Coffs Harbour mental health nurses injured
Date Updated:
Nurses injured as a result of shortages
Nurses at the Coffs Harbour Mental Health Unit are being “pushed to the edge” with five injured in the past two weeks as a result of severe staff shortages, according to the nurses union.
New South Wales Nurses’ Association general secretary Brett Holmes said nurses have been working overtime and double shifts due to a staff shortage equivalent to six full-time nurses in the 30-bed acute mental health unit.
Mr Holmes said nurses will start closing six beds as they become vacant, including two high dependency beds and four acute/sub-acute beds, in a bid to reduce the nurse to patient ratio to an acceptable level.
“The fact is the current workloads are excessive and unsafe and until the vacancies are filled bed numbers need to be better aligned with staff numbers,” he said.
“There have been five injuries to nurses in the last two weeks. Our nurses have really been pushed to the edge on this one.
“The nurses cannot keep up the current level of overtime and double shifts. They are burning out and many are considering leaving, which would make the vacancy situation worse.
“The safest thing to do, for all concerned, is to take this action while recruitment efforts are beefed up.”
Mr Holmes said Coffs Harbour nurses are calling for the unit to have eight nurses on the morning and afternoon shifts and four on the night shift, up from its current roster of seven on the morning and afternoon shifts and four on the night shift.
Nurses are demanding the current staffing plus a supernumerary nurse unit manager on the morning and evening shifts, he said.
Mr Holmes said the current roster was being filled with excessive overtime and the use of the nurse unit manager in a clinical role.
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