industry & reform
Anxiety and burnout are symptoms of this increased workload Anna and her colleagues experience , and the recent action is a last effort to ensure their voices are being heard , she says .
“ We wanted them to see how frustrated we have been that we get overworked , we get asked to do overtime . You get text messages on your day off , ‘ Can you come in and do a shift ? We ’ re short staffed ’.
“ And then you start burning out because you can ’ t say no . Because you know that if you say no and no one comes in to fill in that spot , then your colleagues are shortstaffed and they ’ re going to get stressed and burn-out . And we know how busy it is , so you feel bad for them . But then if you are coming in on your days off , then how is that caring for yourself really ?
“ And we all do it . We all do it because you don ’ t want to leave anyone feeling run-down . And the mums and babies that come through , we know if you have two midwives down in the birthing unit , every midwife on the floor is going to have two or three women for that shift . And what care do the mums and babies get ? You get your midwife for like five , 10 minutes every hour , which isn ’ t enough for a firsttime mum really . They don ’ t have that support .”
Anna says that she routinely skips breaks or simple things like going to the toilet or grabbing some water due to the high workload and that the job has , at times , taken a mental toll .
“ I would get anxiety . I would check the day sheet for the next day to check if I was in charge , so I could mentally prepare myself for what ’ s to come . And then I thought , that ’ s not normal , is it ? To have that pre-work stress that you have to mentally prepare yourself because you ’ re not going to get your morning tea , you ’ re not going to get your lunch or dinner break . You probably won ’ t get to the toilet because there ’ s stuff to do ,” she says .
The staff at Blacktown hospital can ’ t work out why their concerns are going unheard , as ultimately this is about patient health and safety .
“ If you speak to any of the women that come through the antenatal clinic , a lot of the time they do feel like they ’ re just a number . Because especially with COVID , they don ’ t see the doctor for that long . They see them for five , 10 minutes and they ’ re rushed out the door . And they could have been waiting an hour to see that doctor , only for a very quick consult and then they ’ re out the door ,” Anna said .
“ So they ’ re not getting the support they need , especially these first-time mothers , often the immigrants , their families are overseas . This is such a disservice to them that is so frustrating . And it ’ s like , are we just a machine that you just get them in , get them out ? Where ’ s the care ?
“ And you feel it , you feel how strained everyone is . And you come into work , you try and be cheerful for the women , you try and be happy as much as possible , but it ’ s just like you ’ re putting on a front when you ’ re around them because you don ’ t want them to see how much pressure you are under .”
Blacktown Hospital has said it will hire more midwives after an inquiry was launched into obstetrics in the Western Sydney Local Health District , but the union and its members say this is not enough .
“ Not only does the 15 FTE fall short of what ’ s required , but the midwives and the community are still being made to wait ,” said Holmes .
And in the meantime , the staff who have spoken out and taken industrial action in recent months have felt blowback from hospital management . Union members have been blamed for harming the hospital ’ s reputation , Anna says , and therefore making it harder to hire extra staff .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s anything selfish , it ’ s really just so we can service the community better ,” Anna says .
“ If we do have more midwives , then the customer satisfaction , which is a lot of what the managers are concerned about , the customer ’ s experience is there . So it ’ s really to everyone ’ s benefit if we have more staff .” ■
Striking Blacktown Hospital nurses and midwives . Photo : Supplied Picture : Facebook nursingreview . com . au | 17