TAMWORTH hospital is in line for a chunk of $40 million worth of funding to boost services following the increase in demand since the redevelopment.
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The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) said increased funding was welcome but staffing ratios was still a pressing issue in Tamworth and the state.
The $40 million investment is part of the overall figure of $375 million being allocated to “increase hospital activity” including the capacity for added emergency attendances, hospital admissions and elective surgeries.
Hospitals with recent and ongoing redevelopments, including Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Campbelltown, Byron Bay, South East Regional in Bega and Tamworth, have been flagged to share in the $40 million allocation to “increase service capacity”.
NSWNMA general secretary Brett Holmes said previous experiences had shown an increase in demand following hospital redevelopments.
“The forecasters don’t seem to notice,” Mr Holmes said.
“It was experienced in Tamworth and in Orange the demand increased when the new facility was opened.”
While the funding was seen as a “welcome inclusion”, Mr Holmes said it was unclear how the $40 million would be divvied up between the six locations.
“There is $40 million allocated but we don’t know how that will be broken up and how much Tamworth will get,” he said.
Mr Holmes said the government was “now just catching up on the need for more staff”.
With emergency department attendances growing across the state, Mr Holmes said the NSWNMA would call on the government to implement nurse to patient ratios to meet demand.
Mr Holmes said nurse-to-patient ratios should be at one-to-three in emergency departments and paediatric wards and at one-to-two, or higher, in critical care units.
“They’re putting funding into capital and everyone likes to see a new building, but a new building without staff is nothing,” he said.
The NSW 2016/17 budget also allocated $120 million to fund an additional 900 nurses, doctors, allied health and hospital support staff across the state.
Sixty-five new specialist nursing roles and 30 clinical support staff were also funded to the tune of $9.8 million in the budget.
Mr Holmes said the Hunter New England local health district would see two nurse practitioners, one clinical nurse educator and six clinical support officers out of the funding.
