Nurses at Gosford Hospital are overstretched and patients are likely to suffer, according to State Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch and candidate for the Federal seat of Robertson Dr Gordon Reid.
Tesch said nurses were reporting crippling staff shortages, rising overtime demands and limited resources.
She said locals were not able to access the care in the emergency department that they needed.
“Our nurses are working overtime to fill in the gaps in a health system buckling under the pressure of COVID-19,” Tesh said.
“(Premier) Dominic Perrottet continues to hold press conferences boasting that our hospital system is doing fine, when in fact it isn’t.
“Mr Perrottet should listen to our nurses and hospital staff and give them the support they so desperately need.
“While nurses speak with me directly about these issues many are afraid to speak out or go on the record, fearing they could lose their job.
“They should not have to be forced to hide the truth, especially when it comes to hospital care, which concerns all of us.”
Reid said the State and Federal Governments have not planned adequately for extra pressures on the health system imposed by COVID-19.
“Our doctors, nurses, and hospital system are in crisis because of the State and Federal Governments’ inability to plan and show leadership,” he said.
“Through their continued mismanagement, governments have placed unnecessary pressure on our hospital system, and have neglected the needs of our hospital staff.
“(Prime Minister) Scott Morrison continues to wait for something to become a crisis and spiral out of control, and then if he decides to act, it is too little too late.”
Tesch will meet this week with local representatives from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association and nurses to discuss the conditions and push for change.
Central Coast Local Health District Chief Executive Scott McLachlan said there were more nurses and midwives in NSW public hospitals than at any other time in history.
“As part of pandemic planning, Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) has upskilled nurses from a range of different clinical specialities to provide care to COVID-19 patients where necessary,” he said.
“CCLHD is thankful for the continued dedication of our nurses and midwives throughout the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We acknowledge the impact the challenges presented by the pandemic have had on our staff working across our hospitals and services to care for our community.
“We are committed to supporting our nurses and midwives to provide the best care for our patients including strengthening workforce capability.
“We offer a range of services and wellbeing initiatives, including a targeted wellbeing program run by nurses for nurses, which has been in place for 18 months.
“Between mid-2012 and mid-2021, CCLHD increased its workforce by an additional 1,265 full-time equivalent staff – an increase of 28.7 per cent including 239 more doctors, 519 more nurses and midwives and 131 more allied health staff.
“The NSW Government is also investing a further 5000 nurses and midwives from 2019-2022 under a record $2.8B boost to frontline staff.”
Terry Collins
The truth. Every shift every day, nursing shortages.our workloads are unattainable and unsafe. Nurses are overwhelmed and stressed.excessive overtime.no breaks.exhaustion