NEW nurse and midwife to patient ratios in Wangaratta public hospital's maternity unit and emergency department are part of statewide changes that will be introduced to the Victorian health system.
It comes at a time Northeast Health Wangaratta (NHW) is caring for record numbers of mothers and newborns, along with increasing presentations to the emergency department which hit 670 and 31,000 respectively last year.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas met with nurses and midwives to announce amendments to the Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient Ratios) Act that were introduced on Tuesday, to put more nurses and midwives on shift – at all hours of the day.
The legislation will see more nurses in the state’s busiest regional and metropolitan intensive care units (ICUs), emergency departments (EDs), high dependency and coronary care units, and more midwives in maternity wards.
Bernadette Hammond, executive director clinical operations/chief nursing & midwifery officer at NHW, said key changes that are likely to impact NHW are within the maternity and emergency departments.
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"While we await further details, NHW welcomes these additional resources as a positive step in supporting our ability to provide safe, high-quality care to our community,” Ms Hammond said.
"They will bring additional nurses and midwives to some of the busiest areas of our hospital.
"The new ratios will be phased over a period of time once the bill has been passed by parliament."
Ms Hammond also confirmed NHW has recruited additional midwives, with about 60 nurses and midwifes on rotation at the local maternity unit.
The new ratios are the result of consultation with nurses and midwives, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) and health services.
Details about the ratios include:
• The ‘gold standard’ 1:1 nurse to occupied bed ratio in ICUs on all shifts for all Level 1 and 2 hospitals – meaning that every occupied ICU bed has a dedicated nurse assigned to it at all times. ICUs will also require a team leader and liaison nurse for the very first time.
• Improved staffing ratios in resuscitation cubicles in EDs on morning shifts – bringing morning shifts in line with afternoon and night shifts.
• 1:4 midwife to patient ratios in postnatal and antenatal wards on night shifts – down from 1:6.
• An in-charge nurse on night shifts in standalone high dependency units and coronary care units.
The improved ratios have been backed by a $101.3 million investment to support health services with hiring or rostering additional nurses and midwives.
