Mt Druitt nurses hold meeting over ratio campaign

Nurses at Mt Druitt Hospital have backed a campaign from the state union for extra staff and a new ratio system across all NSW hospitals.

Nurses at Mt Druitt Hospital campaign for new nurse to patient ratios. Picture: Supplied

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New year, same message from the nurses union, which sees the looming state election as a chance to pressure politicians into mandating new staff ratios.

Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association held a branch meeting at Mt Druitt Hospital on Friday, where they highlighted the need for more staff amid rising demand for care at western Sydney facilities.

Association organiser Jeff Crebert said staff at Mt Druitt felt like the “poor cousins” of Blacktown Hospital, which receives the majority of funding from the State Government, despite being labelled as a joint project.

Sue-Anne Redmond, the general manager of Blacktown and Mt Druitt hospitals. Picture: Justin Lloyd

However, Blacktown and Mt Druitt hospital general manager Sue-Anne Redmond said the 230 nurses and midwives employed at the two sites over the past 12 months proved a commitment to ensuring safe staffing levels.

“Staffing numbers and skill mix are regularly reviewed,” she said. “Well established staff management practices are used to cover staff shortages in the event of unplanned sick leave or other absences.”

Mr Crebert said Mt Druitt nurses were sometimes redeployed to Blacktown during busy periods, but weren’t adequately replaced at Mt Druitt.

Staff at Blacktown have also held several rallies in support of the ratio campaign.

Staff at Blacktown Hospital have also held several rallies over the campaign.

The number of hours of care each patient receives under the current system depends on a hospital’s ranking.

Mr Crebert said patients at Westmead Hospital get six hours of care per nurse while at Blacktown it is 5.5 hours. Mt Druitt patients can expect only five hours.

“Our argument is why should the postcode determine that residents here get less care than those at Westmead?” he said.

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The association is campaigning for a mandated ratio of one nurse for every four patients in medical and surgical wards, and one nurse for every three patients in emergency departments.

The association has claimed the ratios will “save lives” and its campaign has been largely backed by NSW opposition health spokesman Walt Secord.

But Ms Redmond said staffing levels depended on the “complexity of hospitals and its patients … more complex hospitals (and patients) have higher staffing levels.”