Nursing reports

New Zealand Nurses Organisation media release, 3 December 2018

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) needs to get serious about enforcing a zero-tolerance approach to violence in the workplace if the now regular assaults against nurses are to stop.

NZNO Organiser John Miller said it is absolutely unacceptable for anyone to feel scared to go to work because they could be stabbed, burned, beaten, punched or strangled.

“Surely this is going to negatively affect the quality of the care they can give.

“We have been speaking out about the safety of nurses and other staff in the workplace for years. NZNO has also been working for some time to support security, safety and good practice environments for it members.

“This has included participating on working groups that have made recommendations to CDHB around issues such as employing security guards and urgently funding and pursuing improved practice environments to make inpatient settings safer.”

He said NZNO is also calling on WorkSafe to step up and take a proactive approach to violence in the workplace for all health workers. 

“Where is WorkSafe’s involvement in all this? We are aware that WorkSafe has had very few serious assault reports from CDHB’s Specialist Mental Health Services, but there have been more than enough publically reported incidents that should be triggering ‘WorkSafe’s involvement.”

“A much more serious approach is needed to make workplaces safer for staff – and it would be a major omission if this were not a main focus of the Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction.”

2 March 2012:

New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) members working in all public hospitals have voted to accept a new multi employer collective agreement (MECA).

This MECA covers more than 23,000 nurses, midwives and health care assistants. Members voted to ratify the settlement at meetings across the district health boards (DHBs) from February 14 to March 1.

The new agreement provides for a number of improvements, including a wage increase of 4.5 per cent over the term of the agreement (effective: 2% 01/03/12, 1.5%  01/03/13 and 1% 01/03/14), a 36-month term (March 1, 2012 - February 28, 2015), a lump sum payment for enrolled nurses to transition to a revised scope of practice, a commitment from DHBs to the care capacity demand management (CCDM) programmes, the ability to transfer sick leave between DHBs, as well as a number of other improvements.

“NZNO members working in DHBs have a new collective agreement which provides them with some certainty and security for the next three years,” NZNO industrial adviser Lesley Harry said.

“Our members are committed to working to improve our hospitals though making them safer for staff and also for patients. The work of the Safe Staffing Unit will be extremely important during the term of this collective agreement,” Harry said.

ENDS