Editorial: We must take care of medical staff

Middlemore Hospital staff held protests calling for improvements to security after a nurse and healthcare assistant were attacked. Photo / Doug Sherring

It's always heartwarming to hear of the birth of a new child. Dame Valerie Adams has announced the birth of her son — her second baby — on Instagram, which seems the way of important family announcements these days.

Baby Kepaleli arrived prematurely and is spending some time in Auckland Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. Adams, it's understood, is also having treatment after a surprise early arrival.

"It's been a long week for Dame Valerie and Gabriel," Adams' manager Nick Cowan told the Herald. "They thank everyone for their love and support this week and the Auckland Hospital neonatal intensive care unit for their hard work and amazing care."

The family's thanks to medical staff is another indication of how valued these people are. It is something we take for granted much of the time, only recognising how critical they are when we, family or friends need them.

Elsewhere, Middlemore Hospital staff held protests calling for improvements to security after a nurse and healthcare assistant were attacked in the carpark last weekend. The nurse — a 33-year-old new dad — was left with a broken collarbone and faces three months off work to recover.

Counties Manukau District Health Board says it has increased security, but that has failed to satisfy the nurses' union. They, rightly, say personal safety of staff must be top priority.

This comes against a backdrop of incredible stories of frontline medical staff in the aftermath of the Christchurch terror attacks.

There's no doubt that nurses and other health professionals will be involved in ongoing care for some of the seriously injured who remain in hospital.

Given the breadth of care offered, it's hard to fathom that it took almost a year of negotiations and a strike last year to agree on a new deal for pay and conditions. But there is still further to go.

What we saw in Christchurch, and what we know happens in our hospitals every day, should act as a reminder not to overlook nurses and other medical staff. And it should be a guarantee they are not having to scrap for a fair deal again.