Health and Safety – Official nurse unsafe staffing figures genuinely alarming

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation NZNO Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa has received information under the Official Information Act revealing the alarming nurse staffing crisis in New Zealand hospitals.

During the year ending 31 December 2023 more than a quarter of nursing shifts were below target staffing numbers, and some wards operated below safe staffing levels nearly all of the time.

NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter said the nursing staffing crisis remains a daily reality, with nurses continuing to leave because of burnout and concerns about pay and their health and safety at work.

“We have an impoverished health system that continues to be eroded by the Coalition Government’s spending restraints and frontline service cuts.

“Te Whatu Ora staffing data from 2023 reveals just how dire the situation has become and it’s no surprise nurses are leaving faster than they can be replaced.”

Mr Goulter said that of particular concern was ‘shifts below target’ at wards for the treatment of children, cancer (oncology), surgical needs, women’s health and mental health. Shifts below target indicate a heightened level of risk for patient safety, patient outcomes and nursing workforce safety. Patient mortality increases with exposure to increased numbers of shifts below target.

“More than half of the country’s children’s wards are understaffed at least 20 percent of the time. The Neonatal Intensive Care ward at Waipapa Christchurch Hospital (865 shifts below target) was understaffed for nearly 80 percent of all shifts last year.

“Five out of eight adult inpatient oncology wards were understaffed 20 percent of the time or more, with the most understaffed being Waikato Hospital Ward M05 (638 shifts below target). This fell below the rate of understaffing of Starship Hospital’s children’s cancer Ward 27B, which reported 791 shifts below target or nearly three quarters of all shifts in 2023.

“Fifty-six percent of surgical wards are understaffed 20 percent of the time or more, with the most understaffed being Waikato Hospital’s M08 Neurosurgery Ward (735 shifts below target)

“Almost half of women’s health wards are understaffed 20 percent of the time or more, with the most understaffed with Middlemore Hospital accounting for five of the six highest shifts below target reports.”

But mental health wards report the most acute levels of understaffing. Three wards reported more than 1000 shifts below target, with the Mason Clinic’s Tane Whakapiripiri ward in Waitematā being understaffed 99.45 percent of the time. This means only six shifts were safely staffed there in 2023.

Mr Goulter said this is what failure to properly fund health looks like on the front line and that the data shows we simply cannot afford any further service or funding cuts.

“Budget 2024 will be released at the end of the month and may be the Coalition Government’s last chance to show they care about health and to address the staffing problem by funding proper patient care for our loved ones and whānau into the future.”

On Thursday 9 May nurses across Aotearoa New Zealand will be holding public rallies at more than 20 locations across the country where they will picket and speak about safe staffing issues and solutions such as legally mandated nurse-to-patient ratios.

Through a recent OIA request, NZNO received shift below target data from Te Whatu Ora from 540 public health wards over the reporting period 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2023. This report includes detailed analysis of tr