The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association has wrapped up a series of visits to western New South Wales communities, with senior union representatives travelling through the region in January, to meet nurses and midwives on the ground and hear firsthand about the challenges facing rural healthcare.

The visit formed part of the Association’s ongoing advocacy for safer workplaces, fair pay and better resourcing for nurses and midwives working in regional, rural and remote areas.

NSWNMA organiser Sarah Sims said one of the most concerning issues raised during the trip was the lack of security support for frontline health workers in small western towns.

“What’s been really obvious and quite concerning is the lack of security services for our nurses and midwives trying to perform their jobs to the best of their ability, often without having security on site,” Ms Sims said.

The travelling party visited several areas including Warren, Trangie, Dunedoo and Gilgandra.

Ms Sims said in some towns there were no police stations operating locally, and even when staff activated duress or danger alarms, help was not always close at hand.

“Their towns don’t have police stations at times, and then when they do require assistance and they press dangerous alarms, these alerts get sent back to Sydney,” she said.

Despite those challenges, Ms Sims said the resilience and pride of western NSW nurses and midwives stood out throughout the visit.

“The spirit was really obvious with the nurses and midwives that we met along our way,” she said.

“We had lovely tours of their workplaces. We were welcomed with open arms, often moved to tears.”

After completing a trip across the Western Plains, NSWNMA President O’Bray Smith said there is a clear disparity between city and country health services.

Ms Sims said the experience reinforced her commitment to advocating for regional members.

“What that’s enabled me to do is reflect on these experiences and be able to bring it back and be able to deliver the best that I can do towards this beautiful Western community in New South Wales as their organiser,” she said.

NSWNMA President O’Bray Smith said the visit highlighted the stark contrast between metropolitan and regional health services.

“I’ve been in health for a long time now - over 20 years - and for the majority of that time, I’ve worked in health management,” Ms Smith said.

“Seeing what I could, as a manager, facilitate for my staff in the city compared to what the staff are working with the resources they have in your communities - it was hard.”

She said nurses and midwives in western NSW continue to turn up for their communities despite chronic understaffing and limited resources.

“They turn up to work every day to help their community, and their hands are tied behind their backs,” Ms Smith said.

“They come to work every single day with a smile.”

Ms Smith said she was struck by the pride staff took in both their profession and their towns.

“They showed us around their facility, introduced us to everyone, and they were so proud of their community, so in love with their profession,” she said.

“The fact that they’re doing that with not enough resources or pay is heartbreaking, and I felt for them, and I felt for the community that aren’t getting the same resources and the same staffing levels that they would get in the city.”

The NSWNMA said visits like these were critical to ensuring the voices of regional nurses and midwives were heard in policy and funding discussions at a state level.