Nursing stresses can be relieved

Dennis Pennefather

Opinion

‘Demoralising, heartbreaking' — one of the most poignant headlines I have ever seen in The Gisborne Herald.

Good to see the NZNO coming forward to publicly back local nurses over the issue of a provisional improvement notice from Ward 5, over unsafe staffing levels, although it would be good if the NZNO had a policy on the possible rehiring of mandated staff to fill the obvious vacancies — after all, it is the nurses' own organisation, not a secret society, and this issue is one that the organisation should have a clear policy on at this time.

This is possibly the most important issue for nurses within the present spectrum of healthcare problems, which are strongly entwined with public healthcare and general social wellbeing.

Your page 3 follow-up headline, ‘Patients aren't getting the care they deserve', profoundly states the obvious and is at the core of the whole sorry situation.

Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti interim director Jim Green states: “We will continue to do all we can to resolve the situation, which we monitor and respond to on a shift-by-shift basis.”

Respond to on a shift-by-shift basis? Does that mean there has been no formal planning around this dire situation which has existed for a considerable time now?

Responding on a “shift-by-shift-basis” is so unhelpful to the problem and further engenders a stressful situation, where nurses are being asked to work double shifts, come to work while unfit, etc.

In pledging support for nurses, Jim Green is again just offering platitudes.

How ridiculous to be in a situation where bed numbers on the ward might have to be reduced, to take pressure off staff.

The only factor that will help now and over the holidays is the emergency hiring of qualified staff, whether previously mandated out or not.

We know that they are out there. Even such hiring on interim contracts would help, leaving the overall issues to be ironed out at a later date when the pressure has come off a little — if it ever does.

The fact that this article has even surfaced is welcome, but given that the hospital is considering reducing beds on the ward as the only immediate action, the paper needs to ask both the NZNO and Jim Green about their policies on “re-hiring”.

I think it is about time the public were made privy to the “full story” — after all, if bed numbers are reduced, the only result of that will be that members of the public who should be in hospital will be asked to suffer at home instead.