Maitland nurses and midwives tried to rally outside the new hospital at Metford on Thursday in a desperate attempt to voice concerns about their workload.
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But their plans hit a snag when the hospital was so short staffed that most of them were forced to work through their lunch break to look after their patients.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Maitland Branch assistant secretary Kathy Chapman said staff regularly missed out on meal breaks, were often too busy to even go to the toilet and were being directed to work overtime to plug holes in the roster.
She said the fatigue level continued to rise and three nurses have had an accident on their way home from work this year because they were so tired.
Ms Chapman said the workload had accelerated since the new hospital opened in January.
But Hunter New England Health paints a very different picture.
"Maitland Hospital, like all other hospitals, experiences increases in activity and these fluctuations can be difficult to predict. Patients who present to the ED are prioritised to ensure those with the most urgent conditions are treated first," a spokeswoman said.
"The Maitland Hospital provides an excellent standard of care, staffed by highly skilled and dedicated nurses and clinicians."
The spokeswoman said anybody who needed treatment should not hesitate to go to the hospital.
The association is highlighting these issues as the hospital is receiving its annual audit through the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality.
There are eight National Safety and Quality Health standards the hospital is required to meet so it can remain open and staff say some of them are not being met on a daily basis.
"We came across to the new hospital and we were told they weren't going to increase the beds before they got the funding and the proper staffing arrangements but that hasn't been able to be the case for whatever reason," Ms Chapman said.
"Many positions still haven't been recruited. Staff in the wards and especially in the Emergency Department are putting up with that deficit and doing double shifts and they have gotten to an unsafe spot. Our managers are not to blame as these problems are outside their circle of influence."
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