A small group of nurses from the South East Regional Hospital gathered outside Andrew Constance's Bega office in their continuing campaign for safer staffing levels.
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NSW Nurses and Midwives Association SERH branch delegate Diane Lang said she believed the roster system was outdated and the government ought to introduce ratios applied shift by shift.
"I just did a 19 hour shift yesterday, it's a regular occurrence for staff across the board because in order for us to support the hospital we have to pick up the shifts," Ms Lang said.
Many of the nurses and midwives at the protest said they felt fed up and outraged that safe staffing in public hospitals isn't prioritised.
"For more than a decade we've been calling for mandated ratios to be introduced, one nurse to three patients in our emergency departments and paediatrics units, and one to four in medical and surgical wards across the state," Ms Lang said.
Ms Lang said they battled through the global pandemic to keep their communities safe but are burning out from the unsafe staffing levels.
The importance of safe patient care was the key point made by Ms Lang, who said that ratios would give the nurses the chance to deliver the appropriate care and time that patients require.
She said currently they're spread too thin with a minimum of six patients per shift.
"It's also about having enough staff in the emergency department so that if we have an emergency come in, we're not dumping all the staff in there and nobody is sitting with patients that are already in emergencies."
Ms Lang said the issue was across the board as ambulance officers have also been complaining.
They protested for improved working conditions in public hospitals state-wide.
Ms Lang argued that if Victoria and Queensland can adopt the ratios system, then the NSW government could and should as well.
Bega midwife and nurse Sarah Anderson has been working in the industry for 41 years and said the extra hours has had a strong impact on her life.
"I'm not sure how the young ones maintain relationships that are early on, when they're being called out for big double shifts," Ms Anderson said.
Among the issues she faces each day, Ms Anderson claimed midwives were understaffed.
"If you're looking after a woman in labor you're supposed to be with her all the time, but there's only two midwives rostered on," Ms Anderson said.
"The other one has to manage the women who have had babies, any sick babies and any outpatient women that come in. It's a big workload."