Maitland Hospital nurses will demand a firm commitment from Labor on legislated staff ratios when they meet with Shadow Health Minister Ryan Park on Wednesday.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Association branch delegate Kathy Chapman said Labor's commitment to include "safe staffing levels" in nurses' awards fell short of guaranteeing improved patient care and staff wellbeing.
"Our focus is on why aren't they talking about the 'ratio' word for wards," she said.
"The Labor party are currently using that word 'safe' staffing, and we've got that already, and everything's inefficient, unsafe.
"There's no clear commitment at all. They've said they're going to roll out safe staffing. What does that mean? What's the definition of that?
"It sounds like hollow words, to be honest."
Labor says it will include "minimum and enforceable" ratios of one nurse per three patients in emergency departments and one nurse per four patients on general wards in the Public Health System Nurses' and Midwives' (State) Award.
It has said it will then roll out minimum staffing levels in other wards and recruit 1200 nurses and midwives over four years in addition to the 10,000 positions the government included in its 2022-23 budget.
Mr Park told the Newcastle Herald on Tuesday that Labor's plan was the most financially responsible way to address staffing levels.
"We're the only party who's looking to change the rostering and staffing system in NSW hospitals," he said.
"We know that this is not everything, but we believe it's a very, very big start and an important step in changing the way our hospitals are staffed and resourced.
"We've made it clear this is what we can afford to do and believe can make a difference in our first term."
Labor has also vowed to pay $4000-a-year subsidies to 2000 health-care students a year if they promise to work in the system for five years.
"We believe it's a retention policy," Mr Park said.
"It gives people some hope and understanding that help is on the way."
He said legislating staffing ratios was "pretty blunt" and did not account for "challenges you may face", including another pandemic.
"We're not trying to wriggle, because we are going to be putting it in their award.
"We're not playing games; we just believe this is a better way to try and deal with what could be a changing environment over the next few years."
He said the Coalition government had focused on opening new buildings, but a Labor government would concentrate on staffing them adequately.
Maitland Hospital continues to rank poorly in official performance statistics, but Ms Chapman said staffing levels were an issue throughout the state.
"There's no way that those 10,000 could actually make a safe staff ratio across NSW," she said.
"If there's no guarantee they'll be placed in face-to-face nursing, then it's useless.
"It doesn't guarantee when those 10,000 are coming, what that 10,000 will look like, why they've decided 10,000 is what they need.
"Anyone can say numbers, can't they, without backing it up with a brief."
Ms Chapman said Labor's plan was ill defined and some members were contemplating voting for the Greens in the hope the minor party could force either side to adopt ratios in legislation.
She said hospital managers would be under budgetary pressure to limit nurse-to-patient levels unless legislation compelled them.
"The fact Labor are starting in ED with one-to-three without a plan is very concerning," she said.
"There is too much doubt and distrust in members' minds and they are split in their voting."
She said the pressures of the job were burning out staff.
"On the wards, one RN [registered nurse] might be looking after 10 or 12 patients with one AIN [assistant in nursing] who's not regulated and can't be accountable for things like medicine and keeping people alive.
"At the moment there seems to be more AINs being used for RN shortfalls. It's horrific.
"A couple of weeks ago, not this week, you might be running one or two nurses short so you've got to look after extra patients.
"We've had an incredible amount of overtime, so nurses are continually being asked to do extra shifts.
"We're only just starting to employ more staff now, which is good but is not going to fix the problem in the long run if we don't have the right sort of staff employed."
Ms Chapman said incentives to attract more workers were pointless unless conditions improved.
"I see that as them sending more people to the front line, easy fodder, just continually replacing nurses without fixing the real problem.
"What you want is to retain them, not just send them to the front line to slaughter."
The Coalition announced on Sunday that it would spend another $1.2 billion on health infrastructure if re-elected, on top of the $11.9 billion in the planning pipeline over the next four years.
On Tuesday, it announced a $102 million redevelopment of Scone hospital.
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