Nurses rally against unsafe shifts
Palmerston North Hospital nurses and midwives say Te Whatu Ora needs a budget boost so it can save lives, not money.
About 20 New Zealand Nurses Organisation members rallied outside the hospital at lunchtime yesterday after the release of Te Whatu Ora’s own data showing more than one quarter of shifts across New Zealand hospitals were staffed below safety targets in 2023.
Association board member Saju Cherian said Palmerston North’s figures were in line with what was happening around the country.
MidCentral’s worst statistic was in cancer care, Ward 23, where 529 shifts were below target, and it was under-staffed for 48% of shifts.
Close behind was the medical assessment and planning unit, behind on 522 shifts, or 47%.
Others triggering unsafe staffing ratios more than 25% of the time included neonatal, coronary care, critical and intensive care, and Ward 29 surgical. Cherian said the data was “scary”. He said the reality was even worse, as the Emergency Department and some other services did not even use the TrendCare system to record staffing ratios.
It also did not capture how far short of targets the shifts were operating, and how many were supported by staff staying on after their shifts and working overtime to cover the gaps.
Unsafe staffing would inevitably be causing complications, incidents and even deaths among patients whose care was compromised or delayed, he said.
The purpose of yesterday’s rallies was to increase public awareness and support, and to put pressure on the Coalition Government to provide more money in the Budget later this month to improve staffing. “We are doing this for the New Zealand people. They are the people who are suffering in unsafe situations,” Cherian said. “They are not getting the care they need.” He said at the moment the Government seemed to be trying to run health like a business, trying to save money by asking staff to stop overtime and not cover sick leave, at the expense of patient care and staff wellbeing.
It was proving difficult and time-consuming to get sign-off for the appointment of new staff who would help fill the roster gaps.
Cherian said it was ironic that hospitals could not fully staff their services when some 500 internationally qualified nurses were in New Zealand, trained and registered and ready for work if only employers would take them on and help get them on to work visas.
Nurses’ organisation chief executive Paul Goulter described the data released in response to an Official Information Act request as alarming.
“Te Whatu Ora staffing data from 2023 reveals just how dire the situation has become and it’s no surprise nurses are leaving faster than they can be replaced.”
Te Whatu Ora MidCentral was not able to provide a response to the nurses’ data release yesterday.