Workplace News

Wyong and Long Jetty strike for nurse-to-patient ratios

June 17, 2021 by Rayan Calimlim Leave a Comment

Hundreds of nurses and midwives have walked off the job at two Central Coast hospitals, while others rallied in their own time outside a third, calling on the NSW government to prioritise safe staffing and introduce nurse-to-patient ratios.

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) members at Long Jetty Continuing Care in Toukley voted to stop work for two hours, while Wyong Hospital branch members also voted to strike for two hours and walked out en masse.

In addition, Central Coast Mental Health branch members, who work in the community and at Wyong Hospital, also voted unanimously to strike for two hours. Meanwhile, nurses and midwives gathered outside Gosford Hospital at lunchtime to highlight their staffing concerns.

Widespread understaffing, regular overtime and less time available to properly care for patients were among the issues that prompted today’s snap actions. All sites called for nurse-to-patient ratios.

NSWNMA Councillor and Long Jetty Continuing Care branch delegate, Michelle Cashman, said the situation was desperate and required urgent attention from the NSW government.

“It didn’t have to come to this, but it has because the government is refusing to listen to us or negotiate with us about bringing in nurse-to-patient ratios. The government’s preferred staffing model is outdated and often fails to ensure we’ve got the number of nurses we need on each shift,” said Ms Cashman.

NSWNMA Wyong Hospital branch president, Kelly Falconer, said staff at Wyong had to work beyond what should be expected of any professional nurse or midwife.

“Too many nurses and midwives are now at breaking point because of the state our health system is now in. We need mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in our hospitals, just like they have in Queensland and Victoria. They cannot keep working us into the ground like this, it’s not fair to our patients or our communities,” said Ms Falconer.

NSWNMA Central Coast Mental Health branch secretary, Graeme Miller, said unsafe, inadequate and unsustainable staffing had led to increased workloads for mental health nurses.

“We haven’t got the ratios we need and it’s not good enough. We need shift-by-shift ratios to deliver safe care and the best possible outcomes for our patients and clients,” said Mr Miller.

To date, the NSW government has refused to negotiate with the NSWNMA on introducing nurse-to-patient ratios.

Central Coast nurses and midwives hold safe staffing rally

June 16, 2021 by Rayan Calimlim Leave a Comment

Nurses and midwives held a rally outside Gosford Hospital over the need for safe staffing and NSW government’s refusal to introduce nurse-to-patient ratios.

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) members are calling for staffing to be overhauled across multiple wards and units at Gosford Hospital, including ratios of one to three (1:3) in emergency, paediatrics and post-natal maternity wards, and a ratio of 1:4 on other wards.

Bureau of Health Information data out today confirms emergency department attendances at Gosford Hospital jumped 5.7% (or 20,095) during January-March, compared to the same quarter in 2020.

NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said nurses and midwives were run off their feet and felt ignored by the NSW government when they spoke up.

“Our members are burning out and tired of feeling taken for granted by this government. Concerns for their professional registration and patient safety are very real,” said Mr Holmes.

“It is shameful how nurses and midwives are being treated on the Central Coast. We desperately need ratios to ensure our hospitals are safe for everyone accessing care and for the staff trying to deliver care.

“Victoria and Queensland have had mandated nurse-to-patient ratios for more than five years. It’s time for NSW to catch up.”

To date, the NSW government has refused to negotiate with the NSWNMA on introducing nurse-to-patient ratios.

Nurses in regional NSW rally for safe staffing

June 16, 2021 by Rayan Calimlim Leave a Comment

Nurses and midwives rallied in Taree, Armidale and Manilla to call for safe staffing and to highlight the concerns being raised at the rural, regional and remote health inquiry.

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) members have asked the NSW government to overhaul staffing in multiple wards and units at their local health facilities, including mandated nurse-to-patient ratios of one to three (1:3) in emergency and post-natal maternity wards, and 1:4 on other wards.

Bureau of Health Information data out today showed the volume of ‘emergency’ (triage category 2) and ‘urgent’ (triage category 3) presentations in NSW were the highest recorded over the five-year period for that quarter.

NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said the NSW government was ignoring nurses and midwives, and had refused to discuss their staffing issues.

“Our members are burning out and tired of feeling taken for granted by this government. Concerns for their professional registration and patient safety are very real,” said Mr Holmes.

“It is shameful how nurses and midwives are being treated. We desperately need ratios to ensure our hospitals are safe for everyone accessing care and for the staff trying to deliver care.

“Victoria and Queensland have had mandated nurse-to-patient ratios for more than five years. It’s time for NSW to catch up.”

South Western Sydney nurses and midwives strike for ratios

June 15, 2021 by Rayan Calimlim 1 Comment

Hundreds of nurses and midwives have walked off the job at Liverpool and Campbelltown hospitals, frustrated their ongoing calls for safe staffing have been ignored by the NSW government.

Despite intimidation tactics, including threats of disciplinary action, NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) members at both South Western Sydney hospitals voted in favour of the strike actions.

