Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) have issued a simple message to the Central Coast community: help us to help you.
NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said that as more cases of COVID-19 continue to be confirmed on the Coast, pressure is building on local health services.
With this situation being mirrored across the State, Holmes urged Central Coast residents to trust and respect that their local nurses and midwives would look after them, and to avoid doing anything to make their job harder than it already is.
“The number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in regional NSW is increasing and nurses and midwives are doing everything they can to look after those who have been hospitalised,” said Holmes.
“Please do not treat nurses, midwives and other health workers like they are infectious.
“These trained professionals should be respected and must not be abused, spat on or assaulted as they move through our communities, to and from their workplaces.
“Nurses, midwives and other health workers are hard at work in our hospitals and other health settings keeping us all safe.
“If you need to visit a hospital, be aware that your access may be limited and you may undergo screening as part of safety measures against the spread of COVID-19 to patients or other hospital staff.
“The reality is that nurses, midwives and other health workers are extremely aware of their own personal risks as they endeavour to care for others in our hospitals and communities.
“They deserve respect as they go about their work, and for the work they are doing,” Holmes said.
“Unfortunately, we’ve heard of many instances where community members have been stealing bottles of hand sanitiser, face masks and other vital resources from hospital wards, leaving nurses and other hospital staff exposed.
“This is not acceptable behaviour.
“We can all make a difference in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and from a nursing and midwifery perspective that will save lives, not only the lives of patients, but also nurses and midwives,” Holmes said.
Source:
Press release, Mar 26
Gia Hayne, NSW Nurses and Midwives Association