Nurses say strike isn't just about the money, also a call for safe staffing levels
Other patients could wait all night just to be seen.
'It could mean 14 hours sitting in a waiting room through the night. It's not uncommon for patients who arrive at 9pm to not see a doctor until the following morning,' she said.
'Patients should not have to explain to their visiting children why the man in the bed next door keeps shouting out - using expletives and profanities - because the nurses have been unable to manage his pain or distress - because there are not enough doctors to see, diagnose and direct treatment, nor is there available support staff to sit with the confused elderly to provide calming support and ensure they don't get off their beds and fall.'
Waikato Hospital emergency department nurse and union delegate Tracy Chisholm. Photo / Natalie Akoorie, RNZ
Her department was short more than 20 fulltime nurses, but was unable to replace those who resigned, retired or went on maternity leave because it had '20 more than budgeted'.
'One of our previous hospital managers went 'Hell yes, you need more staff'. And we went a little bit above our budget because they could see the need, they could see the issues. However, we've never ever got that budget.'
ED was also short of doctors, healthcare assistants and other allied staff, Chisholm said.
'I'm striking because this is my health system. It's the one my parents, my children rely on. And it's not good enough.'
Health NZ said senior nurses' pay had jumped nearly 74% since 2011, twice as fast as the average worker's.
However, Chisholm, who is also a union delegate, said a big chunk of that increase came from nurses' hard-won pay equity claim, making up for decades of low-pay due to sex-based discrimination.
'We're not asking for the same percentage that they've all just got in their little offices, we're just looking at the cost-of-living so we can feed our children, pay our bills and just carry on.
'We're not even asking for enough to pay for parking since we don't have much of that around hospitals in this country.'
Salary not the sticking point – nurses
Health NZ is offering a 2% pay increase this year, 1% next year and a lump sum payment of $325. It has also sought to extend the term of the agreement by three months to 27 months to January 2027.
The union points out the longer term would further dilute the value of the pay rise.
The Nurses Organisation wants a 3% increase this year (backdated to April 7) and 2% next year (effective April 2026).
The union's chief executive, Paul Goulter, said, however, pay was not the critical issue.
'The heart of this dispute is the failure of the Government to provide guarantees that they will fund and resource staffing that meets what our patients need.'
Data obtained by the NZNO under the Official Information Act for 16 districts over 10 months last year, showed 50% of day shifts were under-staffed.
The union accuses Health NZ of erasing long-standing safe staffing commitments from the collective agreement.
Health NZ has argued clinical matters were better addressed through 'operational policies'.
Goulter said that was misleading.
'Why it's too difficult for them to staff up to what's needed is because the Government won't support the resourcing necessary to do it.'
Nurses Organisation chief executive Paul Goulter. Photo / Nate McKinnon, RNZ
Future nurses fearful
National student president Bianca Grimmer, who would be looking for work at the end of the year, said less than half of mid-year nursing graduates had been offered hospital jobs so far.
'It's definitely nerve-wracking for me and my cohort, you're wondering I guess, where do I go from here? Do I apply to go overseas as well as applying for here?
'Do I spread my options wide? Or will it hopefully fix itself by then? But you know, it's only a few months away.'
Hospitals and emergency departments remain open during the strike, which ends at 9am on Thursday.
To maintain patient safety, most clinics will be closed, but Health NZ said patients with appointments should still attend unless they have been contacted.
-RNZ
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Hospital ward full of patients with no medical need to be there
A ward of people at Northshore Hospital that have no medical reason to be there, but can't be discharged because they have nowhere to go for further care is the tip of the iceberg, according the Aged Care Association. The 20-bed ward was created in May for patients and RNZ understands the people there were not under the direct care of doctors, but were looked after by nurses and allied health staff such as physiotherapists and social workers. There is effectively nowhere for them to be discharged to further care, like an aged care facility. Chief executive of the Aged Care Association, Tracey Martin. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
1News
12 hours ago
- 1News
Hospital has entire ward of people with no medical reason to be there
North Shore Hospital has an entire ward of people stuck in hospital with no medical reason to be there. The 20-bed ward was created in May for patients who were effectively medically discharged but did not have anywhere to go for lower level care, such as an aged care facility. RNZ understands they were not under the direct care of doctors, but were looked after by nurses and allied health staff such as physiotherapists and social workers. Some were there for weeks. Health NZ's Waitematā operations director Brad Healey said started the dedicated ward to help boost capacity in the busy winter period. ADVERTISEMENT It had helped improve the flow of patients because people were spending less time in emergency departments and were getting the care they needed sooner, he said. Deborah Powell heads the APEX Union, which includes allied health workers. It was not unusual for the patients to be in the ward for two or three weeks, but sometimes it was longer, she said. It was not ideal but it was a good, practical decision to have them in one place rather than dotted around the hospital, she said. "It would be better to have them in the community but we just don't have that capacity out there at the moment." The head of the senior doctor's union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Sarah Dalton, said it was not good for people to be in hospital when they did not need to be. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including toddler found in suitcase on bus, Russian volcano erupts, and Liam Lawson pips former world champion. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT "You're much better off to be in the community where you can be dressed and walking around and doing your daily things and doing exercise and getting rehab and all of those good things," she said. Having people stuck in hospital, also helped create longer surgical waiting lists, she said. "One of the biggest contributors to cancellations of elective surgeries in hospitals is that there aren't enough staffed beds to put the patients in after their surgery." "It has a domino effect back through the hospital in terms of other people's ability to access care." The government needed to do more to fund public aged residential care and also support services that allowed people to go back to their own homes, rather than the "last resort" of having to stay in hospital, Dalton said. Health NZ's Brad Healey said each patient in the ward had a "responsible medical clinician" and could access medical care if their condition changed and a further medical assessment was needed. "The patients have complex discharge pathways, requiring specialist nursing and allied health workforces," he said. Those teams worked closely with the patients and their whānau to get the discharge support they needed, he said.
