Nurses union blames budget cuts and red tape for record numbers of double shifts. Tasmanian nurses claim working a 17-hour shift to cover roster shortages is becoming increasingly common.
The Nursing and Midwifery Federation's spokeswoman Neroli Ellis said a record 288 so-called double shifts were worked at the Royal Hobart Hospital last month.
She estimated more than 500 17-hour shifts were worked across Tasmania in September, the highest number on record.
Research suggests working for 17 hours with minimal breaks equates to having a blood alcohol reading of 0.07.
Ms Ellis said overtired nurses are making mistakes.
"A nurse working a double shift will work a late shift - so starting at two o'clock in the afternoon, and then be required to work right through to eight o'clock the next morning with very few breaks in that period of time," she said.
"It's dangerous to be providing patient care with that sort of level of tiredness."
What we want the Government to do is make sure that we employ enough nurses to fill the rosters.
Neroli Ellis Nursing and Midwifery Association
She said the long hours led to hefty overtime bills which was a waste of taxpayers' money.
"There's 124 nurses in Tasmania looking for work, so we do know that there's nurses out there," she said.
"What we want the Government to do is make sure that we employ enough nurses to fill the rosters."
Ms Ellis said nurses have been pushing for changes to hiring paperwork processes to make them more efficient.
"We've raised for years now the HR system - it requires 17 signatures to put one nurse on in a permanent position, and that usually takes three months, and during that whole time the roster is vacant," Ms Ellis said.
Ms Ellis' comments come as the Treasurer Peter Gutwein urged nurses to agree to freeze their own pay for 18 months in the bid to protect frontline jobs from budget cuts.
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