Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation in Whanganui gathered at Majestic Square. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation in Whanganui gathered at Majestic Square. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
A nationwide 24-hour strike for better pay and safer staffing had Whanganui nurses and healthcare workers out in force on Wednesday.
When the strike began at 9am, the workers were given a guard of honour at the main entrance of Whanganui Hospital by New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union members andschool learning support staff before rallying in Majestic Square.
More than 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and healthcare workers are on strike across New Zealand for 24 hours in a bid to get Health NZ to recruit to safe staffing levels.
A last-minute mediation between Health NZ Te Whatu Ora and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) failed.
NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter said Te Whatu Ora “refused to meet our urgent claim to recruit into roles identified as being necessary for safe staffing”.
“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,” Goulter said.
“Today’s strike marks only the beginning of action if Te Whatu Ora doesn’t realise the risks its staff and patients are under.”
Whanganui nurses were given a guard of honour by Whanganui firefighters and teaching support staff as they began their strike. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Whanganui Hospital’s nurse educator in critical care Maura Skilton said “nothing has changed for the better” since December and the hospital had increased staff absences, turnover and staff working longer than scheduled shifts.
“Patients are still turning up, we’ve got the weekly health targets which we try to meet, but it’s taking a lot of extra effort on behalf of the nurse to meet them,” Skilton said.
The health targets include making cancer treatments faster and closer to home, shorter waits for patients waiting to see a specialist and shorter waits for surgery.
“To meet some of those targets, nurses and doctors are putting on extra theatre lists; that means theatre days are being extended so a nurse, instead of working until 4pm, is now expected to work until 6pm,” she said.
Increased hours were resulting in healthcare workers being mentally fatigued and at risk of making crucial mistakes with patients.
Skilton said Health NZ had paused the care capacity demand management system (CCDM) to cut costs.
CCDM is internationally recognised as an illness and staffing model which calculates how many nurse hours are required to provide safe care for patients based on the patient’s current illness and the other diseases that are present.
Health NZ said it was committed to safe staffing and its offer was fair given its financial constraints.
Health NZ chief executive Dr Dale Bramley estimated that about 4300 planned procedures had to be postponed because of the strike.
“With nurses across the country striking for 24 hours from 9am [Wednesday], Health New Zealand is asking the public to support our services by reserving our emergency departments (ED) for emergencies only,” Bramley said.
“Patient safety will remain our priority throughout the strike, and we have plans in place to ensure the continued delivery of health services.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks to all our hospital staff working today to support clinical services, including the NZNO members who will be on shift today to ensure the delivery of life-preserving services.”
About 100 members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation in Whanganui went on a 24-hour strike from 9am Wednesday for better pay and safer staffing. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Whanganui nurse Eugene Kennelly said his biggest concern was the erosion of New Zealand’s public healthcare system.
“The biggest asset Te Whatu Ora has is its staff, along with the skills, goodwill and commitment of those staff,” he said.
“New Zealand has a health care system that expects and demands excellence, while barely adequate resources allow the maintenance of minimally acceptable standards and where staff bear the responsibility for any shortfall of desired outcomes.
“We cannot expect goodwill and commitment to continue where maximum output is expected while minimal resources are provided.
“Te Whatu Ora is on its knees. These are our knees, and they are hurting.”
Skilton hoped the strike would force Health NZ into action by paying healthcare workers enough to cover the cost of living increases and providing enough support.
“We want reassurance that our CCDM model for patient staffing is honoured and met so we’ve truly got the right nurse, at the right place, at the right time, with the right skills.”
