Health Professionals Bank has worked with the Australian College of Nursing to publish a report outlining the impacts of disruptive events on Australian nurses during 2019-2021.
The report provides nurse-led solutions to ensure that nurses are better equipped to deal with any future crises.
Health Professionals Bank and the Australian College of Nurses want to know what Australian nurses have to say about their proposed recommendations
- Nurses to be present, and proportionately represented, at every step of the decision-making process in the healthcare industry.
- Nurses to be acknowledged as highly trained and specialised professionals that require adequate education, professional development and consultation before being redeployed to areas of need.
- Nurses to have access to flexible funding models that allow them to work to their full capacity, experience and skills, and in line with the requirements of their professional license.
- Improved conditions and entitlements for nurses including redesigned staffing, paid leave for nurses who have experienced disruptive events, domestic and family violence support, at-risk pay.
- More funding for nurse leadership training. This will allow nurses to lead the next generation of great leaders, not only in managing disruptive events but in building more resilient, equitable and value-based health and aged care systems.
Please tell us what you think of these recommendations for Australian nurses.
Complete the survey
Read the report
The 2019-2020 bushfire season was one of the most devastating on record. The Black Summer fires from June 2019 to May 2020 ravaged across all states and territories. A total of 35 people lost their lives, and 3,500 homes were destroyed.
February 2020 saw flash flooding in the Sydney metropolitan area. Before the rainfall, south-east Australia was heading towards three-consecutive years of drought which had severely impacted the livelihoods, and therefore the mental and physical health of many Australians living in regional and rural areas. Cyclones were also causing damage in northwest Australia between November 2019 and May 2020.
Across the country, nurses dealt were personally affected by these disruptive events, having to see the towns and houses they grew up in destroyed by disasters. On top of that, they suffered at work, putting in extra hours and emotional effort to support their grieving patients.
Read our report Nurse Leadership During Disruptive Events to learn about the flaws in our health system and how the Australian College of Nurses and Health Professionals Bank proposes to change it. If these recommendations are not followed, Australia will not be well prepared for any future disruptive events.