Braving wet weather, around 200 Liverpool Hospital branch members walked out for four hours, striking from 3.30pm until 7.30pm.

Ongoing short staffing issues, excessive overtime and a lack of clinical educators to support nurses prompted members of the NSWNMA Macarthur Branch to support a two-hour stop work action at Campbelltown Hospital, from 3.30pm until 5.30pm.

In the state’s north, members of the NSWNMA Lismore Base Hospital branch also walked off the job today for 15.5 hours (from 3.30pm), in a desperate bid to highlight the need for nurse-to-patient ratios.

NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said today’s snap actions were a sign of the widespread desperate situation nurses and midwives are experiencing.

“Our members never take strike action lightly, in fact, most will have never experienced it in their working lives,” said Mr Holmes.

“The examples they have shared of near misses and poor outcomes for patients are truly shocking. They are working beyond what should be expected of any professional nurse or midwife.

“Members have described critical staffing shortages across their emergency departments, intensive care units, mental health units and maternity services. These nurses and midwives are at breaking point.

“We need mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in our hospitals, just like they have in Queensland and Victoria. The NSW government’s current preferred staffing model is outdated, unsafe and frequently fails to deliver the right number of nurses needed on every shift.”

Yesterday, members at Tweed and Port Macquarie Base hospitals held stop work meetings, while a further 200 nurses and midwives rallied outside Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. On Monday, five hospital beds were closed at Yass. Last week, around 500 nurses and midwives walked off the job or closed beds in public health sites at Belmont, Blue Mountains, Bowral, John Hunter, Shoalhaven, Springwood and Waratah, because of the conditions and pressures they are forced to work under.

To date, the NSW government has refused to negotiate with the NSWNMA on introducing nurse-to-patient ratios.

Stressed nurses and midwives strike in Lismore

June 11, 2021 by Rayan Calimlim Leave a Comment

Nurses and midwives at Lismore Base Hospital have walked off the job for more than 15 hours, in a desperate bid to improve staffing levels across the local hospital.

Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) Lismore Base Hospital branch voted unanimously to stop work on 10 June 2021, frustrated by the NSW government’s refusal to introduce nurse-to-patient ratios.

NSWNMA Lismore Base Hospital Branch Secretary, Gil Wilson, said while nurses and midwives never took strike action lightly, the nursing and midwifery staffing situation was dire.

“We are flat-out highlighting all of the issues at our hospital and it’s now reached crisis levels. Unsafe staffing is impacting our patients and the nurses trying to provide their care,” said Mr Wilson.

“Nurses and midwives are overwhelmingly committed to caring for every patient who comes through our doors, but the more we give above and beyond, the more we are being taken for granted.

“We need mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in our hospitals, just like they have in Queensland, Victoria and Canberra. Our current staffing system is outdated, unsafe and forever being rorted to save costs.

“We need the right number of nurses and midwives, with the right skills, at the right time – that’s shift-by-shift ratios. NSW is missing out because the government is ignoring these widespread concerns.

“We are regularly over our bed capacity here at Lismore Base, which forces us to rely on surge beds, but we don’t have the adequate staffing to care for patients who are put into these extra beds.

“The amount of overtime we’re being asked to do is beyond excessive and we’re extremely worried about the limited clinical support on offer to our less experienced staff who are still learning their skills.”

To date, the NSW government has refused to negotiate with the NSWNMA on introducing nurse-to-patient ratios, similar to those operating in Queensland, Victoria and Canberra.

Port Macquarie nurses and midwives strike for ratios

June 10, 2021 by Rayan Calimlim Leave a Comment

Nurses and midwives walked off the job at Port Macquarie Base Hospital this afternoon, angered by the NSW government’s refusal to improve staffing levels using nurse-to-patient ratios.

Local members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) want staffing to be overhauled across multiple wards and units, including mandated ratios of 1 to 3 in emergency, paediatrics and post-natal maternity wards.

The NSWNMA Port Macquarie Base Hospital Branch voted to stop work for two hours, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm, and expressed their frustration at the NSW government for ignoring concerns raised about patient safety.

In notifying management of the industrial action, the branch outlined several issues putting increased pressure on staff, such as excessive overtime, a dependence on agency nursing staff and a lack of clinical support, all contributing to increased staff burnout.

NSWNMA Port Macquarie Base Hospital Branch President, Mark Brennan, said staff felt they were not being listened to.

“Our professional concerns are being ignored by the NSW government and we’re fed up with our goodwill being taken for granted,” said Mr Brennan.

“We desperately need nurse-to-patient ratios here at Port Macquarie but also across NSW. We want to deliver the best possible care to our patients. What we’re seeking is not excessive, it’s simply to make all NSW hospitals safe.”

Last week, 500 nurses and midwives walked off the job across public health sites at Belmont, Blue Mountains, Bowral, John Hunter, Shoalhaven, Springwood and Waratah because of the conditions and pressures they are forced to work under. Five hospital beds were also closed at Yass on Monday.

To date, the NSW government has refused to negotiate with the NSWNMA on introducing nurse-to-patient ratios, similar to those operating Queensland, Victoria and Canberra.