Nurses’ pay gains cause ‘crisis’ for aged care

Record numbers of nurses are leaving aged care homes for the public sector in anticipation of better pay and conditions in a proposed collective agreement, an industry body claims.

The New Zealand Aged Care Association said nursing shortages were reaching crisis point, with some providers warning of closures due to the difficulty of attracting staff.

The association has repeatedly claimed immigration settings have made it difficult for its members, which include rest homes, to recruit from overseas. This is being compounded, it says, by registered nurses leaving in anticipation of a better pay deal with district health boards (DHBs).

DHBs and the New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation (NZNO) have been trying to reach a new collective for a year.

The union will today announce the result of a vote on the DHBs’ latest offer, which includes pay increases of between 12.5 to 15.9 per cent.

Figures provided by the association show that at the end of 2017 the average hourly rate for a registered nurse in the aged care sector was $28.17, and $25.22 for a new nurse.

Under the proposed DHBs’ offer, a fulltime registered nurse on the top pay scale would earn $77,386 a year, or about $37.20 an hour. New graduates would earn $54,034, or about $25.97 an hour.