NT Health hires 50 more nurses to start vaccination at clinics in Darwin, Palmerston
Another 50 student nurses will be added to NT Health vaccination clinics in the next five weeks, but the Territory will miss a crucial milestone set by the Chief Minister.
Northern Territory
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ANOTHER 50 nurses have been recruited by NT Health to help bolster the Covid vaccination rollout.
The staged increase of student nurses and midwives will be taken from Charles Darwin University’s nursing program.
The nurses will help staff the Darwin and Palmerston Covid-19 vaccination centres.
The 50 extra nurses and midwives are in addition to 43 more nurses being recruited by NT Health to staff the Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals, which have been under pressure.
The NT government reported on Saturday the Territory’s vaccination rollout hit 73 per cent fully vaccinated. 86 per cent of the population have received at least their first dose.
The Northern Territory is unlikely to reach 80 per cent by Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s goal of November 4.
The new nurses will complete a national Covid-19 vaccination training course as well as NT Health modules.
Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the boost in staff numbers would help health authorities administer more vaccine doses and provide a surge workforce.
“This is a unique and rewarding opportunity for student nurses and midwives to gain practical skills while boosting the Territory’s successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ms Fyles said.
“Student nurses and midwives will be supported with a workforce of fully qualified nurses at the centre of this program.”
The 50 new nurses were being brought in under a model emulated from other states.
Despite the Territory lagging on its goal of 80 per cent full vaccination by November 4, Ms Fyles said the NT’s rate was tracking well.
“The Territory Labor government’s successful management of the pandemic has kept Territorians safe and we remain on track to achieve our target of 80 per cent full vaccination in coming weeks,” she said.
The extra resources will come as a relief to frontline staff within NT Health.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation NT branch secretary Cath Hatcher had previously said the Royal Darwin and Palmerston healthcare system was short-staffed by up to 100 nurses. Staffing shortages were compounded after NT Health took over Howard Springs earlier this year.
Ms Hatcher said she was in favour of flying nurses from overseas to ease shortstaffing at the RDH.
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