Amendments to the Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient Ratios) Act will ensure nurses and midwives can devote more time to each patient – delivering better, safer care.
There will be more nurses and midwives in medical and surgical wards, birthing suites, postnatal wards, special care nurseries, geriatric evaluation management wards, larger EDs with short stay observation areas. Staffing will also be improved in residential aged care and rehabilitation wards.
Smaller regional hospitals will also get additional After Hours Coordinators where specified, acknowledging the increasing complexity of coordinating mixed services in these hospitals.
“Nurses and midwives are there for us when we need them the most – that’s why we’re there for them. These changes will help them devote more time to each patient and deliver high quality care in a safer environment,” said Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos.