Nurses and midwives rallied in Taree, Armidale and Manilla to call for safe staffing and to highlight the concerns being raised at the rural, regional and remote health inquiry.
NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) members have asked the NSW government to overhaul staffing in multiple wards and units at their local health facilities, including mandated nurse-to-patient ratios of one to three (1:3) in emergency and post-natal maternity wards, and 1:4 on other wards.
Bureau of Health Information data out today showed the volume of ‘emergency’ (triage category 2) and ‘urgent’ (triage category 3) presentations in NSW were the highest recorded over the five-year period for that quarter.
NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said the NSW government was ignoring nurses and midwives, and had refused to discuss their staffing issues.
“Our members are burning out and tired of feeling taken for granted by this government. Concerns for their professional registration and patient safety are very real,” said Mr Holmes.
“It is shameful how nurses and midwives are being treated. We desperately need ratios to ensure our hospitals are safe for everyone accessing care and for the staff trying to deliver care.
“Victoria and Queensland have had mandated nurse-to-patient ratios for more than five years. It’s time for NSW to catch up.”