A FRUSTRATED local nurse has joined others to protest at a meeting of National MPs to highlight the need for better nurse-to-patient ratios in regional NSW.  Deborah Noakes, a NSW Nurse and Midwives’ association member from Forster, travelled with a group of 11 nurses to Queanbeyan recently to confront the MPs outside the NSW Nationals Annual General Conference. The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) has had a long-running battle with the state government over nurse to patient ratios, claiming regional hospitals are missing out on the one-to-four ratio of city hospitals. Ms Noakes said while she is pleased the MPs took the time to speak with the group outside the conference, she is also hoping to gain support from Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead. “We were explaining the level of safe patient care that residents in our electorate are missing out on compared to the care provided in metropolitan hospitals, simply because we don't have the same nurse-to-patient ratios,” she said.   “Country patients deserve the same level of care enjoyed by those in the city, its common sense really.  “I called on Stephen Bromhead to 'Back Your Nurses' and I'm hopeful he will take it on board by raising our campaign for ratios in bush with his coalition party colleagues.”  The NSWNMA has collected more than 86,000 signatures to date on a petition campaigning for legally enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios to be implemented across all public health facilities, particularly in country areas and emergency departments.  During the Queanbeyan trip, the NSWNMA members presented over 10,000 of the collected signatures to Monaro MP John Barilaro to deliver to the NSW Legislative Assembly on their behalf. 
