Fears nurses’ deal may hit aged care
The aged care sector could become one of the biggest casualties of the nurses’ endorsement of the collective agreement put forward by district health boards (DHBs).
After almost a year of complex negotiations and a national strike which saw about 30,000 New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation (NZNO) members walk off the job, a ‘‘majority’’ of nurses voted in favour of the fifth iteration of the deal in an announcement made yesterday.
One of the pillars of the newly-inked agreement was a provision for 500 nurses to be introduced in response to nurses’ concerns about unsafe staffing levels.
But with many nurses driven from the industry because of high workloads and low pay, questions have been raised about where the workers would come from.
Professor Jenny Carryer of Massey University’s school of nursing worried yesterday’s agreement would see a ‘‘drift’’ from aged care organisations, largely run by private operators, to public hospitals.
‘‘The drift across will also make it almost impossible to attract new graduates to aged care ... they might end up robbing Peter to pay Paul,’’ Carryer said.
Aged Care Association chief executive Simon Wallace said his organisation had already seen nurses leave while the deal was being hammered out.
Now it was finalised, Wallace was certain more would leave.
Yesterday, Health Minister David Clark gave assurances the 500-nurse target was achievable and the Government could keep up with its end of the safe staffing accord signed less than a fortnight ago.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged DHBs had been ‘‘carrying’’ a large number of nursing vacancies in the past, but that was likely to change thanks to the accord.
DHB spokesman Jim Green said, as well as introducing three pay increases of 3 per cent, the Government had provided an immediate response of $38 million to finance recruitment.
Ministry of Health acting chief nursing director Dr Jill Clendon said the organisation ‘‘will be looking closely at enrolled nurses’’ to support their transition into the registered nursing sector.