Recruitment is well underway for additional nurses in regional and rural NSW as the Minns Labor Government continues delivering on its promise to rollout a major healthcare staffing reform.
27 hospitals across rural and regional NSW are introducing Safe Staffing Levels in emergency departments, with a number of facilities already completed recruitment. This brings the total number of hospitals commencing the roll-out of Safe Staffing Levels to more than 40 across the state.
The implementation of the reform aims to support the experience of patients, with over 570 FTE nurses already recruited in Emergency Departments across the state.
The Safe Staffing Levels initiative involves rostering minimum staffing levels on every shift, which will result in more nurses employed in hospitals right across the state..
The staffing boost enables the rostering of a one-to-one nursing care ratio for generally occupied ED resuscitation beds on all shifts, and one nurse to three generally occupied ED treatment spaces and ED short-stay unit beds on all shifts.
The 27 regional and rural hospitals rolling out Safe Staffing Levels in EDs include Shoalhaven Hospital.
