One state government has accelerated nurse recruitment beyond its current 900 new hires a year to improve the treatment of patients in public hospitals.
Ballooning numbers of patients in need of urgent care has sparked a fresh pledge to put hundreds of more nurses on NSW public hospital wards.
Over the past 15 years, the number of patients attending the state’s hospitals in serious conditions, requiring care within 10 minutes, has tripled.
The stark figure has prompted the next phase of a major recruitment drive for nurses, with the Minns government vowing to significantly increase staff numbers on the wards.
The government introduced its safe staffing policy two years ago, which pledged to put 2480 extra nurses and midwives onto wards in NSW.
So far, the equivalent of 900 full-time nurses have been introduced across the state’s 78 emergency departments.
Premier Chris Minns said it was a “major milestone” in delivering workforce reform to the NSW health system.
“For too long, nurses have been asked to do more with less while our hospitals faced growing demand and increasingly complex patient needs,” Mr Minns said in a statement.
“These reforms are about ensuring our healthcare workers have the support they need to continue delivering the highest standard of care.”
Health Minister Ryan Park said the change to nursing ratios showed the government valued the profession.
“Increasing staffing levels is crucial to supporting our health workforce and relieving pressure on our hospitals,” he said.
“Safe Staffing Levels is a historic reform to strengthen care for patients right across NSW.
“Our nurses do an incredible job caring for our community.
“This rollout has been designed to better support them, and in turn, their patients.”
The announcement follows the resolution in April of a long-running pay dispute, that led to angry scenes at nurses rallies.
The state’s Industrial Relations Commission ruled in April the nursing sector had become “undervalued”, with workers hit particularly hard in the pocket since the Covid-19 pandemic.
It ordered the Minns government to lift the pay of hardworking nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing.
NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association General Secretary Michael Whaites said the announcement to increase nurse-to-patient ratios was welcome.
“This is a crucial workforce reform for nurses and midwives who have been dealing with chronic staffing shortages in the health system for years,” Mr Whaites said.
“Ratios with the right skill mix will lead to safer care for public hospital patients, while improving the high pressure working environments our members face.
“After a decade of campaigning, we’re pleased to see the implementation move in the right direction.”