Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Leader, 5 March 2024
Fixing the Nurse Shortage
On behalf of the Greens I’m proud to today launch our plan to fix the terrible shortage of nurses and midwives in Tasmania.
After a decade of the Liberals, Tasmania’s health system is a mess. People are waiting hours for an ambulance or hospital bed, and waiting years for much-needed surgery. Staff are under ever-more intense strain, and they’re suffering the consequences.
Every few years we’ve seen Liberal politicians make big health promises come election time, but they’ve only delivered worse and worse outcomes for our community. Something needs to change.
While the Liberals have completely failed on health, Labor have released some encouraging policies this election campaign. This is good news, and shows that positive change for our health system is possible. With the Greens in balance of power we will fight to make sure Labor goes further, and invests properly in the action that’s really needed for a better health system.
Our plan would expand the nursing workforce at each of Tasmania’s major hospitals. We would support much-needed positions in key roles like ED nurse navigators, discharge nurses, unit managers, psychiatric care, and clinical support. These roles are critical to improving individual patient care, and to making sure hospitals function better by reducing ambulance ramping and improving patient flow.
Our plan to employ 120 new nurses each year would take a big investment – but that’s what the current crisis demands. Tasmanian governments can’t keep tinkering around the edges of the health system and expect things to improve. We are confident this is a far better use of taxpayers’ money than, for example, handing out $30 million to the racing industry each year.
Investing in the nurses Tasmania needs is a major budget commitment, but if we want a safe and reliable health system there’s no question this must be the priority for any good government. By finally making big corporations pay their fair share, we can invest in attracting and keeping critical staff, fund more nurse positions, and deliver real improvements in health.
With a new government and the Greens in balance of power, we’ll fight to make sure Tasmania’s health system is finally given the support it needs.
Read our policy here
LGH workforce to expand under Greens plan
Forty nurses and midwives would be recruited to the Launceston General Hospital each year until 2030, under a plan to invest in repairing the health system launched by the Greens today.
Quotes attributable to Greens candidate for Bass, Cecily Rosol:
“I’ve seen firsthand as a nurse in the LGH the distress staff are in because their workloads are unmanageable. This is a direct result of decades of underinvestment in recruiting and retaining staff.
“We’re as close as we’ve ever been to a tipping point beyond which our healthcare system cannot recover, and it’s clearly time to change that.
“Short-term thinking on healthcare is a political choice, and one that has been made repetitively by the Liberals.
“We don’t shy away from the fact that our plan to invest in 40 new nurses and midwives to the LGH each year until 2030 is going to take a big investment, but that’s what the current crisis demands.
“Our plan would address staff shortages by paying off staff university debt, improving leave entitlements, and providing government housing. It would grow the overall pool of nurses working at our hospital, and create important new roles such as nurse navigators in the emergency department to help with patient flow.
“We don’t need a billion-dollar stadium in Hobart, we need to fix the health crisis – starting with fixing the nursing shortage and improving support for the nursing and midwifery workforce here in Launceston.”
North West Regional Hospital to recruit and retain more nurses and midwives under Greens plan
Thirty nurses and midwives would be recruited to the North West Regional Hospital each year until 2030, as part of the Greens plan to invest in repairing the health system.
Quotes attributable to Greens candidate for Braddon, Dr Darren Briggs:
“My past experience working in emergency departments in north west Tasmania over the decade prior to 2022 has shown me how our health system is struggling. Sadly this has not improved and is actually going backwards, and patients and staff are suffering as a consequence.
“The Greens plan to recruit and retain 30 nurses and midwives to the North West Regional Hospital each year until 2030 requires a big investment, but this is precisely what is needed to match the severity of the health crisis in the region. It’s also a much better use of taxpayers money than a billion-dollar stadium in Hobart.
“By investing in important new roles at the NWRH such as ED nurse navigators, discharge nurses, unit managers, psychiatric care, and clinical support the Greens plan will improve individual patient care and make sure the hospital functions better by reducing ambulance ramping and improving patient flow.”
Dishonesty Won’t Eliminate Ramping
Dishonesty from Liberal politicians won’t end ambulance ramping in Tasmania.
Health Minister Guy Barnett today said “there will be no ramping under our government.” This is simply not true, and shows the Minister has stooped to a deeply dishonest hoax to try and win votes.
The reaction to this statement from most Tasmanians will be – are you kidding? And fair enough, given the Liberals have overseen a crisis where ambulance ramping today is five times more common than in 2016.
The Liberals’ plan to limit ambulance ramping to 30 minutes will not end ramping. Their government’s own long-held definition is that ambulance ramping occurs when a patient gets to hospital with a paramedic, and is forced to remain in their care for more than 15 minutes.
More than 21,000 Tasmanians had to experience ambulance ramping last year, and the Liberals’ plan will do nothing to reduce that number. We know from a recent Victorian study that being ramped for 17 minutes or longer leads to an increased risk of harm or death.
Rather than spreading mistruths and misinformation, the Minister would better serve Tasmanians by focussing on real solutions in staffing, hospital infrastructure, discharge planning, and preventative health.
Unfortunately he won’t even do the bare minimum that’s recommended by experts to address the worsening crisis in our ambulance services and hospitals – as shown by his inadequate announcement for extra paramedic numbers today.
