Member for Port Macquarie, Leslie Williams said the unprecedented workforce boost by the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government includes an extra 5,000 nurses and midwives.

“Our local area will soon benefit from a $2.8 billion investment to recruit thousands more health staff on top of the 16,000 we have added to NSW since 2011,” Mrs Williams said.

“Labor promised hundreds more nurses across NSW in its election material but we are delivering an unprecedented 5,000 extra nurses and midwives.”

 Based on current demand projections we are expecting at our Local Health District:

• 199 more nurses and midwives

• 24 more doctors

• 26 more allied health workers

• 43 more hospital support workers

“This increase in nurse numbers equates to even higher nurse to patient ratios than the NSW Nurses & Midwives’ Association asked for and eclipses all Labor’s promises,” Mrs Williams said. 

“This means patients will have more nurses to look after them and nurses will have more colleagues to share the workload.

“No other State or Territory Government in the country is in such a strong economic position as NSW to deliver this commitment for our community,” Mrs Williams said.

The NSW Liberals & Nationals have boosted the nursing and midwifery workforce by almost 20 per cent to 51,890 while in Government, while doctor numbers have soared by 35 per cent to 12,100.

“We have built or upgraded more than 100 hospitals and health facilities across the state – more than 60 in regional NSW – and 100 more are underway,” Mrs Williams said.