Nursing ratios to improve, but not all country hospitals benefit

Following sustained campaigning by the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA), nurse-to-patient ratios will finally become a reality across general medical, surgical and palliative care wards, with recruitment to commence for more than 950 nurses to be injected into the public sector workforce. The announcement by NSW Health Minister Ryan Park will see Forbes hospital benefit from the increase in nursing numbers by two, but just down the road Parkes hospital will miss out. Peer Group A, B, and C hospitals have been included in this announcement, Parkes Hospital was downgraded to a Peer Group D hospital in 2016. This announcement comes in line with the creation of the Safe Staffing Levels (SSL) Taskforce to oversee the roll-out of ratios. This was a key election commitment by the NSW Labor government, with a promise to recruit 2480 full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses and midwives by the end of the term. The president of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Union, Parkes Hospital branch Stacey Folau said with that deadline looming in 2027, so far only emergency departments have seen an increase to staffing levels, despite the promise to include Nursing Hours Per Patient Day (NHPPD) wards, postnatal wards, ICUs and Multi-purpose Service Sites (MPSs). Since the rollout began two years ago, 81 emergency departments in NSW have begun implementing safe staff levels, with both Parkes and Forbes being granted funding for an extra six full time equivalent (FTE) staff for their EDs. “These additional positions were announced for our two local emergency departments at the end of April 2026, however, so far neither hospital has been successful in recruiting any new staff to these positions, so the safe-staffing levels are yet to be implemented in either emergency department,” Ms Folau said. Despite the challenges at the local level, NSWNMA general secretary Michael Whaites welcomed the progress of the nurse-to-patient ratios at a state level, which ensures all 15 Local Health Districts statewide will benefit. “By introducing this reform across Peer Group A, B, and C hospitals, including metropolitan, regional, and rural facilities, members and patients statewide will see the difference,” Mr Whaites said. While the recruitment for the additional six FTE nurses announced for Parkes ED continues, the staff there have had a small improvement in the roster with the Western NSW LHD agreeing to implement one of the planned new shifts in the meantime. This is the equivalent of 1.75 FTE staff and means that the emergency department is better staffed on night shifts as an interim measure until the entire six FTE roles can be filled. This follows on from pressure and rallies across the state over the last couple of years, including by Lachlan Health Service Parkes branch NSWNMA members who rallied last November demanding urgent action and promoting a community petition calling for change. Ms Folau said while their concerns for staffing remain, they are grateful for the extra interim 10 hours of funding for an ED nurse each day. “We just weren’t able to deal with the workload, particularly in ED and staff look forward to this shift being filled on a more regular basis,” she said. NSWNMA assistant general secretary Katrina Bough emphasised that while the milestone represented a substantial step in the right direction, the union remained focused on securing ratios across all clinical settings. “We remain fully committed to achieving our complete ratio claim and welcome continued discussions with the government to drive this forward,” Ms Bough said. “Remaining wards still need better staffing and they have not been forgotten. “We will hold the government accountable to their commitments and keep campaigning until every specialty area is included.”