Whangārei Hospital nurse delegates Bridget Firth, Sacha Young, Lisa Tito, Chantelle Thompson, Kayla Crossley and Sylvia Dodd are worried Health NZ is not valuing nurses. Photo / Denise Piper
Whangārei Hospital nurse delegates Bridget Firth, Sacha Young, Lisa Tito, Chantelle Thompson, Kayla Crossley and Sylvia Dodd are worried Health NZ is not valuing nurses. Photo / Denise Piper
This dire warning is particularly concerning as Te Tai Tokerau braces for its annual influx of summer visitors, which registered nurse and NZ Nurses Organisation delegate Sacha Young said puts an extra burden on hospital services.
But Health New Zealand said it is committed to safe staffing.
The argument over what is safe and fair comes as 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants nationwide walked off their jobs on Tuesday, striking for better conditions and pay in their collective bargain with Health NZ.
Life-preserving services were maintained throughout the strike.
More than 200 people took part in a march from Whangārei Hospital to Tarewa Park, with many waving flags and dressing in the purple colour of the NZ Nurses Organisation.
In Kaitāia, Kawakawa and Dargaville, fewer numbers took to the streets but they were equally enthusiastic.
A large concern is a pause on Health New Zealand’s Care Capacity Demand Management system: a tool to measure the number of fulltime equivalent (FTE) nurses needed per patient, she said.
“That means in this current environment of hiring freezes, there’s no accountability towards the FTEs, or lack of them.”
Whangārei Hospital patient Grant McKean was happy to wave a sign in support of the nurses' strike, saying nurses are the healthcare professionals patients see every day. Photo / Denise Piper
“New Zealanders ought to be really afraid about the degradation of the public nursing system,” she said.
“We bend over backwards to try and deliver the very best that we can for our patients.”
Another Whangārei Hospital nurse delegate, Lisa Tito, said Health NZ has indicated it would give nurses an increase of just 1% of total employee costs.
As this also covers costs like training, the actual increase that will go to nurses will be much less than 1%, she said.
“It’s a pay cut in these times really; due to the cost of living.”
Tito said nurses are also not being paid extra if they step into a more senior role, nor are they paid to work overtime to cover other nurses who are sick.
About 200 hospital nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants took to the streets of Whangarei on Tuesday, as part of the nationwide strike. Photo / Denise Piper
Her team has lost a clinical nurse co-ordinator, a senior position, to better pay and conditions in Australia. The role has not been filled.
Whangārei Hospital nurse of 13 years Bridget Firth said the lack of staffing means nurses feel like they’re treading water all the time, rather than giving the level of care needed.
“It’s not safe – sometimes when you come to hospital, it’s not.”
But Mark Shepherd, Health NZ northern regional deputy chief executive, said the organisation is committed to safe staffing and has not paused the Care Capacity Demand Management programme.
“We are undertaking a rapid improvement programme to assure the accuracy and quality of data, and the methodology used for Care Capacity Demand Management FTE calculations.
“FTE calculations will resume in the new year and be aligned to ongoing budget and planning cycle. This is in line with the normal cycle for approval of changes.”
Shepherd said while Health NZ values the enormous contribution of the nursing workforce, it is disappointed strike action is being taken so early in the bargaining process.
“We believe bargaining is the most effective way to resolve the outstanding issues and avoid any further disruption to patients and the wider health system.”
Shepherd said nurse salary increases have outperformed the broader labour market, with the middle salary for registered nurses rising 28% since 2016, with an additional 23% from the recent pay equity settlement on top of that.
Any settlement with members of the NZ Nurses Organisation would need to reflect the “ongoing reset” of Health NZ, as it works to get back to budget and complete restructuring, he said.
The centralised health organisation confirmed a deficit of $722 million for the 2023/24 year on Tuesday, compared to a budgeted surplus of $54m. It is also projecting a $1.1 billion loss for the 2024/24 year.
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.
