September 11, 2024

understaffing

A message of solidarity to UK nurses and midwives

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The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association have sent a letter of support for UK nurses and midwives engaging in strike action on the 15th of December 2022.

Dear Unison, Public and Commercial Services Union, and Royal College of Nursing members, 

On the eve of your historical set of strike actions to secure fair pay and safe staffing levels, we send our heartfelt support and solidarity from the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association in Australia.  

Your courage is acknowledged and admired from afar, and your Australian nursing and midwifery colleagues support every effort being taken across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

We hear you; we see you, and we stand with you in fighting for change. Our members have been fighting your fight; a fight for ratios, for more resources and a fight for a pay rise that reflects the work we do and meets the rising cost of living. 

As we know, from taking multiple strike actions across New South Wales this year against an obstinately uncooperative state government, no nurse or midwife ever takes industrial action lightly. It is abhorrent governments continue to disrespect nurses and midwives and take our professions for granted. 

Enough is enough. Stand tall for the safety of both those in your care, your colleagues, and your communities. Patient safety is fundamental to quality healthcare and must be a priority.  

Safe staffing matters, and you deserve fair wages that recognise your contribution and pay the bills. 

 Yours sincerely 

 SHAYE CANDISH 

General Secretary 

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association

On behalf of NSW nurses and midwives

“Great Resignation” puts further strain on health system 

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Increased resignations from health workers is putting additional pressure on the American health system, according to research released by the Harvard Business Review. 

According to the research, there have been 3.6% more resignations over the past year within the healthcare sector compared to the previous year, leading to mass vacancies and rampant understaffing in American hospitals.  

The phenomenon – dubbed the “Great Resignation” – was high among employees who worked in fields that had experienced extreme increases in workload due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to increased stress and burnout from within the workforce. 

The research found that increased resignations were highest among mid-career professionals, with the increase most stark in the 30-45 year-old cohort.  

Interestingly, the research found that resignation had decreased in the 25-30 and 60-70 year old cohort, which could be attributed to the increased financial uncertainty brought about by the pandemic.  

The researchers indicated that it was a ripe time for the sector to implement retention policies to address the drain that the “Great Resignation” was causing on the workforce. 

“Many of these workers have simply reached a breaking point after months and months of high workloads, hiring freezes and other pressures,” the researchers said. 

“Adopting a retention strategy isn’t easy, but it’s worth the effort to do it right, especially in the current market”. 

Understaffing puts frontline mental health at further risk 

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A recent survey by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has shown that the country’s frontline health workers are facing incredible rates of understaffing and overwork, leading to unprecedented levels of stress and mental ill-health.  

Of those surveyed by the ACTU, 56% of health workers said that they faced understaffing on a regular basis, leading to overwork and stress. 

Further 30% said that they regularly skipped entitled meal or rest breaks, the highest in any industry. 

As a result, 17% of survey respondents noted that they had suffered from mental health injuries stemming from the circumstances of their work.  

ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien said that the data painted a “shocking picture of our health workforce”. 

“This research shows that Australian frontline healthcare workers are under immense pressure,” Mr O’Brien said.  

“Frontline workers who have carried our country through the pandemic should be able to rely on a safe workplace and robust WHS policies which protect their mental and physical health”. 

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association is continuing their campaign towards safe staffing ratios in the NSW health system, to help reduce incidences of overwork and work-related mental illness. You can find out more about the campaign here.  

Strong link between understaffing and healthcare associated infections: study

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A study conducted by the Columbia University School of Nursing has found an association between nursing understaffing and healthcare associated infections (HAIs), resulting in billions added to healthcare costs annually.

The study, which examined more than 100,000 patients, found that patients were 15% more likely to develop HAIs on or after the third day of exposure to understaffing, as compared to their counterparts in properly staffed wards.

“As they often serve as coordinators within multidisciplinary health care teams, nurses play a critical role in preventing HAIs, which is a top priority for improving quality of care”, said study author Dr Jingjing Shang, an associate professor at Columbia.

“Being at the forefront of infection control and prevention is a unique responsibility and opportunity for nurses, and our study shows that hospitals should ensure adequate nurse staffing to provide the safest patient care.”

Dr Shang also noted that reducing understaffing within nursing teams provided an opportunity to “reduce hospital costs”, noting that the increase in infections and complications caused by understaffing” adds billions to healthcare costs annually.

The study also noted that where units were understaffed, nurses experienced excessive workloads, leading to compromised infection control practices and surveillance activities.

Understaffing linked to omissions in care: study

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It sounds pretty obvious, but a study by an international team in the Journal of Advanced Nursing has found a link between understaffing and reported incidents of missed care.

The study, called The Association between Nurse Staffing and Omissions of Care, was conducted in inpatient medical and surgical wards across Europe, Asia and the USA.

It found overwhelming evidence of an association between lower levels of staffing and reports of missed care. For instance, the study found that in eight of the European studies, 75% of nurses reported missing at least one element of necessary care on their last shift.

Further, the study also found that in wards where there was a higher nurse-to-patient ratio, the odds of missing care increased.

Instances of missed care included emotional support and education, patient mobility and mouth care, as well as proper assessment and documentation.

These tasks are critical to the provision of proper care to patients, and their omission can lead to poorer patient outcomes or mistakes being made.

It’s further evidence that safe nurse-to-patient ratios are needed across the board. Safe staffing reduces missed care – and puts patient safety first.

You can read the report on the National Institute for Health Research website here.

Credit is great, but we need cash

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Enrolled Nurse Brett Sutherland decries the government’s rhetoric towards nurses and midwives, that always seems to come without meaningful action.

The World Health Organization has designated 2021 as the Year of Health and Care Workers – an acknowledgement of the great work that the health workforce has done through the COVID-19 pandemic.

While that’s all well and good, it makes me wonder when the accolades will finally turn into real action, which actually improves the lives of health workers.

What material benefit does this recognition have on our professions? In the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, our professions faced a cruel wage cut and rampant understaffing, as well as being forced to fight for the necessary PPE required to do our jobs. Will this year bring more cuts, more freezes and more insults to workers who have literally put their lives on the line?

Governments have become experts at patronising rhetoric. Thanking nurses and midwives while attacking our professions and our conditions simply does not cut it.

The credit is welcome, but ultimately that doesn’t pay the bills.

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