Christchurch Hospital staff poised to strike for two hours Friday afternoon
Photo:
RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Nurses on three wards at Christchurch Hospital will walk off the job on Friday afternoon to protest chronic staffing shortages.
The Nurses' Organisation (NZNO) said union members in theatre, post-anaesthetic care and radiology would strike for two hours from 2pm.
NZNO Christchurch Hospital theatre delegate Gayl Marryatt said the strike was a result of the desperate staffing issues faced by members on a daily basis that had not been resolved in bargaining with Health New Zealand.
"We hear of staff on the wards going home in tears, because they can't provide the care that they feel the patients need," she said. "The medications and treatments are getting delayed, because they just don't have the time to get round all their patients.
"I've heard of hospital aids who sit with patients on the ward and that patient, in an entire shift, doesn't see a nurse, because they have a hospital aid with them, because nurses are dealing with sicker patients.
"We are taking this action so Te Whatu Ora recognises there are not enough nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaimahi hauora [health workers]."
Health New Zealand encouraged the union to return to bargaining.
"We are aware that NZNO have issued a strike notice for a two-hour withdrawal of labour tomorrow from 2-4pm, covering Christchurch Hospital members working in perioperative, theatres and radiology services," said industrial relations executive lead Robyn Shearer.
"Contingency plans are in place to ensure the continued delivery of health services during the strike."
Shearer said the NZNO withdrew a two-hour strike notice in Christchurch on Wednesday on behalf of perioperative, theatre and radiology services staff, shortly before they were due to walk off the job.
"Given the notice, Health NZ contingency planners prepared accordingly, and postponed planned care and first specialist appointments in the impacted departments," she said. "The strike notice was lifted 45 minutes before the action was due to start, leaving no time to re-instate the postponed planned care and appointments.
"Health NZ is deeply concerned at these actions and the impacts this will have on the 85 patients, who had their care postponed yesterday.
"While we recognise the right of NZNO members to strike, actions such as those taken yesterday in Christchurch have real impacts on patients."
Nurses planned to hold nationwide industrial action on 2 September and 4 September, calling for
better nurse-to-patient ratios
and a return to hiring every graduate.
Health NZ said it was deeply concerned by September's strike plans, which it said would cause the postponement of more than 2200 planned procedures, 3600 first-specialist appointments and 8000 follow-up appointments.
Nurses last went on strike in late July, [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/568435/nurses-strike-prompts-emergency-department-warning
with similar demands].
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Christchurch Hospital's specialist trauma service made no difference in first year
Christchurch Hospital is the largest trauma centre in the South Island. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon A "minimally resourced" specialist trauma service at Christchurch Hospital failed to make any difference for patients in its first year, due to poor staffing and limited operating hours, new research has found. Christchurch Hospital, the largest trauma centre in the South Island, established a specialist trauma admitting service in January 2022. Internationally, such services have been shown to improve survival rates and recovery for patients admitted to hospital after major trauma. However, the Otago University study, published in The New Zealand Medical Journal on Friday, which involved nearly 800 patients, found "no measurable improvement" in major trauma outcomes for those admitted in its first year of operation, compared with those admitted the year before. The authors, including surgeons, said "resourcing limitations have undermined the potential impact of this service". "The Christchurch TAS was launched without adequate funding, resulting in significant staffing shortfalls, including limited trauma surgeon involvement (fewer than four hours per week), no dedicated house officer and restricted operational hours (Monday to Friday only)," it said. "As a result, trauma patients admitted over the weekend were initially managed by the on-call surgical teams before being handed over to the TAS on Monday, potentially leading to delays or inconsistencies in tertiary survey completion. "This has meant that patients admitted over weekends are initially managed by on-call teams before being transferred to the TAS, introducing delays and potential inconsistencies in care." Due to staffing shortages there were periods when the service was not functioning at all, which probably diluted its impact, the report noted. "An example of this is when there was a lack of registrar cover, and so the entire service was closed over the Christmas and New Year period in 2023/2024." Another limitation was "inconsistent or missing data", which may have affected the accuracy of outcome measures and "masked potential areas of improvement", researchers said. Injury is the leading cause of death in New Zealand for those under the age of 35, and the second most common reason for hospitalisation. Although most New Zealand hospitals have dedicated trauma assessment teams (including staff from emergency medicine, general surgery, anaesthetics and nursing), only two of the country's seven tertiary hospitals provide ongoing inpatient trauma-specific care through dedicated trauma admission teams. Health NZ has been approached for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
