New Zealand Nurses Organisation: 26 March 2019

What:

Nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants (and their supporters) will rally in protest at the lack of care Manukau Counties District Health Board has shown for their personal safety.

When: Thursday 28 March, 2-3:30pm

Where: Middlemore Hospital main entrance, 100 Hospital Rd, Otahuhu

Spokesperson: Anna Majavu, Organiser, New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Protesters’ demands:

• Security cameras at locations of danger that will record footage for police playback
• Fencing around the entire car park – (currently anyone can just walk in)
• Floodlights on every level of the car park for the hundreds of nurses who park there
• Security guards at the carpark entrance/exit from 6pm-9am every day (this car park is a popular hangout for drug users and criminal elements)
• Security guards to escort staff to certain location after their late shifts.

Supporting comments:

People quoted intend to be there on the day.

"It has taken way too many incidents for CMDHB management to do something. I am rallying because this is no longer acceptable. I am done with broken promises and deserve to be able to feel safe. In my career I give my all to make Kiwis feel safe, why can’t this DHB do that for us?"

Sela Ikavuka, Registered Nurse, Middlemore Hospital

"I support this rally to stand for the health and safety of my colleagues which has been neglected by CMDHB Board and corporate management for so long and after so many requests have fallen on deaf ears. Staff cars being vandalised and stolen from the staff car park, there are not enough carparks for staff coming for their late shifts. Now nursing staff are being brutalised by cowards and opportunists leaving my colleagues in ICU. None of this should have ever happened and no one should ever go through such things."

Karnel Singh, Health Care Assistant, Middlemore Hospital, and NZNO delegate

"I support the rally because I am angry that it has taken a serious assault on members of staff for our employer to take our complaints seriously. I support the rally so that our staff can feel safe when going to and from their cars. I should feel safe going to and from my place of work at all times."

Judith Couch, Midwife, Counties Manukau DHB

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 12 March 2019

EMBARGOED UNTIL 1PM, 13 MARCH 2019

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation and E tū are holding a summit in Wellington today (13 March) calling for a review of staffing standards for residential aged care – and for new and better standards to be made mandatory. The organisations are also launching a report on their joint research which reveals that standard care is missed or delayed in almost every shift, and that aged care staff frequently face distress and exhaustion in their work.

NZNO Industrial Advisor Aged Care David Wait says the public would be shocked at the findings of the research which was conducted in late 2018.

“We think New Zealanders care very much about the health, wellbeing and dignity of our seniors and would agree that the way we care for them reflects back on all of us.

“Our research shows aged care residents’ immediate emotional and physical needs often go unmet because staff are forced to ration the way they care, and if you’re not a priority you miss out.

“Right now aged care under-staffing is hurting everybody, and we’re confident the public will back our call for the government to review existing standards.”

David Wait said the current standards were published in 2005 and were inadequate even then.

“Things have changed dramatically since 2005. We have more people in aged care, they’re entering facilities later in life with much greater care needs and they’re living longer.

“What’s worse is that our current standards are completely voluntary and recent evidence shows, for example, that more than half of aged care providers deliver less registered nurse time than is recommended for hospital and dementia level patients.”

He also said medical conditions associated with care rationing, such as pressure ulcers and injuries from falls, would occur less frequently if we had better staffing, saving New Zealand money while we provide better care.

NZNO delegate and registered nurse Sacha Young says if there were enough staff to meet residents’ needs, people in aged care would have much better physical and emotional wellbeing.

“We don’t have time to do simple things like help residents take short walks, or sit with them for a few minutes when they are distressed.

“Not being able to do this puts a lot of stress on staff who would love to be able to provide better quality care. They often feel guilty or unfulfilled in their work and that’s a very unpleasant situation for everyone.”

She said a simple solution, however, would be to review the Staffing Standards and set mandatory minimum staffing numbers.

“It’s time to set staffing levels high enough to ensure our residents are always in safe hands.”

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Media inquiries

Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

More information

About the summit

The summit will be held at St John’s Presbyterian Church, 170 Willis St, Te Aro, Wellington 6011. The start time is 1pm, but media are welcome from 12.30pm.

The report will be launched at the summit. In attendance will be NZNO and E tū leadership in aged care, Grey Power, politicians including Jan Logie, and a range of delegates and aged care workers from around the country. All will be happy to speak to the media.

