Bill to strengthen nurse to patient ratios debated

In her second reading speech Minister for Health Infrastructure Melissa Horne said the Safe Patient Care (Nurse to Patient and Midwife to Patient Ratios) Amendment Bill (2026) would ensure staffing requirements better reflect the complexity and workload of modern hospitals. 

‘The nursing and midwifery workforce plays a crucial role in our healthcare system, providing safe, high-quality, person-centred care across hospitals to Victorians at all stages of life,’ she said.  

Under the proposed reforms 26 hospitals across the state will be reclassified to a higher level and, as a result, require them to meet increased staffing ratios.

“ 'By aligning staffing levels with a hospital's capacity and complexity, this will improve patient safety and the overall quality of care.' ”

Melissa Horne, Minister for Health Infrastructure

Implementation of the new staffing requirements will occur in stages to give health services time to recruit staff and train new graduate nurses. 

She said the reforms would improve patient safety, support better quality care and help address workload pressures facing nurses and midwives across the public health system. 

'By aligning staffing levels with a hospital's capacity and complexity, this will improve patient safety and the overall quality of care,' she said. 

The Government estimates the changes will result in a staffing uplift of more than 260 additional full-time equivalent nurses across Victoria's public hospital network. 

Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy said she backed the principle of improved nurse-to-patient ratios, but said workforce shortages and underinvestment threaten the success of the reforms.  

'We need to ensure that there is not just a ratio, we need to ensure that we have got positions filled, we need to ensure that we have got enough workforce trained and ready to fill those positions, and we need to make sure we have a workforce that can fill positions in areas where it is traditionally more difficult to attract and retain staff, which are in rural areas of Victoria,' she said. 

Tim Richardson, Member for Mordialloc said $109 million would be invested to reclassify 26 hospitals, including 17 in rural and regional Victoria.   

'This means better care in our communities. This means that they must roster more nurses for the same number of patients, improving staffing and patient care,' he said. 

“ 'We need to make sure we have a workforce that can fill positions in areas where it is traditionally more difficult to attract and retain staff, which are in rural areas of Victoria.' ”

Emma Kealy, Member for Lowan

Member for Prahran Rachel Westaway said the bill would increase demand for specialist emergency and intensive care nurses without adequately addressing how they will be trained. She highlighted the high cost of postgraduate qualifications and specialist courses, which are often funded by nurses themselves.

'You cannot legislate for a specialist workforce and then ask nurses to pay for their own training in that specialisation,' she said. 

The bill is now with the Legislative Council for further consideration.

The full debate is available to read in Hansard.