Our members have always known what works. Ratios and new workforce research now provide further evidence that listening to nurses and midwives delivers better outcomes for everyone.

One of the great privileges of this role is seeing members campaign for change, then watching that change begin to make a real difference in their workplaces. For years, our members told governments that ratios would improve patient care, reduce pressure on nurses and midwives and help retain experienced staff in our public health system. We never stopped making that case because our members never stopped making it to us.

Today, we are beginning to see those years of campaigning paying off. The rollout of 1:3 nurse-to-patient ratios in Emergency Departments is already changing the way care is delivered. Members are telling us they have more time with patients, they’re getting their breaks more consistently, and they’re able to provide the standard of care their patients deserve.

Equally as important, members are reporting that the benefit of ratios extends beyond the day-to-day, it impacts the profession as a whole; workplaces are once again transforming into environments where staff want to build long-term careers.

Our members knew what ratios would achieve long before governments accepted the evidence. Ratios have never just been about numbers on a roster. They are also about creating the conditions for nurses and midwives to deliver safe, high-quality care. There is still more work ahead. While the rollout is continuing into general medical, surgical and specialty wards, we will continue advocating until every commitment made to members by Labor has been delivered, including for nurses and midwives working in our Intensive Care Units and Multi-Purpose Services in regional communities. From these five we will build; every member deserves to work in a safe, properly staffed workplace, regardless of where they practise.

This edition of The Lamp also features the Choice, Voice and Control report, and in many ways it tells the same story. Compiled by Professor Rae Cooper AO and her team from the Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work at the University of Sydney Business School, the report draws on the experiences of more than 2,000 public sector nurses and midwives across NSW.

The findings offer irrefutable evidence that a lack of choice, control and flexibility in the current workplace design is unsustainable, with 56 per cent of nurses and midwives reporting they often had to stay at work after their shift ended, 82 per cent agreeing they had too much work to do, and 54 per cent saying they did not have an adequate work-life balance.

By speaking up in Professor Cooper’s report, members have articulated what needs to change to futureproof our profession. They want manageable workloads, genuine input into their rosters and working hours, supportive managers and workplaces that recognise nurses and midwives have families, caring responsibilities, and lives outside work. Most of all, they want to feel heard.

These are not unreasonable expectations, they are the foundations of a sustainable health workforce. One of the strongest messages from the report is that flexibility works best when it works for everyone.

Nurses and midwives need genuine choice, voice and control over how they work, while continuing to deliver excellent care to patients. That kind of flexibility is only possible when staffing levels are safe and employers listen to the people providing care every day.

That is why these two stories belong together: ratios reinforce what happens when governments listen to nurses and midwives, and the Choice, Voice and Control report highlights where we need to keep listening. Together, they provide a clear roadmap for building a stronger and more sustainable health system.

Ultimately, every major improvement our members have secured has come through collective action. Better wages, safer staffing, improved conditions and stronger workplace rights have never been handed to us. They have been hard won because members organised, stood together and refused to accept that things could not change.

There will always be more work to do, but the progress we are seeing today is a reminder of what is possible when members speak with one voice. As your union, we will continue listening to our members, campaigning alongside them and making the case for a health system that values the people at its heart. Because when members are listened to, patients receive better care, workplaces become stronger and our public health system is better for everyone.