposition (is)'. 'Where were you when people died under your watch?,' Ms Cotsis said, referencing the former Coalition government. 'Where were you when review after review came out and said that you needed to fix work health and safety? You were nowhere.' Police Minister Yasmin Catley, Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison, and Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong were all also grilled over their position on Section 39. NS Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis tabled the bill last week. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia 'I'm delighted to always get a question about workers in this place,' Mr Chanthivong said. 'Because there's only one party in this parliament to speak when it comes to workers – its actually us'. The planned reforms have stirred controversy since they were first introduced earlier this year, with support from some of the businesses community. The state's unions, including the NSW Teachers Federation, Unions NSW, and the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, have instead opposed the bill. Their members rallied outside parliament earlier this month, calling on the government to reconsider the plan and to engage with the unions. NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley was also grilled over her position on Section 39. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia In tabling the bill last month, Ms Cotsis noted amendments had been made since its first iteration and that a tripartite review committee would be established, including Unions NSW. The bill also seeks to address the NSW government's bottom-line, with Treasurer Daniel Moohkey ruling out any further payments to the state's self-insurer. Business leaders told a parliamentary inquiry into the bill earlier this year that insurance premiums to businesses and charities had seen their premiums increase. Treasury modelling released by the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday warned business and not-for-profits may be forced to fork out an extra $1bn per year if reforms aren't made. A separate bill seeking to amend workplace health and safety legislation was also tabled in NSW parliament.
Irish Times
01-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Section 39 workers accept pay proposal, paving way for end to years-long dispute
A pay proposal intended to end the long-running dispute involving as claim by tens of thousands of health and social care workers employed by voluntary organisations across the State has been accepted by members of the unions involved. The deal, worth 9.25 per cent over two years, starting last October, was backed by 87 per cent of Siptu members and 86 per cent of those in Fórsa . The result of a ballot by a smaller number of workers attached to the the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation was not finalised on Thursday afternoon but they too were expected to accept the terms on offer. [ 'I could be beside someone doing the same work for more money.' The plight of section 39 workers Opens in new window ] Under the agreement, the care workers, administrators and therapists, many employed by well-known organisations such as the Irish Wheelchair Association, Rehab and Enable Ireland paid to provide services on behalf of the Health Service Executive and a number of government departments, will receive a pay increase of 2.25 per cent backdated to October along with 1 per cent from the start of last month. Further increases of 2 per cent in November of this year as well April 1st and October 1st of 2026 will follow. READ MORE The two main unions involved said they would work with funding departments and employers to ensure the increases are implemented as quickly as possible. 'While the terms acknowledge that pay for some in the sector has fallen behind public-sector levels and allows for future increases in public pay agreements to be applied to the community and voluntary sector, we need to see the funding bodies move quickly to ensure our members receive these pay improvements as they fall due,' said Fórsa's head of health and welfare, Ashley Connolly. The staff involved working in the health sector are often referred to as Section 39 workers, a reference to the piece of legislation under which the HSE pays the organisations involved for the provisions of services. Other workers covered by the deal are employed in areas such as housing and family services. Their dispute briefly attracted a lot of attention during the general election campaign after an encounter between Simon Harris and S39 worker Charlotte Fallon.
