I’m a casual and every ward I go to at least one nurse is working a double shift and even then, we are often short staffed.

The other night we had 3 nurses to 20 patients.  One nurse was working a double. Most of the patients suffering the effects from strokes, were very heavy, unco ordinated with little incite to their inability to mobilise independently. Most requiring at least 2 nurses just to roll or mobilise them. When one of the nurses tried to have their break, we were left with only two nurses to 20 patients.  This resulted in 3 x near falls in just 15 mins each requiring the nurse who was on break to come and assist. Needless to say, no-one had a break including no toilet breaks.

On another occasion, while working in a COVID ward I was left for 45 mins holding onto a dislodged trachy before getting assistance. I could not reach the staff assist button, as I was trying to hold the trachy, and due to the PPE and heavy plastic door coverings, no one could hear me yelling. The other patient in the room, who also had a trachy, required suctioning and was not in a condition in which he could press the call button, it was by shear chance that another nurse came in to ask for assistance with her patients otherwise I don’t know how much longer I would have been waiting for assistance.

These are only two of many instances in which patients have been put at risk due to being short staffed.  Most shifts, if you do manage have a break, the breaks are interrupted by staff assists calls, most times we don’t have the chance to go to the toilet (resulting in many nurses wearing incontinence pads just in case) nearly every ward the nurses are working double shifts, many great experienced nurses have already left, yet the government officials keep saying our hospitals are coping. WE ARE NOT COPING!! And it is putting patents at risk.