Union Escalates Payment Issues
Doctors at Westmead Hospital face significant delays in receiving their emergency allowances, with payments often postponed for up to eight weeks. The Doctors Union has called the system “byzantine, dysfunctional and utterly disrespectful.”
Emergency department staff specialists are entitled to an allowance that forms a crucial part of their salary, approximately a quarter of their take-home pay. This compensates for the demanding, unpredictable, and shift-based nature of their work. Payments are consistently delayed, requiring union intervention. ASMOF NSW President Dr. Nicholas Spooner stated, “Doctors working in one of the busiest emergency departments in the country are being forced to chase the pay they are entitled to. This is not a one-off failure; it has been ongoing for nearly ten years.”
Recurring Problems Across Hospitals
Payment issues extend beyond Westmead. Doctors at Nepean and Blacktown hospitals report similar delays, indicating systemic problems within NSW Health‘s administrative processes. ASMOF attributes these delays to a complex, multi-step approval system for what should be a routine allowance.
Emergency physician Dr. Danielle Unwin from Westmead Hospital described the situation as exhausting and demoralizing. “We submit everything on time, but then it just disappears into a black hole,” she stated. The delays have persisted for nearly a decade, affecting doctors’ financial stability.
Dr. Unwin noted that the allowance constitutes up to 25 per cent of their income, which, when delayed, significantly impacts their financial situation. She recalled waiting around eight weeks for payment, resolved only after union escalation.
Dr. Spooner highlighted that NSW Health’s inability to resolve these payment issues reflects a system under significant strain. “We are amid a workforce crisis, with doctors exhausted, understaffed, and under relentless pressure. Yet, NSW Health cannot guarantee that doctors will be paid correctly or on time.”
As scrutiny over NSW Health’s handling of these payments intensifies, the union calls for urgent reforms to ensure that allowances are paid promptly. ASMOF insists that the current system is untenable and demands accountability from NSW Health.
