The rally, scheduled for Saturday in response to fears the health service would scrap 4.4 full time equivalent roles in Cooma, will go ahead.

At a community meeting last week nurses told of plans to change the skill mix at the hospital that would see on some shifts just one registered and one enrolled nurse, a plan they said was simply unacceptable.

While nurses have made some ground with the area health service to maintain a safe skill mix and the review of occupancy there are still concerns the supervising nurse’s position will be scrapped.

Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) acting general manager eastern sector Robyn Harvey met with about 20 local nurses on October 29 to discuss nurse staffing for the hospital for the year ahead.

As an outcome of the meeting a working party was formed to discuss concerns about recommended staffing levels. The working party met for the first time last Friday and Ms Harvey said she found the meeting positive.

“The meeting was positive and the group will continue to meet and work through issues of concern with the next meeting scheduled for this coming Friday, November 6,” Ms Harvey said.

Nurses believe GSAHS has made no guarantees that hours will not be lost.

“They want everything for less. We want a commitment from GSAHS that our hours will be maintained at current levels as a minimum,” one nurse said.

The NSW Nurses Union is still negotiating with GSAHS over 10 hospitals of which Cooma is one where the association rejected proposed cuts.

Greater Southern responded to the association on October 29 and a teleconference was held with management of the 10 hospitals still in disagreement on Monday.

NSW Nurses Association organiser for GSAHS Christine Kirby said the association was working with the managers at each of the 10 sites to develop a plan forward.

Ms Kirby said each manager was given a task to provide more information to the association so they can respond to Greater Southern by tomorrow.

“We’ve had some good wins but we will have to see how we go with the rest of the 10 now,” Ms Kirby said.