Earlier this year, as part of the settlement of the nurse’s pay dispute, the Government, DHBs and the NZ Nurses Organisation signed a safe staffing accord, which included implementation of the "care capacity demand management" system.
That meant almost all DHBs needed to employ new nurses to cover safe staffing roster requirements.
The SDHB advertised both in New Zealand and abroad for new nurses, and was still looking for more.
The 16 who had been employed thus far represented 10 full time equivalents, SDHB chief nursing and midwifery officer Jane Wilson said.
"Active recruitment continues with a refreshed campaign due to commence in the New Year."
A new study by Massey University researchers released last week included a draft national code of practice for managing fatigue and shift work, and its findings emphasised that a tired nurse was more likely to make mistakes.
Most nurses got less than seven hours’ sleep a night, and nurses — especially those aged 30-59 years — were significantly more likely than the general population to report never or rarely getting enough sleep and never or rarely waking refreshed.
"Fatigue is inevitable in 24/7 work: it cannot be eliminated, it must be managed," the report said.
"The safety risk associated with a fatigued nurse depends on what she/he is being asked to do, the other hazards present, and the other safety defences present."
Researchers contrasted an intensive care nurse — who might have responsibility for only one patient and worked supported by technology and with other clinicians nearby — with an in-patient mental health nurse, who might be responsible for several unpredictable patients, with little backup.
"Fatigue impairs nursing performance and can degrade patient care, increase the risk of injury to patients and nurses, and affect the health, wellbeing, and retention of nurses."
Staff responsible for rostering should have appropriate fatigue and shift work management training, researchers said.
They did not recommend absolute limits on nurses’ work patterns, such as shift lengths, numbers of consecutive shifts or minimum breaks between shifts, but said nurses should have some say over their shifts through use of a fatigue management tool.
"The timing and duration of night shifts is important," researchers said.
"The more they overlap usual sleep time, the greater the amount of sleep restriction they are likely to cause.
"Attention needs to be paid to the number of consecutive night shifts across which sleep debt is building."
Ms Wilson said the SDHB intended to circulate the paper widely and to discuss the research findings in appropriate forums, including with the union, in the New Year.
"The DHB is committed to improving the health, safety and welfare of our staff," she said.
"Any advances in scientific knowledge and safety management systems which minimise the adverse effects of shift work on staff, patient safety, and quality of care will indeed be given due consideration to inform safe rostering practices."
