Hawke's Bay DHB chief executive Keriana Brooking pleased that 98 per cent of staff have now been vaccinated. Photo / Warren Buckland
Hawke's Bay District Health Board has promised patients their quality of care won't be affected by the stand-down of 51 staff members, including 17 nurses, for refusing the Covid-19 vaccine.
The figure, as of 9am Wednesday, does not include DHB staff who have resigned over the mandate.
Those numbers are expected to be released next week.
Brooking said high numbers of staff vaccinated against Covid-19 provided confidence the Hawke's Bay District Health Board could continue providing its hospital and health services without "compromising" clinical safety or quality patient care.
"Ninety-eight per cent of staff have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, which is very pleasing and we continue to work with 2 per cent of staff identified where proof of vaccination or medical status is being worked through.
"While there are small gaps spread across the DHB, services remain sustainable."
New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) said the nurses being stood down at the DHB added to staffing woes.
The shortage of nurses and working conditions were highlighted in a Provisional Improvement Notice (PIN) issued by the organisation relating to the Emergency Department, in September.
It claimed the DHB had failed in its primary duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
NZNO organiser Sue Wolland said issuing the PIN became necessary because repeated attempts to escalate concerns about dangerous working conditions, including stretched nursing staff, had been ignored or minimised.
The NZNO today said they were working with the DHB in "good faith" to resolve the issues.
TAS lead DHB chief executive Rosemary Clements said boards continued to consult with unvaccinated staff members who were stood down to answer any questions they might have, discuss other options such as redeployment, support them through the process and encourage them to consider vaccination.
If staff choose to be vaccinated while they are stood down, they would be able to return to the DHB.
"We have engaged and agreed with the health sector unions on the processes we are following."
Clements said effects on services would vary between DHBs and mitigations to minimise impacts where necessary included careful staff rostering and close monitoring of any areas where there might be a staff shortage.
"Our absolute focus is on ensuring continuity of patient care."
Clements said DHBs would be able early next week to provide an update on the numbers of staff who would be leaving the DHBs because of their unvaccinated status.
As of today, three quarters of the region's Māori population had received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine.
Overall, 88 per cent of the eligible population in Hawke's Bay had received their first dose, and 78 per cent were fully vaccinated.
And 88 per cent of the eligible population in Napier, CHB and Hastings had received at least one dose of the vaccine. In Wairoa, 80 per cent of the population had received at least one dose.
Central Hawke's Bay District Council chief executive Monique Davidson told Hawke's Bay Today that they were notified by a trucking company that a driver who had delivered furniture to the railway office in Waipukurau had tested positive.
"This has not been confirmed by the Hawke's Bay DHB," she said.
"We got the notification from the trucking company, we informed the DHB who would be following the appropriate lines of query."
She said the council was taking precautionary measures, and said the office could be a possible location of interest.
"Again, this has not been confirmed."
Hawke's Bay Today understands that staff who had been working there yesterday and today were asked to go home immediately, as a precaution.
She said she understood the trucking company was not based in Hawke's Bay.
A DHB spokesperson said the board was advised today of a potential exposure to Covid-19 in Central Hawke's Bay yesterday.
Hawke's Bay DHB's Public Health Unit found the risk posed to the potentially exposed person was low.
"The DHB also deems the risk low to other staff and the wider community."
While the railway office in CHB was not confirmed as a location of interest, as at 4pm today, Four Square Woodville was.
Anyone who went to the store on November 16 between 4.10 and 4.25pm is supposed to self-monitor for Covid-19 symptoms for 10 days.
If symptoms develop, get a test and stay at home until you get a negative test result and until 24 hours after symptoms resolve.