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With over 30 years of experience, Healthcare Australia is the leading healthcare recruitment solutions provider of nurses, midwives, aged care workers, doctors and medical specialists in Australia, with positions available in every state and territory. Offering a practical solution to the growing nursing and medical skills shortage, Healthcare Australia provides healthcare professionals, from all levels and specialties, with the flexibility to decide when and where they work. Our dedicated consultants are skilled in matching healthcare professionals with agency and permanent positions nationwide. We are able to offer these roles due to our extensive national and state preferred provider agreements that we hold with leading Australian public and private hospital groups. So we can provide healthcare professionals with the widest possible choice of work opportunities 2
Healthcare Australia has a truly national footprint. You have the option and flexibility to work in all metro, rural and remote locations across Australia. Healthcare Australia are able to offer roles across all levels and specialty due to our extensive national and state preferred provider agreements that we hold with leading Australian public and private hospital groups. Through our sister agency, HCL, we are also able to provide international opportunities to work in the UK. If you are thinking of moving or working in the UK, please visit http://www.hclnursing.com/ for further information. 3
HCA has a national Rural & Remote team, dedicated to servicing the Eastern, Central and Western states of Australia. Each office also has local consultants that can assist you in working with facilitate regional, rural and remote short term contracts. Our consultants are 360 experts in recruitment, meaning we will always find the right nurses or midwives for our rural and remote facilities, based on our existing and growing relationships with our clients. HCA is on all State government tenders and many large private and non-for-profit health care tenders which ensures we are well across where the work is nationally, what their requirements are and how we can get you there. HCA Rural & Remote can offer you agency and facility based contracts ranging from 2 weeks to 3 months, allowing the flexibility to choose the type of work that meets your current clinical or lifestyle needs. All that s required is great clinical skills, a can-do attitude, and an approachable and flexible approach to work for you to be able to explore Australia, expand your professional experience in a rural and remote hospital setting and feel rewarded for your contribution to the rural and remote communities in Australia. 4
Availability and shift bookings HCA operates a computerised availability system which records your availability and contact details. To enable us to provide you with optimal shift opportunities please provide us with your availability as soon as possible. Your availability will remain unless you notify us otherwise. Once you have provided your availability please then remain contactable so that we can confirm your acceptance of shifts. Please be aware we need to speak to you directly to confirm a shift. Reliability Once you have confirmed a shift it is our expectation and the client s that you will honour the booking. We do understand that things can happen sickness, accidents and unexpected changes when you may need to cancel. Please provide as much notice as possible so we can arrange a replacement so the client will not be left short staffed. Cancellations by clients Sometimes booked shifts will be cancelled by the client for various reasons. It does happen to everyone at some stage. HCA will always contact you as soon as possible after the shift has been cancelled and we will do everything we can to get you a replacement shift for you. If you arrive on a shift and you are told you have been cancelled, please do not leave the facility. Please call us immediately as we may have another shift for you. 5
ehca is another way to communicate with us where you can access your personal information and view allocated shifts, download payroll forms, update facility preferences, advise your availability and make roster changes. You can access ehca from your mobile phone or any internet by visiting www.ehca.com.au 6
Payroll The pay period is from Monday to Sunday (including Sunday night duty) and the funds are forwarded to your bank account each Friday. The pay office must receive your signed timesheet by midday (SA Time) each Tuesday for payment each Friday. Please note, if the pay office does not receive your time sheet by midday Tuesday (SA Time) you will be paid the following week. Pay slips are available in ehca on Thursday of each week. Please check your payslip with all pay enquiries are to be directed to the centralised pay office in Adelaide: Timesheets (except WA) You must complete a timesheet for every shift worked and have it signed by the Nurse in charge: White: leave with the facility / Nurse in charge Yellow: send to pay office - received by midday Tuesday to be paid on Friday Pink: retain in your book for your record of nursing history 7
