NSW Nurses and midwives have voted to hold a 24 hour strike on Thursday with Eurobodalla nursing staff and the general public invited to attend a rally on the Batemans Bay foreshore at 10am.
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The union (NSWNMA) is saying enough is enough, the health system is not coping and is in crisis.
"We are hoping that enough nurses will go on strike to send a message to the government that the system is not working and our nurses are not okay," Eurobodalla branch secretary for New South Wales Nurses and Midwifes Association (NSWNMA), Sam Buckley said.
"We are taking action is to call on the NSW Government to work with us to fix the broken health system and allow us to deliver safe patient care through shift by shift ratios and improved maternity staffing by counting babies by numbers.
"Morale is at an all time low, with nurses leaving their shifts, sometimes crying because they have been unable to provide the care the patient needs.
"Union members feel the Premier and Health Minister have both admitted there is a problem with nursing and midwifery staffing levels but are not doing anything about it," Ms Buckley said.
"Nurses have had enough and feel they are not supported by management who seem hellbent on cost cutting and money saving measures above patient safety.
"Shift after shift we are short staffed which leaves patients at risk and in Eurobodalla hospitals there are sometimes four staff looking after up to 28 patients many of which need specialist care," she said.
Ms Buckley went on to say that other issues affecting nurses are staff burnout and low morale.
"The government is saying that there is no money in the budget to afford our pay rises and have instead slapped us with capes and called us hero's but being a hero doesn't pay the bills, especially with the current cost of petrol."
Member for Bega, Dr Michael Holland said he doesn't believe there is a member of NSW Parliament who knows the current desperate state better than himself.
"I have shared and witnessed the experiences of my nursing and midwifery colleagues.
"They have gone above and beyond during the COVID Pandemic and the government thanks each and every one of them for their commitment to helping and protecting their community," he said.
Dr Holland went on to say the problems have predated the COVID pandemic for years.
"We have a hospital system in NSW that is overstretched, under resourced and understaffed. That's not the fault of our frontline health workers, it's the fault of our Premier who put ideology before evidence and it's time he starts to listen to the health experts and get this right.
"The Premier says repeatedly that we need to push through this crisis but at the moment our frontline workers, particularly nurses and midwives feel like they're being pushed over by the NSW Government. Our hospital system is being absolutely stretched to the limit, they're under significant pressure and significant stress.
"It's crucial that our public hospital system is appropriately staffed now and into the future. Currently that is not happening at many hospitals across NSW," he said.
"This is a health and hospital system at breaking point and it's well past time the NSW Premier listened to those men and women who are working on the frontline trying to hold this system together."
Thursday's nurses and midwives will be on strike from 7am on Thursday until 7am Friday.
Read more: NSW nurses confirm second statewide strike
