Media Release | 12 May 2026
Libby Mettam
Shadow Health Minister
The number of nurses leaving WA’s public hospitals has almost doubled in just five years under the Cook Labor Government, exposing a deep retention crisis across the frontline health workforce.
Figures obtained by the Opposition show more than 3,500 registered, enrolled and senior registered nurses left the public system in 2024–25, a 99 per cent increase from 1,768 in 2019–20 to 3,524 in last financial year.
Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam said the figures showed the Government could no longer hide behind recruitment numbers while experienced nurses continued to leave the system in alarming numbers.
“Labor will point to more nurses on paper, but its own figures show the real crisis is retention, particularly the loss of experienced nurses,” Ms Mettam said.
“Registered nurse departures are up 89 per cent, enrolled nurse departures have surged more than 150 per cent, and senior registered nurse departures have doubled.
“This means our hospitals are not only losing frontline nurses, they are also losing vital experienced clinical leadership.
“You cannot repair a health system when experienced nurses are leaving almost as fast as the Government can recruit them.
“After a decade of decline in public hospitals under Labor, nurses are now voting with their feet.
“This Government has overseen record ambulance ramping; the worst emergency department wait times in the country and a hospital system under relentless pressure – and now its own figures show frontline health workers are losing confidence.”
Ms Mettam said the figures followed last week’s Australian Medical Association WA Hospital Health Check survey, which found 56 per cent of junior doctors were experiencing moderate to high burnout, one in two felt unsafe working after overnight on-call shifts and 28 per cent had experienced bullying, discrimination or sexual harassment.
The Opposition said the figures also highlighted growing pressure in regional health services, with the WA Country Health Service nursing headcount increasing by just 18 per cent over five years, only half the overall WA Health nursing growth rate of 36 per cent.
“The regional nursing pipeline is going backwards, with WACHS graduate nurse numbers falling almost 20 per cent,” Ms Mettam said.
“This should concern every regional family relying on their local hospital for care.
“Nurses, like all frontline health workers, deserve confidence in the system they work in. Instead, under this Labor Government, the very people our community relies on are saying they have had enough.
“The Government must take these figures seriously and deliver a real plan to retain nurses, better support frontline staff and rebuild confidence in our public health system.
