Working in a busy E.D. we are no strangers to hectic fast paced work environments.

What ever comes through the doors we are ready to mobilise and get a team together to help deliver excellent patient-centred care and help our communities.

For the past two years, we have been at the frontline of the COVID pandemic busting our guts to make sure our patients, colleagues and the community are kept safe. Increasingly we are turning up to shift 2, 3 or even 4 staff members short having to deliver the same model of care.

We are expected to take unsafe patient loads of 6 or 7 patients because… what other options are there?

Nurses are beyond exhausted. Multiple times in a shift you will find staff broken down, crying, struggling to hold it together.

Every shift there will be at least one person on overtime in the midst of a 18 hour shift.
A recent shift had 6 staff on overtime! And then we were short the next day too!

This government keeps telling us were fine… Are they on another planet?

Has Dom Perrottet ever stepped foot in a public hospital? Let alone a E.D. during this crisis?

We have been here for the community and will continue to be here but we deserve some respect for putting our bodies on the line.

We need mandated SAFE STAFF RATIOS!
We need a pay rise.
We need mental health support for nurses during this time.

So many nurses have decided that enough is enough and they are leaving the career, further affecting the skill mix and staffing issues.

If you want us to have a “Strong health system” Dom, how about you show some respect to the staff working in it so they actually want to keep doing their job???

We need action – immediate safe staff ratios, disaster pay, pay rise, mental health support.
And we are willing to fight for it.