THEY are sick, they are tired, and they are frustrated.
But Hunter nurses and midwives say they will continue to fight for the conditions that will help them give the best care to patients "every day, every single time".
Nurses and midwives are striking for the fourth time this year, with Hunter members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) set to gather with supporters at a rally at Civic Park in Newcastle on Wednesday, November 23, from 11.30am.
Rachel Hughes, the John Hunter Hospital branch secretary of the NSWNMA, said they were "frustrated beyond belief" that they were still fighting for nurse-to-patient ratios and better conditions, despite being praised as frontline heroes throughout the pandemic.
"This will be strike number four," she said. "Morale is low. The situation we're in just keeps getting worse each year, and has only been compounded by the pandemic. It is frustrating as hell."
Ms Hughes said their first strike in February had led to discussions with NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard that "went nowhere". Another strike in March garnered the support of the Greens, while the third strike in September provoked Labor's election promises to meet some of their requests.
"This time around we'll try to make ourselves louder so that maybe this government will hear us," she said.
Ms Hughes said her colleagues were "exhausted", with many suffering "compassion fatigue".
"We start in this line of work because we care," she said. "We want to be able to provide the best possible care for every patient, every single time they have an experience with us. But we know that in reality, we can't provide that care when you have people waiting in emergency 10 hours before they even get seen by a doctor, and then waiting even longer for a bed in the ward.
"It's absolutely a crisis. Everyone else is hearing us except the people that hold all the power."
The NSWNMA said during the 24-hour strike from 7am, November 23, life-preserving services would be maintained in all public hospitals and health services.
