General secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association Brett Holmes was in Dubbo on Thursday for a lunchtime meeting that he said many nurses did not attend for fear they “may be targeted”.

Mr Holmes said for months the nurses had been telling hospital management of concerns about the “skill mix” in wards and the “level of expert assistance provided to new nurses”, in ways including a 285-signature petition. “When new nurses come out of university they deserve good educational clinical support and members have been raising the fact that on many shifts there are relatively- inexperienced nurses who are expected to carry a load beyond their level of experience,” he said. “Unfortunately, I’m being told that management is simply denying that circumstance and they are trying to suppress the view of our members.”

In a written statement the Western NSW Local Health District’s director nursing and midwifery, Adrian Fahy, did not address the claim that nurses were under pressure not to speak out. Mr Fahy said the health district worked closely with the union to “ensure the safety of both our staff and patients”. “New graduate nurses with appropriate skills and training are employed at the hospital and, along with all nursing staff, are supported by an after- hours facility manager (who) also attends each clinical area at least three times during each shift, clinical nurse educators who provide regular education and clinical resource nurses who are rostered on evening shifts, seven days per week,” he said. “There is a broad range of experience and skill levels allocated to each clinical area and managers roster this experience and skill mix appropriately.”

But Mr Holmes said the nurses wanted “additional educators for a period of time”. “They are concerned for their own professional safety, their patients and for their jobs as well,” he said. “When you put first or second-year nurses in charge of busy hospital units you push them beyond their level of experience, then that’s unfortunately a recipe for disaster.”