QuickPays Quickpay is designed to quickly turn around payments for shifts you have just completed. An administration fee of $2.50 will be charged for each QuickPay processed. Your timesheets need to have the Quickpay box (top right hand corner of Agency Copy of your Time Sheet) ticked and/or QuickPay clearly written on them and be received by no later than 12 noon (SA Time). The shift must be finished before submitting your timesheet, if the shift does not finish until after 12 noon it will not qualify for Quickpay until the following days processing. Monday Quickpay: Shifts worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday Tuesday Quickpay: Shifts worked Monday Wednesday Quickpay: Shifts worked Monday and Tuesday Thursday Quickpay: Shifts worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Friday Quickpay: Shifts worked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Please note: Quickpays are treated as an advance on your next weeks pay therefore any gross earned in the following week will be added to your Quickpay and the tax will be recalculated. Child support garnishees will be deducted from all payments. However, Child Support deductions will not be deducted until protected earnings threshold is exceeded If your deduction is a % it will be deducted from each pay processed Staff receiving WorkCover payments are not able to elect QuickPay Payslips for each QuickPay processed will be available at the end of each week Superannuation You may elect your superannuation fund by completing the super choice form. Health Employers Superannuation Trust Australia (HESTA) is the default Superannuation fund. HESTA 1800 813 327. For existing fund members please ensure member number is provided. Superannuation is prepared and remitted on a quarterly basis only (March, June, September, December). Superannuation payments (once prepared) are detailed on your payslip. 8
All agency staff are provided with a uniform shirt at no cost. Should additional shirts be required please see Reception or contact your consultant. 9
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HCA takes the safety and health of its employees seriously and to that end includes safety modules within all relevant core competencies and inductions. You are responsible for observing safety in the interest of yourself and others. Please ensure that during your shift you comply with the Workplace Health and Safety policies and procedures for that facility and HCA. You are also required to become conversant with key polices and procedures of your Host Employers work Health and Safety Systems. HCA safety systems either compliment or enhance your Host providers systems. Key WHS programs include but not limited to: 7 Habits of Safe Workers Manual Handling 11
Insurance / WorkCover All agency staff are covered by WorkCover. Should an incident occur you must contact your consultant immediately. We will assist you in returning to work as soon as possible. If you need to see a Doctor due to a workplace injury: Call us immediately so we can help you Advise your Doctor the injury happened at work Your Doctor will need to complete a WorkCover medical certificate Send us a copy of the WorkCover medical certificate Incidents Our WHS Policy requires that all incidents, injuries and hazards must be reported immediately. It is important you keep your consultant informed of any incidents that you may be involved in. Incidents such as an error in drug administration, a complaint, safety hazard, harassment or discrimination issues need to be reported to your supervisor at the facility and reported to your consultant as soon as possible. Remember and incident or hazard can be a Host employee asking you to perform a task with inappropriate or adequate equipment and or assistance, or spills not being isolated and cleaned in a timely manner or crack and uneven floor or pathway surfaces. As our employee of HCA you are our primary source of safety information. 12
Your are required legislatively to cooperate and to be engaged in your agreed Return to Work Programs. Graduated Return to Work Programs are a fundamental part of your recovery and obtaining better outcomes health outcomes. 13
HCA strictly enforces a no competency, no shift policy. You must complete and maintain currency in the following mandatory competencies to access shifts. You can book to attend the practical courses online at www.healthcareaustralia.com.au/coursesavailable, via www.ehca.com.au or by contacting your Education Coordinator. If you have completed these in the last 12 months elsewhere you will need to provide evidence from that facility. Required annually: Basic life support (practical and theory) Drug calculation and administration Manual handling (practical and theory) Required once only: Fire safety Infection control Management of Workplace Aggression & Violence (WAV) Mandated Reporting of abuse (of Elderly, and of Children) Reporting missing residents (aged care staff only) Midwives (all competencies available via our partnership with IntelliLearn): Breastfeeding theory CTG Monitoring theory Neonatal resuscitation theory Individual clients may also request specific mandatory competencies in addition to the above to access shifts at their facilities. In addition to mandatory competency training HCA delivers a wide range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) online and in its training rooms, and is an Approved Provider of Endorsed Courses through the Australian College of Nursing s 3LP Program. 14
Being a people-centric business, our Core Values reflect the behaviours that are expected of all Healthcare Australia employees in the successful fulfilment of the company's plan and are essentially the "soul" of the company. HCA s Code of Conduct also set out the standards of professional behaviour we expect all our employees to abide by. Employment policies and information can be found online on ehca. 15
Feedback and Unsatisfactory Performance Your feedback is important and if you have any complaints or compliments regarding a facility please notify your consultant. Any feedback we receive from a facility; complaints or compliments will be treated seriously. If formal feedback is received from a client that an agency staff member has performed below the expected standards we will contact you in relation to the feedback and ask for your response. Please be aware that just as you may request not to have shifts at a particular facility a client may request a staff member not to return to their facility. If this occurs we will attempt to locate you shifts with another client but this may not always be possible. 16
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