Nurses says Waikato Hospital understaffed

Nurses' representatives say Waikato Hospital is understaffed by at least 45 nurses, jeopardising staff and patient safety.

The Nurses Organisation said the shortfalls included surgical, mental health and public health nurses.

The complaints over staffing come as the nurses' union embarks on a nationwide series of stopwork meetings to call for better pay.

Hospital management said yesterday that staffing levels were higher than their budgets allowed for.