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1News
40 minutes ago
- Health
- 1News
Nurses across the country strike over 'dire' staffing situation
Close to 36,000 nurses, midwives, and healthcare workers have begun a nationwide 24-hour strike today. From 9am, members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation walked off the job. Those in the public health sector were overworked, under-resourced, and understaffed, the union said. Health New Zealand said that despite today's strike, hospitals and emergency departments would remain open. The latest mediation talks between the union and Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora broke down, leading to the strike. NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter told Breakfast mediation fell through because 'the gaps were just big'. ADVERTISEMENT 'It seems that the staffing claims we have in front of them, they couldn't meet that. He said the issue of staffing was a 'serious' and 'long-term' problem within the sector and believed the Government was not prepared to fund to levels the union believed were safe. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including UK set to recognise Palestine, fire closes another Auckland supermarket, and Australia's plan to clamp down on YouTube access. (Source: 1News) Goulter wanted Health NZ to enforce the existing staffing model. 'They've just, in our view, walked away from it. They're saying, 'you've got a model in place, it says how many staff you're going to need on any particular shift or any particular ward, staff up to it'," he said. 'And they can't do or won't do that.' He said staffing levels on the ground had led to nurses retiring 'fatigued, worn out, angry, frustrated, and distressed'. Thatmeant patients were not receiving the care they needed and were often handled by other staff members, such as healthcare assistants. 'It looks like nurses are not being able to spend the time that they were trained to do with patients, and all that leads up to a pretty dire situation.' ADVERTISEMENT Nurses go on strike in Greymouth. (Source: 1News) Nurses across the country gathered outside hospitals, chanting and waving flags. In Greymouth, duty nurse manager Michelle Gunn said the strike was needed to alert the public to "a desperate need for safe staffing". "We are chronically short in there and it's just getting worse and worse. People are leaving, they're going overseas, they are leaving for all sorts of reasons and they are just not being replaced. "Ultimately, we are here for our patients," she said. In Dunedin, nurse Robyn Hewlett said there was a good turnout from members, which showed 'everyone is supporting the strike'. 'This just shows how deeply we feel about safe staffing.' ADVERTISEMENT Near the rally in Christchurch, one man was taken into custody by police after he and another man acted in a "threatening manner" towards the protesters. According to Stuff, the man had a knife and threatened nurses, claiming his grandmother was "dying" in the hospital and they weren't working. Health NZ said hospitals would remain open during the strike, and emergency care would continue to be provided. All emergency departments would be open, and all serious services would be there for those who needed them. All deferred appointments would be rescheduled to the next available opportunity. Health NZ said those with an appointment, who had not heard otherwise, should turn up as usual. Health NZ estimated 4300 planned procedures and specialist appointments would need to be postponed due to the strike. Striking nurses protest in Wellington. (Source: 1News) Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, acting chief clinical officer at Health New Zealand, said all hospitals were facing an 'awful lot of pressure' during the winter months, and today's strike would make things 'particularly tricky'. 'What we're asking people is, remember, if you're not sure if this is truly an emergency or not, there are other options before you turn up to ED.' ADVERTISEMENT She recommended that people call Healthline or their GP if they were unsure whether it was an emergency. If it was still an emergency, she urged people to go to the emergency department, but to expect some delays. 'Waits may be longer, and we'd ask you to bear with us, and please don't take it out on our staff who are there.' Striking nurses hold a rally in Dunedin. (Source: 1News) On strike itself, Dame Helen said the organisation respected the union's right to take industrial action, but said it was 'clearly' disappointing. She urged the union to come back to the negotiating table. Responding to the union's concerns of staffing, she said Health NZ took safe staffing 'very, very seriously'. "Everyone is working incredibly hard with the resources we've got to provide the best possible care."
