Belmont Hospital Nursing Staff

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-103679

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

Belmont Hospital Nursing Staff

Ms YASMIN CATLEY (Swansea) (18:21:02):I bring to the House's attention the situation facing nursing staff at Belmont Hospital. The issues raised with me by the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association on behalf of its members at Belmont Hospital are very concerning, to say the least. In our community, Belmont Hospital has an outstanding reputation, which has been built up over 50 years of excellent care provided by the doctors and nurses who have worked there during that time. It celebrated its fiftieth birthday this year, and I congratulate staff for running such a wonderful institution in the electorate of Swansea.

For the Belmont community and surrounding suburbs, it is a source of comfort that, in an emergency, help is nearby. For many women, it is the hospital of choice in which to birth their babies. When I have had reason to go to Belmont Hospital—sadly just two Saturday nights ago I had to take my mother to the emergency department—I have always been confident that my family would get the best possible care when we need it. Recently, that care came in spades.

But right now that excellent reputation is being jeopardised. The nurses at Belmont Hospital do an extraordinary job, but the fact is that they are overworked and under-resourced. Inadequate staffing levels at Belmont Hospital and the unreasonable workloads that nursing staff are forced to bear as a result have reached a critical point. The fact that they have felt the need to meet with their local member in order to have their concerns heard tells me that they are desperate. They care deeply about the quality of care they deliver to their patients, and they are acutely aware of the importance of the work they do.

I can honestly say that I have never seen such dedicated staff. Those nurses—the work that they do, the care that they take and the integrity that they have—are absolutely outstanding. That is why they are speaking out; this issue is too important to ignore. Patient care is potentially being compromised because, in the emergency department, one nurse is often required to care for up to seven patients, two of which may be in resuscitation beds. This is in comparison to other hospitals in the region such as the Mater hospital, John Hunter Hospital or Wyong Hospital, which have patient ratios of one nurse to three or four beds. Under the current nurse-to-patient ratios, as a level three emergency department, Belmont Hospital has no guarantee of additional staffing for the resuscitation beds until annual presentations reach 45,000—almost double the current numbers.

Of course, there are provisions in the relevant award that guarantee a minimum number of hours of staffing per patient per day, but no such guarantee for the emergency department exists. The reality of this is that nursing staff in the emergency department often end up caring for more patients than do the nurses on the wards. Needless to say, much of the time the patients in emergency require more acute care but nursing staff have less time to spend with them. Emergency nursing staff frequently struggle with one nurse per seven beds, as well as ambulance off-load trolleys and patients in the waiting room. I am told that the department was often so understaffed that nurses could not even do the required hourly observations. That is not good enough. The sickness level at Belmont Hospital is increasing, and that is not good enough either.

I am proud that the next Labor government has committed to fixing this problem. A Foley Labor Government will deliver more nurses at Belmont Hospital. That is great news. Our commitment to employ more nurses in B and C group hospitals will improve patient care. Research shows that higher nurse‑to‑patient ratios save lives, reduce errors and allow more time to be spent with each patient. I want to make sure that Belmont Hospital can continue to deliver the quality care that the community expects and that nurses want to provide for the next 50 years and beyond. We can sometimes forget that while nurses achieve incredible results, they are only human. I am proud to be part of the party that will deliver the resources Belmont Hospital needs to continue to provide patients at the hospital with the care they deserve.

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (18:26:09):

I thank the member for raising the issues about Belmont Hospital in the House tonight.

Ms Yasmin Catley:

You have never been to Belmont.

Mr MARK COURE:

I have, actually. I thank the staff, nurses and doctors at Belmont Hospital, who do an outstanding job. I am sure the issues concerning Belmont Hospital that were raised by the member have been raised with the Minister for Health, and Minister for Medical Research. I will check that. Nurses do a wonderful job in every hospital, as do doctors. I have seen the hard work performed by the nurses at St George Hospital during my many visits there not only as a member of Parliament but also as a visitor to see sick relatives. I thank all our nurses across the State for the long hours they put in. They do a wonderful job. Nurses are fantastic. I thank the member for Swansea for raising this issue.