Workplace News
Poor staffing prompts rally at Gosford Hospital
Central Coast nurses and midwives gathered outside Gosford Hospital to highlight concerns with unreasonable workloads and ongoing delays to resolve dangerous staffing levels.
Despite repeatedly raising issues with the Local Health District, members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) fear patient safety is being compromised as fatigued nurses and midwives regularly work overtime to meet chronic staffing shortfalls.
NSWNMA Gosford Hospital Branch President, Meg Pendrick, said nurses and midwives wanted to provide patients with the best care possible, but it was increasingly difficult due to the unreasonable workloads.
“For 22 months, we’ve been working to keep our community safe from COVID-19 and we are not receiving the support from management we need to continue this work,” said Ms Pendrick.
“Nurses and midwives are resigning because of the dangerous workloads and compromised patient care.”
The NSWNMA is continuing to campaign for nurse-to-patient ratios on every shift and safe staffing levels in maternity units. Mandated ratios would help to ensure staffing was adequately linked to the number of patients in a ward.