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RN Angel Anderson at the Burleigh Covid respiratory clinic . Photo : Glenn Hampson
‘ Thankless profession ’
Thousands of NSW nurses demand hazard pay .
By Eleanor Campbell
Nurses are calling on the NSW government to introduce hazard pay for health workers who have risked exposure to COVID-19 .
Registered nurse and NSW Nurses and Midwives ’ Association delegate , Jennifer Le , started an online petition urging the state premier to remunerate staff working in “ dire conditions ”.
The petition gathered more than 25,000 signatures in over a month .
Le , who works in the ICU department in one of the state ’ s largest hospitals , said health workers should be recognised for putting their lives at risk .
“ We ’ ve seen more patients die in the last few months than we probably ever have in the last few years in one shift ,” she told Nursing Review . “ A lot of us just don ’ t feel like there ’ s an end in sight , and for a lot of people , … they ’ re saying that it ’ s become a thankless profession .”
Since the pandemic began , thousands of Australian nurses have felt the pressure of the overstretched health system .
Hospitals in NSW COVID-19 hotspots became inundated with infected patients requiring ventilators and emergency care during the peak in early July .
In the thick of it , Jennifer was admitting more than six COVID-19 patients every night .
“ It was crazy ,” she said . “ We were pretty much in COVID PPE day in , day out , pretty much every day that we were at work .
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“ But you still have the risk of having a breach or catching COVID from your patients and taking it home and potentially getting your family members , or even just the community sick .”
For health staff , the physical strain of wearing personal protective gear for up to eight hours each shift has taken a significant toll .
Jennifer wears her full PPE for up to 40 hours a week , taking it off only when she goes home or receives her two half-hour breaks , which are not always guaranteed .
Along with a plastic gown , hair net , face shield and scrubs , frontline nurses must wear an N95 mask , which fits around the nose down to the neck to create a tight seal around the face .
Nurses have reported pressure injuries on their noses and allergic reactions after wearing the equipment for prolonged periods .
As NSW moves into the hotter summer months , Le said that her coworkers are increasingly concerned about becoming overheated and dehydrated . “ It ’ s hot , it ’ s demanding ,” she said . “ You can ’ t just step out of your space and have a drink of water , you will literally have to remove all of your PPE and step out , which unfortunately doesn ’ t happen when you ’ re in a critical care area .
During the height of the latest NSW outbreak , up to 1500 cases were being reported daily .
Nurses were sent into isolation due to outbreaks inside hospitals , leaving the remaining staff to juggle multiple high risk patients at a time .
“ They just get so sick and it just feels like we ’ re losing this uphill battle ,” Le said .
“ A lot of us just don ’ t feel like there ’ s an end in sight .
“ What we ’ re seeing now is a lot of patients coming into the hospital are mostly unvaccinated and they get really , really ill .”
On top of caring for sick patients , nurses around the country have dealt with rising rates of harassment and intimidation from families .
Reports of occupational violence made to the Australian College of Nursing have seen an increase over the past 20 months .
Calls from disgruntled loved ones threatening to sue the hospital , claiming that COVID-19 isn ’ t real , and accusing nurses and doctors of “ killing patients ”, is a common occurrence on Jennifer ’ s ICU ward .
“ It ’ s hard to reason with them sometimes when they ’ re so firm in their belief ,” she said .
“ We are the professionals , but suddenly we are feeling like our profession is being stamped upon .”
Fed up with the conditions , Jennifer spoke with her colleagues on the ward who unanimously agreed that frontline healthcare workers should be receiving penalty pay for their demanding work .
This came amid frustrations over the government ’ s refusal to implement staffing ratios in NSW public hospitals .
Jennifer said she has spoken to many nurses who feel they have no other option but to seek out other careers .
After four years as a nurse herself , she said she has considered leaving , but will stay to advocate for improved conditions . ■