Bianca works in ICU

“I’ve been a registered nurse for almost 30 years and I have never ever seen the public health system as bad as it is today.

Don’t get me wrong – I still love being a bedside nurse – but I am sick and tired of ending every shift feeling like I have failed my patients – unable to do all those tasks that I wanted to do, having to prioritise who gets care and what sort of care they receive.

My soul is crushed and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep doing this.

You would think that we in ICU are ‘protected’ and that we would be staffed appropriately, but like everywhere else in the hospital we are often working short. Patients are sent to the wards sooner than we would like in order to make room for the next critically ill patient who requires our specialised care. It breaks my heart as we often see these patients bounce back to ICU, as they have failed to thrive on the wards.

This is not a failing on the part of ward nurses – this is a failing of the system. This is not a result of our actions, but the inaction of the current government. Yet we are the ones being punished. No wonder staff are leaving.”