About the report

In safe hands? How poor staffing levels and rationed care are harming aged care residents and staff

• This report is based on research by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and E tū which was undertaken in 2018 to examine the current state of aged care in New Zealand. What it reveals is a broken system, which endangers residents and takes a heavy toll on nurses and caregivers.
• The research records the results of a survey by NZNO and E tū of 1194 people working in aged care facilities (rest homes, dementia units and hospitals) including registered nurses, enrolled nurses, caregivers and managers.
• Care rationing – 'the withholding or failure to carry out necessary nursing tasks due to inadequate time, staffing level, and/or skill mix'.
• Three quarters (73.45%) of those surveyed either disagreed or strongly disagreed that staffing levels were sufficient to provide quality care for residents.
• 81% of staff say the care needs of residents have increased significantly over the last few years. Most report they are not able to get more staff when residents need more care.

Many more facts and statistics are available in the report which can be viewed online at https://www.flexmediagroup.co.nz/in-safe-hands/index.html.

PDF copies of the report can be requested from Rob Zorn: rob.zorn@nzno.org.nz | 027 431 2617.

Quotes from respondents to the survey (included in the report)

“I love my job, I love the residents I work with and I love the feeling of being able to make a difference. But that can only take you so far. We need help and we need it now!”

“It is clear to staff that we do not have enough time to see to residents’ most basic physical needs let alone emotional and psychological needs. For example we have no time to sit with distressed, unhappy residents and simply talk with them.”

“Staff feel like they are providing a below par service. We work extra time for free and go home exhausted and some days crying as we didn’t manage to do everything people wanted.”

“I dread to go back to work at times.”

“Residents don't report injuries to us because they think we are too busy. In one case this has meant an assisted living resident had infected wounds no-one knew about, which he later died from."

"Residents worry they are a burden and won't ring the bell because they know we are busy, so lie in pain rather than ‘making a fuss’."

“The effect on residents is that they don’t get all of the 'little' things they want and need, a cup of tea, the toilet when they really need it, their teeth brushed, lipstick put on, regular turns to keep bed-ridden residents comfortable or even just a hug, a laugh or conversation.”

“Sometimes in the rush residents are processed like products in a factory in order to get through the workload.”

“I leave the rest home, sit in my car and cry, I'm so exhausted and depressed, and angry… our residents are not getting quality care, actually some are getting no care, or very little care."

“I feel relief to have survived a shift without an incident and immense dismay and dissatisfaction about a job not able to be well done.”

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 8 March 2019

Today (8 March 2019) is International Women’s Day, and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says Kiwi women have much to celebrate in what they have achieved collectively.

NZNO Industrial Services Manager Cee Payne says New Zealand women have a proud history of working together, and that it is this collective approach that has seen significant achievements for women this year.

She said just one of the many results arising from women standing up for themselves together has been world first legislation in New Zealand (from 1 April 2019) granting victims of domestic violence 10 days paid leave to allow them to leave their partners, find new homes and protect themselves and their children.

NZNO member and delegate Ann Simmons, herself a victim of domestic violence, said the passing of Jan Logie’s Bill gives options and space to breathe at a time when a person feels no one cares.

“For me it’s the win of 2018 and a real win for women who are the majority of domestic violence victims.”

Cee Payne said there was also reason for women to celebrate equal pay legislation which is now before Select Committee.

“We expect that very soon, women across Aotearoa will be able to ensure they are equitably paid. And, by the end of the year, we will have achieved another world first – an equal pay settlement for nurses, midwives and health care assistants across our district health boards.”

NZNO, which is the nursing professional association and union with the largest representation of women in New Zealand (95 per cent of its approximately 53,000 members are women), negotiated a pathway to achieve equal pay as part of its DHB multi-employer collective agreement in 2018.

Cee Payne said Kate Sheppard and Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia would be proud of the achievements women are making collectively in New Zealand.

“We can be very proud that the tide is slowly turning, but it’s important that we keep pressing forward and that we continue to work together.

“Equality is not a privilege that’s given. It is right that is collectively won.”  

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. It has been celebrated for well over a century, with the first​ ​International Women’s Day gathering taking place in 1911.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 30 January 2019

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) applauds the decision of the Waitangi Tribunal to accept a claim lodged by Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Awhina – the rūnanga of the Public Service Association (PSA) – to address employment inequities suffered by Māori women. NZNO has also had a claim accepted under the Waitangi Tribunal's Mana Wahine Kaupapa inquiry.

However, NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says this is really just the beginning of a process that should have been settled years ago.

“We agree with the PSA that for too long there have been well-documented inequities for Māori and for Māori women in particular. This is especially true for health outcomes.

“Nurses see this every day, so we’re not just fighting for equality in pay and employment, but also for equal access to acceptable health services and health outcomes.”

Kerri Nuku said it is imperative that the voices of Maori women will be heard, but that this was about much more than that – it is mana to wahine.

“This struggle is actually about taking action to restore the well-defined role and rangatiratanga of Māori women, something that has been consistently eroded over time to their detriment.

