Coalition is a laggard on safe staffing

The Liberal–National Coalition that runs NSW has been left behind by other parties on the issue most crucial to the safe operation of our hospital system: enforceable minimum ratios to ensure safer staffing.

When this edition of The Lamp went to press, the Coalition hadn’t moved far from the position laid down by Premier Perrottet and Health Minister Hazzard at the height of the pandemic – that the existing staffing system is effective and that nurses should stop complaining and learn to “cope”. Meanwhile, in the real world, increasing work pressure is taking a heavy physical and psychological toll on nurses and midwives.

A recent survey of NSWNMA members in public health shows nine in every 10 nurses and midwives have had their workload increased since the pandemic.

The survey also shows that work pressure is forcing many experienced nurses and midwives to search for other jobs in the sector, or quit the profession early.

Further, almost half the union membership has been asked to work outside their usual scope of practice – mostly without the necessary education and training.

In October 2022, the NSW Labor opposition recognised the need for action and promised to introduce mandated, shift-by-shift staffing if it wins the March state election. Labor pledged to phase in our claim for EDs, ICUs and maternity – and minimum shift-by-shift nurse numbers in multi-purpose services with a 24-hour ED.

It also pledged to convert all existing nursing-hours-per-patient-day wards to a shift-by-shift system.

Labor hasn’t committed to all that we are seeking – important areas still need to be addressed. However, as NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish put it, Labor has made “a promising start towards long overdue reforms”.

In the NSW Parliament, the Greens have tabled ratios legislation and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers’ Party also support mandated safe staffing ratios.

This means our campaign for shift-by-shift ratios now has serious momentum.

This is due to the hard and often brave work done by NSWNMA members in their workplaces and in the community.

Members voted overwhelmingly to hold four statewide strikes in 2022. Many nurses and midwives who stopped work and marched with placards and banners in our cities and country towns had never been on strike before.

Despite veiled threats of reprisals, nurses put themselves in front of TV cameras, in their local newspapers and on the radio to tell the public the true state of our hospitals.

Thousands of nurses used social media to persuade others to their point of view and organise action at a local level. They collected signatures on petitions and lobbied members of parliament.

The next step in the campaign involves asking the community to use their vote in the upcoming election to support nurses and midwives. n