After Friday’s last-minute notification of I-MED’s decision to close Bayview St, we called for an urgent meeting to get to the bottom of things and confirm whether this is going to be happening anywhere else soon.

We met with Kimberley Axon, Fiona Arthur and Krishna Saward today and told them we don’t accept that they can just request you to use your leave, or take unpaid leave, to fit with their needs.

They said only one person has chosen to use their leave, and everyone else is being rostered at other Burnie sites – but if things are to expand or change, they will now talk to us first.

They also noted that your contracts say you could be redirected to work anywhere in the north, potentially even St Helens District Hospital. While this may not be true for your case, it would be worth double-checking your contract.

We also told them the consultation was a bit of a joke. One-on-one meetings on Friday followed by a team meeting first thing Monday doesn’t exactly cut the mustard. They said they’d take this on board, but it would pay to let us know as soon as you hear anything that may mean changes in your area.

In terms of closures elsewhere or other changes, nothing is on the agenda at this stage, but of course that may not be the case tomorrow.

So make sure you keep us in the loop if you hear anything and don’t sign or agree to anything you aren’t comfortable with, like taking leave, without talking to us first.