Friday 9th October, 2015
by ANMF Victorian Branch
Victoria last night became a world leader in patient safety when the ‘Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient Ratios) Bill 2015’ was passed through the state parliament’s Upper House.
The only other state in the world to have legislated safe nurse/midwife: patient ratios is California, which enacted their ratios in 2004, and Queensland’s Palaszczuk Government will be introducing a similar ratios legislation in the next year.
The legislation passed unopposed through its third reading in the Legislative Council, following some fairly robust debate between Labor’s Jenny Mikakos and the Liberal Party’s Mary Wooldrige and Craig Ondarchie.
Ms Mikakos told the House that the Bill was designed to future proof the Victorian health system from the Liberal Party, specifically former Health Minister David Davis.
The passed legislation protects, in law, a range of nurse and midwife patient ratios across public hospitals and aged care facilities in Victoria covered by the public sector enterprise bargaining agreement.
Based on scientific research, the law outlines the minimum number of nurses and midwives needed in most public hospital wards and departments level of care required by patients and the time of the day.
For example, an emergency department at a large metropolitan hospital would have the following ratios on its morning and afternoon shifts: One nurse to every three patients (1:3), one in-charge nurse and two triage nurses.
The ratios set out in the legislation are the same as the ratios in the '2012-2016 Public Sector Enterprise Bargaining Agreement'.
Now that legislation is in place, we can begin working on improving ratios to ensure Victoria's patients continue to receive world class care.
Victorian nurses and midwives from across the state witnessed the historic decision in the public gallery, alongside ANMF Vic Branch Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick.
Prior to the introduction of ratios in 2000, approximately 20,000 Victorian registered nurses and midwives had chosen to leave the profession and Ms Fitzpatrick said the ratios success was a victory 15 years in the making.
‘Since 2000, every four years the Federation has needed to stand up for patient safety by renegotiating ratios into the public sector EBA,’ Ms Fitzpatrick said.
‘With Premier Daniel Andrews passing nurse/midwife: patient ratios in law, forever, the public can be assured the level of care they’ll receive in Victorian public hospitals will be of the highest standard.
'Victorian patients will no longer need to worry about potential understaffing when they present at one of our public hospitals and nurses and midwives can focus on giving safer care.'
As the legislation directly affects the current public sector EBA, the legislation must be accepted by ANMF members through a postal vote conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission. It is expected this step will be completed before the end of the year.
We encourage all nurses and midwives in the public sector to vote ‘yes’ for the current 2012-2016 EBA to be varied to include the legislation.
by ANMF Victorian Branch
Victoria last night became a world leader in patient safety when the ‘Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient Ratios) Bill 2015’ was passed through the state parliament’s Upper House.
The only other state in the world to have legislated safe nurse/midwife: patient ratios is California, which enacted their ratios in 2004, and Queensland’s Palaszczuk Government will be introducing a similar ratios legislation in the next year.
The legislation passed unopposed through its third reading in the Legislative Council, following some fairly robust debate between Labor’s Jenny Mikakos and the Liberal Party’s Mary Wooldrige and Craig Ondarchie.
Ms Mikakos told the House that the Bill was designed to future proof the Victorian health system from the Liberal Party, specifically former Health Minister David Davis.
The passed legislation protects, in law, a range of nurse and midwife patient ratios across public hospitals and aged care facilities in Victoria covered by the public sector enterprise bargaining agreement.
Based on scientific research, the law outlines the minimum number of nurses and midwives needed in most public hospital wards and departments level of care required by patients and the time of the day.
For example, an emergency department at a large metropolitan hospital would have the following ratios on its morning and afternoon shifts: One nurse to every three patients (1:3), one in-charge nurse and two triage nurses.
The ratios set out in the legislation are the same as the ratios in the '2012-2016 Public Sector Enterprise Bargaining Agreement'.
Now that legislation is in place, we can begin working on improving ratios to ensure Victoria's patients continue to receive world class care.
Victorian nurses and midwives from across the state witnessed the historic decision in the public gallery, alongside ANMF Vic Branch Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick.
Prior to the introduction of ratios in 2000, approximately 20,000 Victorian registered nurses and midwives had chosen to leave the profession and Ms Fitzpatrick said the ratios success was a victory 15 years in the making.
‘Since 2000, every four years the Federation has needed to stand up for patient safety by renegotiating ratios into the public sector EBA,’ Ms Fitzpatrick said.
‘With Premier Daniel Andrews passing nurse/midwife: patient ratios in law, forever, the public can be assured the level of care they’ll receive in Victorian public hospitals will be of the highest standard.
'Victorian patients will no longer need to worry about potential understaffing when they present at one of our public hospitals and nurses and midwives can focus on giving safer care.'
As the legislation directly affects the current public sector EBA, the legislation must be accepted by ANMF members through a postal vote conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission. It is expected this step will be completed before the end of the year.
We encourage all nurses and midwives in the public sector to vote ‘yes’ for the current 2012-2016 EBA to be varied to include the legislation.
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