“Good on you!” and “You do a beautiful job!” passers-by call out to nurses outside Wellington Hospital, amid near-constant tooting from motorists — including a cheeky police car. “You deserve it!” adds a passing cyclist.
Ahead of the 2024 Budget at the end of this month, nurses and kaiāwhina rallied across the country today, in a call for more funding for health and enforceable safe nurse-to-patient ratios.
As a freezing blast swept many parts of the lower North and South Island, nurses and the wider kaiāwhina workforce stepped out at more than 20 locations to protest over unsafe staffing putting them and patients at risk.
‘We’re haemorrhaging staff to Australia. The money is attractive but it’s also about conditions.’
Wellington Hospital delegate Annie McCabe said nurses were frustrated with the lack of attention to ongoing serious understaffing.
“We’re haemorrhaging staff to Australia. The money is attractive but it’s also about conditions.”
‘We are having to compromise on all these things — we are not paid enough, we are not valued and we are not able to deliver the level of care we want.’
McCabe said nurses wanted three things: To be paid what they’re worth; to be valued and recognised at work; and to deliver the care they’ve been trained for.
“We are having to compromise on all these things — we are not paid enough, we are not valued and we are not able to deliver the level of care we want.”
Northland nurse Anna Clarke said when staff were sick or away, there was often nobody to cover.
“That’s when all those unsafe practices come up — you end up putting patients’ lives at risk.”
NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku told Wellington’s rally nurses must stand strong in their demand for safer staffing.
“If this continues, we will see compromised health care . . . and we’ll see more of our nurses leave for Australia, where they have implemented nurse/patient ratios that recognise that nurses are a valued workforce and that there must be a minimum on every ward.”
The day of action took place as NZNO released figures supplied by Te Whatu Ora revealing a quarter of shifts were understaffed in 2023 — and some wards nearly all the time that year.
NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter said the figures showed some neonatal wards were understaffed for 80 per cent of last year — and more than half the country’s children’s wards were understaffed 20 per cent of the time.
Other regularly understaffed wards included cancer , surgical, women’s health and — most acutely — mental health.
The Budget was the Government’s “last chance” to show they cared about health, by funding safe staffing levels, Goulter said.
‘It makes such a difference to have only four patients — to do with safety, to do with your patient interaction and your personal connections with your patients.’
In Porirua, aged care delegate Anita Cook said public support was “huge” on a bitterly cold morning, with constant approaches and beeps.
Ratios ‘such a difference’
Her visiting friend — who asked not to be named — joined the rally to show support after leaving New Zealand last year for Queensland where nurse-to-patient ratios are mandated.
Having worked in medical wards here, where she cared for up to six patients, and in Queensland, where she never had more than four patients, the experienced nurse said mandated ratios made a huge difference.
“It makes such a difference to have only four patients — to do with safety, to do with your patient interaction and your personal connections with your patients.”
She loved New Zealand, but did not believe its working conditions were safe for nurses or patients.
A bitter day with cold winds and rain did not deter the faithful at Wairarapa, organisers said.
Members of the primary teachers’ union NZEI turned up to support the nurses, who also gained many supportive toots from the public — plus a free burger from the Rapid Relief food charity after the weather closed in.
