The following year a taskforce was established to develop policy advice on ratio improvements through consultation with, and submissions from Victorian nurses, midwives, representative unions and organisations, and health services. Subsequently an amendment Bill was introduce to Parliament in August of this year.
Not all public wards are covered by the legislation. The amendment will impact palliative care, birthing suites, and ED as well as acute stroke, haematology, and acute inpatient oncology wards. The Bill proposes an additional 600 nurses and midwives employed throughout the state of Victoria in such wards in public hospitals. The additional staff will be funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. If the Bill is successful in passing through Parliament it is expected to come into effect on the 1st of March 2019 and phased in over five years.
In July 2016, Queensland introduced minimum nurse / midwife to patient ratios in acute medical and surgical wards, and some mental health units in public hospitals. The legislation, which was passed on International Nurses Day, required an additional 250 nurses.
New South Wales nurses call for minimum ratios
In 2011, nurse to patient ratios were mandated by the NSW Government but did not cover all hospitals and largely only affected medical and surgical wards in large city hospitals. Minimum patient to staff ratios do not currently exist in paediatrics wards or emergency departments in NSW hospitals. The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association are calling on the NSW Government to provide similar ratios to those in Victoria, especially for rural and regional hospitals which do not have minimum patient ratios.
The NSW Ministry of Health currently uses a nursing hours per patient day (NHPPD) system to determine how many direct care hours a patient receives. The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association would like to see a ratio of one nurse to four patients on day shifts in medical and surgical wards, with a ratio of one to seven on a night shift, as exists in Queensland.
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