QUEENSLAND nurses are calling on the government to mandate staff to patient ratios, saying job cuts in the sector since the Liberal National Party came into power are putting lives at risk.
THE Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) is launching a series of 30-second ads explaining how the cuts have increased the likelihood of patient deaths in the public system and punished the nurses and midwives who remain.
QNU secretary Beth Mohle says the Newman government has slashed almost 5000 jobs in Queensland Health since the 2012 election, with 1800 of those coming from the nursing and midwifery sector. “The ads are highlighting the fact we need to have mandated nurse to patient ratios to ensure that we have safe quality nursing and midwifery,” Ms Mohle told AAP. “The nurses featured on the ads say they have never seen staff morale so low, and they’re really concerned about the level of patient care that they can deliver because those who are left behind are having to do more with less.” Ms Mohle said she had serious concerns about the effect of the job cuts on patient safety, saying there are figures that show each extra patient added to a nurse’s workload increases the patient mortality rate by seven per cent. The QNU has called on all parties to support legislation for the mandated staff ratios.