Blacktown Hospital nurses, midwives strike for 24 hours over patient and staffing concerns

More than 100 nurses and midwives have walked off the job at Blacktown Hospital in Sydney’s west and won’t return to work for the next 24 hours.

The hospital has been in crisis since last week when 20 senior obstetricians threatened to walk out following the death of four newborn babies in the space of 18 months.

Today nurses and midwives met with hospital management who made a number of offers, including a review of the staffing model.

However the employees rejected the hospital’s offers and began industrial action, with many protesting outside the front of the hospital.

The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association said staff felt unsupported and did not trust management to follow through with their offers.

The public can still receive care at…