- Perth Children's Hospital first to begin implementation of nurse and midwife to patient ratios
- Part of the McGowan Government's historic commitment to introducing ratios in WA
- Committee to be established to lead rollout at PCH emergency department
- New measures to upskill nurses and boost senior paediatric nurse numbers
Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) will be the first in the State to begin implementing nurse and midwife to patient ratios, as the McGowan Government continues to progress the historic staffing model change.
Starting with the emergency department, a committee of nurses and executives will be established to spearhead its introduction at PCH, with a view to having nurse and midwife to patient ratios fully implemented as soon as possible.
It follows an announcement by the McGowan Government in December 2022 that nurse and midwife to patient ratios would be introduced at WA hospitals, in an historic move, and the preliminary results of an audit into current staffing levels.
A key focus of the implementation will be ensuring nursing staff at PCH ED have the right mix of experience and skills, with new measures to upskill staff in speciality paediatrics also announced today.
They include:
- An intensive six-week transition to paediatrics program to train adult nurses in paediatric care;
- Family friendly (short) shifts;
- More frequent training to allow nurses to upskill;
- Employing a nurse educator to do one on one training with individual staff to rapidly upskill;
- Nurses are also being offered extra hours on top of their contracted hours to upskill and specialise in paediatrics ED.
These measures are being supported by a local and interstate advertising campaign to let nurses know there's a great job waiting for them at PCH.
As stated by Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:
"The McGowan Government is fully committed to introducing nurse and midwife to patient ratios at all WA hospitals and work is underway even while negotiations with the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) continue in the WA Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC).
"We are committed to improving conditions for all our nurses and midwives through the historic introduction of ratios and ensuring the emergency department at Perth Children's Hospital is the first to do this is a priority.
"It is important to ensure we have the appropriate skills mix in place and continue to recruit senior nurses.
"CAHS is already undertaking intensive training and recruitment activities to attract senior nurses, but we are continually looking for new initiatives and these new measures will hopefully encourage even more nurses to train in the speciality of paediatrics."
