Five beds inside Yass District Hospital continued to remain closed on Thursday after members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) took the step earlier this month due to ongoing staffing and safety concerns.
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Paul Haines, president of the Yass branch, NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, said that they have conveyed their concerns to the authorities and what changes they are expecting.
"We have taken this step because we want to highlight the fact that health services are underfunded and understaffed. We are planning to meet again next week with the potential of voting for further union action," he said.
The union plans to hold a meeting again on Tuesday, June 17 to discuss their next course of action and if they are planning to take increased industrial action.
The NSWNMA Yass District Hospital Branch decided to close the beds on June 9 after the NSW government's refusal to improve staffing by introducing shift-by-shift ratios.
While notifying the local management of the industrial action, the branch had outlined, 'The nursing staff at Yass District Hospital have great concern over the current security coverage. Yass District Hospital currently only has support security staff between the hours of 0800-1800.
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After hours there is no security-based at the hospital and inadequate external police coverage within the town.'
NSWNMA Yass District Hospital branch president, Paul Haines, had earlier said that the bed closures would be reviewed weekly and seven beds remained open to the public.
While notifying the local management of the industrial action, the branch had outlined '...The Yass District Hospital Branch of the NSWNMA express our frustration at the current unresolved issue at our workplace, that puts nurses and our patients, the local community, at risk.'
