The Australian College of Nursing calls for additional support for nurses working on the front-line and in management in Victoria as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take hold of the state.
Victorian nurses are reporting unmatched levels of stress and exhaustion as they continue to work in highly stressful and demanding scenarios.
Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN, CEO of the Australian College of Nursing said that she and her team have received numerous phone calls, emails and messages from stressed and overwhelmed nurses who see no end in sight to the pace of care demanded from the pandemic.
“Firstly, we stand with our Victorian nursing colleagues working right across the health service, whether that be in aged care, community care, in the hospital systems, and on the front-line through to management.
“This is a confusing and stressful time for those providing and managing care for our communities and we want them to know that we are listening to their concerns,” said Adjunct Professor Ward.
The Australian College of Nursing is working on a multipronged approach to support their colleagues: asking more nurses to come forward to relieve their colleagues, gathering information on the nurses’ perspective of how care can be improved and providing individual support.
“We are working with the Department of Health and Human Services on a ‘call to arms’ for nurses to work in the public and private health services and aged care homes. If nurses want more shifts or have recently completed ACN’s refresher course they are invited to come forward to register their interest.
“We will very shortly release a survey to capture the experiences of nurses and gather the numbers of shared experiences. We will be particularly looking at access levels to new PPE, impacts of policies, and the nurses’ perspective on what more could be done to ensure their safety at work, and the safety of their clients and patients.
“Nurses are a vital part of the solution to managing and containing COVID-19, and their professional practice, expertise and experience needs to influence the way we deal with this pandemic,” said Adjunct Professor Ward.
Nurses can register their interest in work here.
The Australian College of Nursing will release their survey via their website and social media channels on 31st July 2020.
