NURSE-TO-PATIENT RATIOS
581. Ms L.L. BAKER to the Minister for Health:
Before
I ask my question, the member for Swan Hills has asked me to welcome the
student leaders from Arbor Grove Primary School.
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
investment in our health system and the significant increases in the number of nurses in our hospitals. Can the
minister update the house on our government's historic and
unprecedented offer to introduce nurse-to-patient ratios and
midwife-to-patient ratios in WA public hospitals?
Ms A.
SANDERSON replied:
As outlined in the previous answer,
we are currently bargaining with the Australian Nursing Federation. For the
last 20 years, the ANF has been campaigning around nurse-to-patient ratios. We
previously had nursing hours per patient day, which was introduced some time
ago. That has been a good mechanism, but over time it has worn thin and reform
around how we staff our hospitals is required. We have listened to our midwives
and nurses, and have come to the table with
an offer to implement ratios. When we look at where that has been done in other
state's health systems—namely, Victoria and Queensland—we
see that it has taken two to three years to implement the ratio reform, because
it is significant. The Western Australian health system is like no other health
system in the world. We provide care in regional and remote vulnerable
communities as well as the metropolitan area, so we have to make sure that any
policy and any system will work best for patients. My priority is patient care
and the patients in our system.
The
new offer also includes the revised wages policy, which includes a $3 000
cost-of-living payment. For a first-year nurse, that wage offer equates
to a nine per cent pay rise over two years. We acknowledge the hard work of our
nurses and midwives, the challenges faced by COVID, the changing of policy and
sometimes the tough conditions, particularly
around wearing PPE. That is why we are working and negotiating with them with a
good wages offer to improve their
working conditions. We want to make sure that we put in place targets that
care. We are also recruiting. There has been a 12 per cent increase in
the nursing workforce in just over 12 months. The claims that no-one will come
and work in the Western Australian health system are just not true. We have had
a 12 per cent increase in an already large
workforce. This agreement will cover 18 500 employees. Again, there has been a 12
per cent increase. No other area of the public sector is growing like
the health sector. We are absolutely committed to that and to ensuring that we
have the best possible working conditions and health system for our nurses to
practice in.
Unfortunately, the offer was
rejected by the ANF without it putting it to its members. Despite the fact that
the ANF has made numerous comments through the media, including that the pay
demand of 10 per cent was ''maybe not realistic, but it is a starting
point'', the ANF has also clearly stated that it would like a working
party to get together to sort out how ratios would look, and that is exactly
what we have offered. The ANF has also stated that it does not need a fully
formed policy, but a principle and then it can work with it. That is exactly
what we have delivered. What I say to the ANF and to nurses in Western Australia
is that we are genuine in our offer in seeking to improve their working
conditions. Come back to the table and let us get that $3 000 in their pocket
before Christmas.