Nurses strike for higher nurse to patient ratios
THOUSANDS of public sector nurses will protest across the state for better patient to nurse ratios today.
Thomas Hoffman, from NSW Nurse and Midwife Association said about 100 nurses would be part of today's strike.
"It's about nurses trying to get safe patient care," he said.
"It is not about pay."
Mr Hoffman said in the past, nurses had got better staff to patient ratios but it was mainly in the metropolitan hospitals.
"Rural hospitals, ICU (intensive care units) wards, they're the ones that missed out," he said.
In some Sydney hospitals there is a four-patient to one nurse ratio.
In Tweed and Murwillumbah, Mr Hoffman said it was more like six patients to one nurse.
"Generally nurses don't go on strike unless something really needs to be done," Mr Hoffman said.
Murwillumbah and Tweed Hospital will run on skeletal staff during the strike hours tomorrow.
"We always work with management to make sure there are enough nurses to satisfy the ward," he said.
NSW Nurse and Midwife Association have 40,000 public sector nursers registered with them.
More than 5000 are expected to strike across the state tomorrow.
In Tweed the strike will be held at Twin Town Services Club from 11.30am.
