The ACT Government is delivering on its commitment to safer care and better support for nurses and midwives, with the rollout of the next stage of nurse and midwife-to-patient ratios to begin today.
This next stage of implementation will expand ratios to perioperative services, maternity services, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Special Care Nursery at Canberra Hospital and perioperative and endoscopy services at North Canberra Hospital.
It follows the successful introduction of ratios in maternity, the Intensive Care Unit, Coronary Care Unit and Emergency Department at North Canberra Hospital earlier this year, and in paediatric, oncology, emergency and coronary care services at Canberra Hospital last year.
The ACT remains one of the leading jurisdictions in Australia in recognising the importance of maternity ratios, ensuring safer care for both mothers and newborns.
Inclusion of nurse and midwife to patient ratios in perioperative areas at North Canberra Hospital marks the completion of implementation in its inpatient areas.
Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said today marks another milestone in the ACT Government's long-term plan to improve patient care and working conditions for nurses and midwives.
"This is about delivering safer workloads and better care. Nurses and midwives have told us what they need to provide the best care possible, and we've listened. With our commitment to Phase Two, we're expanding ratios to more areas and continuing to build a health system that values and supports its workforce," Minister Stephen-Smith said
"Over the past year, we've seen strong compliance with the new ratios and positive feedback from staff. This next step will help more teams deliver even higher quality care."
New staffing standards under Phase Two of ratios implementation will ensure every shift has an additional team leader, a balanced mix of staff, and a minimum ratio of nurses or midwives based on how busy and complex the unit is.
Phase Two is supported by an $86 million investment over four years in the 2024-25 ACT Budget to recruit an additional 137.2 full time equivalent nurses and midwives across ACT public health services contributing to our commitment of 800 extra healthcare workers.
The ACT Government will continue to work closely with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation ACT and other stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of ratios.
