July 3, 2022

primary health nurses and covid-19

Ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on Community and Primary Health Care Nurses

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Community & PHC Nurses insights from our initial COVID survey helped us tell your story.

We want to understand your ongoing experiences with COVID-19 to ensure that our profession is not forgotten by government and policymakers. We’re asking you to complete this brief survey because your voice matters. Sharing your experiences can build an understanding of the challenges faced by our profession and ensure that nurses are visible. Importantly, this research is being undertaken by nurses for nurses.

If you are a Community & PHC nurse please take a few minutes to tell us about your experiences at: https://uow.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6oihCqoAeaTLia9 

Primary health nurses hard hit by COVID-19: study 

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A recent study has found that nurses working in primary health have been left worse off by the COVID-19, contrary to the popular belief that health workers’ employment had been minimally affected by the pandemic.  

The Australian first study on primary health nurses and COVID-19, as published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, found that nearly three-fifths of those surveyed had their employment affected by the crisis. 

This included 28.7% of respondents who had seen a decrease in hours as a result of the pandemic, and 11.5% who had been threatened with the loss of employment. 3.5% of primary health nurses indicated they had lost their job through COVID-19. 

On top of this, the survey also found that 22% of nurses surveyed were considering leaving the profession, with concern for personal safety and lack of job security being cited as the key reasons for this consideration. 

Further, only 48% of respondents felt they were adequately supported by their employers through this time. 

The authors said that the study raise “significant concerns” held by primary health care nurses. 

“Findings from this study indicate that the COVID‐19 pandemic has significantly impacted on the job security, workload, service provision, and safety concerns for nurses working in Australian PHC”, the study stated. 

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association is the union for nurses working in primary health. You can join the Association here and be protected professionally and industrially through COVID-19.  

“Gowns out of garbage bags”: study highlights lack of PPE for primary health

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An Australian study has found “insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE)” was being made available in primary health care settings, putting nurses at incredible risk through COVID-19. 

The study of 637 primary health nurses from across the country indicated a severe shortage of PPE in many primary health workplaces, with only 26% of respondents indicating they had sufficient access to gown and 23% indicating they had access to P2/N95 masks at all time. 

Worryingly, less than half (47%) of respondents said that their workplaces had COVID-19-specific PPE guidelines at their facilities. 

Survey respondents revealed that they were forced to resort to shockingly inadequate PPE measures, including purchasing stock privately or making gowns out of garbage bags. 

“We couldn’t source long sleeved gowns when COVID hit so had some home‐made”, one respondent said. 

The lack of PPE was resulting in primary health nurses considering resignation, with 52% of those who were considering leaving the profession blaming “personal safety” as their reason. 

The authors noted that “more needs to be done to ensure sufficient stockpiles [of PPE] are maintained”. 

“The shortage of PPE during the COVID‐19 pandemic has been extensively reported”, the study stated. 

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association is continuing its advocacy to ensure all nurses and midwives have access to adequate personal protective equipment. Members can report unsafe PPE practices here. If you’re not yet a member, you can join today.