Hornsby Hospital Mental Health nurses close beds amid safety concerns
Mental health nurses have described fearing for their safety amid renewed warnings over staff shortages and dangerous work conditions at Hornsby Hospital. Nurses have closed beds in the Mental Health Intensive Care Unit in a bid to reduce pressure on staff and force management to act.
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NURSES at Hornsby Hospital’s Mental Health Intensive Care Unit have been forced to close beds amid concerns for staff and patient care, “to management’s dismay”.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai Hospital branch president Michelle Rosentreter said staff voted unanimously to keep nurses safe, “while management seek out appropriately trained mental health nurses”.
“We are dealing with the critically unwell, these are very sick people and they need a safe place for their recovery with appropriate skills,” Ms Rosentreter said. “Several staff members were injured by patients last year and we don’t want to see that occur again.”
The union representative said the current employed staff in the unit are able to provide safe care for nine patients, however the intensive care unit is currently operating ‘over capacity’ with 11 or 12 beds in use.
The branch is calling for the urgent employment of 5.5 fill time mental health agency nurses in the next ten days, while a Northern Sydney Local Health District spokesman as many as nine staff members were being recruited for the specialist unit.
“There is not enough staff in the unit with appropriate experience,” she said. “We are working with casuals and transitional nurses (graduates) that have limited experience.
“If graduate nurses are supported by a high level of competent staff, they will learn and be safe.
“But our staff are working overtime and double shifts and we are all reacting rather than being proactive and that is what places nurses at risk.”
Ms Rosentreter said the hospital has backfilled the unit with junior workforce and casual agencies while full time staff work overtime and double time to keep up.
“The bed that was closed this week will remain closed until there is an appropriate level of experienced staff,” she said.
This week, NSWNMA assistant general secretary, Judith Kiejda, said a lack of action from management to fill vacancies with trained permanent staff has created a dangerous working environment.
“Over the last year, the unit has had significant vacancies combined with a poor skill mix due to inexperienced nurses filling those vacancies,” she said. “Late last year, there were five violent incidents against staff within 24 hours because of inadequate staffing ratios at the time.
“Too many near misses have occurred since then and it’s just not acceptable to allow it to go on any longer.”
The Hornsby Ku-ring-gai branch told the Advocate it has repeatedly written to Northern Sydney Local Health District asking for admissions into the unit to be reduced, yet no action has been taken.
A Northern Sydney Local Health District spokesman denied reports beds in the unit had been closed.
“There will be no interruption to mental health services at Hornsby Hospital and staff will continue to be able to provide safe and appropriate patient care,” he said.
“Ensuring the safety of staff and patients at our hospital is of paramount importance.
“Staff are being actively recruited to vacant positions at the mental health unit at Hornsby
Hospital as quickly as possible.”
he said the skill mix of each ward is regularly assessed to ensure the highest quality and safest care is provided to patients.
“A strong emphasis is placed on providing staff with the skills and training necessary to
manage any challenging behaviour,” he said. “The mental health unit is supported by a trained team of clinicians and security staff who are able to respond quickly to any security concerns to ensure the safety of staff and patients.”