Call for return of unvaxxed staff to ease hospital crisis

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The reinstatement of unvaccinated nurses, doctors, carers and non-clinical staff at Gisborne Hospital is a “starting point” for resolving severe staff shortages, Nurses for Freedom NZ says.

An official information request in August 2022 indicated seven registered nurses had lost their jobs at Te Whatu Ora-Tairāwhiti, Deborah Cunliffe of NFFNZ said

“This number, however, does not include those nurses who left or resigned before they were terminated, lead maternity carers, support workers/carers and non-clinical staff and those terminated since August 2022 for refusing to take the Covid-19 booster.

“Given the current understaffing being reported, reinstating even seven nurses would go some way to immediately alleviating the issues Ward 5 is currently experiencing and ensure there are enough experienced nurses on each shift to keep the community safe.”

NFFNZ was set up last year and describes itself as being committed to having unvaccinated nurses, midwives, careers and non-clinical staff back to work “in all settings and without prejudice”.

Ms Cunliffe was responding to The Gisborne Herald article reporting 41 nursing vacancies and 28 doctor vacancies at Gisborne Hospital.

Te Whatu Ora-Tairāwhiti told The Herald that unvaccinated staff were not being re-employed and it had recently completed internal consultation on an organisation-wide vaccination policy, which was “currently being finalised”.

A NFFNZ co-ordinator in Gisborne meets regularly with nurses terminated from the hospital workforce, says Ms Cunliffe,

“Sadly, other nurses and carers from non-government health settings are also joining the ranks of the unemployed.

“Many of these nurses had two Covid-19 vaccinations but declined the booster.

“The loss of every single one of these nurses has a negative impact on local health provision.

“The local community is being denied a level of care that every New Zealander should expect to receive in 2023, and more importantly, doctors, carers and nurses are working in dangerous conditions, which puts both them and their patients at risk.

“This is not acceptable, especially when local solutions are available.”

Ms Cunliffe said NFFNZ was devastated but not surprised to read about ongoing issues at Te Whatu Ora-Tairāwhiti.

“Exhausted nurses ‘with nothing else to give’ is sadly an indicator of the scenario being played out in many hospitals across New Zealand although we specifically acknowledge the recent weather-related events, and ‘hard-to-fill’ positions specific to Tairāwhiti and other rural regions.”

The Government mandate for health workers to be vaccinated was lifted in January but unvaccinated Gisborne nurses can still not return to work because Te Whatu Ora is maintaining the policy until such time as a national vaccination policy comes into effect.