Factsheets

Nurses leaving due to lack of beds in hospitals

Dec 01 06:47am

Despite the extra billions of dollars in funding the Rudd government has provided for hospitals over the weekend, nurses know a lump sum won't change the daily stress in wards around the country.

In summary, the funding injection features:

HEALTH FUNDING DEAL

$64.4b over five years
$1.1b training doctors and nurses
$750m emergency departments
$450m preventative health

>> Massive hospital funding criticised by AMA

One nurse tells Sunrise the AMA is right to complain at the lack of beds.

"If they had announced new beds that would mean continuous funding."

"A lump sum generally will mean money for a mattress and the steel frame and there's no point in having a bed if there is no one to take care of you in a bed," says Karen, a Queensland nurse.

At Karen's own workplace, a hospital in Brisbane, she has witnessed staff quit their jobs in frustration at the lack of resources.

"There have been times when we've had no staff - due to high attrition - to look after beds. So we've closed beds."

"People in 'Bed management' then say to surgery, well, you can only do that if you reject nurses' requests for holidays - which causes nurses to leave when their conditions by management who are desperately trying to open beds."

Have you been effected by the hospital crisis? Tell us below...

Karen also tells Sunrise that the shortage in the wards starts at the registar level and the stress trickles down to nurses.

"We need more senior registrars to do the training of younger doctors. We have enough young doctors but they just don't know what they are doing yet!"

Related links

Sunrise Hospital SOS

Hospitals flatline

Blog: Hospitals a political casualty

More info

COAG funding addresses Indigenous issues: Henderson

Qld deserves a bit more from COAG: Bligh

COAG a 'missed opportunity', say Libs

2 Comments Report Abuse

1. meltz_chantelle - Dec 01 07:21am

The Australian Government cannot properly manage their own hospitals, yet Minister Debus is currently making a push to come to Norfolk Island and 'improve' our hospital facilities. What other self-governed territory has a Pathology department, maternity ward on site, an ultrasound machine etc?

2. mickomega - Dec 02 07:01am

It is becoming more apparent that everything in life, from thoughts to thunder will ultimately follow the path of least resistance. The health system is not immune from falling into a rut.

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