One full-time registered nurse is responsible for the 20 patients a day that present at Muswellbrook hospital's emergency department as well as caring for the sick in the special care unit.
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According to the hospital’s nurses this staffing level is not good enough and this week the majority voted unanimously to support a community campaign to have the situation rectified.
NSW Nurses Association organiser Michael Whaites said the members wanted one extra full-time registered nurse to help cover the increasing workload in the two units.
However, Hunter New England Health say staff are always made available to meet patient needs across the two departments.
“Additional nurses have been rostered on in the emergency department and special care unit since the beginning of this year under agreed arrangements with the union,” Hunter New England Health’s Upper Hunter cluster general manager Debbie Jaggers said in a statement to the Chronicle yesterday.
“Where necessary, further additional staff can be called in to meet demand.”
Mr Whaites said Muswellbrook nurses have had concerns about staffing levels for some time and now wanted a permanent solution to the problem.
The public campaign will start in the coming days and the Muswellbrook nurses are calling on the community to support their push for an extra nurse.
Mr Whaites said the members wanted the additional nurse to ensure around-the-clock care.
“Members believe in order to provide the safest patient care at the level that the Muswellbrook and local community deserve that an additional nurse is required 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Mr Whaites said.
“Nurses want to deliver the best care possible and at the moment they can’t do that.”
Mr Whaites also said management meetings at the hospital had failed to resolve the issue.
“Attempts have been made to work with local management, but to date the solutions and things they have put in place have fallen short,” Mr Whaites said.
One solution put forward included making staff from the ward available to help staff both departments.
“Due to work loads on the ward this hasn’t been able to happen,” Mr Whaites said.
Hunter New England said they would continue to work with staff to resolve any issues.
“Hunter New England Health is currently considering options to further enhance staffing if required and we will continue to work with our staff to address any concerns,” Dr Jaggers said.
Muswellbrook hospital's emergency department patient record:
* 2012 emergency attendances: 1994 (up 5% on same period in 2011)
Average of 660 patients a month or 20 patients a day
* Emergency attendances by triage:
Potentially life threatening - 501 patients (up 15% on same period in 2011)
Less urgent - 367 patients (down 3% on same
period in 2011)
* Presentation to treatment time:
Potentially life threatening - 3 minutes
Less urgent - 20 minutes
* Figures from the Bureau of Health Information
performance profile for Muswellbrook District Hospital, January to March 2012.
