St John's volunteer changes alarm nurses union
Photo:
RNZ / Samantha Gee
The head of the nurses' union is "gobsmacked" by
St John's plan to get rid of volunteers in hospital emergency departments
, and says patients will suffer without them.
St John is axing a raft of volunteer programmes by June next year because they were not aligned with its new 10-year strategy.
The charity had 1100 volunteers supporting patients in emergency departments, being companions for long stay patients, and helping people find their way around hospitals. They also visit rest homes, reading to residents and helping with grocery shopping.
Nurses' Organisation president Anne Daniels said the volunteers were critical in the emergency department she works in.
"They are with the patients when we can't be with them because of our workloads," she said.
"They get cups of tea, they talk to the patients, they hold their hands. They come and talk to the nurses when a patient needs something, they're just there."
Patients would be more at risk without them, she said.
"I've had situations where a volunteer has come up to me and said 'I'm not sure that this patient is okay', and asked me to go and check them, and sure enough, they have been in dire need of emergency care."
St John said the move was
not about cutting costs
, but Daniels did not buy that.
"I believe that they are narrowing their scope of the help that they are actually giving to their communities," she said.
"This is going to have a huge impact on hospitals, the costs are going to soar, the patient harm is going to soar and families and communities are going to be harmed.
"I'm gobsmacked. I just cannot believe that this is real."
St John said it had to make some tough decisions as it looked to its 10-year strategy.
"This change is
not about cost saving
but ensuring the work we do has the greatest impact and is aligned with our strategic goal of helping people to achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes," it said in a statement.
Its deputy chief executive Pete Loveridge told
Checkpoint
it was working with volunteers to help "transition" them by June next year.
"In all deep honesty, I want to ensure these volunteers can still contribute in the same way they are doing now, and we are going to be working over the next 10 months to look for new providers to continue those services," he said.
St John was looking into having hospitals and rest homes take over the volunteer programmes, it said.
RNZ has approached Health NZ and the Aged Care Association for comment.
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St John's volunteer changes alarm nurses union
The St John charity is planning to axe a programme that puts volunteers in hospital emergency departments. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee The head of the nurses' union is "gobsmacked" by St John's plan to get rid of volunteers in hospital emergency departments , and says patients will suffer without them. St John is axing a raft of volunteer programmes by June next year because they were not aligned with its new 10-year strategy. The charity had 1100 volunteers supporting patients in emergency departments, being companions for long stay patients, and helping people find their way around hospitals. They also visit rest homes, reading to residents and helping with grocery shopping. Nurses' Organisation president Anne Daniels said the volunteers were critical in the emergency department she works in. "They are with the patients when we can't be with them because of our workloads," she said. "They get cups of tea, they talk to the patients, they hold their hands. They come and talk to the nurses when a patient needs something, they're just there." Patients would be more at risk without them, she said. "I've had situations where a volunteer has come up to me and said 'I'm not sure that this patient is okay', and asked me to go and check them, and sure enough, they have been in dire need of emergency care." St John said the move was not about cutting costs , but Daniels did not buy that. "I believe that they are narrowing their scope of the help that they are actually giving to their communities," she said. "This is going to have a huge impact on hospitals, the costs are going to soar, the patient harm is going to soar and families and communities are going to be harmed. "I'm gobsmacked. I just cannot believe that this is real." St John said it had to make some tough decisions as it looked to its 10-year strategy. "This change is not about cost saving but ensuring the work we do has the greatest impact and is aligned with our strategic goal of helping people to achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes," it said in a statement. Its deputy chief executive Pete Loveridge told Checkpoint it was working with volunteers to help "transition" them by June next year. "In all deep honesty, I want to ensure these volunteers can still contribute in the same way they are doing now, and we are going to be working over the next 10 months to look for new providers to continue those services," he said. St John was looking into having hospitals and rest homes take over the volunteer programmes, it said. RNZ has approached Health NZ and the Aged Care Association for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
