\u201cUltimately, this is about building a workforce that is evidence-based, clinically led and … fit for purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gray said the majority of the 380 fulltime and permanent staff Health NZ was seeking to hire would be nurses. New hires would also include healthcare assistants who offer bedside patient care. <\/p>\n
One quarter of the new hires would be in emergency departments. Recruitment would begin immediately and likely include a mix of new graduates as well as overseas hires. <\/p>\n
The 380 figure was based on a \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d review of workforce demand that was recently completed. <\/p>\n
Mandatory minimum nurse-to-patient ratios are in place in Australia and other jurisdictions internationally. Required ratios vary by hospital department or region. <\/p>\n
For example, in 2015, Victoria passed a law requiring wards or sites within its public health system to have a minimum number of nurses or midwives. The legislation has been amended in the years since to update ratio requirements. <\/p>\n
In June, legislation was introduced in Victoria to mandate 1:1 nurse to patient ratios in intensive care units and a 1:4 midwife-to-patient ratio in post-natal and antenatal wards on night shifts. <\/p>\n
Gray said if Health NZ were to adopt the nurse-to-patient ratio model, it would be an isolated measurement but used along with other tools. <\/p>\n
Health Minister Simeon Brown said he supported Health NZ\u2019s move to investigate nurse-to-patient ratios, which he said was a \u201ckey evidence-based step\u201d to ensure patients get the quality of care they needed, and nurses felt safe to deliver it. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe way we currently calculate nursing staffing has been in place for 20 years, and it no longer reflects the needs of patients or the realities nurses face on the ward and in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis work will help make sure we have the right nurses, in the right places, to care for New Zealanders. I look forward to seeing it progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo \/ NZME <\/p>\n
For years, the health system has been under pressure, which was only exacerbated during the pandemic, and continues to peak during winter periods. Health NZ said the most recent winter was particularly \u201ctough\u201d with the volumes of patients exceeding expectations. <\/p>\n
As debate around addressing pressure in the health system has continued through successive governments, the number of nurses and their working conditions have been a theme of contention. <\/p>\n
That has led to several strikes among nurses, including as recently as Monday when nurses and health care assistants at Wait\u0101kare Hospital\u2019s Muriwai ward walked off the job for the second time this year. <\/p>\n
The health system and staffing will almost certainly be a looming issue this election as National and Labour debate the best way forward. Health NZ said today\u2019s announcement was independent of Health Minister Brown. <\/p>\n