As a nurse, providing care to patients can be both rewarding and challenging.
One of the biggest challenges nurses face every day is the workload, often exacerbated by inadequate staff ratios.
This puts a heavier burden on hardworking nurses, taking a toll on their personal health and well-being, often leading to burnout. At NPAQ our job is to support our nurse members and fight for them on issues like this. So that nurses can feel safe and continue providing excellent care to patients.
This case is from one of our nurse members, who had serious concerns about ratios in her aged care facility. As well as concerns relating to possible underpayments. So she reached out to NPAQ for support. One of our senior case managers was assigned to investigate and helped her lodge a report with the relevant safety commission. They then drafted correspondence to escalate this issue with her employer highlighting the issues, and requesting a resolution whilst preparing to start an industrial dispute.
These efforts paid off.
The safety commission responded and advised they would be conducting an audit of the facility. The employer took her concerns seriously and decided to take action. Additional staff were employed to ensure safe and appropriate ratio staffing, and the employer committed to reviewing their processes and procedures to prevent similar issues in the future.
Although the nurse had the option to pursue an underpayment claim, she decided not to at this stage, as the additional staff and commitment from the employer to address the issues was a positive resolution.
This is a testament to the power of NPAQ. With our assistance members can achieve positive outcomes in their workplaces, and continue to provide the best possible care to their patients.
Why is the NPAQ different? We believe that real change in healthcare STARTS with empowering frontline nurses, not bureaucrats.
If you are a member of NPAQ suffering from insufficient staff ratios or suspect you are being underpaid please submit a member support ticket on your dashboard, or contact us on 1300 263 374 - hotline@npaq.com.au.
To find out more about NPAQ and become protected today visit: https://npaq.redunion.com.au/join