Wollongong and Shellharbour hospitals hiring more nurses
NSW government expands safe staffing rules, adding 45 nurses to Wollongong and 10 to Shellharbour to improve patient-to-nurse ratios.
Wollongong and Shellharbour hospitals will hire more nurses. The NSW government is rolling out safe staffing levels across medical, surgical and palliative wards.
Wollongong gets 45 new full-time equivalent nurses and Shellharbour gets 10. The new staffing levels mean at least one nurse per four patients during day shifts and one per seven overnight.
Sarah Morton, a Wollongong nurse and union delegate, said the update was long overdue. The union campaigned for years for safer staffing levels.
Recruitment and training will take time as new staff tend to be more junior. But once staffing stabilises, Morton said nurses can finally provide the care they trained to give.
Health Minister Ryan Park called the reforms crucial for faster and safer patient care.
- 45 full-time equivalent
- New nurses at Wollongong
- 10 full-time equivalent
- New nurses at Shellharbour
- One nurse per four patients
- Day shift ratio
- One nurse per seven patients
- Overnight ratio
Why it mattersBetter nurse-to-patient ratios mean more individualised care and less exhausted staff, which directly improves patient safety and hospital outcomes.
AustraliaIllawarra patients will see more direct nursing attention on wards, and local nurses may face more manageable workloads, which can help retain experienced staff in regional hospitals.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 4 h ago
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