EmailHospital Circular 10/2000
Date
Issued:
7 June 2000
Publication: 10/2000
Distribution: Acute Health Circular Registrants
Attention: Public Hospitals, Extended Care Centres, Health Care Networks
Subject/s:
Voluntary Departure Package (VDP) policy- re-employment restrictions
Purpose: To advise you of a change of policy associated with the temporary placement
of agency employed nurses who have previously taken a Voluntary Departure
Package.
Background
Victorian Government policy has not allowed VDP recipients to be re-employed or receive any fee for service from the public sector for a period of 3 years from the date of resignation.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) policy has also excluded nurses, who were VDP recipients, from being placed in a temporary capacity through a nursing agency. In 1993 the policy was relaxed to some degree enabling agency nursing staff to be engaged under specific criteria. The criteria were as follows:
- work is for one shift only;
- exceptional or emergency circumstances apply;
- no non VDP recipient is available to do the work; and
- the VDP recipient must not work in the same hospital/ facility in which he/she was formerly employed prior to accepting a package.
Policy change
The Secretary has approved a change in this policy. Effective immediately, these restrictions on placement of nurses who have previously accepted a Voluntary Departure Package employed by Nursing Agencies no longer apply.
This policy change does not affect the direct re-employment restrictions, where the direct re-employment restrictions continue to apply.
For enquiries, please contact Mr David Anderson, Manager, Financial Analysis and Purchasing, Acute Health, at david.anderson@dhs.vic.gov.au or phone (03) 961 68511.
CHRIS BROOK
DIRECTOR
ACUTE HEALTH