“So while we’re happy with this decision, we wonder why things have taken so long. We look forward to the Inquiry results and to concerted action to restore the equality and mana of Māori women in Aotearoa.”

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 14 January 2019

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) supports the New Zealand Resident Doctors Association (NZRDA) in its industrial dispute with District Health Boards (DHBs) and warns that unsafe working conditions imposed on resident medical officers (RMOs) would impact on the quality of health care in New Zealand.

NZNO Industrial Advisor Lesley Harry says DHBs are now insisting on reducing the terms and conditions agreed with RMOs in the 2016/17 multi-employer collective agreement (MECA). These reductions include less safe rostering, reductions to callout pay and RMOs being redeployed without their agreement.

“This is completely unacceptable when we are currently facing a serious shortage of RMOs and medical specialists across the board resulting in inadequate and unsafe staffing levels.

“Demand on hospital services continues to increase, which means we need to be forward thinking. We should be attracting and retaining trainee doctors and treating them with respect because better staffing levels are vital in sustaining health services.”

Lesley Harry said nurses can testify that what doctors are saying about short staffing and burnout is a fact, and that NZNO members in hospitals increasingly report situations where staffing levels and working hours mean patients are not receiving the standards of care they should expect.

“As health care professionals, doctors' and nurses’ first priority is meeting the needs of every patient coming through the hospital door. We don’t want to see our best and brightest unable to provide the quality of care they are trained for because they are exhausted or do not feel respected.” 

She said it was imperative these issues were sorted quickly before the existing MECA expires in February.

“RMOs move around between employers as part of their work and if an acceptable agreement isn’t negotiated in time they could be vulnerable to any number of unreasonable conditions imposed upon them by employers.

“This will just continue to exacerbate the problem and lead to poorer relationships, working conditions and poorer health care for New Zealanders. The longer this dispute goes on, the more likely DHB doctors will look to greener pastures.

“We urge the DHBs to listen to the concerns of RMOs and to settle this dispute in an acceptable manner. This is ultimately about the wellbeing of everyone in New Zealand so we support the NZRDA in putting patient safety first.”

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 19 December 2018

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation welcomes the increase to the minimum wage announced today and commends the Government for its commitment to the health and wellbeing of low paid workers.

NZNO Industrial Services Manager Cee Payne says the increase will advance the health of the nation because higher incomes are clearly linked to better health.

“The burden of ill health and early death associated with poverty is undeniable and nurses see the devastating effects poverty has on people every day in their work.

“Health and wellbeing must be part of any discussion we have about what raising the minimum wage means for the country. Too often we talk about the minimum wage in the context of its economic implications. We fail to acknowledge the important issue of what better wages mean for the health and wellbeing of our communities.”

Registered East Coast rural health nurse and NZNO delegate Gina Chaffey-Aupouri also says low incomes have a big impact on health.

“If we continue to pay low wages we will continue to have people in our communities with poor housing leading to poor health and education – and the people suffer.

“People with low incomes often live in houses that are poorly insulated, which means children develop asthma or sore throats that can lead to rheumatic fever. Children get sick because there isn’t enough food to keep them well.

“I welcome an increase to the minimum wage. As a Māori nurse I believe, ‘He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.’”

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 19 December 2018

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has welcomed the Government’s call for consultation on proposed changes to temporary work visas, saying they will be good for both New Zealand nurses and migrants working in nursing and aged care.

NZNO Industrial Adviser Aged Care David Wait said the changes, proposed by Minister for Immigration Hon Iain Lees-Galloway, will help stabilise the nursing workforce in aged care, , improve wages, encourage upskilling and help ensure we can provide quality care for our seniors.

“New Zealand has the highest rate of internationally qualified nurses in the OECD at 27 percent of our nursing workforce, so these changes are really important and would have widespread implications.”

“One of the intentions of this proposal is to reduce our reliance on workers from overseas and that’s great, but it will also encourage better workforce training for both the domestic and migrant workers we do employ.

“It will also put upwards pressure on wages and this is a really good thing. Aged care workers earn significantly less than their counterparts working in district health boards and have been for a number of years. Unfortunately previous immigration policies have allowed some employers to undercut rates of pay for both New Zealanders and migrant workers.”

He said the proposal to review the requirement for low skilled migrant workers to have a one-year stand down period after they have worked here for three years is also welcome.

“This just makes good sense and will add stability for both migrant workers and employers. It will reduce the need for further recruiting and training and will lead to better quality care.”

He said migrant workers in aged care make an incredible contribution for which we should all be grateful.

“NZNO is all for employing migrant workers where New Zealanders can’t be found, but when we do employ them, they should receive fair wages and conditions.”

