UOW Australian Health Services research Institute to be split, 12 jobs to go says union

AHSRI, at the Innovation Campus, is a major research facility which has existed within the Faculty of Business and Law and employs about 63 people.

Its functions are set to be divided and shifted into two other faculties, with the institute's "financial viability" cited as one reason for the change.

The announcement came five weeks after the AHSRI's Centre for Health Services Development (CHSD) was awarded a $400,000 contract from the Commonwealth Government to examine "alternative arrangements" to the 24-hour nurse stationed in all aged care homes, which had been an Albanese Government election promise.

Read more: UOW's $400k consultancy to consider options for 24/7 nurses in residential aged-care facilities

This would likely be its last work as it would be wound up.

The CHSD operates differently to other research institutes, with much of its work being paid data analysis for health service providers.

UOW would not say how many jobs will be lost as the proposal may change after consultation with staff.

But the National Tertiary Education Union said it would involve 10 positions in the CHSD, with nine research fellows directly affected.

NTEU branch president Fiona Probyn-Rapsey said there had been doubts about AHSRI's future since its director left last year.

Many of the staff who are set to be moved are also on fixed term contracts, so there is a high level of uncertainty about their contracts once the terms come up next year or the year after.

"It wasn't so much a surprise to staff when it was announced formally as a change management," she said.

"But I think that staff are a bit surprised about the number of jobs to go, and also the fact that it happened on the same day that the annual report came out and showed, again, such excessive executive salaries.

"Many of the staff who are set to be moved are also on fixed term contracts, so there is a high level of uncertainty about their contracts once the terms come up next year or the year after."

The AHSRI's functions would be moved into the faculties of Science, Medicine and Health, and Information Management and Technology Services.

A UOW spokesman said the CHSD was more like a commercial operation than a "typical UOW operation", and said the move was based in part on an eternal review undertaken recently.

He said the change would "enable stronger collaboration with other health-focused units within the faculty and potentially build a stronger research profile for the outcome centres".

"In addition, the review raised concerns about the Centre for Health Service Development's financial viability and noted that its operations were not typical UOW operations, being more akin to those of the commercial entities with which it competes for contracts," the spokesman said.

"It is proposed to wind up the Centre for Health Service Development as projects/activities come to an end.

"Last week, the university commenced consultation with staff in AHSRI about the proposed workplace change. AHSRI staff have been told of the proposed changes and the reasons for them and now have an opportunity to provide feedback in accordance with the relevant provisions in the university's enterprise agreements.

"The university recognises that some staff may be impacted as part of this change process. Whether any job losses result from this change proposal will only be known at the end of the consultation process."