BY: ARIANA GATTI
With low numbers of nurses available to assist patients, the John Hunter Hospital is in the spotlight this week as in need of an increase in employees.
A Notice of Motion has been lodged asking the National Minister of Health to address understaffing issues, in order to improve the quality of care and eventual recoveries of patients being admitted and treated at the hospital.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association have come forward to report that patients have missed out on at least 7,000 hours of nursing care in total, due to the lack of staff available to provide the services.
The Association is asking for the number of staff to increase, to meet a necessary standard and quota of at least one nurse to three patients to operate in emergency departments, paediatric wards and critical care units.
The campaign also includes advocating for an improvement of staff ratios within mental health and rehabilitation units, as well as for newborn baby care in maternity wards to be added to the list.
Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery, says upping the staff numbers now will help care for the future success of the hospital.
"The quality of care suffers because the nurses are run off their feet, and we all acknowledge how hard our nurses work".
"We will continue to write questions and continue to raise this matter in Parliament and I'm hopeful that the Minister for Health and the NSW Premier listen to my concerns, and the concerns of the NSW Nurses Association", she says.
Image sourced: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-06/the-entrance-to-newcastle27s-john-hunter-hospital.jpg/4555156
