'We are surviving but we could break'; Nurse speaks out

These are the words of concerned local nurse and NSW Midwives and Nurses Association (NSWMNA) Wingecarribee Branch secretary, Jenny Archer.

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A nurse for more than 15 years, Jenny said nurses were walking into work anxious, unsure if they would contract COVID-19 and spread it to their families.

"We don't know what to expect, and we are really concerned," she said.

"There's a fear of having COVID-19, having time off because of COVID-19 and being asymptomatic, and that's across the board.

"I know part of the emergency department had to isolate. They're all coming back on board.

"We're trying to stay a clean hospital. I can't speak for the emergency department nurses, but I can only expect that they are feeling anxious and run off their feet."

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COVID isn't the only pressure nurses are dealing with, as patient comorbidities and care expectations have taken a toll on nurses.

"People are sicker," Jenny explains.

"They may come in with one medical issue, but there could be other issues such as diabetes, and you have to treat diabetes, the blood pressure and all the other things we have to look after and manage.

"It's hard to manage. It's about keeping the patients motivated so they can help themselves, turning them in bed to avoid bed sores and pressure areas, keeping up with their nutrition levels, making sure they are drinking, they are eating.

"It's hard and when you have eight patients to make sure that they are all eating and drinking and keeping everything in a timely manner, it can be quite challenging.

"It's heavy and it's hard. You have your good days and bad days. When you have a good day, you think this is why I'm in nursing."

As nurses across the country go on strike to demand better nurse-to-patient ratios, Jenny said she was worried about the future of nursing.

"Some people have already made alternative arrangements to get out of nursing," she said.

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"It emphasises the need to have nurses to patient ratios.

"For us to be effective the way they want us to be, we need more nurses.

"Hopefully, we can retain some of the nurses that we will probably lose because of the pandemic. We will lose some amazing talent and it would be sad to lose that. We're adaptable and resilient but we need to pass on that knowledge to the next generation.

"I feel sorry for the new graduates coming out, their heads must be spinning because no university can prepare them for this pandemic."

At the end of the day, Jenny believes that they have a good system, just that it's "crumbling a bit."

"It's up to the government on what they are going to do about it. I know it's not their only portfolio to think about or worry about but at the same time this is in the forefront, this is in their faces, right here, right now and it has been for the last few years," she said.

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"We are saying 'hey listen, to stop it crumbling and to make the system better, stop and listen to us'."

Bowral and District Hospital NSWNMA members will go strike from 7 am for eight and half hours.

NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said members had reached the end of their goodwill and were desperate for the government to listen to their pleas for nurse-to-patient ratios.

"Our members are calling for a commitment from the Premier that there will be enough nurses and midwives on every shift. Nurses and midwives have signalled how fed up they are with the NSW government for ignoring the need for nurse-to-patient ratios, similar to those already working successfully in Queensland and Victoria," said Mr Holmes.

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"The staffing crisis in health won't simply go away on its own. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the failings of our health system. What we're asking for is not unreasonable. Nurse-to-patient ratios do save lives and result in better patient outcomes.

"Late this afternoon (Monday February 14), the NSW Industrial Relations Commission issued dispute orders and directions against the NSWNMA.

"The NSWNMA Council supports the decision of our public sector branches to take industrial action statewide. The strike and rallies will go ahead, as we are unable to comply with the orders."

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