Nurses and midwives are launching legal action against the NSW government over staffing ratios they say are leaving patients without adequate care.

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association revealed plans on Wednesday to file a case in the Supreme Court which accuses the government of repeatedly breaching award conditions.

It says widespread non-compliance with staffing levels has resulted in patients not receiving over 100,000 hours of nursing care at multiple public hospitals.

Nurses and midwives have held repeated industrial action over the past year calling for mandated “safe” staffing ratios, along with better pay and conditions.

NSW has fallen behind other states in implementing legally mandated ratios, with Victoria, Queensland and the ACT already introducing them, while South Australia and Western Australia are both progressing measures, according to the association.

The union says it will provide evidence of inadequate staffing at major public hospitals including Royal Prince Alfred, Gosford, Wollongong, Westmead, Liverpool and Nepean.

General Secretary, Shaye Candish says the government’s nursing hours per patient day staffing system is not delivering safe care to patients at their most vulnerable.

– AAP