Planned surgery Capability

Planned surgery capability

Queensland Health aims to provide every patient with the highest standard of care, attention and support required for a swift recovery and optimal health outcomes. This page provides information on the staff that support the medical and surgical wards.

Nurse-to-patient ratios in acute medical and surgical wards

There is clear evidence to indicate that the number of nurses on a shift plays an important role in patient safety and quality of care. The Queensland Government first legislated minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in the state’s public sector adult acute medical and surgical wards on 1 July 2016.

For in-scope adult acute medical and surgical wards, the Hospital and Health Boards Regulation 2023 sets minimum nurse staffing ratios at 1:4 for morning shifts, 1:4 for afternoon shifts, and 1:7 for night shifts, relative to the number of patients on the ward.

The existing industrially mandated Business Planning Framework (PDF 3162 kB) will continue to apply across all nursing and midwifery services in Queensland Health, regardless of whether a facility or ward is subject to existing nurse-to-patient ratios or minimum nurse and support worker legislation in public residential aged care facilities.