About 5000 nurses and midwives demonstrated on Macquarie Street last year.Credit:Louise Kennerley
Nurse-to-patient ratios,along with increased pay,were central to the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association demands of the previous Coalition government and resulted in multiple strikes across the state in 2022.
NSW Labor took a staff ratio policy for nurses to two state electionsbut decided last year not to support an upper house inquiry recommendation to mandate increased staffing levels.
Instead,it settled on what it calls safe staffing levels,which will convert the existing nursing hours per patient day staffing requirement into minimum staffing levels enforceable under the employment award.
The new working group,made up of union representatives and NSW Health,will plan and drive the implementation of safe staffing levels across the public health system. It will begin with emergency departments but will be rolled out more broadly.
The group will look at the diverse workforce needs of facilities,varying patient needs and nursing workforce planning and supply. It will report to NSW Health secretary Susan Pearce,who will provide regular updates to Minister for Health and Regional Health Ryan Park.
As part of its election commitment,Labor also promised to recruit an extra 1200 nurses and midwives to the public health system within the next four years,in a bid to ease the workload on existing staff and stop the exodus of healthcare workers to other states.