The Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW) has become the latest NSW hospital to implement the Safe Staffing Levels initiative, as the Minns Labor Government continues to deliver on its promise to deliver staffing reform.
CHW recently completed a successful recruitment campaign of more than 19 FTE nurses in the Emergency Department (ED), to facilitate the Safe Staffing Level requirements.
The staffing boost will enable a one-to-one nursing care ratio for generally occupied ED resuscitation beds on all shifts, and one nurse to three generally occupied ED treatment spaces and ED short-stay unit beds on all shifts.
The Safe Staffing Levels Taskforce was established to oversee the rollout of the Government's commitment of 2,480 FTE over four years. It includes key leaders from the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA), NSW Health, and local health districts.
Phase one of Safe Staffing Levels has commenced in the level 5 and 6 emergency departments, which treat the most critically ill patients, and will then be progressively implemented across other key areas in a phased approach.
Implementing Safe Staffing Levels is just one of a range of measures that the NSW Government is embracing to build a more supported health workforce, including:
- funding the equivalent of 1,112 FTE nurse and midwife positions on an ongoing basis
- abolishing the wages cap and delivering the highest pay increase in over a decade for nurses and other health workers
- beginning to roll out 500 additional paramedics in regional, rural and remote communities.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Ryan Park:
"Safe staffing is one of the most significant reforms in the way our hospitals have been staffed in decades.
"Reaching Safe Staffing Levels in the Emergency Department at the Children's Hospital at Westmead is a significant accomplishment and reflects the Minns Labor Government's commitment to continuing to improve service delivery."
Quotes attributable to Member for Parramatta, Donna Davis:
"We acknowledge how challenging it can be for families when a child is seriously unwell and requires treatment in hospital.
"This major staffing reform will support our dedicated frontline health staff to provide more timely, personalised care to some of our youngest, most vulnerable patients."
