Nurses, midwives the heart of healthcare in the Hunter

Since then, the treatments and care, career paths, and the scope of practice of our nursing and midwifery workforce has moved forward in wonderful and progressive ways.

What has not changed are the people drawn to these professions. Nurses and midwives are hardworking, dedicated, and passionate advocates for their patients, colleagues and communities.

I am proud to be the executive director of Nursing and Midwifery Services in Hunter New England Local Health District, leading almost 10,000 nurses and midwives.

Each year on May 5 we celebrate International Day of the Midwife, with International Nurses Day following on May 12. The theme for this year's International Nurses Day is Our Nurses, Our Future, which aims to recognise the important and developing roles of nurses in healthcare.

One of the favourite parts of my role is welcoming and nurturing the future of our workforce. This year we employed a record number of graduates who completed their study at our partner tertiary institutions, including the University of Newcastle, and some from farther afield. We are also leaders in the school-based traineeship program, boasting the largest number of NSW Health trainees in the state. This program allows young people to undertake paid work in a hospital while completing their HSC.

I'd also like to mention our nursing and midwifery colleagues in regional and rural communities. From Denman to Dungog, Boggabilla to Bundarra, our nurses and midwives have a special connection with their patients that extends long after they are discharged from our care. Knowing how important our nurses and midwives are to these communities, we have supported many nurses in completing our rural specialist nurse pathway, a program that upskills registered nurses to provide holistic, advanced patient care as rural generalists.

We also have the largest number of nurse practitioners in the state, with almost 90 nurse practitioners and transitional nurse practitioners working in 17 subspecialties. These roles are a key part of nursing's future.

Nurse practitioners are advanced registered nurses with the experience, expertise and authority to diagnose and treat a variety of acute or chronic health conditions. From working in Maitland Hospital emergency department providing advanced emergency care to ensure patients are treated and discharged sooner, to nurse practitioners offering specialist oncology support in Armidale, and those working in the Hunter Valley treating substance use problems.

I cannot speak on health and regional health without acknowledging our midwifery workforce, who we also celebrate on International Day of the Midwife (May 5). This year's theme is Together Again: From evidence to reality. It's a chance to for us to reflect on the evidence that shows the importance of investing in our midwives.

Midwives are here for mothers and their families, helping to support them in their pregnancy, birthing and post-natal periods. This includes our Aboriginal Maternal Infant Health Service, which gives women and their families culturally safe, respectful and comprehensive care.

I was in Inverell earlier this year to celebrate our rural midwifery graduates. This program, run in partnership with Charles Sturt University, allows our experienced nurses to gain their graduate diploma in midwifery. More than 180 midwives have graduated from the program in our district, with about 75 per cent continuing to work in our regional maternity units.

Any family who has birthed with one of our midwifery group practices will tell you the relationship they have with their midwife is treasured. Our Belmont midwifery group practice recently had their 1000th home birth, which speaks volumes about the team and the broader value midwives provide to women and their families.

International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day are a chance to celebrate this essential part of our health team.

To all our nurses and midwives working across Hunter New England Local Health District - you are the heart of our healthcare system. You are the compassion, the efficiency and the future of health, and without you, we could not provide care and treatment to the almost one million patients we see each year.

Thank you for all that you do for our patients and community.

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