Central Coast nurses and midwives say they are facing widespread understaffing at Gosford and Wyong hospitals this Winter.
They held an own time rally on Monday, July 14, to escalate their concerns.
Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) raised the alarm after Gosford Hospital experienced a ‘code yellow’ emergency last month when patient demand exceeded the hospital’s resources.
NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish said an influx of patients had prompted Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) to open more than 50 Winter surge beds at both Gosford and Wyong hospitals to meet the demand, but staffing challenges meant they were often under resourced.
“Our members have described incidents of severe short staffing on the cardiac and neurology wards at both Gosford and Wyong hospitals, as well as in the oncology ward at Gosford,” she said.
“These are some of the most critically unwell patients seeking specialised treatment in their local facility and they deserve safe, quality care.
“Patients are being treated in corridors at Gosford Hospital, which is a telling sign that demand for acute care is not being adequately managed by the Local Health District.
“We are also aware the Local Health District has been using casual nurses to cover their winter surge areas, while relying on regular nursing staff to pick up overtime shifts for shortages on the other wards.
“This is not sustainable, and it puts additional pressure on the nursing staff to try and continue plugging gaps in the rosters by accepting those double shifts or overtime.”
NSWNMA Wyong Hospital Branch President, Kelly Falconer, said nurses had continued to raise concerns about the chronic staffing shortages, but the issues remained.
“We have been escalating these staffing concerns for months now,” she said.
“Nurses and midwives up and down the Coast are extremely disappointed by the lack of action being taken to address the staffing shortages.
“Surged beds have now become the norm and there has been no additional injection of health funding into this region, despite the growing population and increased admission.
“While the nursing staff are working themselves ragged trying to care for all the patients, their pleas for help are going unaddressed.
“It’s no wonder more and more staff are reducing their hours to manage the fatigue and work overload, while others are stepping away from nursing altogether.
“Something has got to give.
“We are asking the local community to support us and demand better from the Local Health District to ensure our hospitals deliver safe care and adequate staffing on every shift.”
Central Coast Local Health District Chief Executive Scott McLachlan acknowledged that this Winter has been incredibly busy with high numbers of patients needing care for more serious and complex conditions, along with high levels of staff sickness.
“Additionally, delays in access to NDIS packages and aged care placements are key barriers to discharge from hospitals that have created increased demand for beds in our facilities,” he said.
“Our priority is creating a safe environment for our patients and staff at all times.
“Nurses are rostered according to patient numbers and demand every day and every shift, to support the delivery of high quality, safe, and timely care.
“If there are gaps in a roster or during peak demand, we engage casual nursing staff, offer staff overtime shifts or relocate staff according to clinical demand to ensure the continuous provision of high quality, timely and safe care to our patients.
“We have the capacity to open additional beds to ensure we are able to provide care for higher numbers of patients than normal and staffing is adjusted accordingly.
“Attracting and retaining the required healthcare staff, particularly to regional areas, remains a long-standing challenge for NSW and every other state and territory across Australia.
“We continue to make every effort to fill vacancies when they arise, and have recently completed a successful recruitment campaign to employ more nurses in Gosford Hospital’s emergency department.
“Extensive recruitment campaigns are also ongoing to attract appropriately skilled clinicians to vacant positions.”
McLachlan said Monday’s rally did not have any impact on patient care.
“The community is assured that our emergency departments are always available for those needing care for serious or life-threatening illnesses and injuries,” he said.
“If an illness or injury is not serious or life-threatening, we encourage people to call healthdirect on 1800 022 222, to access free 24-hour telephone health advice.”
Terry Collins
