THE FORMER government has stood by its decision not to fund more than 1100 temporary nursing positions as the state moves into a different stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shadow health minister Matt Kean hit back at claims hospitals and health workers would be left high and dry, telling the Newcastle Herald it was now up to the new Labor government to extend the funding.
"The previous Coalition government invested in providing surge capacity to nurses to protect the health system and the people of NSW during COVID," he said.
"It's up to [NSW health minister] Ryan Park and the Labor government whether they'll cut those nurses, and he should explain to the public if he's going to do so."
It comes after it was revealed the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) would be the hardest hit when the funding for temporary full-time equivalent nurses runs out in June, 2024, losing 138.2 staff.
Mr Kean said those nurses were deployed in hospitals as the then-government invested in a 10,000-strong "health army" as part of its COVID-19 response.
It came at a time when suppressing the virus was still a focus, and vaccines were still being rolled out.
He said the Labor government could extend the surge capacity for nurses, as the state heads into a different phase of COVID-19.
Mr Park did not respond to questions from the Herald on Friday, but earlier said the previous government's decision not to fund the nurses beyond the next financial year was "shameful" and "despicable".
It is understood the Minns government is scrambling to find the money to keep the nurses on, and is in negotiations with NSW Health.
It has not been confirmed which HNELHD hospitals would be most affected by the axing, but Mr Park said earlier this week he was concerned regional areas would be disproportionately affected, with the district covering an area from Belmont to Moree.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NMA) said it was crucial the temporary nursing positions continued to be funded, with the ripple effects of the pandemic were still being felt.
"The system is still dealing with a record backlog in elective surgery and our emergency department performance indicators are still struggling," assistant general secretary Michael Whaites said. "Of course the surge workforce is still needed. It was naive of the previous government to think otherwise.
"These positions and more need to be fully funded if Labor is to deliver on their Safe Staffing Levels commitment. This should be seen as an investment into the health of NSW that will deliver savings in the long run."
A NSW Health spokesperson said it was committed to increasing its focus on recruitment to its permanent workforce to meet the increasing demand for healthcare.
The release of the numbers by location comes at a time healthcare workers are already at their wits' end with staffing shortages, taking industrial action and striking to call for better pay and staff-to-patient ratios.
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