Retired nurse Jiff Stewart, who is heading residents opposing the cuts, said it was a “faint” but important concession and showed how unions could help.
‘You can make a difference and you can make a difference through your unions.’
“One staff member is a member of a union and she made one phone call. And there has been some result – we have got that extra shift – so I think there’s a powerful message for staff, that actually you can make a difference and you can make a difference through your unions.”
Owner Arvida Group originally proposed cutting 358 enrolled nurse (EN) and caregiver hours per week (with job losses), disestablishing the activity coordinator role and cutting back 54 registered nurse (RN) hours per week (without job losses) — a total of 412 hours.
But this week it walked back a portion of those cuts, restoring an evening caregiving shift in the dementia unit.
‘If it’s going to get worse from this baseline, then I’m seriously worried.’
Staff went on strike last month over the proposal, and last week a group of residents and staff delivered a petition signed by 592 residents, workers and families against the cuts.
Stewart said she was deeply concerned about the impact on care for rest-home and dementia-unit residents.
Residents chose Village at the Park because of its high-quality care but she now feared that would be lost.
“What I don’t understand is that the staff at the minute are flat out – this is before the cuts take effect,” she told Kaitiaki. “If it’s going to get worse from this baseline, then I’m seriously worried.”
Many of the villa and apartment dwellers could end up in the rest home or dementia unit, she said.
Loss of activity coordinators, too, would be a “flipping disaster”.
Unions E tū and NZNO — Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa, who between them represent nursing and caregiving staff, have banded together to fight the proposal, claiming in a submission there had been no consultation with residents about the impact.
Their survey of workers identified strong concern over the impact of the cuts on workload, staff safety and quality of care for residents.
Staff reported they already struggled to take breaks as they were so busy caring for residents, many of whom were high needs.
Village at the Park, in the Wellington suburb of Berhampore, is one of 35 retirement villages around New Zealand owned by the for-profit Arvida Group. American private investment company Stonepeak has been identified as a likely purchaser of Arvida Group.
Noting there was currently a review of the legislation governing retirement villages underway, as well as a review of aged care funding by Te Whatu Ora, Stewart said the problems at her facility were symptomatic of broader challenges facing a fragmented sector.