An increase in people using local hospital emergency departments during Covid-19 is putting added pressure on staff

As new data reveals hospital emergency departments have higher numbers presenting for treatment, a nurses union is calling on the state government to increase staff to patient ratios, citing burnout and stress of its members.

STAFFING RATIOS: Some emergency department staff at Lismore Base Hospital are at breaking pint according the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association which is calling for higher staff to patient ratios.

Emergency department nursing staff at a Northern Rivers hospital are feeling burned out and stressed by overtime and extra shifts, according to NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association general secretary Brett Holmes.

Mr Holmes said the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) data showed an increase in people presenting at emergency departments across the state, including Lismore Base Hospital (LBH)

Mr Holmes called on the NSW Government to implement ratios of one nurse to three patients (1:3) in emergency departments and ensure patient safety was prioritised across the system.

“The Bureau of Health Information’s latest quarterly report has reinforced concerns raised by the NSWNMA that staff to patient ratios are too low,” he said.

Mr Holmes said at LBH he understood many emergency department staff were “feeling burned out and stressed”.

“The triage category 1 presentations where you need to take the person into resuscitation immediately jumped by 38.1 per cent,” he said.

“This has increased by 17 per cent from the previous quarter and this is reflected by the members strong campaign to increase the number os resuscitation nurses in the Lismore Base Hospital’s emergency department.”

Mr Holmes said the data also revealed that number of LBH emergency patients categorised Triage 2 which necessitates treatment within 10 minutes, was up by 255 persons or 24 per cent and Triage category 3 where patients need treatments within 30 minutes was up by 8.5 per cent or 280 persons.

“This is a significant increase and the consequences of this is we are seeing people working in this critical care areas of the emergency department and intensive care burning out due to constant pressure and understaffing due to staff shortages,” he said.

“Staff are not being replaced and they are constantly being asked to take on overtime or additional shifts.

“Our members know that what happens inside an ED has a ripple effect across their hospital.”

Mr Holmes said it was vital to care for staff who care for their community.

“Many of our nurses are at breaking point because if they’re not run off their feet in the ED, they’re flat out raising workload issues with hospital management to little or no avail.

“We need shift-by-shift ratios in EDs to ensure patients, who are presenting acutely unwell, can get the right care when they need it.”

BHI chief executive Dr Diane Watson said the Healthcare Quarterly results, which cover the period of extreme rainfall and widespread flooding in March 2021, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, showed there was high demand for healthcare services in NSW in January to March 2021.

Northern NSW Local Health District, chief executive Wayne Jones, said trends in hospital activity and performance echoed the experience around the state.

“The efforts of our workforce over the last 15 months has been outstanding despite

increased patient presentations, and additional challenges and changes as a result of

Covid,” he said

“It has not been easy but our workforce has risen to the challenge.”

The NNSWLHD has been contacted for comment regarding Mr Holmes call for statewide staff to patient ratios increased.