Government acts on nurses reforms

The Palaszczuk Government is well on the way to implementing its plans to support and enhance the nursing profession in Queensland.

Health Minister Cameron Dick, speaking on International Nurses Day, said that the Labor Government had promised extra nurses and legislation to support nurse/patient ratios to repair the damage done under the previous LNP Government.

“Campbell Newman and Lawrence Springborg sacked 1,800 nurses, while we plan to put on 400 new nurse navigators and 4,000 graduate nurses and midwives over the next three years,” Mr Dick said.

“These additional nurse navigators will help rebuild patient safety in the system. They will address the immediate need of improving nursing capacity across the public health system in Queensland, with specific regard to improving patient safety and health system navigation.

“Queensland’s population is growing and ageing, and there’s patently going to be more demand for health services, not less. That’s why it is sickening that on International Nurses Day, we have Tony Abbott preparing to rip nearly $12 billion out of Queensland’s health system over the next decade.”

Mr Dick was speaking ahead of a visit with Greenslopes MP Joe Kelly, a registered nurse who worked as a nurse before his election in January, to a function to support International Nurses Day.

He said that another large part of the ALP’s commitment to nurses involved putting on 1,000 graduate nurses each year for the next four years.

“The system involves nurses after graduation working as graduate nurses for 12 months so they can gain qualification as a registered nurse, but under Lawrence Springborg and Campbell Newman, there was nowhere near enough places offered,” said Mr Dick.

“We are going to start offering placements in July and I am confident that this program will ensure graduates make the transition to clinical practice as confident and proficient professionals.”

Mr Kelly said that investing in the nursing profession through new graduates was crucial for providing high quality patient care into the future.

“As a practicing nurse I found it shocking that the former Health Minister chose to massively scale back graduate nursing positions. I’m glad that Minister Dick is reversing this and sending a positive message to all nursing students that they have a healthy future as part of a health workforce.”

ENDS

Media Contact: Andrew Fraser 0428 690 679