24 January 2022
New nursing graduates at Port Augusta Hospital are being left in charge of wards, including a dedicated COVID ward, in a clear breach of their award.
New staff are feeling overwhelmed with minimal support, as COVID continues to heavily impact the hospital – a facility which has lost staggering 34 staff to resignation in the last six months, further exacerbating demand on an already overstretched workforce.
“We warned back in October about the dangers of young graduates being thrown into the deep end,’’ said ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM.
“Back in October we said the State Government’s plan to give jobs to 1,200 graduating nurses – up from about 600 in previous years – was welcome but was not the answer to COVID. “We lobbied for those extra numbers, we were very pleased that the Government listened and agreed to employ all graduating nurses.
“But we warned that those graduating nurses and midwives are novices. They need to be properly supported to become the future workforce. We did not want to see them become cannon fodder in an opening up of the borders.
“And that is exactly what has happened at Port Augusta Hospital, with disastrous results for staff morale.’’
A graduate nurse, known as Transition to Professional Practice Programme Nurses (TPPPNs), was rostered as the only nurse in the Acacia Ward at the Port Augusta Hospital. The Acacia Ward is a closed environment, with no line of site from other wards and we understand that it is currently the dedicated COVID ward, with COVID positive patients who have the potential to deteriorate.
Secondly, at times TPPPNs have been required to act as Team Leaders on the Banksia Ward, with only a second TPPN as their back-up.
This staffing practice is highly undesirable; it is not safe for patients and puts the graduate nurses in a working environment without adequate support and supervision that is needed for all new graduates. It is also a breach of the hospital’s obligations under the NMEA 2020, which states:
Graduate nurses/midwives are to be included in the RN/M ratio but are not, unless otherwise agreed between the parties, to be rostered as the only registered nurse/midwife in a health unit site or patient care area in the first 6 months of employment.
“The practice of TPPNs being left solo or in the role of Team Leader with only another TPPPN needs to cease immediately due to the serious nature and potential safety impact to the nurses and patients on the ward,’’ Ms Dabars said.
Should this practice not cease, the ANMF (SA Branch) reserves its right to commence legal proceedings against the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network, which operates the Port Augusta Hospital, without further notice.
The issues of the new graduates have been raised with the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network on multiple occasions. Last Thursday afternoon the same issue occurred: New graduates in charge of a ward.
To add further concern a solo nurse was left to look after COVID positive patients overnight in full PPE without a break or back-up.
The COVID ward is completely isolated from line of site to any other workers, with solid doors closed and persons warned to not enter.
If the solo staff member collapsed whilst being in full PPE for the extended time or if there was a violent incident on the ward no other staff would be aware.
This issue of the COVID ward has been escalated to the WHS regulator, SafeWork SA.