Inverell Hospital's nurses and midwives strike again in protest over 'dangerous' patient ratios

Yet even this basic requirement cannot be upheld due to "dangerous" staff to patient ratios in our hospitals.

An Inverell contingent representing the "unanimous support" from their colleagues gathered outside the new emergency entrance on Thursday for their second state-wide strike in just six weeks.

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In Armidale, protests took place outside the office of Adam Marshall and outside the Centro shopping plaza.

In other communities like Moree, there were protests at local hospitals, as part of a statewide effort, which included a massive protest in Macquarie Street, Sydney, outside the state's parliament.

Nurses and midwives from right across the state protested the NSW government's failure to act on the staffing crisis in public hospitals.

Noeleen Lennon has worked at the Inverell Hospital since 1986, and is the Steward of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association's Inverell Branch.

She "feels very strongly" about her community, her colleagues, and the high standard of care they provide - now impossible.

Their care has been knee-capped with unworkable and "dangerous" ratios, something the union said was introduced in 2019 but has only come into affect on the night shits in Inverell in the past few weeks.

Before the recent changes there were two nurses rostered in emergency, two on the wards and one in maternity. Now there is just one in emergency, one in maternity and two on the wards.

"We are in a situation that we want to ensure that Inverell patients get safe staffing. At the moment, especially on night duty, we feel very strongly that that is not occurring," Ms Lennon explained.

Standing alongside Inverell union branch's president Hayley Hamel, vice president Ingrid Goddard and secretary Hannah Cameron, the group said some nights, even security hasn't been available.

"We have had quite a few shifts now that security is not covered. Four (nurses) in the hospital with no security which is worrying," Ms Lennon said.

"We had a situation the other night where we had an ice addict outside, and it took 20 minutes for the police to come. But they don't have the staff to deal with those either."

Ms Goddard said they have been asked to "flex up", which means to call in staff who are not on call after hours.

"But at 1am in the morning people don't answer their phone - and at that hour of the morning why should they if they're not on call?" she questioned.

"While they're trying to resuscitate people, they're trying to call for help," Ms Cameron added.

Not just cutting numbers, its about having the appropriate skill requirements. Ms Goddard called the situation a "horrendous fight".

"They say they want to replace like-for-like but they are not doing that. They are replacing registered nurses with AINs (assistants in nursing) - and there is a fair bit of difference in the scope."

"What I want to do is protect what we've got now and build on it. We are really proud of Inverell," Ms Lennon said, and Paul Bonsor agreed saying it was pride and passion that drew him to the job.

"I used to be a cleaner here. I've worked my way up - and I've seen it deteriorate. Our medical ward was staffed a heck of a lot more than what it is now," he stated.

Their grandparents, their children and grandchildren and their friends - their nurses' registration.

"Our nurses' registration is at risk because of health and safety. If something happens, it will absolutely fall back on us," Ms Cameron noted.

"We want everyone to get the absolute best care they can get every time - and that is supposedly the whole premise of Hunter New England Health: every patient every time," Ms Lennon said.

"As nurses, we are committed to that, so we see today as being a way that we can voice our concerns that we are unable to deliver best patient care every time unless we have adequate staffing."

More than 180 branches voted in favour of statewide strike action in the last fortnight, and over 160 branches participated in a 24-hour strike or work bans, leaving behind staff to provide life-preserving care.

"Despite their pleas for more support from the government, nurses and midwives are extremely fatigued from working double shifts and increased amounts of overtime, because of the growing gaps in staffing rosters," NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said.

"We need the NSW government to sit down with us for meaningful talks about our claim for shift by shift nurse-to-patient ratios, improved maternity staffing and a modest pay rise.

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"What nurses and midwives are asking for is not unreasonable. We're simply calling on the government to prioritise patient care and commit to a safe staffing model with a guaranteed minimum number of nurses and midwives on every shift."

At the Armidale protest, a letter was read from state MP Adam Marshall, who has backed the nurses in their efforts.

"Never before has our health system, and the people who work within it, faced the extreme challenges it has in the last two years," Mr Marshall's letter said.

"To our lasting gratitude, you have met that challenge and worked tirelessly to keep our communities safe and healthy.

"We owe you all an enormous debt of gratitude and you deserve not just our thanks, but our full support in securing improved conditions at work and the means to train and employ even more nurses and midwives in our local hospitals."

It went on to say that the MP would speak in parliament again this week to highlight some of the issues in our region.

"Our nurses and medical staff are on the frontline. It is time NSW Health stops the Band-Aid fixes and finds a cure for this medical staff shortage," he wrote.

"I once again call on the NSW government to be bold, be innovative and work with nurses and midwives to find the cure to our regional health crisis, because the consequences of not doing so are frankly unthinkable."

The NSWNMA has had no offer from the government since meeting with the NSW Premier on 21 February.

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