Illawarra nurses and midwives have voted to join a statewide strike to ramp up continued demands for patient to staff ratios and improved pay, as hospital managers still scramble to fill shifts daily.
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Announced on Wednesday, 94 per cent of NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) members voted in favour of the 24-hour strike action, which will kick off at 7am next Thursday, September 1.
In a campaign ahead of the NSW election next March, the nurses union wants the government to guarantee nurse to patient ratios for each ward on each shift, like in other states.
Chronic understaffing is causing the Illawarra health system to "crumble" amid a shortage of 136 full-time nurses at Wollongong Hospital, with staff left with no option but to pick up the extra work, according to a local NSWNMA branch secretary.
"The shortages have been showing for many years and we keep getting ignored," secretary of the NSWNMA Wollongong Hospital branch, Genevieve Stone said, speaking on behalf of the union.
"Things are starting to crumble. People are saying there's a huge shortage of nurses, which is not true. There's a shortage of nurses that want to work in the public health system. We want a decent wage and mandated patient ratios."
Miss Stone added the demand on overtime is overwhelming, with daily text messages sent out to staff asking to fill shifts.
"There isn't one staff member that doesn't feel guilt to stay back," she said.
The workload, which has placed pressure on maternity and ICU nurses in particular, has caused staff to leave in droves, Miss Stone said.
The need for mandated staff to patient ratios has never been more urgent, she added, with Wollongong Hospital wards unable to meet their nurse per patient hours.
"We're haemorrhaging nurses, they are dropping from full time to part time, to completely leaving. Our senior nurses are retiring early," Miss Stone said.
"(NSW Health Minister) Brad Hazzard keeps saying the nurses per patient hours is sufficient, but not a single ward (at Wollongong Hospital) met their hours last month.
"That's why we really need ratios because it's mandated and provide a level of nursing care. But instead they're stretching nursing staff. In midwifery, we're seeing two or three on the floor when there should be four or five."
Next Thursday, nurses will demand a guarantee of one nurse to every four patients on most wards for each shift, with higher nurse numbers in emergency (one-to-three) and intensive care (one-to-one).
They also want newborn babies to be counted towards patient numbers in maternity wards.
In the June budget, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced a $4.5 billion health funding boost with an extra 10,000 nurses, doctors and other health staff to be hired under a four-year plan.
Mr Perrottet said 7,674 more workers would be recruited in the first year, to help ease pressure on COVID-fatigued health staff and fast-track more elective surgery for patients.
Illawarra members will rally from 10am at Wollongong Hospital, with more details yet to the confirmed.
The union confirmed life-preserving services will be maintained in all public hospitals and health services during the 24-hour strike.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
