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Half-way there
NSW Nurses and Midwives Association ’ s Brett Holmes . Photo : Joel Carrett
Pay boost for nurses , but no staff ratios .
Nurses and paramedics will receive a 2.5 per cent annual wage increase as part of the NSW state budget . The new policy marks a reversal of last year ’ s controversial decision to cut pay for public sector employees .
Healthcare advocates welcomed the changes ; however , they claim they fail to address the issue of understaffing in public hospitals .
“ The money is not the be all or end all . It ’ s really about getting the staffing right ,” said general secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association , Brett Holmes .
“ Our health system is currently in crisis . There aren ’ t enough staff and there aren ’ t enough beds available .”
In the delivery of his fifth budget , NSW treasurer Dominic Perrotet handed down a $ 120 billion-dollar investment in public health over the next four years , most of which is directed towards COVID-19 recovery .
According to the treasurer , “ almost 1,800 nurses , midwives , doctors and allied health staff ” will be employed this year .
Prior to the speech , nurses and midwives rallied outside NSW parliament house to demand mandatory staffing ratios . Holmes said that the state government had rejected attempts to negotiate .
Latest reports show that wait times in emergency departments in NSW are currently at an all-time high .
“ We ’ ve now got corridor nursing occurring . Beds pushed into corridors , outside of wards . It ’ s something we ’ ve seen in emergency departments before ,” Holmes continued .
“ It ’ s a dire situation when we are seeing decisions being made to nurse people in corridors without oxygen , without suction and without proper monitoring .
“ It ’ s a recipe for disaster .” ■
Hidden danger
Depression 50 per cent higher in women with PCOS .
Women diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ( PCOS ) are 1.5 times more likely to suffer clinical depression than those without the condition – whether or not they know they have it , according to a study .
The findings suggest depression with PCOS is not simply a result of distressing symptoms or a diagnosis , but may itself be a symptom of the condition .
PCOS is a common endocrine condition affecting around 12 per cent of women . Symptoms include irregular periods , excess body hair , obesity and infertility , with many women receiving a diagnosis only when they seek help with fertility .
Researchers at the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide undertook a community-based study comparing the health profiles of almost 1,000 South Australian women . Of the 120 women with PCOS , around half had not received a diagnosis by their early 30s .
This suggests many women live with the symptoms of PCOS for years before they receive appropriate care and support .
And regardless of whether they were diagnosed , 50 per cent of the women with PCOS showed symptoms of clinical depression , which was 50 per cent higher than women without the condition , the study showed .
Senior author Professor Michael Davies from the Robinson Research Institute says the findings reinforce recommendations in international evidence-based guidelines to screen all women with PCOS for depression and anxiety .
“ Our research and other findings point to depression in PCOS not simply being related to distressing symptoms , but possibly a physiological part of the condition itself ,” Davies said .
‘ Diagnosis delayed : health profile differences between women with undiagnosed polycystic ovary syndrome and those with a clinical diagnosis by age 35 years ’ was published in Human Reproduction . ■
4 | nursingreview . com . au