Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation
Cancer, heart and trauma patients have faced the most understaffed wards and emergency departments over the past three years, a new Infometrics report prepared for Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has found.
NZNO President Anne Daniels says cancer and cardiovascular wards were the most understaffed with 49% of all shifts (page 25, table 10) having inadequate staffing to meet safe staffing requirements set out under the Care Capacity Demand Management programme.
“That means these vulnerable patients faced a shortage of nurses to care for them one in every two shifts. This rose to 66% for day shifts if you were in an inpatient cancer ward and 62% if you were in a cardiovascular ward.
“Children’s wards also fared poorly with 45% of all shifts being understaffed, followed by 36% of all shifts in critical care and emergency departments.
“These wards and emergency departments treat our most vulnerable patients. It is not good enough that we don’t have enough nurses to give them the timely and quality care they need because we are constantly short-staffed.”
Anne Daniels says the report also highlights the most understaffed wards in the country over the past three years (page 27, table 12) with mental health wards featuring heavily.
“This is a shocking insight into the state of our mental health wards with 11, including Hillmorton Hospital in Christchurch, featuring in the 39 most understaffed wards in the country.
“The Coalition Government, and Mental Health Minister Matthew Doocey, claim mental health services are a priority. If this is truly the case, it is time for mental health wards to have the safe staffing their patients deserve,” Anne Daniels says.
