A re-elected Palaszczuk Labor Government will recruit an additional 630 nurses, an extra 18 midwives and expand the Nurse Navigator program to 70 in the Metro North Hospital and Health Services (HHS).

Announced by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today, the commitment is part of a $167 million, four-year package to further improve health services and strengthen the frontline, including nurses and midwives, across the State’s 16 HHSs.

The Palaszczuk Government has already recruited an extra 837 full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses, 308 FTE doctors and 350 FTE health practitioners for the Metro North HHS. In stark contrast, the Newman-Nicholls LNP Government cut 616 nurses, 107 doctors and 95 health practitioners from the HHS.

If the Palaszczuk Government was re-elected on 25 November, it would commit to:

    employ an additional 630 nurses for the Metro North HHS;
    recruit an additional 18 midwives to improve maternity services and ensure all public maternity units meet recognised midwife to patient benchmarks in the Metro North HHS;
    permanently extend our Nurse Navigator program to 70 in the Metro North HHS;
    expand safe nurse-to-patient ratios to acute public mental health wards;
    introduce public reporting on safe staff to patient ratios in aged care settings;
    lobby the Commonwealth Government to staff-to-resident ratios, including nurse-to-resident ratios, in private aged care facilities;
    maintain the Nurse Graduate Placement Program to ensure the nursing workforce is refreshed and grows every year; and
    harness the expertise of our nurses to lead programs to improve the coordination and integration of patient care between our hospitals and the primary care and aged care sectors.

Health Minister Cameron Dick said Queenslanders could trust only the Palaszczuk Government to deliver these commitments.

“Only Labor is committed to providing with Queenslanders with the nurses and health services they need,” the Minister said.

“We have a legislated nurse-to-patient ratio in adult acute medical and surgical wards, including the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Prince Charles Hospitals and the hospitals in Caboolture and Redcliffe, despite the opposition of the LNP.”

“Tim Nicholls and the LNP sacked almost 1400 nurses and more than 50 doctors across Queensland, and would be a risk to frontline services the Palaszczuk Government has been restoring.

“An LNP-One Nation Government would repeal the legislation and allow nursing positions to be cut as they did beforehand.  One Nation leader Steve Dickson, was a member of the Newman-Nicholls Government that cut so many nurses from hospitals across the State,” Mr Dick said.

Metro North HHS hospitals and health centres include:

    Aspley Community Health Centre

    Caboolture Community Health Centre

    Caboolture Hospital

    Halwyn Centre

    Kilcoy Hospital

    North Lakes Health Precinct

    North West Community Health Centre

    Nundah Community Health Centre

    Pine Rivers Community Health Centre

    Redcliffe Community Health Centre

    The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital

    Redcliffe Hospital

    The Prince Charles Hospital