Whangārei nurses say health crisis not over, safer staffing needed

Members of the NZ Nurses Organisation rally outside Whangārei Hospital to urge the government to introduce safe nurse-to-patient ratios. Photo / Denise Piper

Nurses rallying in Northland have a clear message: healthcare is still in crisis and safe staffing is needed.

The approximately 30 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants who took part in the rally in Whangārei on Tuesday afternoon - either before or after their shifts - are members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

They joined colleagues around the country calling on the Government to increase health funding in Budget 2024, to resolve the staffing crisis which saw more than a quarter of shifts in 2023 running without the target number of nurses.

Whangārei Hospital emergency department nurse and union delegate Rachel Thorn said the rally is about raising awareness of the need for safe nurse-to-patient ratios, which have helped save lives overseas.

“It’s to get the public aware that despite nurses getting pay equity and an increase last year, there’s still an issue with safety in the hospital ... If we’re looking after too many patients that creates a higher risk of a fatal or dangerous event happening.”

While Whangārei Hospital has made a good effort to hire more nurses this year, recent cuts by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora mean nurses who are off sick are unable to be replaced, Thorn said.

“We’re really concerned about that going into winter, when we have increased staff sickness, increased patients and increased acuity.”

A key concern is that Kiwi nurses will move to Australia where safe ratios are in place in some states, she said.

A Whangārei Hospital medical ward nurse, Coral Headey, said she has often seen nurses put in dangerous situations due to the high number of patients they have to look after.

“This Government is making it worse because they’re not allowing us to hire staff or allowing us to do overtime.”

Headey said the situation is so bad, nurses’ mental health is affected and some become suicidal.

“We’re taught that we’re there to care for people but all we do is damage control,” she said.

“It’s really upsetting; they can’t justify funding doctors and nurses but they’re spending money of getting new uniforms so it says just ‘Health New Zealand’ and not ‘Te Whatu Ora’.”

Mental health and public health are struggling to recruit and retain nurses, said Mark Furey, a delegate for the Public Service Association which covers these roles.

He also has seen this impact nurses’ mental health.

“They get into such a state that they are basically drowning in work and they find it difficult to co-ordinate anything else ... More than once I’ve had the discussion of people talking about suicide.”

Furey said the problems can not just be covered over, they need to be addressed with proper funding.

The nurse rally comes just days after a strike by junior doctors, who are protesting pay cuts to specialty junior doctors and GPs.

The Government will deliver Budget 24 on May 30.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.