Nursing staff slashed

Nursing staff slashed

QUEENSLAND public hospitals are employing more bureaucrats and fewer nurses, with pen-pushers constituting almost 75 per cent of new staff employed in the past five years.

The rush to employ more administrators has seen their numbers in Queensland public hospitals increase by 1848 and the number of nurses decrease by 217 over the five years from 1998-99 to 2003-04. Queensland Health annual reports show total staff numbers have increased from 40,655 in 1998-99 to 43,113 in 2003-04 - an increase of 2458 - 75 per cent of this increase has been to employ more bureaucrats.

The numbers of bureaucrats in the Queensland Health workforce has grown from 15.7 per cent of its employees in 1998-99 to 19.1 per cent of employees in 2003-04. During this same period, the total numbers of nurses has dropped from 41.9 per cent of staff in 1998-99 to 39 per cent in 2003-04.

The reduction in nursing staff numbers has come at a time of unprecedented growth in the Queensland's population - almost 11 per cent during 1995 and 2001.

The Queensland Nurses Union said in the lead up to last year's state election, the Beattie Government promised to employ "an additional 1500 new nursing graduates over three years".

"However these new graduates have only been employed into existing nursing vacancies and should not be re-interpreted as the Government employing additional nurses," the QNU stated in its current budget submission to the State Government.

http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,12536238%255E3102,00.html

Love Leahy's cartoon:rotfl: