During the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association's delegates meeting on Tuesday night, a gathering of almost 300 people held branch placards and chanted, "Nurses and midwives - we don't tell lies!"

Association general secretary Brett Holmes said the action was taken in response to recent attacks by politicians, including Liberal and National Party MPs, against the union's election campaign against privatisation.

"For several years we have been raising awareness around the impact of privatisation of public health services and the likely consequences if governments continue to hand these services over to non-government and for-profit organisations," Mr Holmes said.

"After just one term in office, the Liberal-Nationals have begun privatising sub-acute and rehabilitation mental health services, privatised new palliative care services, while disability and home care services will all be privatised by 2018 - there's no sugar-coating the facts, this is happening already."

Mr Holmes said the state was also seeing a return to the "failed model" of public-private partnerships in health - as evidenced at the new Northern Beaches Hospital which will be operated by private provider Healthscope under a 20-year contract.

Union regional organiser Mark Murphy said that in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven there had also been concerns about moves to privatise medical imaging at Wollongong Hospital and the sub-acute mental health unit at Shoalhaven Hospital.

"More than a dozen nurses and midwives from this region attended the meeting to voice their concerns over the privatisation of public hospitals and health services.

"We are concerned that privatisation will mean quality care is placed secondary to making profits and cutting costs," Mr Murphy said.