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Health NZ admits it can't afford to employ all nurses wanting work
Photo: RNZ Health NZ says that it has more than enough nurses available to work in the public hospital system, but financial constraints mean they cannot afford to employ them all. Nursing students and recent graduates say they are being "failed" by Health NZ, which has employed just 45 percent of mid-year graduates. Health NZ figures show just 323 of 722 applicants have got jobs in hospitals through its Advanced Choice of Employment Mid-Year matching process. More than 36,000 nurses and other professions are striking for 24-hours from 9am over their pay offer and what they say is staff shortages. Health NZ's acting clinical director Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard told Morning Report the agency needs to look at staffing levels 'in the round'. "We're all in a fiscally constrained environment. Health NZ is fortunate at the moment we have plenty of nurses ready to work with us and we are keen to employ them where we can. "What we need to do is look at our staffing levels in the round, it's not just about nursing, safe staffing is about everybody who delivers care for patients." Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi She said safe staffing involves not just nurse numbers but is a process looking at every profession delivering care. Asked if New Zealand had safe staffing levels, Stokes-Lampard said: "Health NZ is working towards achieving safe staffing wherever we can." Health NZ was committed to doing what it could with what it has, she said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
19 hours ago
- Health
- RNZ News
What you need to know about Wednesday's nurses strike
Nurses held an 8-hour strike last December. A new strike is planned for 24 hours on Wednesday. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Nurses are going on strike on Wednesday. About 36,000 nurses, midwives and health care assistants will be off the job from 9am Wednesday to 9am Thursday. Last-ditch negotiations on Monday failed to reach an agreement . There will be pickets and marches throughout the country. Nurses are concerned about staffing levels and safety . The latest pay offer was also dismissed as a "massive backward step" . Health NZ is offering a 3 percent pay rise over 27 months, plus two lump sum payments of $325. NZNO's counter-offer seeks a 5 percent pay rise over two years, along with $2000 flat rate increases for senior positions. The union also seeks to restore a Tikanga Māori allowance. "The average salary for both senior and registered nurses, including overtime, PDRP allowance, and penal rates, is $125,662, Health NZ said . "Members also need a wage offer that enables them to meet the rising cost of living without them and their whānau going backwards financially for the important mahi they do," said Paul Goulter, chief executive of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. "We believe the offer we have made to the union is a fair one given our current financial constraints," Health NZ said. In a statement, Health New Zealand said "we are disappointed that the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is taking strike action when there is a fair offer on the table." "We are concerned about the impact strike action will have on patients who are waiting for planned care." Goulter said the latest offer from Health New Zealand ignores worries about safe staffing . "Patients are at risk because of short staffing. Nurses, midwives and health care assistants are stretched too thin and can't give patients the care they need. This is heartbreaking for our exhausted members who became health care workers because they want to help people." A safe staffing agreement was dropped from negotiations with Health New Zealand. Figures obtained by NZNO from Health New Zealand show surgical hospital wards were short-staffed more than half of all day shifts last year. Health New Zealand said in their statement it also seeks to keep nurses and patients safe. "While we are aware of NZNO's commentary in recent weeks we would like to reassure New Zealanders that Health NZ is completely committed to safe staffing. "For us safe staffing in a busy hospital environment includes the skills mix of the staff, the way care is provided, strong clinical judgement, flexibility and thoughtful decision making from our experienced leaders on the frontline. We take responsibility for operational and patient safety decisions seriously as we are accountable for the safety of patients who access our services." Paul Goulter, chief executive of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Goulter said the key issue was making sure there was enough staff to "ensure patient safety", which was "foremost in the minds of our members" during negotiations. "While, obviously, there's a wage element, we're trying to do our best to ensure we get staffing that's appropriate to meet what patients need and we seem to have come up short on that," he told RNZ recently. Negotiations began last October, but the union said bargaining had stalled over "big ticket items" centred on public safety. Nurses also walked off the job in strike in December for eight hours. "We are striking because patient safety is at risk every day due to chronic understaffing and under-resourcing," Wellington nurse Hilary Gardner said. "We simply don't have enough nurses to provide