Queensland’s peak professional body, the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU), is calling for a coordinated and consistent national workforce plan to deal with critical staff shortages throughout the state and nation-wide.
QNMU Acting Secretary Kate Veach said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath this morning announced a recruitment initiative to attract nurses and midwives to Queensland.
Ms Veach said as part of the state government recruitment initiative, interstate and international workers who moved to Queensland would receive an initial payment of $10,000 and a further $10,000 after 12 months continuous service.
She said while the QNMU welcomed ideas to increase nurse and midwife numbers, localised incentives were just one important piece in a national puzzle to recruit skilled nurses and midwives where they were needed throughout the nation.
“While we welcome incentives to boost nurse and midwife numbers in Queensland, unfortunately there is no silver bullet to deal with staff shortages not only in regions like North Queensland, but throughout Queensland and Australia,” Ms Veach said.
“The QNMU believes all state and territory governments must work with the federal government to develop and implement a coordinated and consistent workforce plan to recruit and retain health workers, paying particular attention to rural and remote regions such as North Queensland.”
Ms Veach, who will attend the Cairns Parliamentary sitting with QNMU members tomorrow, said understaffing and associated dangerous workloads were causing burn out for nurses and midwives everywhere.
She said North Queensland nurses and midwives raised serious concerns about the wellbeing of far north residents struggling to access care due to understaffing and a growing inability to access or afford GP appointments.
QNMU North Queensland members also reported concerns for colleagues experiencing exhaustion and fatigue due to increased demand, under staffing and associated dangerous workloads.
“There are widespread nursing, midwifery and health worker shortages across hospital and health services in North Queensland and elsewhere in Queensland,” Ms Veach said.
“These ongoing shortages are also occurring nationally. Understaffing creates dangerous workloads and issues attracting and retaining appropriate staff. This issue spans public and private hospitals as well as aged care and remote and rural health services.
“To address understaffing and demand for care, a national plan must be put in place to ensure safe workloads and the provision of quality care in all Australian communities.”
Ms Veach and local nurses and midwives would meet with Members of Parliament (MP) tomorrow to discuss the need for urgent workforce planning.
She said issues of importance in North Queensland included increased pressure on public hospitals and health services, understaffing, dangerous workloads, staff recruitment and retention and unnecessary barriers preventing First Nations nurses, midwives and future nurses and midwives from working and studying where they live.
“Nurses and midwives must be encouraged and supported to provide quality care in their communities,” Ms Veach said.
“The state government’s existing Remote Area Nursing Incentive Package (RANIP), which has been in place for some time, could be better promoted to help incentivise and recruit suitably qualified and experienced Queensland nurses and midwives to remote area positions.
“There is also opportunity for the government to implement new models of care across the region and throughout the state to increase the authority and delegation of nurses and midwives to provide care where and when it’s needed.”
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