Premier promises to lock in nurse-to-patient ratios as government looks interstate, overseas for more doctors and nurses

The new Premier has promised to legislate nurse-to-patient ratios for the state’s hospitals, but there is no timeline and no specific numbers set down yet.

Premier Peter Malinauskas has promised to legislate nurse-to-patient ratios, fulfilling a pledge he made the to nurses’ union last month.

But the exact ratios are still up for discussion and there is no specific timeline, apart from in the new government’s “first term.”

“By having legislation in part in place, it ensures compliance,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“What you will see in one part of the hospital will be very different to the other, depending on the patient’s acuity and what their needs are.”

“We haven’t put a specific timeline on it; there will be a negotiation that need to take place to make sure we get that legislation right.”

Legislation would ensure compliance, which would not allow “Treasury or a corporate liquidator to come in and start playing around with those numbers,” he said.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation state secretary Elizabeth Dabars welcomed the move.

“The current model of nursing and midwifery hours per patient day has served us well but in recent years has become cumbersome and lacks the transparency and certainty nursing and midwifery staff need and deserve when seeking to provide quality care to their patients,” she said.

“A move to ratios will ensure there are clear and transparent staff to patient numbers that can be easily identified and enforced.”

Ms Dabars stressed that while applauding the new government’s commitments to health, the ANMF wantes to ensure they are converted into action and outcomes.

“We will be working hard to hold the Labor Party to account to deliver their pre-election promises — we are meeting with Minister for Health Chris Picton on Wednesday for this purpose,” she said.

Victoria enshrined ratios in legislation in 2015 with one nurse for four patients in the day and 1:8 at night, followed by Queensland in 2016 where it is 1:4 during the day and 1:7 at night.

NSW nurses have launched industrial action seeking a 1:4 ratio on every shift, a move NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said “would cost a billion dollars, when we already spend 30 per cent of the state’s budget on health.”

Premier Peter Malinauskas at the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Tuesday, launching a recruitment drive for doctors, nurses and ambulance officers. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Mr Malinauskas also confirmed new “KPIs” for Labor’s pledge to recruit 300 more nurses, 100 more doctors and 350 more ambos — by June 30 next year, the state government hopes to have 24 more doctors, 100 nurses and 99 ambos online “over and above attrition”.

Launching a new health recruitment drive on Tuesday, Mr Malinauskas the 300 nurses would be mainly people coming through as recent graduates.

“We want to give opportunities to South Australians in terms of jobs (but) we’ve got an acute need here. If we have to go interstate or overseas to meet it, then that’s what we’ll do,” he said.

Royal Adelaide Hospital emergency department consultant Katrina Romualdez said the recruitment drive would “greatly improve” ability to care for patients.

Nurse unit manager, Nyssa Griffin said the health system had experienced “challenges” in recruiting, especially for experienced emergency staff.

“That’s really what we need,” she said.

At the launch of a recruitment drive to attract healthcare workers to South Australia, emergency department nurse unit manager Nyssa Griffin with consultant and co-director for RAH ED Dr Katrina Romualdez at the RAH. Picture: Keryn Stevens