the level of care our patients need and deserve. It's not safe, and it's not fair - for patients, their whānau, or the staff trying to care for them. We've raised concerns time and time again, but nothing changes - so now we're taking action to stand up for safer care." Acute and emergency services will still be provided, including maternity care, intensive care, ambulance services and emergency departments. Patients already in hospital will still receive ongoing care. "... The public can be reassured that we have an agreement with NZNO for life preserving services support throughout the strike and our hospitals and emergency departments will remain open," Health NZ Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley said. "To maintain patient safety, most clinics will be closed. However, if you have a hospital appointment, please come to your appointment unless we have contacted you directly to reschedule." However, most appointments for the strike days will be rescheduled. "It is estimated that 4300 planned procedures and specialist appointments would have to be postponed should the 24-hour strike action on 30 and 31 July go ahead," Dr Bramley said. Aged residential care, St John Ambulance, GPs and hospice services are not affected by the strike and will carry on as normal. Anyone unsure about whether they need emergency department care should contact their GP or call Healthline 0800 611 116 for free advice. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The union does not rule out further action if their concerns aren't met, Goulter said. "Our members have indicated this strike is just the beginning and they are in it for the long haul." "Our members don't take this action lightly. They are striking because they are exasperated with being short-staffed and their patients being put at risk because Te Whatu Ora refuses to resource safe staffing levels and instead staffs to an arbitrary budget set by the government. "The public know that when there aren't enough nurses, patients wait longer to get the care they need. Critical observations and treatments may be delayed, errors are more likely and health outcomes worsen. A lack of nurses has reduced numbers of elective surgeries for years and contributed to longer waiting times and the current backlog. "Any member of the public who has been to a hospital recently knows the reality for patients and the nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora who care for them." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Over 36,000 nurses, midwives to strike for 24 hours on Wednesday
Nurses striking in Auckland on 3 December, 2024. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Last-ditch talks between Health NZ and the country's biggest nurses' union on Monday have failed to avert a nationwide strike later this week. More than 36,000 nurses, midwives, heatlhcare assistants and kaimahi hauora are set to walk off the job for 24 hours from 9am on Wednesday. Health NZ said the latest bargaining meeting with the Nurses Organisation on Monday had not resolved all the outstanding issues, but there were contingency plans in place to ensure patient safety during the strike. It estimated about 4300 procedures and specialist appointments would have to be postponed as a result.. NZNO chief executive Paul Goutler said its members were "exasperated" by Health NZ's refusal to acknowledge chronic short-staffing through negotiations, which began last September. "Short-staffing not only puts patients at risk, it impacts on the number of procedures and assessments hospitals can carry out, adding to wait times. "Nurses, midwives and health care assistants want to give their patients the care they need, when they need it. Instead they are stretched too thin and their patients are forced to wait for care. This can lead to unnecessary pain and discomfort for patients and heartbreak for their friends and whānau watching them suffer." There was such a dire lack of health care assistants at Christchurch Hospital recently that whānau were asked to come in and help their loved ones, he said. NZNO president and Dunedin nurse Anne Daniels said in 45 years of nursing, she had never seen the public health system "in such a state of failure". "We have far too few nurses to provide safe and timely care. That is hurting our patients, and it is heartbreaking for us to go to work each day knowing that despite all our best efforts there are just not enough of us to stop the escalating avoidable patient harm. "Nurses are not being recruited to replace those who are leaving in their thousands, and nurses are not being paid competitively to keep them in New Zealand. Our work conditions are desperate, and that takes a toll on us all every day. That's why I am striking." Health NZ was disappointed at the strike action "when there is a fair offer on the table". "We are concerned about the impact strike action will have on patients who are waiting for planned care. "We appreciate it is never an easy decision for any of our nurses to strike. We sincerely thank the nurses who will be delivering life preserving services and all the volunteers who will be supporting our clinical services during the strike period." It said it was committted to safe staffing and its offer was fair given its financial contraints. "The offer rejected by the union would see a new graduate nurse on $75,773 gain a total pay increase of $8337 (or 11 percent) by the end of June 2026 once step progression is included. A registered nurse on the highest step with a base salary of $106,739 would see their pay increase by $3224 to $109,963 by the end of June 2026." The average salary for both senior and registered nurses, including overtime and allowances, was $125,662, Health NZ said. It's advising patients: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Dead teen's family told they had to get his body back to hometown