Otago Daily Times
13 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Getting a medical certificate without a doctor
Employers can legally ask you for a medical certificate if you need to take sick leave - even for one day. It can be a long wait to see a GP, but there are other ways to get a sick note. Winter coughs and flu are still doing the rounds - and Covid hasn't gone away - so if you need to call in sick there are a few things to know. When do you need a medical certificate? Part time and full-time employees are entitled to 10 days sick leave for themselves or to look after someone who is sick, but in some circumstances, employers may ask for a proof. The Holidays Act states an employer may require an employee to produce proof of sickness or injury for sick leave if the sickness or injury that gave rise to the leave is for a period of three or more consecutive calendar days, and a proof of sickness or injury may include a certificate from a health practitioner. The employer could ask for proof within three consecutive calendar days, but they would have to pay the employee's expenses in obtaining the proof. E tū union national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said while it was legal for employers to ask for a sick note, they urged employers to waive the requirement. "This is the employers' right but it causes hardship to workers who either can't get a GP appointment or have to pay high consultation fees to GPs, including online doctor practices. "Employers don't have to ask for medical certificates and we would encourage them to drop the requirement unless there is some doubt in their minds about the genuineness of the illness." Paul Jarvie, manager of employment relations and safety at the Employers and Manufacturers Association, said there could be an imbalance in the medical certificate process. "One is the employment system, and the second one would be the medical system. Ideally they should work in tandem, but sometimes they appear to be working at odds with each other. The doctor can only hear the employees version of what's going on and there's no real ability for the doctor or whoever it is to contact the employer to find out their story of can the person come back to work, are there alternative duties that kind of stuff. So there's always been a bit of a disconnect." Where do you get a certificate? General practitioners The most common way to obtain a sick note is to go through a general practitioner. For enrolled patients, depending on the GP, the cost for an appointment can range from $18 to $90. However, with a GP shortage it can take weeks to get an appointment. An RNZ-Reid Research poll found about 60% of respondents were able to get a GP appointment within a week, 30% were waiting for more than two weeks with 17% waiting three or more. Telehealth services Virtual healthcare businesses and some GP services offer online medical certificates. Patients can often get an on the day video call or phone call and receive a medical certificate for three to five days. An appointment generally costs around $40 to $65. However, buyer beware: a quick search by RNZ found overseas companies marketing sick notes for New Zealanders and asking for personal information including IDs in its application process. The Ministry of Health said only health practitioners registered with a New Zealand authority can issue valid sick notes. Pharmacies Pharmacists are legally allowed to write sick notes. However, not all do. For pharmacists who confirm they are able to provide a medical certificate, an in-person consultation is required and costs between $30 to $40. It is best to call the pharmacy before your visit to confirm that they can write sick notes. Who else can issue sick notes? The Ministry of Health says a health practitioner is defined under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 as a person who is, or is deemed to be, registered with a New Zealand authority as a practitioner of a particular health profession. A list of professions regulated under the Act and their responsible authorities can be found on the ministry's website. The list contains 18 professions with a range that includes from Chinese medicine services to dietetics, nursing, osteopathy to psychotherapy. It is important to differentiate medical certificate and proof of sickness, while only medical practitioners, doctors, can write medical certificates, all health practitioners can certify proof of sickness. Can Healthline provide sick notes? Healthline is a free over-the-phone health service available 24/7 and connects the caller to nurses and paramedics. But the service does not issue medical certificates. In an email, a spokesperson said: "That's because the Healthline service involved nurses and paramedics providing triage (assessing symptoms, providing health and treatment advice, developing a plan for next steps for care), not diagnosis. "And to be able to issue a medical certificate would mean being able to verify that someone was unable to work for at least 3 days, which most of the time would require some form of medical diagnosis, which is not part of the service we offer."
