Nurses across Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) celebrated International Nurses Day (IND) on Monday 12 May.
Director Nursing & Midwifery Karen Cairney said MLHD recognises the valuable contribution nurses make in local communities, where nurses and midwives make up 84 per cent of the LHD workforce. “In the past two and a half years, MLHD has bolstered the number of nurses and dramatically decreased the number of nursing and midwifery vacancies from 210 to about 45,” Ms Cairney said, “This has been achieved through a number of strategies including: increasing the number of new graduate nurses offered positions.”
The NSW Nursing and Midwifery Office sponsored scholarships for enrolled nurses, focussing on recruitment drives, and increasing the number of clinical placements offered to undergraduate nursing students to promote MLHD as an employer of choice.
“Local hospitals held activities to celebrate IND and the contribution nurses make to the delivery of care to patients in our communities,” Ms Cairney said. Celebrations will culminate with MLHD’s inaugural Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards on 16 May from 1.30pm.
The awards will be held by video-conference link-up between Corowa, Narrandera, Griffith, Hillston, Tumut, Wagga Wagga and Young to allow as many nurses and midwives as possible to be involved.
NSW Chief Nursing Officer Susan Pearce has accepted an invitation to attend the awards by video-conference. Ms. Cairney said: “Every day, nurses and midwives make a real difference to patients’ lives and IND is a chance to say thank you to our nurses. Nursing is challenging and demanding but also highly rewarding, no two days are ever the same and it is a privilege to work with those who are the recipients of care,” she said. The 2014 theme for IND is Nurses: A Force for Change – A vital resource for health.
Member For Burrinjuck Honours Nurses
The Nationals Member for Burrinjuck, Katrina Hodgkinson today thanked local nurses and midwives for their commitment, compassion and professionalism when caring for patients in the NSW public health system.
Katrina said International Nurses Day is a time to reflect on the round-the-clock care and support nurses give to more than 1.5 million patients in NSW public hospitals, at home or in the community.
“Today I’d like to thank the hard working nurses at hospitals across the Murrumbidgee Local Health District,” Katrina said. “The care and commitment nurses bring to their work provides not only medical care and expertise but much-needed support and companionship to patients.
“Nurses provide an invaluable service for our local community. I am proud the NSW Liberal & Nationals Government has boosted the number of nurses working in our Local Health District by 265 since being elected.
Across the state, 4100 more nurses and midwives (2,800 full-time equivalent) have been recruited to the workforce since the last election, surpassing the pre-election commitment of 2,475 additional nurses over four years. Every Local Health District has seen additional nurses recruited.
“The NSW Liberal & Nationals Government supports the fantastic work of our local nurses, which is why we have recruited more nurses and midwives to our region,” Katrina said.
“We have also empowered and encouraged our nurses to come up with their own ideas for better models of care and treatment for patients.
“Our encouragement and support of local decision making has transformed our hospitals resulting in enhanced care for patients and better staff morale.†Some of these locally-driven innovations were recently celebrated at the Essentials of Care Showcase in Sydney, where leading examples in how to treat patients were highlighted.
More information on the Essentials of Care Program can be found at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing/projects/Pages/eoc.aspx