A teenager's death from complications after surgery revealed troubling gaps in complex care across the South Island at the time, the Health and Disability Commissioner says. The 19-year-old died in 2015 in circumstances where his family never had the chance to say goodbye. In addition, within minutes of them being told the teen was 'brain dead' they were asked if they would like to donate his organs. The teen's family was also told by a social worker that it was up to them to organise transportation of their son's body back to where they lived. A complaint to the coroner was referred to the HDC. In a decision released today, Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Vanessa Caldwell found that Health NZ breached a section of the Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights code, around gaps in information and delays associated with the air retrieval team. She was also critical of why alternative transport options had not been considered for the teen who had been taken to and from various hospitals for specialised treatment and care. Health NZ had sincerely apologised for its departure from the standard of care. Death unexpected The teen died unexpectedly after suffering complications related to a postoperative wound infection. He had undergone elective surgery at a South Island tertiary hospital for the removal of benign tumours from his nervous system. Caldwell said it was complicated by postoperative infection and meningitis which required further hospitalisations at a secondary hospital and later, another tertiary hospital. The postoperative infection was treated successfully, but the teen continued to suffer complications. He was later re-admitted to hospital with ongoing headaches and vomiting but a further lumbar puncture was not done because of concerns over how the teen was coping. A decision was made to send him back to the tertiary hospital where the initial surgery was done, to insert a shunt to drain excess fluid surrounding his brain and spinal cord. Because he was considered 'neurologically stable' and there were operational delays by the air retrieval team, a decision was made to delay the transfer for a few days. While waiting, he collapsed and had a cardiac arrest. The neurosurgeon's team rushed to the hospital where he was and administered critical care but he continued to deteriorate. He was transferred back to the tertiary hospital but certified brain dead after he arrived. Outcome linked to delayed transfer Caldwell said there was dispute as to whether he would have benefited from an earlier transfer. Caldwell acknowledged the family's concerns regarding the neurosurgical care provided but she considered that Health NZ provided him with a reasonable standard of care. She said the teen's poor outcome was attributed to the delay by the air retrieval team in transferring him. However, his care was triaged and prioritised appropriately based on the information available to the team at the time, Caldwell said. An initial referral was made at 6pm and triaged by the flight coordinator with input from a senior medical consultant. Because he was considered neurologically stable and the air retrieval team was scheduled to return from another job, a collective decision was made to depart the next morning, with an expected arrival back by early afternoon. The air retrieval team stated that this was the nature of prioritisation under a resource-constrained environment, Caldwell said. On the morning of the scheduled transfer, a further delay occurred because a flight nurse had to stand down for rest after attending an overnight retrieval. Efforts were made to contact other flight nurses and intensive care nurses who were not on the roster, but none were available. At the time, the air retrieval team had been experiencing increased demands but nurse staffing levels had not increased, Caldwell said. She said between March 2015 and March 2016, there were 60 occasions when a second retrieval had been requested but could not respond. An expert's advice was that road transfer could have been considered as an alternative option but the surgeon disagreed. He said that in his experience, moving patients by road had led to a negative outcome, because of the lack of ambulance staff and inability of the ambulances to cross boundaries between healthcare districts at the time. List of changes made since The air retrieval team had since made a comprehensive list of changes, including additional nursing staff, and has introduced improved communication and operational guidelines. Caldwell said a 'significant number of changes' to the health sector had since been made. She said the amalgamation of the 20 district health boards into Health NZ had created better service integration, sharing of resources, and communication between treating teams. Health NZ Southern and Health NZ Waitaha Canterbury districts were asked to provide a formal written apology for the breaches identified in the report. Tracy Neal, Open Justice reporter
