Maitland Hospital is set to welcome 25 new nurses as part of a rollout to introduce Safe Staffing Levels (SSL) in emergency departments (EDs).
The Metford facility now joins John Hunter and Cessnock locally, along with Port Macquarie, Lismore, Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Tamworth, Gosford, Wagga Wagga, Orange, Tweed Valley, Dubbo, Griffith, Manning, South-East Regional, Shoalhaven, Macksville, Leeton, Young, Bathurst, Ballina, Grafton, Armidale, Moruya, Kempsey and Shellharbour, to embrace the initiative.
It involves rostering minimum staffing levels on every shift, which will result in more nurses employed in hospitals right across the state.
Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison was thrilled with the announcement.
“This is great news,” she said.
“I stood with the Minister for Health, Ryan Park, before the election and committed to the community that we would implement SSL at Maitland Hospital,” she said.
“[Today], we honour that promise with more than 25 new nurses to be employed here.
“This is on top of the increase, of 300, that we have already engaged in the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) since the Labor government was elected in 2023.
“In addition to new nursing staff, we have now rolled out a 24/7 Emergency Short Stay Unit to improve the experience of patients and reduce the pressure on the ED.
“Labor is delivering real investment in regional communities… after a decade of cuts, neglect and inaction by the former government.
“This is about building a hospital system that our community can rely on, not only in emergencies but every day.
“Maitland residents deserve nothing less.”
The Safe Staffing Levels Taskforce was established to oversee the government’s commitment of 2,480 FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) nurses over four years.
It includes key leaders from the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA), NSW Health and local health districts.
The staffing boost enables the rostering of a one-to-one nursing care ratio for generally-occupied ED resuscitation beds on all shifts; as well as one nurse to three generally-occupied ED treatment spaces and ED short-stay unit beds on all shifts.
Phase one of SSL started in the level five and six emergency departments, which treat the most critically-ill patients.
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