12 hours ago
- Scoop
Māori Health Leaders Warn Against Government Bill Stripping Treaty Rights
Ka anga atu au ki te anamata, ka titiro ki tua ki te pitomata, he ao anō kei mua i te aroaro – he reanga hou, he reanga reo! Te Pae Oranga o Ruahine o Tararua is today cautioning the Government's proposed Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill and its reduction of Māori governance in health decision-making. Te Pae Oranga Pītau Whakarei (Chief Executive) Naomi Manu MNZM says, 'While we are disappointed with the proposal to remove our direct link to Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand and the Government, we remain resolute in our focus on oranga tonutanga (lifelong wellness) for whānau in our rohe, and upholding mana motuhake (self-determination) in health decision-making.' Te Pae Oranga was established as the Mid-Central Iwi Māori Partnership Board in the 2022 Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act to represent and advocate for the health needs of the 44,000 Māori in the Manawatū, Palmerston North, Horowhenua, Tararua and Ōtaki regions. 'On behalf of the seven mana whenua in this rohe who entrusted us with their mandate, we will continue to advocate for the health needs and aspirations of whānau in this rohe, advise how the healthcare system is performing, and recommend health system design and service delivery to improve outcomes for our whānau.' Te Pae Oranga says the Bill proposes changes that undermine Te Tiriti obligations, iwi and Māori governance roles in health, and equity protections across vulnerable population groups. The proposed Bill strips key functions of the locally appointed IMPBs, removes explicit Crown responsibilities concerning Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and removes the health equity principles, which significantly weaken Crown responsibilities to marginalised populations, including Māori, disabled communities, refugees, migrants, LGBTQIA+ communities, and others. The principles guide the healthcare system to specifically work towards better outcomes for communities that historically suffer worse health outcomes, including Māori, who die an average of seven years earlier than non-Māori in New Zealand. 'We agree with the Minister of Health's focus on the healthcare system's accountability, efficiency and delivery of better outcomes for patients. Te Pae Oranga already holds proven solutions and local data to inform this work, and we invite Health Minister Simeon Brown to engage with us on how to deliver those outcomes together,' says Manu. Manu asks, 'Who is better placed to represent Māori communities than locally chosen Māori health leaders? We're still here and we will continue doing the work to improve the health system.' In April this year, Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand reported back to Te Pae Oranga results of their hauora Māori services outcome reporting and noted that: '43% of the people accessing hauora Māori healthcare services in the Mid-Central district do not identify as Māori, showing we know what works across the system.' The Government introduced the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill to Parliament on 2 July to amend the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. Parliament referred the Bill to the Health Select Committee, which will receive written submissions until 1 pm on 18 August 2025. The Committee will then report back to Parliament by 24 November 2025. The 2022 Act established the Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) and outlined their role in engaging with communities, assessing the state of hauora Māori, monitoring health sector performance, and working with Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora to develop priorities for improving hauora Māori. About Te Pae Oranga o Ruahine o Tararua Te Pae Oranga o Ruahine o Tararua is the Iwi Māori Partnership Board established in the 2022 Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act to listen to and advocate for the health needs of the 44,000 Māori in the Manawatū, Palmerston North, Horowhenua, Tararua and Ōtaki regions known as the Mid-Central District. Te Pae Oranga is an iwi-mandated Charitable Trust representing the seven mana whenua, mātāwaka and mana whaikaha across the Mid-Central district. Te Pae Oranga board members were appointed by the Mid-Central community after its establishment in 2022. As in the first article of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – governance over Māori affairs – Te Pae Oranga works towards better health outcomes for the Mid-Central district. About Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards IMPBs are representatives connected with and appointed by their communities because they are best placed to understand the needs of whānau, hapū and iwi in their respective regions, working to a future of pae ora (good health). IMPBs' role is to listen to the health needs and priorities of Māori communities, and work to meet these with government and the health sector.
RNZ News
17 hours ago
- RNZ News
Young people speak on the impact of having concussions
sport health about 1 hour ago An expert in traumatic brain injuries is calling for consistent protocols when dealing with concussions in schoolyard sport to prevent debilitating long-term impacts. While there's greater awareness about the risks associated with concussion, Pat Hopkins from the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust said that too often, head knocks are treated differently if they occur during lower-level sports. Checkpoint spoke to young people who've been concussed playing sport at school and university, and continue to suffer consequences for years afterwards. Bella Craig reports.
