Qld on brink of mass nurse, midwife exodus due to burnout, union survey shows

Nearly half of Queensland Health’s nurses and midwives – many of whom are already affected by “dangerous levels of understaffing” – are considering leaving their jobs in the next 12 months, a staggering new survey has revealed.

A QNMU poll found 46 per cent of nurses and midwives in the public system were thinking about leaving the profession in the next 12 months. Picture David Clark

Nearly half of Queensland Health’s nurses and midwives are considering leaving their jobs in the next 12 months amid insurmountable burn out, a staggering new survey has revealed.

The dire result has prompted the Labor-aligned Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union to demand the government and the Opposition commit to funding 11,800 extra frontline staff by mid-2029.

According to the QNMU, a poll of 20,000 members found a whopping 46 per cent of nurses and midwives in the public system were thinking about leaving the profession in the next 12 months.

QNMU secretary Sarah Beaman said vast numbers of Queensland Health nurses and midwives were overworked and burnout, leading to ambulance ramping, lengthy wait lists for surgery and longer wait times at emergency departments.

The results of the union-poll are significantly worse than the government’s latest Working for Queensland survey — designed to gauge the mood of public servants — which found a fifth of the workforce at some hospital and health services were ready to pull the pin.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union secretary Sarah Beaman. Photo: Patrick Woods.

Veteran nurse and QNMU member Christine Cocks said her colleagues were suffering under difficult conditions.

“Some have been impacted so deeply they simply cannot set foot at a facility where they have worked for years due to the current dangerous levels of understaffing,” she said.

The QNMU, ahead of the state budget in June, has released a more than 40-point plan to grow and retain staff.

Its key ask is for both major parties to commit to funding 11,800 extra nurses and midwives by mid-2029 — or 2360 a year for five years.

Other demands range from allowing nurses and midwives to work to their full scope of practice and annual wage rises to free parking for those on shift at all public hospitals.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has previously revealed, as part of a draft workforce strategy, that 40,000 health workers would need to be hired over the next decade to meet growing demand.

A number of the QNMU’s demands, including legislated midwife to patient ratios, have already been put in place or are in train.