FOUR weeks after announcing five of the six in-patient beds at Nyngan Multipurpose Service will temporarily close due to a shortage of nurses, Western NSW Local Health District has not been able to fill the vacancies. 

Although the emergency department at the Nyngan MPS remains open 24 hours a day, and the care of the residents already in the facility’s aged-care service has not been affected, there is growing frustration within the community at the inability to resolve the nursing shortage especially in the lead up to the traditional Christmas and New Year holiday period. 

Bogan Shire Mayor Glen Neill has been in contact with the NSW Member for Barwon, Roy Butler and NSW Minister for Regional Health, Bronnie Taylor, throughout the past four weeks and has been assured the bed closure is only a “temporary” measure. 

“There is a concern that once these beds are temporarily closed that it will lead to a permanent closure, which would be devastating for our community,” Councillor Neill said. 

“Minister Taylor has stressed to me that won’t be the case. She was sympathetic to our situation, but like everyone she can’t find a solution to the problem. I’m told everywhere in regional NSW is experiencing the same thing, but the issue seems to be particularly serious at Nyngan.” 

Councillor Neill said Bogan Shire Council was informed by NSW Health, the situation was only for the short term, but with no change after four weeks he was prepared to step up lobbying efforts on behalf of the community.  

He joined Bogan Shire General Manager Derek Francis in a teleconference with Roy Butler on Thursday and told councillors at the November council meeting later the same day evening “all avenues” for recruiting within Australia were “exhausted”. 

“We were told this morning that they [the NSW Government] are going to try through an employment agency to recruit more overseas based workers,” Clr Neill said. 

 “At the end of the day it still comes up about [having the correct] qualifications. You bring them in and they need to spend 12 months getting qualified and many of them go home again before that.” 

“To be honest I think its bedlam at the minute. We’re not getting anyone who can give us a breakthrough. You can write as many letters as you want and make as many phone calls but if the person at the end of it can’t make any changes nothing happens.” 

Exhausting all options

A spokesman for the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) said it was “exhausting all options” to safely increase the number of inpatient beds available at Nyngan MPS, or reinstate them in full, as soon as possible.  

“We apologise to the Nyngan community for any inconvenience caused and appreciate their understanding,” he said. 

“Attracting and retaining the required workforce, including nurses, to regional and remote areas remains a long-standing challenge across every state and territory in Australia.”  

“The [WNSWLHD] continues to respond to those challenges through targeted, strategic workforce planning, including active recruitment of international and new graduate nurses and regular engagement of agency and locum staff.”  

Incentives available

The NSW Government has a Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme, which is designed to attract and retain staff in critical, hard-to-fill positions.  

At Nyngan MPS, both registered and enrolled nursing roles are identified as “hard-to-fill” and advertisements have incentives attached to help attracting people to the roles. 

“Despite every effort, ongoing recruitment has not yet attracted the level of appropriately- skilled staff to safely increase the number of inpatient beds available at Nyngan MPS.” 

The spokesman said the recent flood event had not hampered the availability of staff at the Nyngan MPS. 

“Thorough flood management plans were put in place in the weeks preceding predicted flood events to ensure existing staff’s availability and access to the facility would not be impacted. Accommodation has been secured for any staff who may require it and with support from emergency services transportation is available for any staff whose transit routes may be affected by floodwater,” he said.