2,400 Queensland nurses quit in one year citing unsafe staffing
More than 2,400 nurses left Queensland hospitals in 2024-25, the worst yearly loss in four years.
Queensland hospitals are losing nurses at an alarming rate. Data obtained through Right to Information showed 2,400 nurses departed in 2024-25 alone, with 10,824 leaving over the past five years.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls says the government has reduced overall attrition from 6.54 per cent under Labor to 5.42 per cent and hired 10,000 more staff. The Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union says unsafe conditions are driving people away.
A recent survey found 15.6 per cent of shifts in wards covered by legislated ratios fell below minimum staffing levels; on other wards, nearly 60 per cent of shifts did not meet the standard. The same survey found 84 per cent of respondents had recently experienced violence at work.
- 2,400
- Nurses departed 2024-25
- 10,824
- Five-year total departures
- 5.42 per cent
- Current attrition rate
- 84 per cent of respondents
- Workplace violence reported
Why it mattersHospital care quality and waiting times could suffer as fewer nurses per shift raise patient safety risks.
AustraliaQueensland public hospital patients may face longer waits and staffing shortages as the workforce crisis deepens.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 11 d ago
