When hospital staffing shortages take a toll on healthcare workers

Hospital staffing pressures aren't just a patient safety issue

We've recently explored how ambulance ramping, corridor care, and hospital overcrowding can affect patients and their legal rights.

Those issues also tell another story.

Behind delayed ambulances, overcrowded emergency departments, and corridor beds are healthcare workers working under extraordinary pressure to deliver safe care. When hospitals operate under sustained strain, healthcare workers may experience:

• excessive workloads
• chronic understaffing
• missed meal and rest breaks
• extended shifts and overtime
• fatigue
• psychological stress
• burnout
• exposure to traumatic events with limited recovery time

While many healthcare professionals continue providing exceptional care despite these pressures, doing so can come at a high personal cost.

“These workers are the people we rely on when we are at our most vulnerable. They should not have to sacrifice their own mental health because hospitals are stretched beyond what is safe or sustainable.”

What the evidence tells us

The challenges facing Australia's healthcare workforce are well documented.

A recent Workforce Intelligence Report prepared for the Health Workforce Taskforce identified high workloads and limited career progression as the three biggest drivers of healthcare workers leaving the profession.

The report found that healthcare workers experience higher levels of workplace stress and burnout than many other industries, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating existing pressures. Surveys cited in the report found:

• 13.5% of nurses and midwives intended to leave the profession
• 8.3% of doctors intended to leave
• 9.8% of allied health professionals intended to leave
• around half of emergency nurses surveyed intended to leave within five years

The report also highlights the broader consequences of excessive workloads, referencing research that found adding just one additional patient to a nurse's workload increased the likelihood of another patient dying by 7%.

These findings reinforce an important point: protecting healthcare workers isn't only about staff wellbeing. It also supports safer healthcare systems.

When workplace pressure starts affecting your health

Healthcare is inherently demanding. Not every stressful shift or difficult workplace experience will give rise to a workers' compensation claim. However, prolonged exposure to excessive workloads, chronic understaffing, unsafe systems of work, or traumatic incidents may contribute to a compensable psychological injury.

Depending on the circumstances and the laws in your state or territory, psychological injuries may include diagnosed:

• anxiety
• depression
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• aggravation or worsening of an existing psychological condition

Every case is different. Whether a worker is entitled to compensation depends on the medical evidence and the relevant workers' compensation legislation in your state.

Employers have responsibilities to manage psychosocial risks

Australian employers have a duty to provide, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe workplace. That responsibility extends beyond physical hazards.

Increasingly, employers are expected to identify and manage psychosocial hazards, including risks arising from:

• sustained high job demands, including excessive workloads
• prolonged workplace stress
• fatigue risks from extended shifts, missed breaks, excessive overtime
• unsafe patient-to-staff ratios
• exposure to traumatic incidents

Managing these risks is an important part of protecting both employee wellbeing and workplace safety.

What can healthcare workers claim?

 “When healthcare workers are not properly supported, the impact reaches well beyond the individual worker. It affects families, workplaces, and the broader health system we all depend on. It is important to know your rights.”

If you've suffered a psychological injury because of your work, you may be entitled to workers' compensation. Depending on the laws that apply in your state or territory, you may be eligible for benefits including:

• weekly income payments
• medical and psychological treatment expenses
• rehabilitation and return-to-work support
• lump sum compensation in some circumstances

If your condition has forced you to stop working permanently, you may also have entitlements through your superannuation, including Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance, depending on your policy.

Because workers' compensation schemes differ between states and territories, it's important to seek advice specific to your circumstances.

What should you do if work is affecting your mental health?

If you believe your work has caused or significantly contributed to a psychological injury, practical first steps include:

• seeking treatment from your GP or treating practitioner
• reporting the injury to your employer
• obtaining the appropriate workers' compensation medical certificate
• lodging a workers' compensation claim
• seeking legal advice if you're unsure about your rights

Time limits can apply, so it's generally best to seek advice as early as possible.

Supporting healthcare workers supports everyone

Safe patient care depends on healthy healthcare workers. Healthcare workers shouldn't have to sacrifice their own health to care for others.

At Maurice Blackburn, our work injury lawyers understand the impact workplace stress and psychological injuries can have on every aspect of your life.

If you've developed a psychological injury because of unsafe workloads, excessive workplace pressure, or other work-related factors, we can explain your rights, assess your eligibility for workers' compensation, and help you understand the options available to you.

We offer confidential, obligation-free advice.

Contact our work injury team today to discuss your situation.