ANMF to push for nurse-to-patient ratios for Territory hospitals in looming healthcare EBA
OUR HEALTH CRISIS: The union representing nurses is gearing up to fight for a major shake up to the way the Territory’s hospital wards are staffed in a looming EBA negotiation.
Northern Territory
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NURSES who are “run off their feet” in Territory hospitals will push for nurse-to-patient ratios in looming EBA negotiations to address understaffing in wards.
The Australian Nurses and Midwifery Federation wants the NT to adopt similar rules to those found in Queensland and Victoria, which require hospitals to have up to one nurse for every three patients in an emergency department.
The union’s NT branch secretary Cath Hatcher said they would seek to pressure the government to implement nurse-to-patient ratios as part of looming enterprise bargaining negotiations for healthcare workers, which is due by August next year.
Currently the Territory’s hospitals are staffed based on “nursing hours per patient day”, but Ms Hatcher said the approach was not up to scratch.
“You can still end up with more patients than what you really need, especially if emergency is double-bunking,” she said.
Queensland Health currently mandates one nurse to every four patients during morning and afternoon shifts, and one nurse to every seven patients overnight. Victoria’s metropolitan hospitals are staffed with one nurse to every three patients.
The Sunday Territorian tried to obtain a breakdown from NT Health of the ratio of nurses to patients at the Royal Darwin and Alice Springs hospitals when either facility’s emergency departments are running at 100 per cent capacity.
NT Health did not respond to this request by deadline.
The renewed push for nurse to patient ratios comes as the ANMF gears up to oppose a four-year pay freeze for health workers. A new EBA for healthcare workers is due by August 2022, after the rest of the general public service.
Ms Hatcher said a pay freeze and no nurse-to-patient ratios would have a devastating impact on attracting nurses to work in the Territory.
“If we have the pay freeze over the next four years and our working conditions remain the same … we are going to lose people wanting to come and work in the Territory.
“They will get better pay in their own state or territory and they will have a better nurse to patient ratio.”
Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the current nursing hours per patient day model was “evidence-based and effective in delivering good healthcare outcomes”.
“Our highest priority is to fill nursing shortages in mental health, emergency and perioperative specialist fields.”
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