The Nurses and Midwives Association threatened the shut down would stay in place until all nursing vacancies were filled as it announced the "decisive" action yesterday. Members of the association at the hospital had late last week voted to close the beds and ban unreasonable overtime.
The nurses said the six beds - which make up the hospital's Emergency Medical Unit (EMU) and are part of a total complement of 20 in the emergency department (ED) - would be out of action until new staff were recruited to all nursing vacancies and actively working in the ED, or the spots were covered by agency nurses.
The association reported there were nearly nine full-time-equivalent (FTE) nursing vacancies in the ED, which included three on maternity leave it claimed had not been replaced.
Association general secretary Brett Holmes said there were just 32.21 FTE positions trying to do the work of 41.05 FTE.
He said the level of vacancies was completely unacceptable, especially in a key regional ED and accused the health district of irresponsible cost-cutting.
"The Western NSW Local Health District says it has to find $19.5 million in savings, (because) that is apparently what it overspent last financial year," he said.
"That is also unacceptable.
"It is an overemphasis on budgets over patient care and safety."
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