A shortage of up to 80 nurses and midwives in Albury Wodonga Health is worsening already unsafe nurse-to-patient numbers, says Albury union branch president.
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Albury nurses will walk off the job on Wednesday as part of a 24-hour statewide strike over ratios and poor work conditions in the fourth major protest for the health workforce this year.
Albury Nurses and Midwives Association [NMA] president Geoff Hudson said the branch voted 98 per cent in favour to strike, the highest response of the year's four actions.
"We are hurting more than ever," Mr Hudson said.
"We are about 80 nurses short at Albury Wodonga Health, the majority of which are short at the Albury campus.
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"We are crying out for the government to give us the resources that we need to care for the community. We just seem to be sliding further and further behind," he said.
NSW NMA members are calling for staffing ratios of 1:3 in emergency departments, pediatrics and post-natal maternity wards, and ratios of 1:4 elsewhere in hospitals.
Since the last strike in September NSW Labor announced its safe staffing election policy, which includes the introduction of shift by shift staffing levels in most wards and units.
Nurse-to-patient and midwife-to-patient ratios are presently legislated in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.
Mr Hudson said the state government had failed to meaningfully engage over months of protracted talks.
"The fight for ratios has been going on for more than a decade in NSW," Mr Hudson said.
"You have to wonder what they are even doing in government if they are not trying to improve the lives of the community."
Nurses, midwives, allied and community health staff and their supporters will rally in front of Albury Base Hospital from 10 a.m.
Information spots will be set up in in the afternoon for striking workers to hand out flyers, answer questions and meet the community.
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