Stoner Shows Support for Kempsey Nurses in Parliament

26 February 2010

Member for Oxley, Andrew Stoner, has posted a Private Members Statement in NSW Parliament praising the hard working nurses at Kempsey District Hospital and asking the Minster for Health to heed their cries for help.
 
KEMPSEY DISTRICT HOSPITAL NURSE SHORTAGE - Page: 73

Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [5.42 p.m.]: Recently I stood alongside nurses from the Kempsey District Hospital emergency department and marched in support of them during a protest rally. In my 11 years as the local member for Kempsey I have only ever heard the highest praise for nurses who work at that hospital under difficult conditions. The nurses have never been radical and they have never protested openly before. Currently they are under intolerable pressure, in particular, in the emergency department, which is why I was pleased to support them in their protest. I quote from a description given to me by one of the nurses regarding her job in the emergency department:

To describe a typical shift in the emergency department is very difficult because, quite simply, there is never a typical shift. For me, it is a wonderfully rewarding area to work in, when we are adequately staffed. Some words come to mind when I try to describe what it is like. Fear, frustration, exhaustion. It is a busy and demanding area, where staff need to be highly skilled and assertive, yet patient and compassionate. We deal with patients when they are at their most vulnerable. Patients who are often in pain and critically unwell, yet we don’t have the staffing to give these patients the care they desperately need, when they need it most. This is the true fear and frustration we feel. As nurses, we are dedicated to not only providing safe and effective care, but we are also obliged to advocate for the people we care for. That is why we are here today.

As an enrolled nurse, I generally work in what we call the observation area. This area consists of 4 obs beds, a paediatric bed, another paediatric chair, mental health bed, and procedure room. That is total of 8 beds. We have only 3 nursing staff rostered to work on a morning, and evening shift. This drops to only 2 nurses overnight. One nurse is responsible to triage new patients and monitor the waiting room, another nurse is responsible for the resus and 2 acute beds, where our sickest patients are. So that just leaves me, with up to 8 patients to care for. This is the fear.

The triage nurse helps when she can, but generally there is a steady stream of new patients for her to see, and a full waiting room to watch. The nurse in the acute section must stay there and visually monitor her patients, who often have cardiac problems, or have serious injuries from a trauma. They can’t leave their patients. We contact our nurse manager, who tries in vain to find more nurses to help. More often than not, there is nobody to help so they roll up their sleeves and work side by side with us, until they are paged by another department that needs them. This is the frustration.

More often than not, there are no other staff to relieve us for our meal break. It is common place to work a full and 8 and a half hours without stopping. We are paid an allowance to compensate us for this, but all we really want is to sit down for a while, have a cuppa and something to eat. And sometimes when it is really busy, we are asked to stay back to help the next shift. We are again paid overtime for this, but nobody ever really wants to stay back. We do it to help our colleagues, and keep our patients safe. That’s just what you do when you work in the ED. This is the exhaustion.

My colleagues in the ED amaze and inspire me on a daily basis, with their knowledge, skill and dedication. Sadly, too many of these nurses are leaving the Emergency Department, and sometimes the health service itself, due to these issues. We are losing our local talent to other areas and hospitals. We cannot afford to lose more. But that’s what will happen, if our area health service fails to listen.

We have, as a community expressed our grave concerns. We have written letters and signed petitions. We deserve the right to first class health care ...

We are a rich and diverse community with complex health care needs. We will not stop until our concerns are addressed.

We are the nurses of the Kempsey Emergency Department. We have marched in the street. We have stood side by side with our patients and demanded to be heard. We are frustrated, scared. We are tired. Will you help us?

This nurse did not mention that Kempsey District Hospital is unique, in that it has a high proportion of indigenous patients, and a high proportion of admissions and emergency presentations related to social disadvantage in that community. It is a full-on hospital and the nurses are wonderful, which is why I was happy to support them in their efforts to have one more nurse for each shift in the emergency department.

I have written to the Minister for Health about these issues but I have not yet received a reply.

For the benefit of members and the Minister, I have read onto the record this statement of the true conditions and feelings of nurses in Kempsey District Hospital. I implore the Minister for Health to heed their cries for help.

“The nurses have my full support, they do a fantastic job,” said Mr Stoner.

“The best thing going for Kempsey District Hospital is its staff, and they deserve better than the pressure they are being placed under due to the State Government’s mismanagement of health.

“The nurses are asking for one more Registered Nurse to be provided for each shift in the Emergency Department – it’s not a lot to ask and would significantly improve working conditions.

“I will continue to pressure the NSW Government to see sense, and provide the necessary resources to support the hardworking nurses at Kempsey Hospital.“