A record number of nursing and midwifery graduates will begin their careers in western Sydney this year, part of a massive workforce boost to the NSW public health system.
A total of 520 nursing and midwifery graduates will start work in the Western Sydney Local Health District this year, 137 more than last year.
The nursing and midwifery graduates will be working across Auburn, Blacktown, Mount Druitt and Westmead hospitals, as well as at drug, mental health and integrated and community health services.
They include 500 graduate nurses and 20 graduate midwives.
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Health Minister Ryan Park will visit Westmead Hospital today to meet some of the new nursing and midwifery graduates, as part of International Nurses Day.
This cohort of 520 are part of over 3600 graduate nurses and midwives across the state this year.
More than 1000 of them will be based in Greater Western Sydney - including the Western Sydney, South Western Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains local health districts.
"This fantastic cohort is part of a record intake of more than 3600 graduate nurses and midwives across 130 NSW public hospitals and health services this year, including rural and regional locations," Mr Minns said.
"This next generation of nurses and midwives in the Western Sydney Local Health District are already making a positive impact on the lives of the patients, visitors and the communities they serve.
"Each of these nurses and midwives plays an important role in helping the NSW public health system continue to deliver the care that patients expect when visiting our hospitals and health services across the state."
Mr Park said the NSW Government is recruiting additional nurses and midwives to public hospitals across NSW to help reduce emergency department and elective surgery wait times.
"The commitment, compassion and skills of our nurses and midwives contribute greatly to the health and wellbeing of local communities right across NSW," Mr Park said.
"I welcome this next generation of nurses and midwives and look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have.
"It is up to this government to ensure that our nurses, midwives and health care workers feel supported and ensure they enjoy lifelong careers in our health and hospital system."
WSLHD's Chief Executive Graeme Loy said the 520 nursing and midwifery graduates will be working in a range of clinical settings across the Western Sydney Local Health District, as well as drug, mental health and integrated and community health services.
"It's always exciting to see how enthusiastic our new graduate nurses and midwives are to commence their new roles at WSLHD and to make a difference in our hospitals and health services," Mr Loy said.
WSLHD's Director of Nursing and Midwifery Maria Lingam said the graduates will be supported by clinical nurse and midwifery educators and will gain invaluable experience across a broad range of clinical settings, as well as in community healthcare.
"We are looking forward to supporting the professional development of these new nurses and midwives and to see their future contributions to nursing and midwifery led innovations to improve the patient journey," Ms Lingam said.
The State Member for Parramatta Donna Davis, welcomed the news saying, "local residents will see the real world benefits of the boost in nursing and midwifery graduates."
Last month, the Premier and Minister for Health announced a working group to implement the new government's policy to introduce safe staffing levels in NSW public hospitals.
The working group met for the first time this week and will meet once every 2 weeks.
