![With hospitals busier than ever, nurses say they missed out in state budget With hospitals busier than ever, nurses say they missed out in state budget](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/HcD9H4nNcktxiWcmkEEpQD/64f3ef22-0100-4542-a4d3-5ba92d9cd614.jpg/r0_474_5472_3563_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Nurses and midwives say they are disappointed by a lack of funds to improve staffing levels at all hospitals and boost their pay in Labor's second state budget.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) has labelled the 2024-25 budget "a missed opportunity", saying the government had allocated only a fraction of its health spending towards public sector wages and boosting nursing and midwifery numbers in hospitals and health facilities.
The union, which is in negotiations with the government over its claim for a 15 per cent one-year pay increase, also said nurses urgently need a pay rise to stem the number leaving the state for better conditions.
But Health Minister Ryan Park said the government was not ready to do a deal with them just yet.
"We're continuing to have those negotiations with our nurses and midwives, that is something that we are prioritising," he said, speaking after the budget was handed down on Tuesday.
"I received an update as as recently as yesterday about how ... they were going."
"We're not ready to do a deal with them yet, but we know it's a big issue."
Mr Park also highlighted that the budget included money to begin implementing the government's safe staffing model, which nurses campaigned for during last year's election.
But NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish said it was disappointing no additional funding was earmarked in this year's budget for further implementation of the historic Safe Staffing Levels policy.
"While the government has invested in the initial introduction of nurse-to-patient ratios in emergency departments, the current funding won't cover all wards and units in all public hospitals," she said.
"It is crucial that all hospitals across NSW receive staffing enhancements to help relieve the pressures on our stretched workforce and to improve outcomes for all patients coming through the doors."
She welcomed the government's investments in accommodation for essential workers, but said more needed to be done.
"Nurses and midwives across the state are struggling to find affordable housing right now and they can't wait another three years before these new apartments are built," Ms Candish said.
The current Public Health System Nurses' and Midwives' (State) Award is due to expire on June 30.