Hon Iain Lees-Galloway said that subject to the consultation, aged care was one of two sectors in which he wanted negotiations for industry agreements to begin. David Wait said this was also good news considering the heavy reliance upon migrant workers within aged care in New Zealand.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 7 December 2018

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) welcomes He Ara Oranga, the report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction, but says more emphasis on nursing and workforce wellbeing is required.

NZNO President Grant Brookes said many of the issues raised by NZNO in its submission to the Inquiry have been addressed, but that there remain some concerning gaps.

“We appreciate the people-centred nature of the report and its willingness to apply fresh thinking to old and complex problems. If all its recommendations were followed, huge improvements would be made in the lives of people in New Zealand with mental health and addiction problems.”

However, Grant Brookes said that there is nothing in the recommendations to address current workforce wellbeing issues, including increasing incidences of violence towards staff.

“Nurses, whether in the community or in hospitals, are essential. They’re at the forefront in treating mental health and addiction, but we know the mental health and addiction nursing workforce is becoming more tired, fearful and burnt out.

“That makes it a difficult branch of nursing to recruit to. So if we fail to plan for a nursing workforce that is robustly resourced, safe in the workplace and fully staffed, then many of the Inquiry’s other recommendations will come to nothing.

Grant Brookes said he agreed with the report that this is a once in a generation opportunity.

“Health Minister Hon David Clark has said reshaping our approach to mental health and addiction is no small task and will take some time. We think so too, and urge the Government to begin work on a plan to address mental health and addiction needs in New Zealand without delay – and this must include nursing workforce issues.”

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said she welcomes the report’s focus on strengthening Kaupapa Māori services.

“NGOs and Kaupapa Māori services play a vital role in providing culturally appropriate responses and supporting whānau in the community.

“Removing barriers short-term contracting costs and streamlining funding would make these services more sustainable and ensure that the workforce in this sector is well supported.”

Kerri Nuku said NGOs and Kaupapa Māori services form a key part of the ‘whole of government’ approach to wellbeing and agrees that Government must support their development.  Further, focus on Māori health must be strengthened within the Ministry of Health and other Government agencies.

NZNO looks forward to continuing to work with the Government and other stakeholders to help bring about the changes recommended in the report.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 7 December 2018

The New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO) supports the Association of Senior Medical Specialists’ (ASMS’s) call for safer staffing conditions for senior doctors and dentists working in public hospitals. It also agrees that district health boards (DHBs) and the Ministry of Health must become more actively involved to help make this happen – supported by the Government.

“Specialists in public hospitals often work long hours under stressful conditions because there aren’t enough staff to meet patient needs,” said NZNO Chief Executive Memo Musa.

“They are frequently over-tired or unwell themselves, but continue to work because of their dedication and good will. The levels of job dissatisfaction and rates of burnout reported by the ASMS are concerning. These conditions are not optimal for providing care and treatment to people needing hospital-based care.”

Memo Musa also agreed that high specialist workloads have been caused by the previous Government’s under-funding of the public health system.

“The previous Government’s years of neglect have been the main contributor to the sad and dangerous situation we find ourselves in. Therefore action must be taken to improve staffing levels for public health specialists who have the same right to safe and productive working environments as anybody else.”

Memo Musa urged the DHBs, Ministry of Health and the ASMS to start working together supported by Government to find a way forward, because what is happening now is unsustainable and will only contribute to poor health for New Zealanders.

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 5 December 2018

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) welcomes Employment Law improvements that will bring fairer and safer work.

NZNO Industrial Services Manager Cee Payne says it is heartening that we are returning to an employment law framework that restores the right for working people to have greater fairness and safety at work.

“Many workers in New Zealand are not covered by a collective agreement and, under the old law, had lost basic rights – such as a new employee’s right to mediation where there is an existing employment dispute, or just the right to regular meal and tea breaks.

“Restoring the right to a tea break sends a really important message that every working person has value and deserves the right to fair and safe work.”

Cee Payne said the changes are relatively easy to adopt for employers and will be effective for working people.

“We know these restored rights support good workplaces and safe work, because we’ve had similar provisions before and the evidence is there that they work.

“We’re encouraged by the progress the Government has made in this new employment law and we look forward to seeing ongoing progress towards fairer work and conditions.”

NZNO workplace delegate Nurse Erin Kennedy is also pleased with the law change.

“As a health professional I was really worried when hard-working New Zealanders started losing rights to a cup of tea and a break. Something like that can be really unsafe, and that’s not good for anybody – including employers.” 

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Media inquiries: Rob Zorn, NZNO Media and Communications Advisor: 027 431 2617.