In the lead-up to International Nurses Day on May 12, Central Coast members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) were out in force throughout the region last week, reaffirming calls for safer staffing levels and increased nurse-patient ratios.
While the NSWNMA welcomed a recent announcement that the NSW Government is to establish a Safe Staffing Working Group as an historic step towards implementing nurse-to-patient ratios in the state’s public hospitals, members were urging continued public support as the nursing profession celebrated the birthday of Florence Nightingale.
Local NSWNMA delegate Michelle Cashman said nurses took their responsibilities very seriously and endeavoured to give the best care possible to patients.
“Over several years our profession has been severely challenged by many factors,” she said.
“The day-to-day workloads have increased exponentially.
“Our patients’ needs have increased due to multiple reasons.
“Many patients have multiple co-morbidities and … some people have been delaying seeking care due to various reasons, not the least the lack of GP availability and the increased costs.
“The demands on our health care system have grown yet the staffing has not.
“The systems in place don’t work and staffing numbers are unsafe not just for our patients but also for our nurses.
“In fact, staffing has decreased as many nurses have left; some leaving to go to states where ratios are mandatory, some retiring early, some reducing the hours just to try to cope and sadly many leaving the profession completely.
“Over the past three years, 40,000 nurses have left the profession Australia-wide.
“We all entered this profession because we care and want to help people yet this has been increasingly difficult as our nursing staff numbers have declined.
“We were further decimated by COVID, which continues to further challenge us and our communities.”
Cashman said staffing levels on the Central Coast are the worst in the state.
“We are in crisis.
“We gathered over 4,500 signatures in a relatively short period just prior to the State election.
“Fortunately we now have a change in government and our new state leaders want to improve the deplorable situation.
“They have formed a working party with NSWNMA representing over 50 per cent of the members specifically to address the nursing situation and to increase the staffing numbers in most areas so that we can actually provide staff patient care.
“We know nothing will change overnight but we are very hopeful now that those in power actually want to provide safe staffing.”
Fellow NSWNMA delegate and emergency department registered nurse Kelly Falconer said it was important to continue to remind the public of the healthcare crisis.
“As a proud nurse of almost 25 years dedicated to the Central Coast, I thought … the public should know just what our crisis in nursing looks like – especially on the Coast,” she said.
“We gathered at local train stations, weekend markets and shopping centres, sports groups and parent groups, informing our community that they and their loved ones are missing out on vital care each and every shift they are in hospital.”
Falconer said many residents were surprised to hear how many staff hours the Coast was missing out on and the overwhelming majority asked how they could help make a change.
“We are at a loss as to why and how it got this bad,” she said.
“(We are) unable to toilet and feed (patients) and daily cares such as showers and pain relief are constantly missed and/or delayed.
“We need to do better; our government needs to listen and make change – ratios save lives.”
NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish said the announcement of the working group would pave the way for the significant reforms urgently needed to repair the broken staffing system.
Terry Collins