Uncertainty a worry for health staff

STAFF at the South West Aboriginal Medical Service were this week sent notices of termination because State and Commonwealth funding has not been confirmed in writing.

A letter sent to staff working on the service’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing program, advised them their employment would be terminated on June 30 if the funding uncertainty was not resolved.

The letter clarified the notice of termination was a formal requirement, but funding confirmation was still expected.

South West Aboriginal Medical Service chief executive officer Neil Fong said the notice of termination was sent out to comply with Fair Work conditions, but he was optimistic that funding would eventuate.

He said he had been given verbal confirmation the service’s funding would be extended, however until he had that in writing he was obliged to notify staff their jobs could be terminated.

Mr Fong said that if written confirmation did not eventuate by the end of this month he would have to notify all 60 staff at the Bunbury service their contracts were terminated.

“I don’t want to panic anyone, people have mortgages and other financial commitments, ” he said.

“Their contracts are subject to adequate funding, without that funding we will have to give everyone their notice.”

Since sending the letters of termination, Mr Fong said he had received further verbal confirmation some funding for the Social and Emotional Wellbeing program would be forthcoming.

“For the primary health care service we’ve been told it will continue for 12 months, but with the Social and Emotional Wellbeing we’ve been told there will be cuts and it would not match CPI this year, ” he said.

Other non-government organisations are also struggling to confirm their funding, which Mr Fong says is the service’s saving grace.

“If it was just the Aboriginal sector I think we would have lost at least three quarters of our staff to other NGOs by now, ” he said.

Mr Fong said in the past they had waited until August or September for funding to come through, but in those situations they had written confirmation the money was on the way.

The South West Aboriginal Medical Service is the biggest employer of aboriginal people in the South West, with 60 per cent of the staff having indigenous heritage.